It was Lower Sixth Former Kabir Singh’s passion for football that inspired him to organise a five-a-side inter-boarding house tournament for his fellow boarders to compete in as part of their extracurricular programme.
The idea came about when Kabir was speaking to his tutors about providing additional activities for the boarding community. While the school offers an extensive and diverse range of clubs and societies for both day boys and boarders to choose from, Kabir wanted to set something up specifically for boarders to help bring the boarding houses together during evening downtime.
It is very much our ethos to encourage boys who have an idea to follow it through and ‘make it happen’. So, when Kabir first discussed his idea with Mr Marriott, Senior Boarding Housemaster, Kabir was given the reigns to lead the tournament himself.
Kabir managed to galvanise interest from over 60 boys who took part in the tournament, which was split into a junior competition (for Fourth and Remove Formers) and a senior competition (for Fifth and Sixth Formers). The event, which was run over the course of a number of evenings, proved to provide exactly the right amount of healthy competition that many of our boys relish. ‘Team of the Tournament’ went to Phillpotts House who clinched the junior title with an unbeaten run of games. In the senior competition, it was Burnaby House who lifted the trophy.
But it’s not just the winning that is important to the boys.
Kabir explained, “It is important to hold events such as this as it gets everyone involved from different boarding houses. It’s similar to supporting a football team in real life as it brings out team spirit and competition with houses and friends. More events like this help include people with different abilities and skills, allowing everyone to get involved in something they can enjoy.”
Kabir and his two older brothers Anhad (16-20) and Vivaan (16-21), now Old Bedfordians, were boarders in Phillpotts House together at one time – a memory they all talk about with fondness.
Kabir told us, “The best bit about boarding is definitely being able to live with friends from school. It allows a person to make lifelong friendships as they spend their whole school life together. Living with people from other years also helps one socialise a lot more and connect with not only your own year group but also others, helping them and asking for help as well. The tutors are also a big advantage of boarding as any problem I am having, the tutors in the boarding house are always happy to help. The different range of subjects that they cover really helps too as it is much easier to seek advice and support. Being able to wake up later for school is always a major positive.”
