To be a Pilgrim … is to express yourself, Episode 16

More than a calendar month in, this lockdown feels as if it has been quite long now. I want to pay tribute to our boys, parents and all the teachers for your effort, hard work, resilience, positivity and sheer determination to keep learning and teaching going and get our wonderful school through lockdown. Those of you parents who are medics and are working so hard to help all of us through this pandemic, thank you – thank you for your enormous care and dedication! 

To be a Pilgrim … is to endeavour, Episode 14

As an educator, one of the most important values to me is endeavour. It is an essential behaviour for any learner. I also think it is fitting for this weekend as we have now completed almost three weeks of The Virtual Pilgrims’ School in this lockdown. Well done, everyone! Boys, staff and parents have all endeavoured to keep exceptional learning happening all over our (virtual) school and to keep things as normal as possible in this challenging situation. 

To be a Pilgrim … is to prepare for Christmas and celebrate the end of term together! 

Episode 11 

Here is the last episode of To be a Pilgrim of 2020. We wanted to share the last few days of term. It is more of a visual record than a written record it has to be said, but I know you would want to see all these wonderful memories.

To be a Pilgrim … is to explore,

Episode 9

While the boys and staff have continued to show resilience (without a doubt), on Wednesday night this week a number of boys’ thoughts turned to something different: the night sky. It was a clear night with a bright moon and a few very, very bright stars, or so we thought. For many weeks we have had cloud but not this Wednesday. Clouds are not the astronomer’s friend, well unless you are a radio astronomer (we have kit but not that kind of kit - we don’t have a radio telescope!). Mr Hammond set up a telescope on the quad. “That’s Jupiter”, said one boy. “We saw Saturn’s rings last time”, replied another. Soon I was staring through the telescope at an incredible view of craters and the rugged texture of the moon. Wow, I haven’t done that for a few years (aka decades). Amazing! Our thoughts moved on to the moon landing on July 20, 1969. As you know, at 16:17 EDT Apollo 11 was the first manned spacecraft to land on the moon with its crew: Neil Armstrong (commander), Buzz Aldrin (lunar module pilot) and Michael Collins (command module pilot). I was a small child on holiday in the Lake District apparently staring up at the sky that night too. 

To be a Pilgrim …   is to be determined, Episode 6 

As I know you are more than aware, yesterday England went into a second lockdown for four weeks. We at Pilgrims’ are very determined not to let this impact the might of our school. In the last two months, I have learnt that Pilgrims are very determined - both boys and adults. We have all enjoyed being back in school this term and the learning and progress taking place is so obvious to me as I go around the school on “learning walks” (dropping into lessons). The boys’ assessment cards at half term speak to all the progress made, and it is also evident in my conversations with them. The giggles of delight I hear every day on the Quad, Grid or Yard speak volumes of time well spent and friendships in action.