The Muse, Issue 20, Spring 2018

the

ISSUE 20 THE MUSE SPRING ~ 2018

MUSE

THOUGHT PROVOKING Building the skills and confidence to challenge and inquire

Visits & Voyages This list is by no means exhaustive, but offers a flavour of guests in and visits out during the Spring Term.

Visitors In Antarctic Explorer visit, Year 4 Art and Technology Faculty Day, Year 8 BGS Lacrosse 1st XII vs Bedford School 1st XV Rugby Charity Lacrosse Match Biology Olympiad, Sixth Form Charity Netball Event with Bedford School Chinese Lion Dance Workshop, Year 6 Dance Workshop with Renhold VC Primary School, Year 4 Egyptian Exhibition, Year 3 First Give, Lower Sixth French Students Visit, Year 9

Lunchbox Lecture, Abi Mountford, Careers in Chemistry, Senior School Lunchbox Lecture, Erica Roffe, Editor of the Bedford Clanger, Senior School Lunchbox Lecture, Helena Prettyman, National Youth Theatre, Senior School

UKMT Intermediate Mathematics Challenge, Year 9 and 10

Open Morning, Whole School

World Book Day Celebrations, Whole School

Performing Arts Morning with Bedford Prep School

PSHE Day, Positive Relationships, Year 9

Hyphen Theatre Company, The Soft Subject: A Love Story, Senior School

Senior School Concert

IB Visual Arts Exhibition, Senior School

Senior School Curriculum Conversations, Teaching and Learning

Junior School Curriculum Conversation, Internet Safety

Senior School Curriculum Conversations, The BGS Approach to Teaching English

Junior School STEM Week

Senior School Spring Chamber Concert

Junior School Teatime Concert, Years 3-6

Sigma Society Lecture, Sixth Form

Lord of the Flies Drama Production, Years 10-Upper Sixth

Spanish Cooking Workshop, Year 5 Spanish Play, La Casa Encantada, Years 8-10

Voyages Out American Politics Revision Course, London, Upper Sixth

Mathematics Trip, Airbus Foundation Discovery Space, Stevenage, Year 7

Anne Frank Challenge and Extend Workshops, The Higgins, Bedford, Year 9

Maths Feast, Milton Keynes, Year 10

Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama

National Debating French Competition, The Perse School Cambridge, Lower Sixth

Bel Canto Choir, Bedford School, Years 9-Upper Sixth

Old Bedfordians Careers Fair, Bedford School, Sixth Form

Botanical Gardens Trip Cambridge, Year 4

Romeo and Juliet Drama Production with Bedford School, The Quarry Theatre, Bedford

Classics Lecture Day, London, Upper Sixth

Rowing Ball, Park Inn by Radisson, Bedford Rowing Training Camp, Hazewinkel, Belgium, Years 10-Upper Sixth

Eco Visit to Watergate Farm, Junior School

Science Activity Morning with Bedford Prep School, Year 3

Educate Girls India assembly at Pilgrims PrePreparatory School, Year 9

Scott Polar Institute Trip, Cambridge, Year 4

French Visit to Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School, Year 7 Geography Trip, Sicily, Year 8 Geography Trip, Changing Places, Bedfordshire, Lower Sixth London Cultural Trip, Year 5 Mathematics Road Show, Sutton Lower School, Year 9

The Association Race Night

Lunchbox Lecture, Lottie Quinn, the Film Industry, Senior School

Higher Education Evening, Lower Sixth

CCF RAF Ground Competition, Honnington, Senior School

The Association Quiz Night Times Tables Rockstars with Bedford Prep School, Year 6

Playhouse Creatures Drama Production, Sixth Form

British Museum Trip, London, Year 3

Speakezee Physics Event with Heidi Thiemann, Years 8-Upper Sixth

Lunchbox Lecture, Lizzie Martin, Physics and Cyber Security, Senior School

German Play, Hausarrest, Years 8-11

Lunch Club

Spanish Salsa Workshop, Year 5

Ski Trip, Italian Dolomites, Italy, Years 8-Upper Sixth Spanish Trip, Alcalá de Henares, Spain, Year 11 and Sixth Form The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair, NEC, Birmingham, Senior School The Grinning Man Theatre Trip, Trafalgar Studios, London, Sixth Form

Editor’s Insight

I

have spent a good part of the Easter

holidays formulating the next strategic

plan, something that I work on with my

senior leadership team every three years.

At the start of this process, it is important that I take time to reflect on how far we have come as a community of learners. Are we fulfilling the strategic directions of our current plan? What do we need to do better or differently to achieve our aims? Most importantly, I always question if we are truly providing our students with a forward thinking education that prepares them for a world which will be so different from the one that many of us entered into as young graduates.

The ability to think for one’s self, to reflect and question are such important skills, which should lie at the centre of every child’s education. We should not be creating a generation of young people who accept everything they see and read on face value; but now, more than ever, we need to encourage the ability to think critically about information, to question presumed knowledge and to have the confidence in their own voices to articulate their thoughts. We need them to be able to analyse data and then draw their own conclusions.

On my regular learning walks, I love to watch such debate unfold in the classroom. For me, a sign of a successful lesson is seeing this interplay between students and teachers, where ideas can be expressed and discussed; where the girls are engaged and excited as they share their points of view, and in doing so stimulate further questions and ideas from classmates.

This demonstrates a level of intellectual curiosity, which we aim to foster in all BGS students.

Employers are crying out for these skills, and if we want our girls to take their place tackling the big issues facing our world, we need to ensure they are fully confident in displaying these attributes.

In this issue of The Muse, we show just some of the ways in which we build these skills and how they become part of a BGS girls’ DNA. It starts in the Junior School where we build the roots of learning, and our feature entitled Beyond the Great Wall, which highlights the Year 6 Unit of Enquiry on China, clearly illustrates how we put this ethos into practice.

I believe that the study of Philosophy and Religion is a vital part of all students’ education, which is why it remains part of the core curriculum up until the end of Year 11, even if the girls do not choose to study it as a GCSE option. It allow students to explore large questions, outside the confines of subject specific curriculum, it builds open mindedness and provides the students with the chance to start to explore their views and thoughts on ethical and political issues in a non-judgemental space. Head of Philosophy and Region, Mrs Ellen Paglairo and her team deliver a wide and varied curriculum as she explains in the article Provoking Thought.

Questioning how one would react if you were stranded on a desert island was central to the cast and crew of the School’s fabulous interpretation of the iconic story The Lord of the Flies. It raised interesting questions for the audience and cast alike as we witnessed the savagery unfold; by pushing the boundaries and stepping outside of their comfort zones, our performers explored questions around the gender stereotyping of expected patterns of behaviour.

Dr Jennifer Walters, Director of Sixth Form, also encourages us to be more self-questioning in her reflective piece Missing Out, which challenge us all to turn the fear of missing out into a learning opportunity.

The ability to think for one’s self, to reflect and question are such important skills, which should lie at the centre of every child’s education.

Finally, I hope our Classics teacher, Mr Christopher Stretton intrigues you with his reflections on the top three lessons he learnt from Dr Don Fowler in his Legend in their Lifetime and that they leave you with a willingness to look at new challenges from a different perspective.

I look forward to Spring finally arriving and to a new term full of fresh ideas and plenty of questions.

Jo MacKenzie Headmistress

The Muse | 02

Inspired by

STEM

I

ntroducing students to the plethora

With this in mind, the whole of Year 7 spent

A highlight for many was seeing the Mars

of career choices is a key driver in a

the day at the Airbus Foundation Discovery

Rover Robot, which is currently being tested

Bedford Girls’ School education. We

Space (STEM education centre), in Stevenage.

at the facility and is viewed through a glass

want our students to understand the

Newly opened by astronaut Tim Peake, the

walled gallery, allowing visitors to make the

wider, real world applications of the subjects that they study, drawing parallels to where they could take them in a working world. In a time of rapid technological innovation, many

Airbus Foundation Discovery Space aims to galvanize young people into exploring the incredible applications for science, design and mathematics in advances into space.

connections between the activities and actual space development projects, as they watch the Rover Robot Team at work. This was very inspiring for many of our students as they

of our students will have careers that are not

Throughout the day, the girls were led on

realised that just 40 minutes away from School

yet imagined, and we need to ensure that

a journey of exploration, which included

is the centre for innovative science exploration.

our students have the belief that anything is

workshops and presentations into areas such

possible. Being open-minded to change and

as rocket launching, robotics, and the creation

embracing new ideas is key to how we teach.

of the solar system. The day was constructed

Throughout their school life, the girls are

areas of specialisation are interconnected and

introduced to diverse figures from all walks of life. In the Junior School we encourage parents to talk to the girls in assembly about their careers; whilst in the Senior School careers days, evening events and Lunchbox Lectures ensure that our girls are introduced to a wide variety of potential careers. With the current disparities between men and women in leading roles in STEM subjects, it is important to show the girls the wide

so that the students were able to grasp how how, through the study of the past, we are constantly able to discover more about the future.

A fascinating 3D video presentation took the girls back to the beginning of time and explained the creation of the planets, examining how the solar system, as we currently know it, was created. The impact of

During the day, students were put into the shoes of a space engineer, challenging them to use both maths and design skills to create solutions across number of experiments and model making sessions. These included coding mini-lego robots and building satellites. Such experiences helped the girls understand areas of science that could not be so fully comprehended in the classroom.

Riddhi Malepati and Manal Husain both decided that making satellites was the highlight of the day as it pushed them out of

the film was impressive, as Megan Howlett

their comfort zones. They had to try a number

and Freya Arnold explained: “After watching

of different approaches before they got it right.

range of opportunities that exist under the

the video our minds are now full of extra

It helped them to understand that science

STEM umbrella.

knowledge on the universe and its history.”

is often about taking risks, being creative

03 | The Muse

“ Imagination is more important than knowledge ” A LBERT EINSTEIN

and learning through trial and error; by

hands on experiments at the Discovery Centre

Isabel Jackson added: “The trip has definitely

persevering, you can find the right solution

helped my friends understand the concepts in

opened my eyes and made me think more about

in the end.

a simple, creative and fun way, so we could all

how science and maths can be used in areas

enjoy it together.”

such as space, rather than just everyday things.

Arya Moodley and Aliza Zaheer agreed and

Although my Dad is an engineer, and I know

they explained: “Our favourite part of the trip

Mrs Mary Ellwood, Mathematics teacher,

was making model satellites, we like how our

who organised the trip explained: “We want

skills were tested at the end, when someone

the girls to understand the plethora of real

shook the satellite we had made to simulate

opportunities on their doorsteps, exciting

it being launched into space. As part of the

science discoveries are happening right here,

challenge you had to place an egg in the inside

just down the road from BGS. It is about

the satellite and if they broke the egg with the

having the knowledge and mind-set to want to

shaking it was not secure and robust enough

be part of the world’s progress. We wanted this

Finally, Isabel Baker commented: “I always

to go into space. Luckily, our satellite was safe

trip to encourage the girls to aspire to working

thought that if you were a scientist you just

enough! It made us think about how robust

in these type of roles, where they can bring

sat in a lab all day with test tubes, but actually

materials have to be in space and the impact

creativity, maths and science together. The

this visit showed me that you can do amazing

that forces have on it as well. We had never

girls had a great time and were really animated

things like design robots that might one day

thought about this, it was really fascinating.”

a bit about engineering, the day at Airbus has given me a greater understanding of what is involved and what skills are needed, it helped me understand that you need to be creative too.

I really enjoy science, maths and DT and these are all important skills in a job in engineering.”

by what they saw and learnt, it stimulated lots

land on Mars!”

The girls also spent time in the interactive

of questions and thought.”

The girls’ infectious enthusiasm was felt by the

areas where they enjoyed hands on

Reflecting on the visit Faith Adeyemi-Abmere

team at Airbus, who kindly wrote and shared

experience of whispering dishes, black hole demonstrations, investigating electric shocks and robotic claws.

commented: “The trip has really inspired me, during the visit I noticed something that was not expected, all the people teaching us

the following feedback: “What a delightful group of young ladies you brought with you.

Their enthusiasm and engagement made them

For Izzy Dennis, this part of the day helped her

about the wonders of science and maths were

an absolute pleasure to work with.”

share her passions with her friends, she said:

women. This inspired me to think that it is not

Watch out for BGS girls leading the way in

“I love science and maths, but it can be difficult

only men that can have jobs at the cutting edge

the development of space probes, robots and

to explain exactly why to my friends. The

of science but that women are just as good.“

rockets in the future!

The Muse | 04

Natural Connections “One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone.

It is individual efforts, collectively, that makes a noticeable difference - all the difference in the world!”

DR . JA N E G OODA LL , DBE , PR IM ATOL OGIST

D

eveloping a global mind-set

and looking at how we can

all make a difference to the

world that we live in is engrained

in a Bedford Girls’ School education. The school’s Eco Council plays a pivotal role in both the Junior and Senior School, giving students the chance to interact with the real world and discovering first-hand the wonders of our environment and what we can do to support and protect it. Under the guidance of the Eco Co-ordinators, Mrs Natalie Morgan and Mrs Kristie Whomlsey, the Eco Council comprised of both Junior and Senior School students, a parent representative Mrs Carrie Clarke, strives to make Bedford Girls’ School as sustainable as possible and raise awareness of environmental issues affecting the community at a local and global level.

Mrs Morgan, Eco Co-ordinator explained: “Our role is to be ambassadors for environmental issues, to promote awareness and action in the School. We actively engage with the ‘whole school’ on issues of sustainability, particularly around issues, which link food, nutrition and waste.”

05 | The Muse

Mrs Morgan continues: “The Green Kitchen are champions at promoting healthy and sustainable food, using local and seasonal produce where they can, and we work in partnership with the catering team to extend the communities knowledge of how food should be grown, stored, consumed and recycled.”

To underpin the School’s commitment, the Eco Council have worked hand in hand with the kitchen towards being awarded the Food for Life Bronze Award in January 2018.

The Award programme, run by The Soil Association, champions healthy, tasty and sustainable meals in schools and aims to raise awareness of the importance of food provenance and the benefit of using local, seasonal produce.

Mr Sean Skipper, Executive Chef of the Green Kitchen adds: “Achieving the award is invaluable, and the Eco Council have played a pivotal role on the Food for Life journey by providing students with the opportunity to visit local farms, take part in cooking classes and growing nutritious fruit and vegetables. We have learnt so much about the sustainability of food and investing in

the future of farming in this country. We are extremely proud to be part of this, and the process has stimulated lots of ideas for the kitchen team.”

The girls do not only see the benefits of this initiative at lunchtime, the topic of healthy and sustainable food features widely across curriculum subjects. To support learning on where food comes from, the Junior School Eco Council visited Watergate Farm in Hockliffe during the Spring Term. The farm has been in the Hunt family for four generations since 1924 and is currently run by the parents of former Head Girl, Anna Hunt (2017). The students gained a real hands-on experience of farming life during the peak lambing season, seeing the new-born lambs and understanding how the farm plays an integral part in conservation for future generations.

The enriching and wider learning curriculum is designed to engage and involve everyone; students from both the Junior and Senior Schools regularly collaborate with each other and grow a variety of fruit and vegetables in the Green Kitchen Garden. Students help with the watering, weeding and harvesting

such as the impact of deforestation. This topic was further developed in English and the students investigative, written and public speaking skills were enhanced as they researched and discussed these issues, culminating in a public debate with the MP for Bedford, Mr Mohammad Yasin, who praised the students for their excellent analytical discussions and mature participation in the debate.

and have successfully grown a variety of fruit and vegetables including asparagus, sweetcorn, squashes, broad beans, borlotti beans, strawberries, courgettes, rocket, radishes, beetroot, leeks and carrots, as well as a range of herbs. All the fruit and vegetables grown are included as ingredients in the various dishes served by The Green Kitchen during lunch service.

The School also boasts vast outdoor learning spaces at Cople Fields, which in addition to the sports facilities houses a community orchard with tree species native to the area, swift boxes and hibernaculums. In early spring, the Eco Council successfully secured a delivery of fruit trees from Orchards for Schools. The Eco Council planted apple, pear and plum tree varieties, which are all native to the Bedford area, increasing landscape resilience against pests and diseases and promote biodiversity.

align with these objectives and members of the Eco Council are encouraged develop programmes and projects which link back to the Green Flag’s aims.

Mrs Whomsley commented: “The Junior School Eco Council meets on a weekly basis to focus on specific areas of the action plan such as the launch of Switch off Fortnight in assembly. The team encouraged all students to save energy at school and at home as part of their focus on making the School as energy efficient as possible. They are passionate about supporting projects with the Senior School to make the School as environmentally friendly as they can.”

The action plan is also linked to the Junior School’s Enhanced Curriculum where students in Year 4 investigated global issues

Meanwhile students from the Sixth Form have been investigating global issues surrounding the cosmetics industry. They presented an assembly about the environmental impacts of the use of microbeads in cosmetics, and how they are detrimental to the world’s oceans and marine life. This resulted in the Eco Council running workshops for the whole school on how to make environmentally friendly facemasks and scrubs.

Mrs Morgan concluded: “We are proud that our community are engaged with environmental issues and have a significant influence in many of our initiatives. It is important that we are planning and providing the girls with the knowledge and strategies to help them lead a more sustainable life. As a Council, we are continually leading the way and investigating future initiatives, including research into alternative energy sources and expanding recycling activities to include glass and food waste. We are using our voices to encourage everyone to make small simple changes, which collectively will make the difference.”

Mrs Morgan commented: “The Green Kitchen Garden and Cople act as educational resources and supports learning in subjects such as Geography. Our Year 7 students have spent time in the kitchen garden as part of their lesson on organic farming, learning what it means to farm organically and what the advantages are to the customer and the environment.”

The School’s commitment to environmentalism reaches beyond the kitchen and we are proud to also be holders of the Eco-Schools Green Flag, an award Bedford Girls’ School has held since 2009. The award is reviewed every two years and requires schools to provide evidence of project work across an action plan of the following areas – energy, water, transport, waste (recycling)¸ litter, global citizenship, school grounds, healthy living and biodiversity. The Eco Council’s priorities The Muse | 06

I

HAUNTED

BY THE BEASTIE

n the Spring Term, Bedford Girls’

School staged a captivating and

chilling production of William

Golding’s brutal classic Lord of the Flies, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams. A timeless story that is relevant today, the all-female cast of Year 10 to Upper Sixth actors produced a spellbinding interpretation of Golding’s original tale of little boys trapped on a desert island after a plane crash who resort to savagery as they hunt the Pig and then eventually the ‘beast’ within.

Mrs Catherine Howe, Director of Drama and Dance, explains why she chose William’s adaptation: “I had been fascinated for some time about whether an all-female version of Lord of the Flies would work; especially as it is based so firmly on the innate barbarism and savagery of masculine culture. I was keen to explore and perhaps dispel Golding’s own assertion that his story couldn’t be told with a group of little girls because: “If you... scaled down human beings, scaled

07 | The Muse

down society, if you land with a group of little boys, they are more like a scaleddown version of society than a group of little girls would be.

“Then coincidentally, our re-imagining of Lord of the Flies came as news broke over the summer of 2017 of an all–female film version of the play. This caused controversy with many critics feeling that the two male screenwriters responsible, David Siegel and Scott McGeehee, had missed the point of a story that focuses so heavily on male violence. And they had doubly sinned in presuming that they as men could also write from the female perspective! This added real fuel to our creative fire as we began workshopping the play.”

Mrs Howe, continues: “There were moments during the rehearsal process where the cast felt that they as young girls wouldn’t be as boisterous or as free to play as boys. They cited girls’ acute awareness of judgement by their peers

as an inhibiting factor and this informed their development of the playful scenes of Act One. However, what they did not find challenging was the rationalisation of the girls’ ability to perpetuate violent and cruel acts. These characters are after all in a world without restraint and fighting for their own survival.”

The intimate traverse setting of the Studio Theatre asked much of the actors, requiring a constant awareness of the audience surrounding them on all sides.

The multi-level set, designed by Ms Charlie Gardner, as well as the challenging movement sequences demanded precise timing, physical dexterity and for the actors to be fearless. Upper Sixth pupil Mia Brittle who portrayed Ray (Ralph) in the production adds: “There was a physical and emotional challenge to create a believable representation of someone who had just crashed landed on a deserted island, especially when portraying an 11 year old.

“I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men, they are far superior and always have been” S I R W I L L I A M G OL DI NG , BR I T I S H NOV E L I S T, PL A Y W R IGH T, A N D P OE T

“It was great to see how we came together as an ensemble, from building the set to the costume design and makeup, to the performance itself. It was a real privilege to be a part of one of the first Senior School production in the new Studio Theatre.”

The highly atmospheric environment of the desert island and its descent into chaos was created through the beautiful lighting design of the Technical Director, Miss Emily Elsom and further enhanced by emotive music and an evolving costume and make-up design.

Charlie Gardner, Costume and Set Designer adds: “Lord of the Flies was one of the most challenging, yet exciting, pieces of theatre I have had the pleasure to design for. When I was designing this production, I wanted the cast to be able to climb, explore and most importantly, play. It was such a joy to watch them climb through trap doors, scramble up netting and launch themselves off the many levels like the ‘savages’ they were slowly becoming and

with the help of Emily’s beautiful lighting I felt the set really came to life.

evoked the brutal realities of the stage

When it came to costuming this piece, I wanted to create an all-female Lost Boys look and had a lot of fun playing with recycled school uniforms and things they may have found on the island. It was great to see the cast really embrace their costumes, they even started adding things to their costumes themselves during the rehearsal process.”

the senses by building tension and at times

The set and costume design helped build the tension of each act as the audience watched with growing horror the disintegration of the girls’ fragile community as they descended into violence and cruelty.

uncomfortably plausible. I went to bed

Emily Elsom said: “Lord of the Flies technically strived to re-create the haunting locations from the original text as well as the adapted stage version. For such an intimate performance space there was a vast array of physical areas for the performers to explore. The sound design

performance, and the lighting encouraged disarray to the complex story telling.”

The production embodied intense performances, which both terrified and shocked the audience. As one audience member commented: “I found the production gripping and downright chilling, but so well acted, so haunted by the beastie, and much more besides…”

Mrs Howe concluded: “I am incredibly proud of the cast and crew of Lord of the Flies. There is no doubt that the production moved and disturbed many in the audience in equal measure. The company powerfully and sensitively brought to life the capacity for violence and grace that exists in everyone; a timely message for the world we face today.”

The Muse | 08

Missing Out T H E F E A R O F I T, T H E J O Y O F I T

In a world where we are constantly bombarded by manipulated filter images of imagined lives, Director of Sixth Form, Dr Jennifer Walters reflects on the Fear of Missing Out.

I

was struck by a recent

where it is defined as the experience of

announcement from Wimbledon

‘Anxiety that an exciting or interesting

High School for Girls who have

started a movement to counter a

event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen

condition, known, colloquially, as FOMO.

on social media’.

Wimbledon High urges its pupils to reject

FOMO can create a powerful emotional

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and replace it with the JOMO (Joy of Missing Out).

FOMO currently commands its own hashtag and a place in the Oxford English Dictionary, 09 | The Muse

response. In some causes it can be related to specific events, not being included in

depicting friends and acquaintances in

various contexts and places. Alternatively, maybe only very tenuously linked to the

individual’s actual life and circumstances,

pictures of named or anonymous people, in places unknown, and enjoying encounters, which, the viewer feels they do not have access to in their life.

things by people you know; or it can be

We are emotional animals, and such images,

general in nature such as viewing posts

at our sense of self, make us vulnerable

related to a person’s lived life, but be more

posts and updates have the capacity to tug

to comparisons, and, if we experience

FOMO, it means we have found in ourselves something wanting.

For some people, the effects can be severe.

I believe, that what we should really consider

If you care to think of it, prime examples

if FOMO is indeed new, or more prevalent

of a FOMO sufferer can be found in

as current opinions suggests, or is it more deeply routed in our psyche and should we

One case study I read, shared the story of a

view it as an aspect of ourselves, which we

her career. She identified herself as a FOMO

control.

young women whom had just embarked on

need to learn how to evaluate, manage and

sufferer. The sheer number of social choices

Psychoanalyst and contemporary

she had available to her meant she struggled with every act of decision making that her

social life, and social media, demanded of her. The fear of missing out was so great for her that the question of what to miss

was unthinkable. This lead to her making increasingly complex arrangements with

the tightest of timings, not to miss out on

philosopher, Adam Phillips, addresses these issues in his study Missing Out: In Praise of the Unlived Life. For Phillips, it is notable just how much of ‘our mental life is about the lives we are not living, the lives we are missing out on, the lives we could be leading but for some reason are not.’ He writes,

anything. As a result, more and more of her valuable leisure time was used travelling between places, events, friends and

friendship groups. In the article, she recalled how she would, suddenly in a panic, cut

“ What we fantasize

about, what we long for,

short her time at one party, in order to get to

are the experiences, the

for however short a time. This is an extreme

things and the people that

the next, to relieve the fear of missing out, and notably literal case of the negative

effects: it cost time, money, and quality of

life. Yet, despite being extreme, its message

seems to me to be meaningful: in thinking so hard about the right place to be, but with no

clear individual sense of what the right place

are absent. It is the absence of what we need that makes us think, that makes us

”

cross and sad.

for her meant, she found herself everywhere,

prevalent among young people today, partly as an effect of social media, which allows

us to view a myriad of opportunities on the edges of our lives. Many feel they cannot

live up to the idealised self. Psychologists

call this phenomenon ‘compare and despair’ to look at others and find yourself wanting.

Wimbledon High suggest challenging this

head on and students are being encouraged to ‘actively miss out’ and take time out of

In Act 1 Scene 1, Lear, calls upon his daughters to express their love. The elder two do so, cynically, in order to secure a greater share of wealth. The youngest, Cordelia, cannot and will not play her part in the small drama of excessive demand. When asked ‘What can you say to draw / A third more opulent than your sisters?’ Her reply is a series of ‘nothings’. These nothings make his demand and therefore his want void, invalid, nothing. The problem for King Lear, and resulting in tragedy, could be that he struggled to, or perhaps learnt too late, trust in an unlived life as a paradoxically fulfilling aspect of a lived life. In any case, the King Lear hashtag FOMO for JOMO thesis suggests that this, frustration, has perhaps long been a human condition.

You will not find the acronym FOMO, or the proposed alternative JOMO, in Phillip’s study. But you will find that he identifies thoughts and feelings, and states of mind, that in different ways, are aspects of our unlived lives. These include ‘frustration’, ‘not getting it’, ‘getting away with it’, ‘quitting and getting out of it’. The collective effect of

yet nowhere.

FOMO is believed to be particularly

Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Phillips suggests that the origins of these feelings lie in childhood, and so is the means we find to cope with them. As children, one of the first things we notice is that our needs are often unmet. If this is one of the first life lessons we acquire knowledge of, it means that one of the first lessons we learn as a human is that we are to be shadowed by the possibility of not getting what we think we need or want.

social media.

That we tend to call our wants, ‘wishes’,

At BGS, we are a forward thinking

instead of wants, is an example of one way

of celebration and often too in the spirit of

them ironic, we build into the feeling of

are important channels to connect to our

not be possible at all. This is one of the

change our approach but equally we need

the study Missing Out, and the examples it draws upon, for me, re-frames the debate. I would argue that FOMO is not new and that we need to recognise it as part of human nature and find strategies to manage the feeling through a careful and thoughtful process of self-evaluation. Sometimes this may mean having to come to the conclusion that something is not possible, other times it may be a call to action, an opportunity to turn an aspiration into a reality, So although I am fully in support of the concept of JOMO, I believe we should use

community, we tweet and blog in the spirit

of coping. By calling them wishes, we make

self-examination and reflection. I feel these

wanting, an acknowledgement that it might

community and I would not suggest we

greatest lessons that life ensures we learn ‘We learn to live somewhere between the

I believe, can we start to understand our

to consider the concept of FOMO and its

lives we have and the lives we believe we

unlived lives and learn to live our actual lives

would like.’

more fully.

impact.

the fear of missing out as a trigger to take time to reflect and evaluate what knowledge can we find out about ourselves, when we look beneath the ideal labels. Only then, do

The Muse | 10

ng i e b n a m u is a h physical? purely

Provoking Thought

is mathem invented aotics discovered r ?

Where in a school will you find thought provoking questions on the ‘challenge walls’ ranging from how we might programme a driverless car, to whether we should support mitochondrial replacement therapy, to whether it is morally justifiable to use drones in warfare? Is there room in a curriculum to house these issues and what value do these discussions hold?

I

n an increasingly uncertain world

experiencing with politicians, celebrities,

in order to distinguish between different

where we are all bombarded with

sports stars, banks, business corporations,

religious and humanist attitudes towards the

news and views 24/7, it is crucial

and religious organisations all being the

that our students learn to develop

recent focus of ethical scrutiny is taking

critical thinking skills and are able to

place in the spotlight of social media.

research, refine, and articulate their views

Everyone is free to have a say, and to try to

on issues. At the heart of the International

influence decision-making. One of the key

Baccalaureate educational ethos, is the

strengths of Philosophy and Religion is that

mission to create a better world through

it is rigorous, it teaches the girls to think for

education. At Bedford Girls’ School, we

themselves and to think critically, to analyse

embrace this challenge, and believe that

ideas and issues, to formulate arguments,

the study of Philosophy and Religion is

and to evaluate arguments. These skills are

an important element in helping the girls

essential in a world of “fake news”.

develop a moral compass, embrace global mind-sets and celebrate diversity.

The study of ethics is integrated into the curriculum from the start of the School.

Mrs Ellen Pagliaro, Head of Philosophy and

In the Junior School ethical questions

Religion explained: “We constantly have our

are interwoven into the termly Units of

eyes on the media to try to engage directly

Enquiries, whether that is studying women’s

with the issues; girls for example researched

right in relationship to the role of women

and gave presentations after the Charlie

in World War Two or holding a debate on

Hebdo events in Paris, others concerning

deforestation in Year 4 as part of the study

Charlie Gard in the medical ethics case. The

of Chocolate, the girls are encouraged to

question of justice is frequently fundamental

ask the big questions and formulate their

to the considerations the girls must make,

own opinions on issues. There are no right

and the study of Philosophy and Religion

and wrong answers, the purpose is to keep

encourages this kind of reflective and

an open mind, listen to the views of others

principled thinking. It is important that our

and to formulate individual conclusions.

legislators of the future are equipped with the tools to ask the right questions, and the boldness to answer them ethically.”

As the girls move into the Senior School ethics is taught through Philosophy and Religion as a specific subject. Here the

Mrs Pagliaro continued: “The moral

issues considered can be as diverse as

revolution, that we are arguably

Year 7 looking at the question of foxhunting

11 | The Muse

treatment of animals; in Year 8, the focus is on the question of wealth and poverty, and in Year 9 the sensitive subject of abortion. In Year 10, the girls explore ethical theory, this includes Philippa Foot’s trolley car problem, recently brought to life so dramatically in the Netflix series, The Good Place. Philosophy and Religion remains on the timetable in Year 11, ensuring that beyond GCSE the girls are provided with the space to discuss and explore profound questions about what it is to be human.

Mrs Pagliaro went on to explain: “Studying religion should lead to a celebration of the diversity of beliefs and ways of life, not mere tolerance. Studying different cultures with different festivals, customs and lifestyles is colourful and inspiring, and encourages us to look more closely at ourselves. The subject is academic, yes, but it also demands a degree of introspection that is both challenging and liberating. It should encourage young people to reflect on their own ideas and develop their own thoughts about questions of meaning.

This encourages both the development of inquiry skills but also reflective behaviour, all of which are vital for the girls to develop as part of their holistic education and to build their self-confidence. We are a diverse community at BGS, and it is a small world;

we want to ensure that the girls understand

theory of a Just War and how this is coming

or as an A Level option. In addition, and

others’ cultures and religion.”

under particular strain with the development

reinforcing the importance of the attributes

Mrs Pagliaro expanded on this point: “It is important to help young people to

of A.I and the use of drones as fighter planes and submarines.

it develops, all IB Diploma students follow a Theory of Knowledge course as an element

understand the ideas and opinions of

of the IB Core programme, strengthening

those whose beliefs and values might

critical thinking skills and the understanding

differ from their own. To understand each other requires understanding of the faith backgrounds that people come from. The real and present challenge facing society is to improve the level of knowledge and understanding of everyone about what religions are really about and what they teach. As John Donne famously said “No

“ It is tragic that our

technological mastery is greater than our wisdom

”

about ourselves.

Pope Jean-Paul II; 1982

man is an island” and we strongly believe

likely to display prejudice and discrimination and to embrace the diversity.”

Beyond the classroom, students are provided with plenty of opportunities to widen their understanding of the world around them and to participate in debates and conferences.

Earlier in the Spring Term, a group of Year 11 GCSE students attended an Ethics Conference in Cambridge with renowned Theologian, Dr Peter Vardy. His seminars provided our girls with a new understanding

ethical issues.

Mrs Pagliaro concluded: “The study of Philosophy and Religion develops skills and learner attributes, which can be transferred to all other subjects and into the world of post school study and employment.

We need to prepare our students for a

that where people know more about a wide variety of beliefs and attitudes, they are less

of how to analyse information and assess

world where perceived knowledge and Year 11 students Laura Judd and Erin Christmas, thoroughly enjoyed the debate and said: “We found the trip very insightful because it linked the core content to the issues in the outside world”.

Such conferences expect the students who attend to take part in the debates, and BGS girls relish these opportunities to test their debating skills, often to great effect with

understanding are constantly changing, they need to have the confidence and ability to pose questions, solve problems and recognise complexity in ideas. To develop these skills in a non-judgemental environment is a huge advantage. They develop not only a more a more open minded global view of the world but also empathy and interest in others, important

Dr Vardy at the most recent conference

skills for the working world where they will

praising BGS students for their mature

be expected to be able to collaborate. To

contributions and levels of engagement.

quote the Dalai Lama: “Finding common ground among faiths can help us bridge

of the issues that are currently dominating

As the girls go into Sixth Form students can

the global community; including a

continue to study Philosophy and Religion

needless divides at a time when unified

discussion on the issue of conflict, and the

either as part of their IB Diploma programme

action is more crucial than ever.”

The Muse | 12

Beyond the Great Wall

T

he Junior School’s termly Units

welcoming in a Chinese workshop where they

and pride in what they have achieved as an

of Enquiry provide a platform

were given the opportunity to experience

individual.”

from which learner attributes

making Chinese lanterns, slat books and

can be developed enabling

shadow puppets as well as being introduced

the girls to acquire knowledge, skills and

to calligraphy and the art of jiǎnzhǐ (paper

confidence through a rich and engaging

cutting). From this point, the girls started to

journey of discovery. The Year 6 Spring Term

formulate questions to guide their learning:

focus has taken the girls to China, where they

What do willow pattern plates tell us?

have been exploring Beyond the Great Wall.

How and why were they made? How does

Timed to tie in with Chinese New Year,

calligraphy show different patterns? Why

the Unit of Enquiry provides a wonderful opportunity for the girls to gain an understanding of one of the world’s fastest growing nations, helping them to understand the links between a country’s history and

were books made of wood? Such lines of enquiry led the girls into research areas of art, history and geography, whilst the shadow puppets were used as a collaborative tool to develop their own versions of traditional

culture, and how that has influenced its

Chinese tales.

modern day development.

“The multi-curricular nature of the project

Mrs Nicola Childs, Head of Year 6 explained:

also allows the girls to follow their interests

“We want our students to develop a global mind-set and to look outwards. Rather than studying in isolation. We want them to see how the culture, ethics and societal changes influence the development of a country and how these are linked to its history and geography. The study of China provides a

and to pursue more independent lines of research. We are keen for the girls to widen their areas of investigation and start to understand there are no single sources of evidence. They need to start pull together data and draw conclusions, using appropriate language and vocabulary” Mrs Childs

wonderfully rich curriculum, we are able to

explained.

look at art, language, history, geography and

She added: “In addition, the girls often work

religion; and explore how all these elements

Introducing cultural understanding and ethical debates are an important part of learning at BGS, and the study of China provides a rich ground for discussion as the girls progress on to study traditional Chinese culture and religion and contrasting these to life in the UK. The girls are expected to reflect on the differences and use analytical skills to look at population growth in China.

The project also explores Chinese art, and the girls are encouraged to look at how art and language are interwoven. Not only does such study improve mastery of artistic skills but also teaches them the fundamentals of art appreciation, as they start to learn to look beyond the visual image and uncover meanings from a painting, linking their findings back to the wider themes of the Unit of Enquiry.

Mrs Childs concluded: “The girls are in their final year in the Junior School, and whilst we want them to enjoy this special time, we are also focused on ensuring that they have the skills to adjust quickly and seamlessly into life at the Senior School. Our Units of

collaboratively and can therefore split tasks

Enquiry are devised to take the girls out of

to accommodate their interests. Their work

their comfort zones, asking them to take

is recorded in their Unit of Enquiry books

risks with their learning and skills, as they

and it is fascinating to see how different girls

learn to take on more responsibility and

have decided to focus on some areas more

independence. The results are impressive;

than others. Taking individual responsibility

the girls embrace the challenge, love

to how they research and present their work

mastering new skills and enjoy developing

is a big part of the project, as it shows us how

an appreciation of a various cultures.

Coming back from the Christmas break

they are progressing as learners. It also helps

Classrooms are busy and bursting with

the girls were treated to a stunning start,

them take ownership for their development

creativity.”

have been adapted and influenced modern day developments. Providing the girls with such a holistic view of a country really helps them embrace the theme, as they share the excitement of making connections and using their independent learning skills to ask new questions and uncover the answers.”

13 | The Muse

S W I M, BIK E , RU N “If we let our head drop, our heart drops with it.

Keep your head up, and your body is capable of amazing feats.”

Chrissie Wellington OBE, four-time Triathlon World Champion

A

t Bedford Girls’ School, the

importance of sport is much

more than just the benefit of

physical activity; it increases self-esteem, confidence and a sense of well-being. Above all, our approach to sport is to develop a holistic and inclusive fitness programme, which encourage our students to experience a wide range of sports in the extensive co-curricular programme including triathlon and biathlon training.

Triathlon was catapulted into the public domain by the Olympic heroics of the Brownlee brothers and inspired many more people to get involved with this fast growing multi-disciplinary sport. In 2016, there were around 150,000-committed active racing triathletes in the UK and Sport England believe that about 200,000 people in England completed at least one triathlon in the last year.

Bedford Girls’ School has been competing in multi-event sports for the last three years and has benefited from the teaching and coaching expertise of Head of Swimming, Mr Edward Castro, who himself is an accomplished elite triathlete winning the World Champion Age Group Sprint Distance in 2014 and European Champions Age Group Standard Distance in 2015 and 2016.

Mr Castro explained: “I took up triathlon five years ago after a shoulder injury cut short my international swimming career. I quickly caught the triathlon bug and am now working with our multi-discipline athletes within the School, accommodating and supporting their triathlon pursuits.”

Triathlon’s slogan is ‘Swim Bike Run’, but it is much more than this. Competing in three different sports gives the athletes a strong aerobic base and there are a range of different distances and event combinations.

Due to the nature of the disciplines competitors get a great sense of achievement often talking about the ‘triathlon bug’ and look forward to training harder and the next opportunity to race.

Mr Castro expanded: “Triathlon requires a delicate mix of the three disciplines and needs careful time management in order for the athlete to succeed and also to be

balanced with other important life aspects.

We encourage pupils who show potential in both running and swimming to have a go at the school biathlon competitions on offer throughout the year as a way to ease them in to multi-discipline events.”

The School is proud to have two students at the forefront of the triathlon wave; Bronwyn Tagg (Lower Sixth) who competes at a junior elite level, recently coming 2nd in the 2018 British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships, and Gabriela WoodroffeGomez (Year 7) is at the beginning of her multi-event sports career, competing in the Tri Stars category for junior triathletes.

Bronwyn said: “For me, triathlon is a way to switch off from all the pressures of school, home and everything else Sixth Form throws at me. After a tough lesson, it calms me down and allows me to take my mind off work or an upcoming essay. It helps me relax, despite my heart rate often being above 180 BPM. It also helps me switch on in the sense that after sleepily getting up for a 6:30am swim start, I feel ready for the day; I feel strong enough to conquer everything that challenges me that day.

Triathlon helps me focus on what I want to gain from life as a whole, it has helped me gain many transferable skills; from the organisational skills that would help anyone balance work and play, to setting goals, to learning how to come back from a ‘bump’ in

the road and how to dust yourself down and start all over again.”

For Gabriela, triathlon has helped build her resilience and overcome challenges, she added: “One of my proudest moments was finishing a race after falling off my bike at Hever Castle. I could have given up but instead, I carried on and finished the race.

Crossing the finish line that day made me feel like I had achieved something really good.”

The School’s holistic approach to sport provides the students with a strong platform, so they have the ability and mind-set to attain the highest level of performance possible.

Achievements in triathlon that follow the ups and downs of training give participants the boost that if they set their mind to something it can be achieved, and this mind-set carries over into their everyday lives away from the competitive field.

Mr Castro concluded: “It is a very exciting time for triathlon at Bedford Girls’ School; as more girls transition to multi-event sports, it is important to identify and inspire girls who have the correct mind-set and passion for the demands of the sport. The School’s support structure allow our students to achieve in both their sporting and, more importantly, academic lives. By controlling all the different parameters, we can build a great training environment for the students to achieve their aims.”

The Muse | 14

Legend in their Lifetime

Christopher Stretton Teacher of Classics

Dr Don Fowler Tutorials passed too quickly in a whirl of ideas within a wall of books. Years later,

Fellow in Classics, Jesus College, Oxford, 1953-1999

one of the best (of many brilliant) parts of

teaching is witnessing that look of dawning realisation when a student takes rightful

joy in a connection they themselves have made.

Lesson Three: Embrace complexity I have kept a few of my marked

undergraduate essays. On one early essay

of mine, Don finished his usual thoughtfully written feedback with the question “How can I persuade you that complexity and polysemy are good to eat?”

One of Don’s specialist areas was the study

I

of literary criticism and I remember him

t is 1997. I am sitting at a

large table in a beautiful set of

wood panelled rooms full of

books. I am a new undergraduate.

I am nervous. I am excited. I am trying too hard to impress. At the head of the table sits a kindly, enthusiastic, and astoundingly clever man. He is already pulling various books off the shelves and writing witty example sentences to illustrate some tricky point of grammar. I am impressed, instantly at ease and mesmerised. I am swept along in a river of words and ideas and interest.

Dr Fowler was an extremely charismatic teacher and now, as a teacher myself, I am very interested in what sticks in students’ minds. When I was asked to write this article, I therefore thought I would share my top three lessons from Dr Fowler.

Lesson One: Jump in and use your brain A surprise lurked on my reading list a few weeks into my first term. Several of the articles were written in languages I had never studied. I asked Don about this in a manner which, looking back, was probably more youthfully accusatory than I would now like. The reply was ever patient yet firm. I was encouraged to ‘jump in and use my brain’.

Later in the squeaky-floored hall of a Bodleian Library reading room I sat with a hastily borrowed dictionary. I concentrated.

I surprised myself. My training in classical languages, the formulaic nature of journal articles, and some careful analysis all led to a basic understanding of each article.

At library closing time, an elated student walked back to college as if he were Caesar back from conquering Gaul.

Lesson Two: Make connections A regular feature of any tutorial with Don was the ever-increasing pile of books, which he would excitedly pull from the shelves to present to us students. Each one demonstrated a connection from the text we were reading to another classical or modern text. In addition, Don was at the forefront of the use of technology in Classics and we frequently used databases to compare the use of a phrase across all known classical texts.

Some connections were easy to understand. Others could initially be daunting (see lesson one!). All were interesting and provoked debate. To make a connection between two things means to compare them and carefully analyse whether that connection is valid.

Comparing things helps us question and understand the nature of each.

Connections develop imagination and lateral thinking.

Photograph by Rick Schneider, reproduced by permission of Jesus College, Oxford.

clearly demonstrating that the meaning of

a text could not be limited to what we think the author intended. In other words, there

are many possible meanings to a piece of art (‘polysemy’ from Ancient Greek, ‘poly’ meaning ‘many’, ‘sema’ meaning ‘sign’).

If we limit ourselves to one interpretation, we are missing out on a huge amount of beautiful complexity.

With Don’s guidance, I learned to embrace complexity. The world is a complex place

full of ambiguity and contradictions. Whilst

we need to weigh up information and make decisions, we should also be aware that

our initial interpretation of a situation may not be the best or most useful one.

So there are the three lessons. These have stayed with me ever since and I often think

of that formative time. Sadly, Don died from cancer at the beginning of my third year at Oxford. The saddest moment was seeing

his tutorial room after the memorial service.

There were no books on the table.

However, reading this, you may have

already jumped in, used your brain, and

made a connection between these three

lessons and the three words that are quite rightly used extensively at BGS. Perhaps

that is why I feel so at home here? On the

other hand, we would not want to limit our interpretation to just one possibility.

Would we?