Onwards and upwards Part 1

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!