The Muse, Issue 27, Autumn 2020

the

ISSUE 27 THE MUSE AUTUMN ~ 2020

MUSE

CREATING A SENSE OF MOMENTUM Reflection, Action and Change

University Destinations 2020 1.

Imperial College London

2.

University of Leeds

3.

Sheffield Hallam University (x3)

4.

University of Surrey

5.

Durham University (x3)

6.

Bournemouth University

7.

Lancaster University (x2)

8.

University of Exeter (x3)

9.

De Montfort University (x2)

10.

Birmingham City University (x2)

11.

University of Nottingham (x6)

12.

University of Birmingham (x4)

13.

Arts University Bournemouth

14.

University of Liverpool

15.

University of Manchester

16.

University of Bristol (x2)

17.

University of Sheffield (x2)

18.

University of Warwick (x2)

19.

Nottingham Trent University (x2)

20.

Newcastle University (x2)

21.

University of Reading

22.

University of Cambridge

23.

University of Bath

24.

University of York (x2)

25.

Royal Holloway, University of London

26.

Oxford Brookes University

27.

University of Brighton

28.

University of Northampton

29.

University of Leicester (x3)

30.

University of Lincoln

31.

University of Essex

32.

University of Kent

2020 Leavers 90% gained a place at their preferred or insurance choice university

80% gained a place at their first choice

49% accepted a place at a Russell Group university

100% IBDP students achieved a place at their first choice university

Editor’s Insight

W

elcome to 2021 and my first

edition as Editor of The Muse! I

think we all feel a huge sense

of satisfaction in seeing the end to 2020. For me it was a year of such mixed feelings. The incredible excitement of joining BGS as Headmistress, juxtaposed with the nervousness of moving my family halfway around the world in the middle of an international pandemic. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we should not predetermine our fate, we cannot see life as a linear path and that we must be adaptable, agile and resilient. These are skills we work hard to instil in our students and my goodness how I have seen them in action every day since joining the school.

As a new member of the BGS team, I can honestly say through the eyes of a newcomer that our students are really impressive. Returning to School in September was tough, whether they were new or existing students, they couldn’t begin to visualise what the classrooms and learning would look like, how social distancing might impact the development of friendships and if all the elements of the school day that they relish - the sport, music and co-curricular clubs would even be in place. But none of this stopped them, they are incredibly resilient and have brought joy and life back into the corridors.

They renewed friendships and welcomed new students into the fold; they engaged in their lessons and seized every opportunity with open arms. They are truly agile, adaptable and openminded, finding solutions to every stumbling block. I have been particularly impressed by students who have had to go into isolation, how the sense of community continues unabated online as the year group comes together to support each other through tough times.

I hope in this issue of The Muse, we are able to demonstrate a sense of what has been achieved in this last term. I enjoyed arriving in School in September to the stunning work that our latest Year 7 cohort had created over the summer holidays, where they used their voices to highlight female role models. Our corridors have been full of fascinating stories of many unsung heroines, enlightening us all as we move around School and in Inspired By, Mrs Cruse, Head of Years 7 and 8 explains the motivation behind the project.

A recent report published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which highlighted the continuing disparity in the media where the male

voice dominates the female voice by a ratio of six to one in news articles, reminded me of the vital need to give our students the confidence to speak up and to act on their convictions, and that starts right at the beginning of their education. Our Junior School article on Voice, Choice and Agency explores how we build confidence and self-responsibility from the start of BGS. My Headship started as the school was embodied in the 2020 exams debacle. I witnessed just how well prepared our students are for the wider world and the extent to how deeply these attributes run. The list of our Upper Sixth destinations is impressive but what touched me more was the way those who faced the chaos of the results managed to dig deep and take action. These skills will take our graduates far. I am really pleased to include in this issue of The Muse a reflective piece by Sophie Lewis, a member of our Upper Sixth 2020, who despite all the challenges she has faced in 2020, has continued to achieve incredible success in the cycling world and was recently selected for the Great Britain Senior Academy Programme. One for us to watch and a fantastic role model to our younger students.

In true BGS spirit, COVID Restrictions couldn’t stop House Drama, where Lower Sixth and Year 7 come together to work collaboratively on fun productions. Innovative solutions were found and they created highly entertaining productions.

Drama is also being used as a vehicle to reflect on the year, our Verbatim Theatre project has collated stories from across the community and used these to create a dramatic memory bank exploring emotions and experiences in 2020.

If 2020 has taught us anything it is that we cannot predetermine our fate, we should not see life as a linear path and that we must be adaptable, agile and resilient.

I hope you enjoy reading all of the articles in this edition. I have enjoyed working on it, it has given me time to reflect on a busy term! As I reviewed it, I loved the sense of BGS spirit that I hope you see shining through as we look forward with optimism to a brighter new era in 2021.

Best wishes

Gemma Gibson Headmistress

The Muse | 02

Inspired by

Inspirational Women Breaking the glass ceiling

with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that “ Dream others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. ” K AMALA HARRIS, THE FIRST FEMALE, BLACK AND INDIAN

I

A MER ICA N V ICE -PR ESIDE N T.

n November 2020, Kamala Harris

made history by becoming the first

woman and the first woman of colour

to be elected US Vice-President.

Shortly after her election victory, she delivered a powerful speech about the long battle women had faced for the right to vote and to break into the highest ranks of American politics.

Like many before Kamala, female trailblazers are collectively overcoming stereotypes, selfcreated or culturally imposed, one win at time and are shaping the world in amazing ways.

Seeing is believing and role models matter.

Research indicates having positive role models leads to some powerful outcomes, particularly for women and women of colour. It is important for our students to be exposed to successful and charismatic women throughout their education. As the students, both newly applying to BGS and those currently in the Junior School undertake their transition interview for the Senior School, they are asked who their role model is and why. It helps them 03 | The Muse

articulate their values and helps us understand their motivations, passions and interests.

This year we extended this thought and before students joined Year 7 in September, they were tasked to think about who has inspired them to follow their dreams or interests. The students considered whether they were interested in science and technology, sport, art and design, or the humanities and politics. From this, they were given a list of names of inspirational women to independently research.

Mrs Kathryn Cruse, Head of Years 7 and 8 expanded: “During the Summer Term Lockdown, I was not able to host my moving into Year 7 induction day. Therefore, I decided that one way for the girls to share something with their Form Tutors, and to get to know one another would be for them to think about who inspires them. I noticed in their interviews when we asked this question, they all really listened to each other’s answers and their faces lit up with excitement as they explain

who inspired them. I wanted to capture that enthusiasm to extend their learning and help them get to know each other.”

Mrs Cruse continued: “I gave an assembly to the Year 6 Bubbles, which was filmed and sent to all the students from other schools who would be joining us in September. During the assembly, I explained who had inspired me from members of family, to historical figures and political activists. I linked how these individuals inspired me to be who I am.”

All set and ready for the Summer holiday, the students were challenged to think about what pioneering females inspire them and why.

They were given a list of inspirational women in diverse fields to research and had to think about how they influenced them to follow their dreams. Choosing only one person to focus on, they were asked to make a bright and bold visual display, including as much important information as possible.

Mrs Cruse added: “After weeks of planning and researching, the girls were thrilled to finally showcase their incredible work to their Form Tutors at the beginning of September. They had taken the task to heart and developed some incredible pieces of work. As a result, we decided to display them, so that the whole BGS community could see what these incredible women have achieved. At a time of complex uncertainty it provided a reminder that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.”

Aleena Azam, researched the American abolitionist and political activist, Harriet Tubman, she said: “I enjoyed the project very much as it encouraged me to be resilient, strong and bold. I chose Harriet Tubman because I find her inspiring and also because she was linked to the current Black Lives Matter movement.

“I enjoyed learning about her life from childhood right through to adulthood and other interesting facts about her. I found out that when she was only seven years old, she was hired as a nursemaid and was ordered to take care of a baby, during this period she was beaten by her masters, which emotionally scarred her for life.”

Tami Oginni, added: “I also chose Harriet Tubman, because I think that she is an amazing role model to all. She showed a lot of courage and bravery. She risked her life to lead hundreds of family members and other slaves through the underground railroad to freedom.

This makes her truly inspirational!”

The students could either choose to focus on a woman from a list Mrs Cruse provided or simply choose their own. However, they were expected to consider in their research how their figure embodied the BGS values of Bold, Imaginative and Reflective.

Mrs Cruse explained: “All of the women selected had pushed themselves out of their comfort zones to overcome challenges either because of their sex or colour of their skin.

All too often people simply remember men’s achievements and I wanted the students to make the connection between just how extraordinary many of these achievements are.

For example, the pioneering mathematician, Katherine Johnson, was hardly heard of before her death in 2020. She had to overcome social boundaries and racial discrimination as a black woman working for NASA during the 1950s and 60s; yet her pioneering work was fundamental to sending the first astronauts to the moon.”

Bana Shadid said: “I enjoyed researching, Katherine Johnson. She was very clever and wasn’t known for her talent until she was quite old. I thought it was amazing how she didn’t let segregation, discrimination and racism bring her down, she kept on going. I aspire to be like her one day.”

Aditi Gampa added: “I chose Katherine Johnson, as she fought for her rights at a time she faced discrimination. Now many people around the world know her because of her bravery and intelligence.”

As a school with many talented sporting athletes, it comes as no surprise that many

students chose to research women that have broken down barriers on and off the field.

Simrah Khan, chose Brazilian footballer, Marta Vieira da Silva, she said: “I picked Marta as when she was younger the place she was brought up in was a place where girls were considered inferior and boys superior. Her passion was to play football and she stuck to that and decided to work harder to get herself noticed. She had a growth mind-set all the way through the journey and now she is regarded as one of the greatest footballers in the world!”

Mrs Cruse concluded: “The students still tell me how much they enjoyed researching inspiring women. It gave them a sense of pride and also made them feel valued as their work was the first to be displayed around school as we returned from Lockdown. I was particularly impressed by the range of ideas, it really reflects the diversity of talents and personalities we have across the year group.

I am reminded of the words of Harriet Tubman: ‘Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.’ It really resonates with the students. Dreams certainly have the power to change the world; and this is something we instil in all our students. Our nurturing environment and broad creative curriculum provides an environment where they can be open-minded and take risks. We will help them become confident 21st century women, who can achieve their goals and dreams and become role models to future generations.”

The Muse | 04

Voice, Choice and Agency Central to BGS’ educational ethos is a commitment to developing young women who go out and make a difference to the world around them; who are inspired to find solutions and to use their voices and skills to create a better world. To achieve this vision, our students need to have a passion for life-long learning, to take ownership of their ideas and actions. Mrs Tina Copp, Deputy Head of the Junior School explains how this shapes the Junior School experience.

I

n September 2019, the Junior School

became an International

Baccalaureate Primary Years

Programme (IB PYP) candidacy school as we recognised, not only the shared philosophical mission, but that the pedagogical approach provided by the IB PYP framework would help us achieve our aims, whilst ensuring that the Junior School curriculum maintained great structure and rigour. The School is due to be assessed for full IB PYP status later this academic year.

Mrs Tina Copp, Deputy Head of the Junior School and PYP Coordinator explained: “Developing a lifelong love of learning starts in the Junior School, through a culture which nurtures a child’s natural curiosity and builds the skills and attributes from this base as they progress through the School. The IB PYP approach to learning is focused on each child’s learning being independent and selfdirected, developing the sense of inquiry and

05 | The Muse

the joy of discovery, whilst being supported by a complex framework to ensure that all of the students are working towards very tangible objectives.”

BGS and the IB share the common philosophy that in order for students to find that passion for learning, they need to be actively participating in the learning process, they cannot be passive learners who are spoon fed reams of information. The IB PYP programme refers to this as the importance of Voice, Choice and Agency and this runs deeply throughout the planning and delivery of the Junior School curriculum.

Voice, Choice and Agency comes from the central premise that learning should be self-directed, owned and controlled by the students. They need to be given the responsibility for using their Voice, articulating what it is that they find interesting in relation to a centrally posed idea and to be allowed

the autonomy to investigate that idea, hence the use of the second word Choice. If they are excited by the possibility of discovering answers to their own questions, they become more engaged; they will look more deeply and be far more motivated to explore the outcomes. Finally, Agency refers to the idea of what they then do with the information they have gathered; evidence shows that by taking responsibility for the learning, they are much more likely to use it proactively to extend knowledge, deepen skills and impact learning, often taking direct action as a result.

Mrs Copp helped put this into a BGS context: “Each half term, we have a focused transdisciplinary theme, around which the teachers will have structured pathways for the development of conceptual understanding, strengthening knowledge and building transdisciplinary skills. Within the classroom, the teacher moves from being a figure at the front to being a mentor, or guide at the side,

as the students take control of the theme and start to explore elements which excite them around key concepts.

“The content moves from being the central final product to acting as stimuli, so for example if you are looking at volcanoes, through a theme of changing landscapes - we don’t want the students to just understand what volcanoes are; rather we want them to investigate the How, Why and Impact of a volcano. We would give the students a choice to decide on what aspects inspire them; so for one student, that might be the environmental impact of an eruption; for another, it might be issues around migration Where do people go when a volcano erupts?

Collectively, working in collaboration with their peer groups, students then determine the areas they would like to focus on and take autonomy as to how they want to develop a response. It is hugely exciting for the students to be working without ceilings and as a result, we see that the students ask bigger and much deeper questions as they start to make their own intellectual connections; the richness of the investigation is staggering.

They are freed from feeling that there is a predetermined right or wrong answer and this liberation lets their imaginations and intellect run wild. We find they fire off each other’s enthusiasm and become much more excited by the learning opportunities.”

This half term, Year 6 have been investigating migration through the central idea of Human Migration. They started to explore what the experience must be like for the migrants and researched news articles to understand the

issues. Their interest and questioning led them to want to understand more about the human stories behind the headlines. As a result, they took direct action and the school arranged for the Coordinator of the charity BRASS (Bedford Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support) to join the students online to speak to them directly about the difficult journeys young male refugees from Eritrea make to get to a country of safety. They listened to an honest account of a journey fraught with danger and gained an understanding of the role our local community plays in helping and supporting refugees. This moved the learning very much away from a theoretical study to a more personal experience in which the students start to understand that they too have a responsibility to be part of the solutions. As a result, the students are now looking at ways they can support the work of BRASS in the future.

Mrs Copp added: “As a teacher, our role is to guide children forward and to provoke them towards further questions and thoughts. Our relationship with a student moves away from a traditional transactional relationship to one of co-construction where the students are working with us. Children take much more responsibility and ownership, which translates into a real feeling of pride and achievement. It also allows the teacher to work with each student to develop the individual skills; we are able to really personalise the learning journey by helping identify individual needs. Every student will have a different pathway to an end result and we are able to support them in different ways.

For some, it might be a reluctance to get

started and they may need encouragement to take the initial risk; others may need a provocation to explore something in a little more depth. We can really anticipate and respond to each student’s needs and in doing so, we collectively move the whole class forward with a greater depth of understanding.”

“Witnessing the development of the students is really exciting. We are also getting feedback from the Senior School teachers who teach Years 6 and 7 - they are really impressed by the level of sophistication and risk-taking from the girls. They are seeing a shift in the questions being asked and the confidence the students are showing in their approach to their learning; they are not afraid to put forward their ideas, or make mistakes, and are asking more enquiring questions and using higher order thinking skills.”

Finally, Mrs Copp offers some advice for parents: “I understand it is often hard as a parent to imagine what this looks like in the classroom as it may be far from our own educational experience. All too often as parents, we fall into the routine of asking our children - “What did you do today?” And we may receive a rather flat, short answer.

Instead, I suggest you start to ask them to explain, or reflect upon, something they have discovered today, or ask what has caught their interest and attention. I promise that you will see a difference; their true passion, and confidence will come to the fore and you will witness some of the infectious enthusiasm that we are lucky enough to be surrounded by in the classroom every day.”

The Muse | 06

SHARING OUR EXPERIENCES The stories of our community ‘What’s in a word?’

n a time when words have become

so loaded, particularly with the

reactive culture of social media, and

when we are inundated with slogans and fake news, perhaps it is more vital than ever that we explore the power of words to heal and to inspire.

I

of our community throughout the first COVID Lockdown. Verbatim Theatre uses the exact words of the project’s participants, often from questionnaires or live interviews, to shape a personal and often moving narrative. Due to the restrictions on live performances, the decision was made to film the project so that the end product could be shared with as many of the community as possible.

With this is mind, the Drama Department made the decision to devise a piece of Verbatim Theatre to share the experiences

Mrs Howe, Director of Drama and Dance said: “I was moved by the honesty and candour of so many of the questionnaire responses that

07 | The Muse

shared a vast array of challenging as well as uplifting experiences. It was truly a privilege to gain an insight into the strength, courage and kindness of so many staff and students as they dealt with the upheaval and tragedy that the pandemic brought.”

With the project underway the cast from Year 10 to Lower Sixth had to learn to be adaptable; adjusting to rehearsing in year group Bubbles and taking a much more independent and collaborative approach to the creative process. Miss Emily Elsom,

Technical Director said: “Thankfully due to the episodic nature of the project, the stories could be workshopped in smaller rehearsal groups, so even with the restrictions in place, our students were still able to take part in an enriching rehearsal process but one that worked to a very different cinematic ending, a first for BGS.” Despite the time consuming task of reading the questionnaire responses, selecting which stories could best translate to screen and then workshopping these, the whole company knew they were stories worth telling. One cast member from Year 11, Ishani Patel had this to say: “Getting a chance to practise Verbatim and have an insight into our communities’ experiences during Lockdown was very exciting, and especially knowing my piece of Verbatim was based on the experiences of a member of our commuity, it was even more fascinating.”

Creating a project made for film is different from filming a live stage play; there are several different skills at play and a different

quality of acting is required. Lower Sixth student, Molly Jewers, observed: “In terms of the acting and workshops, it has definitely been a new experience as, personally, I am used to performing live, and I have learnt that there are different advantages to both live performances and film acting. When performing in front of an audience, if it goes wrong, you can’t do anything about it, you are really performing in the moment and because it is continuous. Whereas with film acting, you get to shoot from lots of angles and if it goes wrong, it is so nice to be able to try again to make sure that the footage used is as good as it can possibly be. It has been a challenge though, as much as I have enjoyed it, naturalism isn’t my first choice of style and it is so hard.”

Mrs Howe reflected on the challenges of realism on screen: “It is rare in a school context to get the chance to help young actors develop their screen acting skills and it requires a very different approach.

The company have therefore had to consider how to make their delivery much more truthful and subtle, exploring a less

dramatic tone; learning to make their faces and in particular their eyes much more expressive so they can hold the gaze of a camera lens much longer than they would do in a play. They have had to learn how to sustain emotion when cutting back and forth from different angles and playing their monologues in different orders than they have memorised. Not always an easy task and it has been lovely to see them understand in more depth the very real difference between theatre and screen acting as they produced some heartfelt, affective performances.”

This is a project that will stay with the company for a long time as reflected in Ishani Patel’s final words: “Overall, it was a very profound experience and made me realise how much COVID had affected our lives, positively and negatively, and I hope this collaboration brings many more people together”.

Sharing our Experiences will be streamed in the New Year, so keep an eye out on our social channels for more news of this.

The Muse | 08

TAKE TIME TO NURTURE As our community came back together in September, we recognised that one of the biggest challenges for all of us, would be re-developing a sense of safety, security and belonging.

Elaine Teale, Deputy Head Pastoral, outlines the strategy that she and her pastoral team have implemented to ensure our students feel connected and supported.

M

s Teale explained: “Times of

extreme uncertainty and

anxiety affect all of us in

different ways. Within our

community there is a bell curve of emotional reactions to the constant levels of uncertainty that we are currently facing, and we will all be oscillating up and down the bell curve. We recognised that the initial joy and relief of being back at School would very quickly fade as the students became accustomed to navigating their way around our new regulations and restrictions, and as constant news from the Government seemed to be moving us backwards and there was not a lot of light in sight.

We have always put pastoral care at the centre of our model of education; empathy, understanding and building strong relationships is at the heart of our success, but this unique period of time required an additional emphasis. Our students would not all be returning to school in September after a normal summer of fun and relaxation; they would all have experienced a challenging six months of uncertainty, and in some cases trauma. We needed to be ready to respond using additional techniques.

“When we experience levels of anxiety and uncertainty, our sense of safety is compromised, we can recognise this as adults but the young people in our care will not have the same levels of experience and resilience in dealing with these complex feelings. In addition, we need to be cognisant that many of their normal outlets for joy, and sense of self-worth, such as sports, drama, music and socialising with friends remained greatly curtailed. It was extremely important to me that we put additional resources into focusing on making sure all of our students felt supported and secure.”

Ms Teale continued: “Schools are currently an important place for recovery and we need

09 | The Muse

to ensure that our relationships are at the front and centre. We aim to make sure that we increase moments of connection with our students; albeit with a little more difficulty as we wear face-coverings. We looked carefully at strategies we could adopt to enhance our pastoral model of care. Although the pastoral team takes the lead on these issues, we recognise that it is everyone’s responsibility to bring the community together and to look out for one another. It was really important that this Term we put this central in our roles.”

As part of feeling connected, the school looked to how they could use the classrooms to enhance a sense of belonging. The restrictions put in place because of COVID meant many areas looked less dynamic and for many girls their favourite safe places may be currently out of bounds due to social distancing restrictions. Staff and students were tasked to make sure that Form rooms and classrooms were decorated to create a sense of belonging; that the students recognise that as a community we care for each other and that we use our environment to promote a sense of optimism, so it balances out the sense of restriction we feel all around. Ensuring that students were part of this process also helps them build a sense of self-responsibility that they can take a little bit of control over their sense of well-being.

As Ms Teale explained: “We have been working with the students on their mentoring and listening skills, really encouraging them to take responsibility for each other and in doing so help them develop a sense of self purpose. This is a really good strategy to help them reflect and challenge their own thoughts through listening to others. In our current context, we need to be even more openminded and flexible, and listening to others’ points of view is a really helpful tool.”

The work of world-renowned child psychologist, Dan Hughes, who has worked extensively with children who have suffered trauma, has provided a framework which the pastoral team have asked all staff to adopt.

His work highlights the need for connection before correction and he developed an approach to nurturing relationships known by the acronym PACE, which Ms Teale took as a central platform for staff to consider in their interactions with students “Often when young people feel anxious or worried it might manifest itself in a change of behaviour. It was really crucial that we all took the time to step back to try to really identify what is at the emotional root. In times of uncertainty, reactions can be exaggerated and

we need to identify what is happening so that we can be more effective in the way we help them.”

In Dan Hughes’ model C stands for Curiosity, and this is the starting point. It involves wondering about the behaviour being displayed, wondering if there’s an underlying reason. This might mean a teacher saying “I’ve noticed you’ve been quiet since coming back, I think something might be bothering you.”

This invites the student to open up and signals that they are being noticed and someone is interested in them.

The A is for Acceptance, which refers to understanding why a child behaves in a certain way. Listening and watching without judgement. It conveys understanding and as a child feels understood, they will be more willing to think about the consequences of the behaviour and to be honest about the reasons why they are behaving in a particular manner.

E represents Empathy, which encourages adults to step into the child’s shoes and show that we understand their position. A teacher might say “I know this is tough for you.”

This helps a child to feel their inner life is important and valued. The message they need from adults at this moment is of reassurance and understanding. Students need to know that it is fine to feel like you are struggling and that we are here to help them.

Ms Teale commented: “At times when there may be a lot of uncertainty or trauma at home, young people may try to hide their own feelings, so as not to add to family pressures. We want them to know that they have a safe space at school where we will listen and support them. Their worries are just as important, to them at that moment, as another member of their family. When they are struggling we need to know.”

Finally, Dan Hughes explains that P is for Playfulness: playfulness with young people creates a sense of safety and belonging and can prevent a difficult situation escalating, we want to make sure that through the face coverings and social distancing we provide moments of fun in a day, that the students laugh and enjoy being in the classroom. It may sound like common sense but in a time of stress is really important to emphasise.

“This additional focus on a really nurturing approach will help foster healing and allow us to develop stronger relationships with our students, something which will benefit our whole community and help us navigate the next few months together.“ Concluded Ms Teale.

The Muse | 10

H O U S E

A D A P T I N G

An opportunity to collaborate, to be creative and be slightly off-script, House Drama is always one of the highlights of the year in the Senior School. The students take full responsibility for every aspect of the production and the experience of working together during rehearsals fosters a wonderful sense of teamwork across Year 7 and the Lower Sixth.

M

rs Jane Axford, Assistant

Head with responsibility

for Experiential Learning

and the House System,

explained: “House Drama is an integral part of the Bedford Girls’ School community. It provides an opportunity for the Year 7 students to get to know the Lower Sixth, who are in their House and who might be House Captains and Prefects in the following year.

“Although there is an element of competition between the Houses, there are no high stakes with no expectation for the performances to be polished; it’s about building relationships, and the older students acting as invaluable role models. House Drama is the vehicle for what will be an ongoing vertical relationship where they can support each other in House Challenges and competitions over the next two years.”

A fixed event during the first half of the Autumn Term, this year’s competition was adapted to ensure that year group Bubbles did not mix and that it could take place within government COVID guidelines. The students were given five weeks to prepare for the competition; Year 7 performed each House play with students from the Lower Sixth cast as script writers and directors, from a safe social distance of course!

Mrs Axford added: “The Lower Sixth and the Year 7 students had a very challenging brief this year. With rehearsals only able to take place in the Assembly Hall, to keep 11 | The Muse

D R A M A

T O

C H A N G E

the two year groups separated in their bubbles, it meant that they had very limited rehearsal time. The Lower Sixth directors and writers had to be well prepared, creative and imaginative. There was a huge buzz on the three performance nights as each House took to the stage to perform to the Year 7 and Lower Sixth students from another House.”

Reflecting on the experience, Simrah Khan, Year 7 said: “I found House Drama absolutely amazing, it made me want to find a unique idea and to be creative. It was quite challenging performing on stage due to the current restrictions. However, we missed doing a Year 6 performance due to COVID and House Drama certainly made up for that.”

Zaynab Choudhury, Year 7, commented: “I enjoyed the fact that we all worked together and depended on one another. Even though I had a small part to play, I was crucial to the performance and every single person in it felt important, it was lovely to be part of a team.”

Miss Emily Elsom, who was the Events Technician for the competition reflected: “With all the restrictions in place, the students had to be more creative than ever for their rehearsal and performance process.

Each House was given the same script, Snow White, and had to adapt it in six very different ways – one House even rewrote it in order to add extra creativity. The Lower Sixth always try to allow the Year 7 students to explore any area they are interested in. This year, some Year 7 students designed their own lighting, backdrops and even showcased their TikTok dancing talents!

“It was great to be involved as the students came together to unite as Houses after months of being apart from friends and it really helped foster new relationships for our new students.”

For the Lower Sixth, House Drama provides an opportunity for the students to hone their leadership skills, Molly Barker, Lower Sixth reflected on the experience: “House Drama was a fantastic experience; it required us

to use our teamwork and leadership skills when directing the rehearsals and live performance.

“My favourite part was working with the Year 7 students; they were all enthusiastic and wanted to work with us to put on a performance. Once everyone was given a role, they learnt their lines very quickly which made the whole process easy for us. Although it was very difficult directing the performances from the balcony in the Assembly Hall, we made sure the whole process was fun.”

Emily Coton, Lower Sixth added: “This year’s House Drama was particularly challenging but still an amazing experience. Personally, I really enjoyed collaborating with the Year 7 and Lower Sixth students. I think that the most challenging part was having to be on the balcony and not being able to properly direct, as well as the impossible challenge of not being able to have props. However, the Year 7 students did incredibly well portraying their characters.”

Mrs Axford summed up the House Drama 2020 experience, she concluded: “The opportunity to be able to offer an adapted live House Drama has been tremendously valuable this year. It was very upbeat, a lot of fun and lovely to see the students developing confidence and skills in performance or directing roles.”

Mrs Gemma Gibson, Headmistress, who was part of the judging panel, added: “All six Houses did a fantastic job and all stood out with their outstanding performances. The students worked incredibly hard under the current circumstances, and helped create a real sense of community and fun at the start of a difficult term. We were judging on interpretation of script, teamwork, support and choreography and general outstanding performances. Parks stood out most; their performance of Snow White was very creative and moved away from the traditional story.

It made me (and the small audience) laugh the most – very well done!”

Offering a Bridge to Success manage the longer term, but also to navigate the immediate situation. Our current Upper Sixth cohort are now asking if A level and IBDP examinations will take place next summer; are their chances of getting a place at university going to be compromised by last year’s deferrals; what impact will economic downturn have on the availability of Degree Apprenticeships; is it still a good idea to take a gap year; how easy will it be to work abroad after Brexit?”

Mrs Kate Whitlock, Head of The Bridge Careers Service at BGS, reflects on her first year in the role and how The Bridge has adapted through these turbulent times.

S

uccess is of course subjective,

but a definition by Maya Angelou

can be applied universally, ‘Success

is loving life and daring to live it.’

The first half of this succinct assessment is perhaps unsurprising; it is the qualification in the second half, that catches the attention, as it highlights the courage and sometimes risk involved in making the choices that can bring us joy.

“Having begun my role as Head of Careers in January 2020, I expected to deliver an annual programme focused on preparing BGS students to enter professional life at a time when the average gender pay gap stands at 17.3% and the glass ceiling is sadly very much intact, with still just six female chief executives in the FTSE 100.

However in March came COVID, Lockdown, economic uncertainty and the turmoil of the Sixth Form examination process.

Suddenly The Bridge needed to change it’s perspective, not only to prepare students to

Whilst still remaining true to her mantra of “loving life and daring to live it”, Mrs Whitlock re-engineered the support the department offers to foster courage and engagement in these uncertain times.

“Firstly, we need to acknowledge just how seismic 2020 has been for young people.

The fluidity and sheer bizarreness of the circumstances Sixth Form students have faced this year has added huge pressure, for both leavers in 2020 and 2021, whether it’s been making decisions about which universities they’re applying to just based on a virtual visit; or coming to terms with the disappointment that their carefully thought through plans for gap year work, learning to drive, lost internships or planning a summer of travel, will not happen. Being open in our acknowledgement that it has been challenging for each individual is the starting point in recognising the courage they will need to draw upon in order to manage the change in circumstances. Being here to listen with an open door for current and past students has been key.

“Secondly, engagement, and specifically, sign-posting effective online engagement has proved vital. A key part of building resilience is making sure any choice the student is considering is highly informed and thoroughly investigated, and therefore a more known risk. The Bridge has always sought to encourage students to actively engage with their future, pandemic or not, by seeking facts, making a plan, doing the work, and asking for help. Our change has been in dramatically increasing engagement with the online careers platform Unifrog so that continuous careers engagement is standard. Not only does this platform offer a huge knowledge resource, which

is constantly updated with information on career paths, courses and universities in the UK and abroad, apprenticeships and more, it also provides users access to meaningful planning and application tools, and skills development opportunities. It is very solutions focused, providing the means to connect what you want to do with what you do well.”

Mrs Whitlock explained how during the Summer Term, BGS students in senior years independently used Unifrog to discover possibilities, focus their options, and take action; such as researching to widen their knowledge and demonstrate commitment in their chosen field.

“The ongoing wider use of Unifrog is central to the service provided by The Bridge.

Designed for use in careers lessons and in students’ own time, it offers opportunities to develop self-awareness of characteristics and personal strengths, and explore career paths based on these, in combination with academic preferences and results. With mechanisms to share findings and progress with Form Tutors for direct feedback it is particularly useful for older students, allowing them to take responsibility for investigating possibilities at their own pace, and helping them recognise that making informed decisions about the next life stage doesn’t just happen in a couple of careers sessions. These informed choices can then be turned into actions. We can offer further support by putting them in touch with alumnae at university or professionals in different sectors, arranging mock interviews or possible work experience. In the current climate refining and tailoring decision making helps students stay focused and take control of the situation, whilst they develop a range of possible options; it really alleviates some of the anxiety.

“Through these challenging times our students are building skills for life; the perspective forged from managing through this uncertainty is usually only gained after years of wider experience. It is extremely rewarding to be supporting them and I have every faith that they will navigate their way through to greater success.”

The The Muse Muse || 06 12

Cycling Uncovered with Sophie Lewis The Muse reconnected with GB cyclist and Bedford Girls’ School 2020 alumna, Sophie Lewis, about her flourishing cycling career and how she is adjusting to the current global challenges. Since leaving BGS, Sophie joined the Great Britain Senior Academy Programme in October 2020 and will be going to study Economics at The University of Manchester in September.

R

ewind to the end of 2018,

talented cyclist Sophie Lewis,

was selected for the Great

British Cycling Team Junior Academy Programme. Since her selection on this pathway programme, she went on to produce magnificent results on the track. In the summer of 2019, the cycling sensation bagged gold and silver medals at the U23 and Junior European Track Championships in Ghent, Belgium and silver and bronze medals at the UCI Track Junior World Championships in Frankfurt, Germany. These were incredible achievements as Sophie was competing against the very best young riders across the globe.

13 | The Muse

Sophie found her passion for cycling, aged 9, when she joined her local village cycle club, she said: “I didn’t do much for the first couple of years, I just had some fun on a Thursday night at the rec with the club, then a few grass track races in the second year. I then started riding and racing on the velodrome, and did my first road race aged 11, and it all progressed from there. I tried cyclo-cross for a few years but that meant too much mud and bike washing so I stuck to the road and track!”

Sophie currently competes in both track and road cycling, both disciplines she loves in her promising career, she elaborated:

“My favourite races are probably the Team Pursuit and Madison on the track. I love the brutal road races out in Belgium and the Netherlands, on fairly flat courses with cross winds, as those races are always exciting.

There is always so much going on in bunch races, and it can be really tactical, which is why I love the Madison. Not only are you trying to ride your bike and keep yourself safe, but you are also trying to keep up with which teams have points, where they are positioned, where your partner is positioned and where you have to be to make a change before the next points laps. It’s frantic but so exciting.

Sophie continued: “Listening to music ahead of competitions is a powerful tool that inspires me to boost my performance. I have a warm up playlist, which I always listen to before big races. It’s full of songs with a strong loud beat, which are great to block out all other noises, especially the sound of my turbo trainer while I warm up. Hall of Fame by The Script is definitely a good one to listen to between my warm up and the race.”

It was all a balancing act when Sophie was part of the Junior Academy Programme at school; with her diary filled with training blocks, track and road competitions, as well as studying for her A Levels, this was challenging both mentally and physically.

Sophie reflected: “Finding the right balance was pretty tough at times, but as long as I was organised and planned ahead I seemed to get it all done. Undoubtedly, it got harder during the race season, but I used some good on-line resources when I was away so I could continue with my studies and my teachers were always great at supporting me.”

The cycling season is extremely long with races taking place throughout the year on both the track and road, Sophie said: “The season is pretty long as we have races all through the year, but I had two weeks off the bike in October. I ended up back on my bike after ten days, I couldn’t resist! Training is full on for the rest of the year. However, it does ease off slightly before big races with the odd easy week. Since joining the GB Senior Academy Programme as a full time athlete in Manchester, my training has intensified, I ride for about 15-20 hours a week, with my training

being a mix of long road rides (up to 200km at a time), track sessions and interval training on a static bike, plus a couple of gym sessions.”

The support from British Cycling has enabled Sophie to develop further as a rider, with many opportunities to proudly represent Great Britain, she said: “I have had opportunities to race in track events in Europe and in the Nations Cup road races. I would not have had these opportunities if I wasn’t on the programme. I have also had the chance to experience and benefit from the top level coaching and support that is provided by British Cycling, through my coaches and the support staff. It is just an honour to wear the GB kit and represent British Cycling and the country.”

Sophie is making giant strides in the cycling world, and like many elite athletes, the pandemic temporarily put the brakes on her professional career, she said: “What a change this last year has been! All of a sudden I have left school, my exams were cancelled and I have become a full time athlete, but with a lack of actual races. I was totally gutted when four of our Nations Cups were cancelled during March and April, as this was what most of my winter training was focused on and I had been looking forward to it since the same block of racing last year as it was so much fun. Little did I know that the whole season would be cancelled.

“Over the Lockdown period my training volume increased considerably as I had a lot more time to train, but at times this was difficult as I didn’t really know what I was training for. The lack of racing has definitely

been really tough for me as I just love racing my bike and tend to thrive off this. I had been racing at least once a week throughout the winter so it was pretty weird not being on a start line. Although we had been racing on an online platform called Zwift throughout Lockdown, which was a very good training tool, you don’t get the same buzz that you get from actual racing and I can’t say I’m a massive fan of it. I also found it hard only being able to train by myself and not seeing anyone, but we had lots of Zoom meetings which kept the morale going.

Sophie continued: “Unfortunately the last few races of the season that we thought we were going to be able to race were cancelled, which was a real shame as these were going to be my final races in the Junior Academy Programme before I step up to the race in the Elites/U23.

I did get to race some local time trials and a couple of other small local races but very much missed the race trips to Europe.

“I am really excited for this year as I am now part of the Great Britain Senior Academy, where I have made the step up to being a professional cyclist and am now living in Manchester. This year we’ll hopefully go out to Belgium for a few months to race in Europe on the road, as well as some track races like the Elite Nations Cup, which is being held in Newport in April and the U23 Track European Championships. I am also really looking ahead to 2022 with the Commonwealth Games being held pretty close to home, so this is a big goal of mine!”

The Muse | 14

Legend in their Lifetime

Victoria Forster Junior School Teacher

Malala Yousafzai

Shot for standing up for female education that was dedicated to ensuring every girl had the right to the future they chose.

In recognition of her work, she became the youngest Nobel laureate, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

I

n 2012, a young Pakistani girl of

only 15 years old almost paid with

her life in exchange for a right so

many of us take for granted. A right to an education. On that day, however, Malala Yousafzai was not only standingup for her own right, but she was standing as an advocate for millions of young girls all around the world to have access to the education that they so rightly deserve, but are so forcefully denied.

The Pakistani Taliban, who had taken over the Swat district in North-West Pakistan had banned access to education for all girls. Malala fiercely spoke out against this decision and was therefore directly targeted; she was shot in the head on her way home from school and left unconscious. Following her attack, Malala was transferred to the United Kingdom for medical treatment where she and her family were later given asylum. There was no question that her attack and the reasons for which she had been targeted had roused the media and turned heads globally, including my own.

I came across Malala’s story in the news and watched the gripping events unfold along with many other people around the world. I read this story in utter disbelief - what had our world come to where a

I was fortunate enough to come across Malala in person at the Commonwealth service in 2014. There she addressed the Queen, members of the Royal family, leaders of the Commonwealth, senior politicians, school children, and school staff; promoting equal economic, social, and educational growth opportunities as a necessity for all across the world. To hear the vehemence in her words and witness the strength of this 17-year-old as she detailed the barriers to education for so many children captivated the minds of all watching her, because these issues are real and very current. young girl had to fight so hard to go to school? Then I realised, this was our world and for those – like me – who have been privileged enough to not only see the positive steps towards equality for women and education for all, but to also experience them, is far from the reality of young girls growing up in other parts of the world. “I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls.” - Malala Yousafzai

Ambassadors like Malala “have done so much to bring about change and equality around the world, but especially for women and our future generations.

”

Malala saw her recovery and refuge in England – her new home – as an opportunity to make the most of her life and keep selflessly fighting until every girl in the world could go to school. Only one year later, Malala co-founded The Malala Fund charity with her father; a charity

Children out of education was recognised as a major global issue by the United Nations (UN) Summit in 2015, where member states drew up an agenda, SDG.4 - to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ by 2030.

Whilst the efforts to close the gap in education should be recognised, there are still 263 million children (one in five) out of education globally and these rates are slowing. Need we mention the impact a global pandemic has had on education across the world?

Ambassadors like Malala have done so much to bring about change and equality around the world, but especially for women and our future generations. Her determination to be heard in a place that did not want her to speak should act as an inspiration to us all. Malala continues to work hard, having just graduated from the University of Oxford, she is now hoping to use her influence to help refugees. Do not take the opportunities you are given for granted, and if you have a voice, use it to bring forth good in the world. Malala was willing to risk her life to have an education and has dedicated her young life to generating meaningful reform. With our own ignited passions and motivations, what can we set out to achieve?