School

The School House, whose history can be traced to at least 1844, is the oldest of the three boys’ houses at Durham School; in school slang, the House is affectionately known as 'Bungites' after a previous Head and House Master, the Reverend Dr Henry Holden, whose nickname was 'Bung'. Situated right in the heart of the School, Bungites commands spectacular views over the Playground, the main sports’ ground, and is home to over 100 day boys and weekly boarders.

There is a resident Housemaster in overall charge of the House, an Assistant Housemaster in charge of years 10 and 11, and a Junior Housemaster who is in charge of the pastoral care of the boys in Years 7 and 8.

Mr MP Alderson, BA, MA (Dunelm)

Housemaster

On leaving school, Mr Alderson went up to the University of Durham to read French and German, spending one year as a teaching assistant at a grammar school in Upper Austria. He continued his studies at Homerton College, Cambridge and the Padagogische Akademie, Innsbruck with a PGCE with Austrian teachers' certificate. He has completed a master's degree on historical narratives and is currently conducting PhD research on sixteenth-century biographies of Luther at the University of Durham. Before joining Durham School, he spent three years at Derby Grammar School as the German Master and latterly as Director of Sixth-Form Studies. In his spare time Mr Alderson enjoys mountain-biking, skiing, running and wine.

Mr BM Mason, BEd

Assistant Housemaster

After leaving school, Mr Mason worked as a climbing and kayak instructor in an outdoor centre before completing a B.Ed. degree in P.E. and Sports Science at De Montfort University. Having completed a season playing rugby for Vail Rugby Club, Colorado (U.S.A.), Mr Mason moved to Newcastle to work at Emmanuel College in Gateshead from where he was appointed to Durham School as Director of Sport. As Director of Sport, Mr Mason co-ordinates the diverse and complicated Durham School activities programme and teaches the Psychology module of the P.E. A-level syllabus. Mr Mason has represented the North of England at rugby (while at university) and Durham County (in spite of being a Yorkshire man) and now plays for Westoe Rugby Club. He enjoys all sports and outdoor activities, and has recently completed an M.Sc. in Sport and Exercise Psychology. He joined The School House as Assistant Housemaster in September 2008 from Poole House where he was the tutor.

Mr PJ Dias, BSc, GTPQ

Junior Housemaster

Having grown up in the School House, Patrick Dias attended Durham School and was a member of Poole House, after which he attended Loughborough University where he completed his degree in Sport and Exercise Science with Management. During his time at university, he was awarded full sports honours for representing the Great Britain Universities 7's team in Italy and Spain. In 2008, Mr Dias joined the staff at Durham School, helping out with the sports programme across all age groups. The following two years saw him complete both his teacher training at Sunderland University and his N.Q.T. year at Durham School. Mr Dias returned to Bungites as Resident Tutor in 2009, and was appointed Junior Housemaster in September 2011.