Spotlight on a School From marshmallows around the fire to theatre and painting, Sherborne Prep offers pupils a ‘happy place’, writes Richard Pyman. Written for Independent Schools Management Plus Magazine. “And all were as happy as happy can be With the Quangle Wangle Quee.” So sang Edward Lear. As you all remember, the Quangle Wangle was lonely until his friends came to live on his hat. After that, all was amazing. If ever there was a further advertisement for society, or rather the perils of its enforced absence, the past eighteen months has offered it. If you don’t agree, come to SPS School at eight o’clock one morning, and observe the tsunami of joy and positivity that skips through the gates. The children are rejoicing in each other’s company, thrilled that the normality of music and art and drama and sport have all miraculously returned. Thank heavens. And happiness and gladness are the central themes of SPS. It’s off to a flying start by being in a beautiful place, the Abbey bells a stone’s throw away, the honey-coloured stone of Sherborne all around. It is nestled between Sherborne School and Sherborne Girls, a community which offers an exceptional range
27
of challenge and fun at a very high level. But place is less important than people. “The art lessons are filled with a creative buzz, a place where beauty can thrive.” Let’s dive in and start with those who love art at SPS: if you had seen the exhibition put on by the students of the charismatic teacher Fernando Velazquez last summer, you would have been amazed, not just by the standard, but by the breadth of inclusion and enthusiasm. The art lessons are filled with a creative buzz, a place where beauty can thrive. “For many of our students, expression in paint is their greatest joy,” says Fernando. As he does so, another child rushes up waving a picture of a landscape: “Mr V, Mr V,” they shout, probably unaware either of the extraordinary reputation of their teacher as a modern painter, or of the distinguished lineage of the name they have abbreviated! For some children, traditional learning, especially the emphasis on the written
