A Fresh Start
An article for Dorset Life, by Sophie Blewitt, Head of Hanford Prep
The last night of the summer holidays is probably my favourite night of the year. It’s when I imagine young people around Dorset, the UK and the world, who are fortunate enough to have access to schooling, feeling both nervous and excited about the following day. They are about to start a new school year. What they do not know, is that they are about to meet best friends as yet unknown. They are about to meet the people that they will call in twenty years’ time to say that they have achieved a PhD, or to say that they are moving abroad or starting a family.
The first day of the school year is not just about smart new shoes bought over the summer, it is about settling into the routine of the coming year alongside their peers. As our family has settled into life here at Hanford Prep, we too have become used to a new routine, new traditions and becoming part of a new community. This has been our absolute privilege and has given me a small sense of what our new pupils felt at the start of this term.
The warmth shown by returning girls to new girls arriving from families as close as Child Okeford and from as far as China has been impressive. These ‘buddies’ showed empathy and integrity, doing the best to make our new pupils feel at ease. I proudly watched as they embodied the virtues of our school community.
Having a site full of animals - from guinea pigs and chickens to be petted, dogs to be walked and ponies to be groomed and ridden – is also a huge advantage at a time when a girl might be feeling a bit nervous. It is, after all, impossible to be anxious when cuddling a golden retriever!
Visitors always comment on the ‘feel’ of Hanford Prep. It is a place of magic, wonder and warmth, which has been to be felt to be understood. To arrange a time to experience this, please contact our Head of Admissions & Marketing, Julia Horton (admissions@hanfordprep.group).
Where Next?
