Senior Girls’ Boarding Blog

Happy New Year!

The girls arrived back safely on Sunday evening and it was lovely to have the house filled with noise once again. Whilst I obviously love the holidays and the Christmas break in particular, I do miss the hustle and bustle of term time; the house becomes eerily quiet.

On Monday morning, the girls, who were in some cases very weary from their travels, dusted off their blazers and made their way up to breakfast like they had never been away. The whole school came together for the beginning of term service at the Methodist Church in town and then normal lessons resumed after break. For the Sixth Form there was no easing back in or time to catch their breath as they went straight into mock examinations on Monday afternoon.

On Wednesday and Thursday, with the Sixth Form entrenched in exams the entire 5th Year were off timetable to experience life as a sixth former. Uniforms were ditched, lunch was taken in the Sixth Form Café, A Level lessons, including EPQ and Leith’s tasters, were sampled and the run of the Sixth Form Centre and quiet study rooms was enjoyed. Whilst it was strange to see Theresa, Pia, Svenja, Aim, Holly, Katie and Louis in their smart business attire, it was great to hear how much they enjoyed the experience and the positive feedback that they had.

On Friday, with normal 5th Year lessons having resumed it was back to GCSE focus and study. Whilst everyone was pleased to hear the 3.50pm end of school bell on Friday, it was particularly pertinent for the Lower Sixth who finished their mock exams. They certainly returned to the house with an air of weightlessness and relief, keen to do nothing but chill!

After supper and the obligatory hour of prep, some of the girls ventured out and up to the gym and sports hall whilst other visited friends in Trennick or entertained friends in the Malvern Common Room.

Saturday saw an early start for Louis who headed up to the Burrell Theatre for a GCSE drama rehearsal before breakfast. With her GCSE drama devised piece performances fast approaching, Louis was to spend all day on both Saturday and Sunday rehearsing! Tiring work!

For the rest of the girls, less fast paced mornings were enjoyed. After a hearty breakfast the younger boarders headed to town/Tesco whilst the Upper Sixth girls busied themselves with revision and study; the house was very quiet and very studious all morning. The 1.30pm roll call signalled a change in tact with ten of the girls heading up to the Cookery School for the first of this term’s two CookSat activities. With a choice of either an Indian Feast this weekend or a Thai style, plant based sharing menu after February half term, Pia, Svenja, Theresa, Holly, Phoebe, Marie, Helena G, Winkie and Leanne spent the best part of the four in the Cookery School. The main dishes, Chicken Tikka Masala and/or Vegetable Tikka Masala with pilau rice was accompanied by homemade cardamom seed flatbreads, Bombay potatoes, cucumber raita, mango salsa and a fresh cucumber, chickpea, and tomato salad. And just in case that wasn’t enough, white chocolate and cardamom mousses were made for pudding. The girls (and Trennick boys) wasted no time in getting on with the dishes and we all felt, very quickly, like we were slap bang in the middle of India; the smells were amazing and wow, the food tasted great!

Feeling sufficiently full, the girls headed back to house and joined those that had been to the cinema. With Trennick’s kitchen currently under refurbishment and out of action, we even got to take all the extra food home for when we were ready for round two!

The evening was spent in house relaxing in the common room. Aim, Louis, Tung and Tulip spent a couple of hours playing cards before retreating and joining the others for the usual Saturday evening snacks and social time. Ice cream, yogurt lollies, nachos, berries, garlic bread and left over curry were enjoyed with later bedtimes taken advantage of.

Lie ins were enjoyed by most on Sunday morning but for Phoebe and Louis this was not to be with the girls heading off for DofE orienteering and more drama rehearsals respectively. With yesterday’s cookery session and cinema viewings providing the weekend entertainment, the day was to be a free day. The girls came and went, used the time for study and sleep and generally relaxed making the most of the house and site facilities. The gym was used by many and some further unpacking and sorting has been completed.

This evening has followed the usual Sunday evening pattern of supper, prep, room and laundry sorting and early nights. With a full week ahead, and then the inevitable feedback lessons, the girls have quite a week ahead of them. Fortunately, Mrs Wood has just the tonic to blow away the exam stresses….the girls will be going to Blackwater, a little village just outside Truro, for some Quadbiking! I cannot wait to hear all about it and see the pictures…I am hoping for some mud!

Mrs Sarah Mulready (Housemistress, Girls Boarding)