Educational institutions in the UK hold many different events in the autumn: open days, conferences, which I also try to attend if possible. During October-November, I accumulated a lot of information which I will share with you.
I have recently returned from a business trip to which I was invited by the Association of British Schools (BBSN), of which I am an accredited member. During the three day trip, we were able to visit 5 British boarding schools, speak with principals, students, teachers, and everyone involved in the educational process, inspect the houses and rooms in which children live, attend lessons, inspect the equipment, talk to the admissions committee, and so on and so forth.
I’ll start with the most vivid impressions.
Christ’s Hospital school is an absolutely unique school, founded in 1552, with its own traditions and incomparable style originating in the Tudor era. At first, it was founded as a school for boys, but very soon it began to accept girls for education. It can be said that it is one of the oldest coeducational schools in England.
A special impression was made by the traditional march of the school before lunch. It is held 4 times a week, and it is also a tradition. The school’s orchestra performed beautifully, and we were all very impressed to inspect its instruments.
Of course, I was immediately impressed by the uniform: mustard socks and dark blue coats! Not every student of mine will agree to wear such a thing! However, we were told that a recent vote was held to modernise the uniform, and 95% of the students were in favour of keeping it as it is now!
Academically selective, the school interviews its students for admission, for which there is a high level of competition. This allows it to be the strongest in West Sussex in terms of its results, and win a national rating, with 12% of students enrolling at Oxbridge!! These are very impressive results.
Interestingly, almost all the students, and there are about 900 of them, live on full board, and almost all teachers also live on the school’s grounds, creating a unique atmosphere that you immediately feel as soon as you enter.
