The term has whistled past and it only dawned on me recently that the events of the term have yet to be written up in the Boarders’ Blog. Despite May statistically being below average in temperature and above average in rainfall, the boarders have enjoyed a significant amount of time outdoors. The tennis courts have been hugely popular, as have the swimming pool and football pitches.
We recently held a few taster boarding nights, something that has proved to be a popular way of introducing another dimension of life at Woodcote. Indeed, in the bottom 3 years of the school nearly 60% of the boys board in some capacity or other (part-time or full). This is way higher than the national average, proving that the boys enjoy some independence and spend time with their friends, outside of lessons. On the taster weekend we fired up the pizza oven and cooked homemade chips on open fires, which were brilliantly constructed by Julio.
The previous evening the 5th and 6th formers went over to St Mary’s, Ascot for another highly enjoyable social. Eager to impress their hosts, the boys arrived before the girls! However, when the girls did eventually arrive, the inevitable stand-off ensued before eventually the lure of burgers and fizzy drinks brought everyone together. After some traditional party games the boys were able to strut their stuff on the dance floor to some current tunes!!!
The most recent Sunday outing saw myself and Mr Ramage take 13 boys to Twickenham joining 34,000 other supporters to watch England v Barbarians. In World Cup year it is even more special to go to Rugby HQ and, although it wasn’t an England 1st XV, there were plenty of stars on show….Joe Launchbury, Danny Cipriani, Christian Wade, Marlon Yarde and Henry Slade. England ran out 73-12 winners and we saw 12 tries. However, the undoubted winners were the purveyors of sweets, chips, rugby merchandise and slush puppies!!
Compared to recent years, the dormitories have never been as full as they are now. The atmosphere is generally calm, especially now as we are in the middle of Common Entrance. The evening activities and the ability to get outside and enjoy the grounds at Woodcote is a major plus, making the boarding experience an even more enriching one. The second half of term is sure to be just as busy. Let us hope June will feature many long, hot evenings for even more running about outside!