Wednesday’s Year 12 taster day was attended by around 120 boys, all aspirants to join our sixth form in September 2020. They had a good day I think, the weather was glorious and they spent time in and around the site gathering information and attending trial lessons to get the hang of what sixth form life might entail. There were plenty of new faces amongst others who have already been with us for five years or so. They departed at the end of the day, passing the next tranche of potential 11+ applicants and their parents on the way. It had not escaped their notice of course that they will be the last cohort of sixth form recruits to be single gender; interestingly this had also registered on the radar of the parents coming in for the Open Sessions too. Times are changing.
As the new boys come in, so another group start to move beyond Bishop’s – the A level boys were in on Friday for their parting of the ways, culminating in a splendid BBQ on the lawn of No11. It’s always a feel good event, tinged with nostalgia but unmissable nonetheless. The customary photo was shot through with good humour as always, the burgers were consumed with gusto and then they were away, dispersing who knows where for the summer pending exam envelopes and the hand of destiny in August. As I write this I am watching The Killers on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm; there is a prominent Wiltshire flag close to the front of the crowd, and try as I might I cannot quite see whether there is a member of BWS Year 11 or 13 at the foot of it!
Tomorrow the first group of boys will go to Great Yews for their camp. Spaghetti and rice will be consumed by the bucket load, toffee pudding eaten for both dinner and breakfast and by night the woods will once again echo with the sounds of ambush. The juxtaposition of events towards the close of the summer term really does give a sense of the turnover of the generations once more…
SDS
