Girls’ Boarding Blog

It has been an exciting week and weekend with much to report.

Whilst the results took slightly longer to come through than we had hoped, all the girls were out of quarantine and back up in school by Wednesday lunchtime, and it has been lovely to welcome Isabella, Kristina, Uliana and AJ back into the Malvern family fold properly! I didn’t know what to do with myself on Friday morning and found myself automatically preparing breakfast for three and ordering pastries that we did not need! Mrs Wood and I are pleased that the girls have their freedom back and remain impressed at the positive way in which the girls saw out their time in their rooms….hopefully that is the end of that for this term at least!

This week, the second full week of the Summer term, has seen numerous assessments for our exam year boarders with Jess, Charlotte, Phoebe, Uliana and Evie sitting tests across their subject areas.

Following the successful practice day last weekend the real deal, the official Leith’s Practical Assessment Day, arrived for Charlotte on Friday and it was lovely to hear how well it went when Charlotte returned to the boarding house after school… Well done Charlotte, it certainly looks like you smashed it!

On Thursday evening Katie and Issy (T) went ‘out, out’! Dressed up in their finest, the girls headed up to the dining hall for the ACHE banquet. The ACHE (Advice, Care, Help and Empathy) programme sees Sixth Form students develop the skills and experience needed to listen to others and to offer compassion in times of need. When this year’s cohort move into the Upper Sixth, they will be running the drop-in sessions, working with the younger members of our school community. I think both Issy and Katie will be amazing!

The long bank holiday weekend was greeted with open arms on Friday afternoon with the girls looking forward to an action-packed and hopefully sunny three days. The weekly boarders quickly departed, Lisa joined Issy for the weekend and we were quickly down to just eight girls.
A steak or fish bake supper went down well and the girls returned for their usual Friday evening rituals of fencing S&C, prep and the fitness suite.

We awoke on Saturday to further gym sessions and of course brunch before some of the girls headed into town for essentials. In the afternoon we congregated in the cookery school for the day’s house activity, a BBQ themed ‘CookSat’. With lamb and mint burgers, soy, honey, garlic and ginger chicken drumsticks, vegan bean burgers and a number of salads and dip accompaniments to make, the girls got to work. At the other end of the room the junior girls got busy with puddings making chocolate brownies and lemon cheesecakes. The smells were delightful and it was great to see the girls feeling so at home in the cookery school; they really are becoming quite accomplished!

Taking full advantage of the restrictions having eased to allow outdoor mixing of two households, after a light supper, we headed up the hill to the quad to join the Trennick boys for a BBQ extravaganza and social evening. It didn’t take long for the Twister Games and Smite Championships to form and it was heartening to see the boarders getting on so well, laughing and joking whilst listening to music, playing games and eating! Mr Hatfield did brilliantly on the BBQ and the Trennick boys hosted perfectly.

On Sunday morning and with a change in plans due to the weather forecast we headed off to Helston, Flambards more specifically. Dubbed Cornwall’s ‘Best Day of the Week!’ the girls were in for a brilliant afternoon of adrenaline filled rides and rollercoasters. Not quite Alton Towers (we did make it clear that it was Cornwall’s version of a theme park from the outset), but fun nonetheless and it was great to be outside in the sunshine having fun!

Once back on solid ground and with stomachs intact we returned home just as the park was shutting its gates. It was then up to the dining hall for a lovely scampi/pizza and chips supper. Jess and Charlotte headed out into town with a couple of day-school friends for food and the other girls made the most of a chilled-out evening safe in the knowledge that they could have another lie in and a further day to ready themselves for another week of schooling.

Tomorrow, bank holiday Monday, looks set to bring a turn in the weather with rain and wind making for the perfect excuse for a cosy day in. Having had a busy Saturday and Sunday the girls don’t mind and are planning to make the most of the time to rest, complete prep, revise for assessments and potter.

It has been a great weekend with a real glimpse of what Summer terms of the past used to look like. It is great to have everyone out of quarantine and the house bussing again. Next weekend the girls are surfing and I am looking forward to many more outdoorsy, sun soaked weekends to come!

Mrs Sarah Mulready (Housemistress, Girls Boarding)