Y7 AND LOWER SIXTH SETTLING INTO VESEY | PG 7

September 5: my first day at Vesey. I had come from a different country, had to settle into a new school and knew no one, not a single student or teacher. In summary, I felt like an outsider. I didn't know the school campus either. But, as the days passed and weeks flew by, life slowly orientated into a routine: wake up, get on the bus, form-time, lessons mixed in with break and lunch and eventually the end of the day.

In this first Michaelmas term, I have taken advantage of the endless opportunities that were offered to us Sixth Formers, such as attending Chemistry lectures at the University of Birmingham, mentoring younger years during lessons and enjoying playing Badminton with my peers. These opportunities, provided by my wonderful Head of Year, Miss Jones, and Head of Sixth Form, Ms Miller, have allowed me to meet others who had similar interests as me. As corny as it sounds, day by day, Vesey has become almost like secondnature to me, and I have started to recognise familiar friendly faces. Thus, it was not too long before I felt like I belonged somewhere again.

-Karim L6

I began my Vesey experience in September, entering as a new year 12 student. I am not going to claim that coming to Vesey was a lifelong dream of mine, and accepting the offer took a lot of deliberation; grammar school was unfamiliar territory to me. Yet I had always preached to commit to opportunities presented to me, and this seemed like an opportunity too good to pass by- and I’m so glad I gave it a chance!

Upon starting, I was full of the typical angst of an unbeknownst sixth former; will I be able to make new friends? Will I like my teachers? And will the expectations be too high for me to reach? Yet all these worries have faded away throughout the course of my first term… the school has created, since day 1, a warm and welcoming atmosphere for a new student. Providing adequate opportunity to meet new people; especially through the Wednesday games option and Thursday extracurricular, where you are not confined simply to the people who share your timetable. The teachers, without a doubt, care for your successes: clearly passionate for us to do the best we can and creating a safe space for extra support without judgement or inconvenience. While it is undeniable that the school expects highly of their students, the expectations come from a place of care, and belief in each and every person that attends the school. All staff are willing to help you improve and offer the support you need- making the expectations a shared goal, rather than an overwhelming pressure.

Vesey have offered me a new perspective on school life, as it is not just been stripped to pure academia but also groups and societies to enrich you as a person rather than a subject candidate. Already, in my short time at the school, I have attended after school clubs, had a drop-down day (where external speakers come to educate you on real life matters), joined in in the games for and had a charity fundraising week. As well as this, one thing that has fundamentally stood out to me across the school, is the sense of pride that underlies every aspect of it: evident in the students and teachers. People are proud to say they are part of Bishop Vesey’s, and I too feel that way!

I look forward to continuing my journey at this school, and hopefully with hard work and dedication, I will leave a legacy I am proud of.

Mae, L6IV (edited by Ava, L6I)

It was a typical grey British day, but for me I was set to work, even if for a day, in Parliament. I woke up at 3am and spent the early morning hours revising what I was going to say and the points I wanted to make; little did I know then how none of those ideas was anything like what it truly was.

After going through 3 security checks, I went to Porticullis House. I enjoyed the sense of being there, almost the middle point of all government buildings, around me was the workings of a nation. It absolutely fascinated me.

Here, I was met by Andrew Mitchell's Head of Office, Yusrah. She was amazing, showing me around and going as far as to organise the whole day for me. It started in a very simple way: I organised who and how many

Christmas cards he was going to write. However, his recent promotion to the Minister of Foreign Development (and Minister for Africa, but who’s counting?) meant he now resided in the Foreign Office, not just 1 Parliament Street. Yusrah and I set off there, which must be the most beautiful building in all of the British government, to deliver these Christmas cards. This was where I met Mr Mitchell again, albeit a short encounter before he was quickly off for the state visit’s white tie dinner for South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa.

I spent the next two hours on a personal tour with Yusrah around Parliament. I don’t know whether I was naïve, but the expanse of the Lord's area was far greater than I expected. During this time, I just so happened to meet two former prime ministers, Boris Johnson and Theresa May. It was massively overwhelming experience for me to meet them and shake their hands!

I then went to watch the affairs of both the Commons and the Lords in the Stranger's Gallery. On top of this, I went to two committees, one on the states of Indonesia and Vietnam, of whom I can speak quite elegantly now, and one of justice, led by Dominic Raab. This was on the bill of human rights trying to separate us from the European Court of Human Rights and replace it with our own. After this I summarised letters from the constituency to be later filed, seeing both the best and some quite funny letters from my hometown.

Overall, the day was incredibly inspiring for me. The fact that I could just be in the rooms where decisions are made was thrilling. I would love to once again thank Mr Mitchell and his office for giving me this opportunity.

-Luke, 10P