Paved paradise in a parking lot (With apologies to Joni Mitchell and her Big Yellow Taxi), Regan Schreiber, Head of Boarding at Hazlegrove Prep School, considers the importance of the school car park Ignore the website, forget the shiny brochure, and don’t even bother with the front hall – go no further than the school parking lot! Word of mouth is everything in this game, and where is this more evident and truthful than in the car park? The gravel serves as a natural truth serum – all is revealed. Everything from life hacks and the frustrations and tribulations of being a parent to the best deals and bargains to be bought are discussed in this arena of mothers and fathers. Drop-off and collection serve as the touchpoints – the chance to engage and connect, to find out the truth. “Have you heard about...? Is it true? Apparently...” All is revealed in the school car park. Like children in classrooms, sharing anecdotes about their parents, parents solve the world’s problems and spill the beans whilst pausing and chatting in this, the real and very honest entrance to the school. What does the car park say about the school? What can you learn about the school from the gravel quadrangle where all roads meet?
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The humble car park – gravel or tarmac, with the obligatory muddy puddle for little wellies, all look similar. The gravel may even put you at ease as children bounce through it like bathers on Durdle Door’s stony shores. But step back, if you dare, and you may see the start of the magic of the school, as it unfolds right before your very eyes. Teachers will greet you and your children by name. They will smile and more than likely (and we, teachers, make no apologies for this), crack a “dad joke”; all adding to the richness and promise of a new school day. The children will make their way down the path – cobbled, brightly-coloured mosaic or grassy, on their own – with their heads held high, embracing independence as they start writing their own story. In the depths of winter, warm lights will illuminate their path as they skip along to school, bag in hand – while the sport’s bag, music instrument or ballet shoes, are left in the car for you to take to the front hall...after all, they too want you to experience the warm welcome!
