Back to School

Everyone remembers their childhood differently, but however you look back on your school days, your prep or primary school years remain some of the most formative of your life. My nine years at Sherborne Prep School were undoubtedly some of the happiest in my childhood, and I look back on them with great fondness – so much so that I decided to come back as a gap student post A-level.

The huge variety of jobs as a gap student – the daily shift from the classroom to the sports field, or the boarding house to the music department – is something I expected from this role, however there is so much more work to be done alongside what the children see.

Preparing information boards, organising the post, and making beds are very much needed to run the school effectively, but not necessarily noticed by the pupils themselves.

I never expected I would spend so much time laminating or removing staples, but I also hadn’t predicted how enjoyable the little moments are. My highlights of the week are rarely the big events or activities; but rather a joke that a pre-prep child made up all by themselves, or when a child scores their first goal in a match, or when a new overseas boarder starts to properly settle into life here, despite missing home.

This area of work is incredibly rewarding as I can support and encourage the children here, just like I remember previous gap students doing for me, and these moments are what make this job worth having – something I could never have seen as a pupil myself.

There are always a few unforeseen hurdles to overcome, especially when returning to your old school. For example – I will never get used to calling my old teachers by their first names, it will always be strange umpiring a hockey match rather than playing in one, and I invariably feel like I am breaking a rule by going into the staff room!

I could not recommend this job more to anyone considering taking a year out before university. It is a wonderful experience, good fun, and you meet so many lovely new people. But most importantly, I think this is a job with a huge sense of purpose and personal reward, and it has given me the opportunity to give something back to the school that moulded me into the person I am today.

Constance Pollard Residential Gap Tutor written for The Sherborne Times