End of the Autumn Term, 2020
We had been very hopeful of reaching the end of the Autumn Term together as a school community; unfortunately, a rise in the number of positive cases of Coronavirus amongst pupils in the Senior School led to the difficult but necessary decision to move all teaching online for the last three days of term
Plans had been made for some socially distanced celebrations within school – a traditional Christmas lunch, Festive Accessories Day, favourite seasonal tunes being broadcast in the Quad (for information, Bancroft’s voted Wham’s “Last Christmas” its top festive tune) and performances by various musical ensembles at the end of every day. All was brought rather abruptly to a halt and the tree in the Quad was left looking a little forlorn. Thankfully, the Carol Service had already been recorded in the Chapel and we were still able to join our choirs, soloists and readers as they celebrated the Christmas story in traditional style, albeit in a rather untraditional manner.
Throughout the past nine months, Bancroftians and all members of our community have shown great adaptability and resilience as they acclimatised themselves to new ways of learning, as well as new ways of carrying on with the many co-curricular activities which are so important to life at the school. Our teaching staff demonstrated their resourcefulness as they, firstly, moved lessons on-line and, more recently, adapted to hybrid learning with pupils divided between the classrooms and their homes. We have received many positive comments about how Bancroft’s has managed. Thank you so much to all parents for the support and patience they have shown throughout these months.
As a family we have felt supported and included by the school and we can see how our daughter’s education and that of each and every child has been implemented and continued to the very best of your abilities irrespective of each very difficult challenge.
Mother of Upper Sixth (Year 13) Pupil
In his end of term letter to parents, Head, Simon Marshall, stressed how we have all learned the importance of community and our inter-dependence and reliance upon each other in 2020. He concluded:
The message at this time of year is traditionally one of hope in the darkest of times and this year it perhaps resonates more deeply than in previous years. I wish you all a far better 2021 and hope that we can meet together here at some point next year.
Simon Marshall, Head
