Boarders' Corner - 1 October 2021

Today won’t be the usual installment of Boarders' Corner where we update you on all the fun we had at the weekend. That’s because this weekend, the girls all had a well-deserved break at Exeat, returning to the boarding houses on Sunday with plenty of stories to tell. So instead, we thought this would be a good opportunity to give you all a little insight into the daily routine of a Godstowe boarder in the wonderful Walker House.

Gone are the days where the girls are woken up with a plain knock on the door. Alexa awakes each dorm with relaxing classical music to stimulate the brain and fine-tune the senses. Not for long though, as the clock strikes 7am, the Walker wake-up playlist starts to blast through the house, signifying it’s time for the girls to get up and out of bed. Teeth cleaned, hair brushed, tied up and uniform on, we expect all of our girls to be downstairs between the two bells (played by Alexa of course) at 7:15am and 7:20am. Then, everyone gathers in the common room for our morning register with Mrs Whitley or Miss Robinson, whilst Miss Allan and Miss Donald sweep the room to check uniform is in order. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings our girls from China and Hong Kong have the opportunity to phone home, with the rest of the house calling in the evening. But there’s no rest for the wicked in Walker: by 7:30am our fabulous musicians set off to music practice and by 8am we are all queuing up and ready to fill our boots at breakfast. After a piece of toast (or two!), the girls can head out to play before their long day ahead at school. 

4pm rolls around in no time and the girls skip back to the house where they’re greeted by fresh fruit, cold squash, and a yummy snack from our amazing kitchen staff. Only half an hour later, it’s already time for clubs and activities. Boarding can be hard for such little people but we find that keeping the girls busy means the fun outweighs the homesickness. There’s an array of activities on offer here at Godstowe, so there really is something for everyone - from ballet to netball to top trumps (when I say we have it all, I mean it!). After all the fun, it’s the one part of the evening that I’m not convinced the girls enjoy quite so much...you’ve guessed it, it’s prep. Mundane though it may be, we want the very best for every Godstowe girl so we try to help them with prep and make it fun as well as listening to them read everyday.

All that hard work deserves a reward and for us, that reward is supper. A hearty meal later and we head back to house - at this point I’m usually in awe at the energy our girls have left despite their busy schedules! We register once more, before showering and putting pyjamas on. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays everyone who didn’t call in the morning can then call home, whilst the other play together quietly or read. On the other days of the week, we have Monday cocoa night, whilst Thursdays are taken up by remaking our beds with freshly cleaned sheets. By far, the highlight of the week is a Wednesday however - Dorm Score Donut Delight Night - where the winning dorm is treated to donuts and a private audience with our deputy housemistress, Miss Robinson. After each of these long but rewarding days, the girls snuggle up in bed to some relaxing spa music and sleep.

Then it’s onto the weekend, before picking it all back up on Monday.