I have been a parent of Harpur Trust children for just over 10 years, having moved to the area from Switzerland. We have been through Pilgrims Pre-Prep, and all the way through Bedford School, from year 3, with my youngest child, Alex (now in Removes), and Bedford Girls’ School with my eldest, who is now in her first year of university. Throughout this time, I’ve been a committee member and Secretary at Pilgrims Parents and committee member and Vice Chair at the Bedford Prep Guild. What prompted me to join these committees was my love of joining in with the school community, meeting other parents, hosting events to help people connect and fundraising. It has been a wonderful experience which has enabled me to make amazing memories and many friends along the way.
Personally, I have found that it is sometimes hard to feel as connected when your son moves into the Upper School; the boys do not want you to collect them from the playground anymore or perhaps, like myself, your son travels to school by bus, or boards, making you feel somewhat remote. My daughter boarded in Sixth Form, so I understand how some parents never have the opportunity to meet other parents, which can make you feel disconnected.
In my role as Chair of the Parents’ Guild, I believe it is critical for parents to feel that they are an integral part of the school community and connect with other parents. Historically, the Upper School Guild has held few events, but I am very keen to change this by offering a range of events throughout the year where parents can engage with the school community. With this in mind, I would love to hear your thoughts on what events you would like the Parents’ Guild to organise. It could be a quiz night, a coffee morning, a ball – look out for more details about our Centenary Ball next year (July 2nd) – or anything else that springs to mind. We are really keen to put on events that will help you feel part of the school community, so are open to any ideas you might have.
Please drop me an email with your thoughts: Parentsguild@bedfordschool.org.uk. I would especially like to hear from parents of boarders and would be interested to hear what we could do to help you feel connected, perhaps something on Zoom? All suggestions welcome.
Lastly, for those of you who don’t know very much about the Parents’ Guild, we are a small group of current Upper School Parents who aim to raise funds to support all Upper School boys. We do this by organising events and through sales from our Nearly New shop. Again, if you’d like to find out more about what we do, or are interested in joining us, please do contact me on the Guild email address above.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Bev Hammond – Parents’ Guild Chair