I joined Sherborne Girls in L5 in 2014. I remember nervously waiting in the Dun Holme common room to meet the girls who were also about to embark on their Sherborne adventure. I quickly settled in and immersed myself in all the extra-curricular activities Sherborne offered, from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to choir, LAMDA and ballet. I must have been a timetabling nightmare! However, one of my many highlights is winning the Debating Matters South West Championship, which Sherborne Girls hosted for the first time in 2018. Debating gave us the scope to think beyond the school curriculum and engage with issues that politicians still argue about today. Debating club was an opportunity for girls from all year groups and boarding houses to meet each week to share their thoughts on current affairs. Winning the competition was just the icing on the cake.
As a music scholar the music department was an integral part of my life at Sherborne. The joint school orchestra and choral society allowed me to meet musicians from surrounding schools and the wider Sherborne community. Therefore, when I arrived at the University of Edinburgh in 2019, I was eager to participate in as many music societies as possible, to meet people and feel at home in the enormous city. Due to my excellent choral training at Sherborne, I soon auditioned for the University of Edinburgh Choir and to my amazement was accepted. I have sung in many beautiful buildings, concert halls, and churches, often for charity.
However, when the Covid 19 pandemic broke out during my first year at university, everything was put on hold for a while. The choir became a weekly Zoom quiz, and my lectures were all streamed through a laptop screen. So, I looked for new opportunities that would keep me busy while I lived my life in my halls of residence. I soon discovered the Early Years School Programme, which was part of the University of Edinburgh’s Widening Participation Department. In the programme, two or three university students digitally visited several local state schools. Our role was to provide students with information about Higher Education, in the hope that we would encourage several students to stay in school after they had completed their GCSE’s. During these sessions, we had forty students in a class who owned no laptops. This work is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever done. The students who I had the honour of speaking to came from a very different walk of life than myself, and if they stayed in school to complete their A-levels, most of them would be the first in their families to do so. This opportunity inspired my interest in pursuing a job in teaching.
So, after finishing my third year doing a joint honours degree in English and History at the University of Edinburgh, I have decided to apply for a PGCE. I was fortunate to organise work experience at Sherborne Girls with the English Department. During the week, I observed lessons in various departments and even judged a debate. I talked to newly qualified teachers and teachers who had taught me not so long ago. At the end of the week, I even had the chance to teach a class. All of these experiences opened my eyes to the difficult yet gratifying job that is teaching.
When I look back at leaving Sherborne Girls in 2019, I remember thinking that this was the end of my school journey. However, after coming back three years later, I realise how many core values such as charity, curiosity, and community that Sherborne Girls taught me, continue to shape and guide my decisions today.
