5 minute read
Whitbread
Houses
WHITBREAD HOUSE REPORT
WORDS BY Mrs Michelle Aldridge, Whitbread Housemaster
What a remarkable year after the pandemic. Whitbread House returned to school to some of the normal activities and House events with ease in true Whitbread style and sprit. Having a positive attitude of, ‘just give it a go’, pushing forward and supporting others, this was certainly very evident throughout the year.
I have been so proud of all Whitbread achievements, watching them bond and work together as a house from Year 3 through to Year 8, really pushing their own personal boundaries but also supporting and encouraging others. The biggest moment and achievement for us this year as a house has been the remarkable effort that has gone into this year’s House Charity. Boys across all the year groups got involved in their own personal challenges and covered miles by cycling, rowing, running, walking and swimming for Bedford Open Door, a counselling service that provides young people from the ages 13- 25 a safe place to be heard and not judged. This means so much to them and the young people of Bedford will certainly benefit from all the money raised. I too am incredibly grateful because Bedford Open Door is a service that I currently volunteer at as trainee counsellor and I know that the money raised will be greatly received. It’s so important to be able to give back to the community to help and support others. Whitbread raised an amazing total of £2,015 on our Just Giving page – a record we have smashed for the most money raised for one single house charity in a year. So, thank you to all the people that donated money for this very worthy cause.
What makes our house unique and special is that all boys show great loyalty and sheer commitment to succeed, even when they are being pushed in directions outside their comfort zones. The determination is strong. In their day-to-day academic tasks and house events, be it sports, general knowledge or House Art, all boys show exceptional
staff will help each boy develop their ability to work upon their character, resilience, build good relationships and to be able to tackle anything outside their comfort zone knowing that they will be supported all the way, providing them with the skills and knowledge to have an enjoyable and successful experience in the true Whitbread way.
There have been several highlights for me, some real magical moments, and memories. I have particularly enjoyed our interactive assemblies as I feel that it’s important for our boys to be involved in them, making it far more interesting and exciting, expecting the unexpected, keeping the boys on their toes and allowing them to look forward to house time together on a Friday afternoon. For example, we had a determination assembly and this involved Staff verses Students in a range of activities. We even had Miss Heywood taking part! This is about creating memories and moments to remember at Bedford Prep School being part of a house with unity. On a cold February afternoon, the traditional pancake race was to be held and 6 of our boys rolled their sleeves up and put on their trainers to compete in the race. In the background we had big roars of support. A competition not to be sniffed at, this is serious competitiveness. Unfortunately, we did not win this event but came a close second. All ended well as the team enjoyed getting stuck into their pancakes as a reward for completing the task. All Whitbread boys particularly enjoyed the ‘Play in a Day’ with each boy choosing to do a task to help aid this event to happen. It was wonderful to see the amount of effort and time that had gone into making this play happen, from stage set design, prop making, advertisements, baking cookies to sell and most of all the acting. This was a fantastic event and such a joy watching the boys’ strengths all being put together and every boy’s effort counted.
There are many more events too that all have their equal weighting of success, but one of the biggest events of the year is the House Sports Day down at the athletic stadium. We arrived in our house colours and with great noise – wanting it to be heard and noticed that Whitbread House was present. Wow, the sheer determination to get to the fi nish line, or to throw, jump or run was fantastic, whether they were winning or coming in last place the effort was still there and the support from the stands was equally impressive too, cheering and encouraging boys wherever they were placed. Always holding the school values, they are a credit to themselves.
Although we did not win the House Cup this year, we made a tremendous effort to be at the top gaining second place with not many points between the winning house. I have the privilege of watching you grow from Year 3 to Year 8 and if you continue into to the Upper School too, I get to witness your journey of growth through these stages and it’s a wonderful thing to be able to see and work alongside all the Whitbread boys who keep the house together with unity, belief, and togetherness and a strong passion to succeed. I cannot ask for a better house. The force is always with you Whitbread, Yoda boys! Well done.
Whitbread boys form the letters of their chosen charity, Bedford Open Door.
commitment, self-confi dence, and belief not just in themselves, but in others too. They are truly amazing regardless of whether they win or lose, which is always something to be proud of. Boys within the house stretch the most able and support and encourage those that need that extra helping hand. What a dynamic approach, responding to the needs and abilities of every student.
Within the Whitbread house we believe that each boy should have a happy and purposeful experience to be able to gain great confi dence in themselves as they go through each academic year. From the moment a new Whitbread boy joins the house the boys and
Staff vs boys Malteser challenge
