Joining Bruton

Hi, I’m Lucy and I joined the Senior School
(Form 1) from a nearby primary school in
September 2006. Moving to secondary school can be
very daunting. I moved from a small primary school and everyone at Bruton School for Girls was very welcoming and I soon settled in.

The first time I saw Bruton School for Girls was at an Open Day which I attended with my parents. I remember thinking how grown-up the Sixth Form student was who showed us around the school. She seemed to know so much and I wondered if I would ever know as much as she did about Bruton. The things I remember most from my visit are the School Hall with its four coloured banners and the Art corridor with all the colourful paintings and dresses. I couldn’t help getting excited at the prospect of me doing something like that.

After the Open Day, I came back to Bruton for a “taster” day which was spent with a current Form 1 student. On a “taster” day you get to experience what secondary school life is all about. You will join some lessons and have lunch. If you are going to become a boarder you will also spend the night in the junior house Old Vicarage. The girl that showed me round was Kate. She already knew so much about Bruton after only being there for a couple of months. It was really scary at first as everyone seemed so big and for me coming from being the oldest in the school to the youngest was quite daunting but I soon realised that it didn’t actually matter.

The next step is the entrance exam day. There is nothing to be worried about though, there were tests in English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning. It is the first chance to meet all the other girls joining the year group and you will also join in with some fun lessons. I took part in a French treasure trail around the school and then in the afternoon some fun science experiments. French was a new subject for me so I actually thought it was really unfair! But, I had people around me that vaguely knew what they were doing so it was fun to try and figure it out together.

In the summer term, before you come to Bruton, you’ll spend another day at school. This is called the Introduction Day. You find out which Hall you will be in and meet people that you will be spending a lot of time with when you start in September. Luckily for me I was joining with another girl from my primary school, which may or may not be the same for you, and we were in the same house. That really boosted my confidence. You will also have the chance to try out some more Senior School subjects like Home Technology, Music and Art. Home Technology was the best. We made some really nice things but they never reached home! I was a bit unsure of what to make of all the teachers. They seemed so different to my primary teachers but they were really encouraging and I wanted to try extra hard for them.

For me, September came around very quickly and it was time to go back to school, although this time it was at Bruton School for Girls. On my first day I was met by my Head of Hall. I am in Stourhead Hall and my Head of Hall is Miss Wedgwood. For the first half of term, Miss Wedgwood was our Tutor and helped us to work out our timetable and find our way around. On your first day you will spend the morning with your Head of Hall and the other new girls in your Hall and be given a timetable, workbooks and prep diaries. In the afternoon it will be time to start lessons. Your Head of Hall is not only your tutor. They also become someone that you could tell any problem to. At first you may seem a bit reluctant to trust them (I know I was) but soon, I promise, they could be your best friend – or maybe not!

I really wish you good luck. Don’t worry if you’re a bit nervous at first, it’s only natural. I am so pleased I came to Bruton and I’m sure you will have a good time here and meet some great people.”