The Wetherby Senior School
CHRONICLE th
Week 16
15 January
Dear Parents, I must admit that I don’t watch much television but before you think that in our household we religiously sit down to discuss the issues of the day or read books, the truth is that it’s a ‘sit on sofa and open laptop’ kind of house. That said, I do have a television guilty pleasure in ‘Only Connect’; it’s probably the only programme I will watch in its entirety and always pause if someone phones or I get up for any reason. I could watch it on iPlayer on the train but I never do this, I think because if I was ever to get a question right, I need it to be verified by the family as witnesses to the event and for me to get the public adulation I would deserve were I to say the answer before the television contestants. How delighted was I then that, this Tuesday, I got my first ever ‘Only Connect’ question correct. Admittedly, I got it after three of the four clues but I got it all the same. Parents, see if you can get it: the question is what comes last in the sequence. The boys incidentally have no chance as the question pre-dates them and they would have no knowledge of the subject matter. The answer is at the bottom of the Chronicle. “Well done, Mr Baker!” I hear you say. Thank you. I appreciate your warm congratulations… 1:0 was 1
0:1 was 1.5
0:0 was 2
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No such bamboozling questions at the Prep School’s 7+ and 8+ this past Monday though. With over 300 boys, sitting for 20 places in Year 3 and 40 in Year 4, we do have to make the papers accessible yet challenging to allow for a meritocratic and transparent process. We remain a ‘family’ school and will always promote siblings and our own Pre-Prep children at our main entry point of 8+, as we do and will continue to do at the Wetherby Prep to Wetherby Senior School transition stage. Lots of you say to us, “When are you and Mr Snell going to stop this sibling and PrePrep priority thing? No-one else does this anymore.” Now, you only say that once you are in the Prep or Senior School of course (!) but we both think that it would be a sad day if we ever had to say that, whilst your son had been educated at a Wetherby school for however many years, he could not go onto the next one. We also think that it is one of the things that make all three Wetherby schools so special. The continuity, the family feel, the sense of security as to what values and expectations will be constant throughout a family’s time at the School, together with the loyalty, friendship and support of our parent body are vital factors that define our schools as “Wetherby”.