The latest Bethany Blog of the Spring Term has been written by Mrs Wareham, Head of Year 9. She writes about how a survey completed by Year 9 revealed some interesting answers about friendships, achievements and success.

Having been a Head of Year and Housemistress for all the different years at school, I am very aware that Year 9 can be one of the toughest. Pupils are neither young nor grown up, they have conflicting hormones, puberty onset (or continuation) and friendships seem to be a challenge for even the most hardy.

This week, I asked Year 9 to complete a survey to see how they think the year is going for them. The answers were interesting; questions about what they wished they had known often included higher expectations, more prep and harder work. When asked what they would change, the length of the school day was raised and one pupil actually said they would like to start at 10am!

However, most seemed to feel they were navigating friendships well and felt comfortable and secure within the year group. This does not mean that they all do, but it gives hope for those who are struggling with this aspect currently.

When asked about their achievements, pupils were keen to share their successes and feel (justifiably) proud of their growth. The answers included participating in school activities, helping others, building friendships, learning how to resolve conflict and recognising when my actions may not be welcome. The pupils have certainly given some thought to this question and some of the replies are below:

However, for me, the best answers came from the question asking, ‘If you were asked to describe Bethany to a new Year 9 pupil joining, which words would you use?’ Sometimes, when they are struggling, our pupils feel that school is the problem and that they do not fit it. It is heartening to read that many of them are very aware of the time and effort spent by those in the school to ensure it is the best experience possible. How lovely that the word ‘fun’ stands out for our pupils, that ‘great school’ and ‘nice pupils’ and ‘lovely teachers’ are words that they think of when they think about Bethany.

Year 9 is racing away and my current cohort will soon be approaching the next two very significant years of their school careers. I am proud of the way they are dealing with the challenges and my team and the other staff are school are working hard to help them navigate the trials and successes along the way.

Mrs Wareham

Head of Year 9