It won’t have escaped your attention that there seem to be a
lot fewer pupils around Ashford School recently. This, most of us know, is due
to the start of the exam session and the day children in Years 11 and 12 are
taking time at home to prepare and rest up for the biggest exams of their lives
so far. Spare a thought then for our boarders who, although they have no
lessons, have to remain at school, watching all their colleagues come and go.
It is now that the boarding community plays one of its most important roles in
supporting.
For the Year 11 boarders, the majority of whom joined us at
the beginning of Year 10, this will be the culmination of two intensive years
of study away from home and a vital stepping stone to A-levels and then to
university and beyond. The pressure is no doubt immense, though you might not
think it to look at them. In fact, AIB has been looking and it seems that the
teachers may well be suffering more.
Being such an important time, AIB was incredibly grateful
that four of our present Year 11 boarders: Yijin and Yvonne from Brabourne and
Jonathan and Vova from Alfred, took time out from their revision schedules to
talk to us about how it’s all going and their memories of the last two years.
We began with the somewhat obvious question: “How are you
feeling?” The answers, though, were not quite as obvious as you might have
thought.
“What’s the point of being nervous?” Yijin responded
pragmatically to Yvonne’s initial response, “Feeling nervous doesn’t help and
you’ve no need to be if you’ve revised.” We hope you have done then Yijin! Vova
was even more positive. “I’m excited to be getting on with it and then making a
start on A-levels.” Vova, will unfortunately be leaving us, heading for
pastures new at Caterham School, and this brought a little pathos to Jonathan’s
reply: “It’s comforting to know that teachers are available to help us (one
good reason to be staying around) but it’s also a sad time when friends will be
leaving us – it’s funny,” he laughed softly “we keep taking photos of everyone
all the time.”
Following this we reminisced about the last two, or in
Yijin’s case three, years and how things have changed for these boarders since
they arrived. Three out of the four talked about overcoming particular hurdles,
like Yvonne’s confusion over where her classrooms were. Luckily enough Yijin,
who had been there and done it already, was there to help out. This included,
at one point, lending Yvonne some school shoes. Yijin explained that after a
difficult first year, she had grown up and became a better judge of people. She
also didn’t want newcomers feeling like she had. I couldn’t help but be struck
by how mature this girl sounded, “Real friends help you to grow; be nice and
judge each person individually.” With such a friend as this, it is no small
wonder that Yvonne’s confidence has grown immeasurably.
Jonathan too sights better relationships as one of his
highlights, this time in Mr Stoddart’s form time. “There’s far less hesitation
now, more laughs and jokes” (Hear that Mr S.? Someone likes them!) “House
competitions” Jonathan adds, “brought everyone together, carrying the burden of
defeat or sharing the glory.” And it’s not just in school. Jonathan stresses
that one of the great things about boarding is that you grow to feel comfortable
with each other and foster of sort of tacit understanding. “When I wanted to
put a dodgeball team together [for the tournament raising money for the hockey
tour] I didn’t need to look further than the boarding house. It’s a strong
network, you can find people when you need then.”
The final question related to future plans and what they
would take with them to the next step. Vova has decided to move on in order to
meet new people while studying Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics. These
new friends, he feels, will benefit from the time he has spent in Ashford:
“Talking with people from other cultures has helped me become a better
communicator as well as breaking down the stereotypes I may have held before.”
Jonathan took this last point on further, describing “the joy when everyone is
celebrating each other’s culture together.” He will be continuing here, taking
on all three sciences and Maths with the thought of perhaps starting up his own
business in the future.
Yijin has similar aspirations, though hers focus more around
design. Over the course of the year, she has worked in a local technology firm
specialising in medical equipment. This is a far cry from the nervous Year 9
girl who came through our doors three years ago. Yvonne is also keen to take on
more challenges, “I know there’s a lot of English in Economics” she tell us
confidently, “but I also know that it will be very useful for me later.”
On the subject of challenges, we thought we’d give the last
word to Jonathan, who encapsulated everything that Ashford and Ashford boarding
is about. “After two years here, I’ve stopped worrying; about exams, musical performances
or giving speeches [Jonathan is part of both a school rock band and the chamber
choir, as well as playing in a church group]. I’m much less nervous in front of
people now.”
He looks earnestly ahead, as if trying to see into the
future and adds quietly but firmly “there’s nothing to fear from new things.”
Indeed! Good luck to all our Year 11s and 12s!
