Student’s reflections on Bishopstrow College
“Bishopstrow and the Olympics
The Olympics has started and Bishopstrow has Olympic fever! Over the next three weeks the pupils will be doing a number of Olympic activities, celebrating Britain's great achievement in hosting the 2012 Olympics Games.
On the 27 July, all the students settled down into their house common rooms to watch the opening ceremony. You could feel the excitement in the air and with Mr and Mrs Henson giving permission for the juniors to stay up late, all the pupils were itching to be part of this historical moment in the UK. The ceremony did not disappoint, and all pupils were ready for more. With athletics, swimming and rowing all starting in the coming days, the pupils have a lot to look forward to, and really get into the Olympic spirit.
It was interesting to see how our pupils interpreted the view of the Opening Ceremony, and here are some of their thoughts:
"… The Olympic Game Opening started on the 27 July. It is the third time London has held the Olympic Games, and luckily I had the honour of watching the Opening in the Olympic Park itself. It was amazing, and I was excited. The London Olympics Opening was like a one hour big talent show, or like a drama, or like a rock concert. It shows a lot of different English elements, like Shakespeare's drama, and rock music …"
"… I am really interested in the Olympics this year because it is happening in London. It began on Friday 27 July at 9.00 pm. I didn't go to London to watch it but I watched it on TV. It was a very colourful event. It had lots of dancing and also the music was brilliant …"
"… I really enjoyed the opening of the Olympic Games in London. Everybody was talking about that. It was fantastic …"
"… there were people that were farming, people were sitting under trees to have a rest, the sheep were eating the grass, and we could see trees, little hills, and grass …"
"… I really enjoyed it … the first part was about the Industrial Revolution. There were green fields with Roman houses, and a big tree. After that … they made a factory from the green fields. Then … they made the Olympic rings …"
"… we were showed scenes of Industrial Revolution, the 19th Century and suffragettes. Then everything stopped – it was the minute of silence for victims of World War I, and World War II. Then along came music of the 60's, 70's, 80's, etc. Next, it was the nurse's tribute. It was very exciting. It showed little kids in the hospital at night, being scared of monsters from books, such as Voldermort, Captain Hook, etc, but then along came Mary Poppins and saved the day…"
"… we saw a little movie about James Bond arriving at the opening by jumping out of a helicopter with Queen Elizabeth II. It was just a joke, of course … after that we saw a little scene with Mr Bean – which was absolutely charming. In it, Mr Bean was playing the piano, then fell asleep, dreaming about himself winning a race!"
"… the last part of the show was about Olympic teams from the countries who will be in the Games…"
"… the most memorable thing was when the torch was lit – at that moment the Olympics is a symbol of peace ..."
"… I hope that my country will be good at sports, and I will watch my country in the Olympics and see how they are playing …"
Many thanks to Chen, Indy, Dimitar, Annay, Mohammed, Anastasia, Dasha and Chrisnia for their contributions."
“Bishopstrow College
I have been studying at Bishopstrow College for two terms. Maybe it doesn't sound much but however my English has improved a lot. For example when I came to Bishopstrow I couldn't say complete sentences but now, my English level is Intermediate which is great for me because I'm going to Strathallan School which is in Scotland. So I have to know how to communicate.
Also on Sunday we always had the trips to another town or city. During “Term 2 and 3” we visited Swanage, London, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Bath Spa, Oxford, Thorpe Park. I'm 14-year-old boy and during Friday and Saturday I could go to Warminster which is near Bishopstrow Village. On Friday afternoon we always can take out our pocket money.
At Bishopstrow there are lots of different nationalities like Ukrainian, German, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Uzbek, Brazilian and some people from Angola. Also we study different subjects like Cambridge English (KET, PET, FCE), General English, History, Geography, Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Mathematics (Algebra and Geometry), English Literature and P.S.H.E. Also we have got very nice teachers who can help you or explain something which you didn't understand during the lesson.
The food at Bishopstrow is really nice, so I usually enjoy my meal. I really like studying here, so it's a nice choice in my opinion.
Boris
June 2012”
“Being at Bishopstrow College
By now I have been studying in Bishopstrow for two terms and I have enjoyed it very much.
When I first came, I was quite enclosed in myself but after a month I felt myself totally different, I felt free and very comfortable. It is because of the family atmosphere in this school.
I would say to new students: don’t worry if you feel a little bit lonely in the first few weeks.
It is just a first impression. You should know that you will be involved in a wide variety of activities during the week so that you will completely forget about it. The best way to make first friends is of course playing team sports such as basketball, netball, end-zone, rugby, bench ball, rounders. Each day you have different sports for one hour after normal lessons. It is absolutely amazing that you learn how to play these games which you weren`t familiar with.
Let’s have a look now at a classroom. It is the beginning of the lesson. Noise in the room dies down and students warmly greet a teacher. Let’s pretend that it is Physics. Don’t worry if it is not your favourite subject, you will see now one of the most amusing teachers of the school and her name is Ms.Henderson. She can make a joke from everything even when she explains difficult rules. It helps students to understand a subject better; it makes them interested in it. You can notice how excited students are looking at their face expressions.
If we come into classroom during an English lesson, we would spot the students enthusiastically discussing something with the teacher, completing tasks in pairs, reading. You would feel the vivid atmosphere.
To sum up, if for you the word school doesn`t associate with fun at all, by studying at Bishopstrow you will change your mind.
Lilija S
“Bishopstrow College
At first I didn’t want to leave my home, my family and I was very sad. My English was bad and I was scared because I had never had friends from different nationality. Actually I was excited.
When I arrived at Bishostrow I was shy and I didn’t speak a lot. I wanted to go back home but now my mind has changed completely. I found a lot of friends from a different nationality and my English improved.
I have learned English for 4 years and I found it difficult but I am improving my English. I don’t speak so much Russian now and I try to speak English and I think it will help me with my next school. Now I feel like Bishopstrow is my home and I don’t want to leave this place. I have been here since January and I have good memories about all moments in this school. This incredible school has taught me a lot of things for examples, sports, school rules and the culture of England.
On the 3rd June all of England had a celebration because Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne for 60 years so it was a special holiday for everybody and Bishopstrow celebrated it too. We had lots of fun and members of staff planned a party for us which we will never forget.
Anna D
“Bishopstrow College
I think Bishopstrow College is a very nice school because I have made very good friends and there are nice teachers.
In the first week that I was here I felt a little bit sad because I didn’t know anyone in this school but now I know everyone.
My first friend in this school was Alex V. He lived in the same room as me. Now I live without him as he has left already. My room at Bishopstrow is very nice because I have my own toilet and in that room there are just four people including me.
I think the food in this school is very good. I like it and a specific meal for me is noodles with cream and chicken. After school we play sport every day and I have tried a lot of new sports here. Anyway, my best sport is football.
I really like English lessons in this school because we have a very kind teacher Miss Catt. Now my English is very much better than my first day.
Last Sunday we had a special day. It was the Diamond Jubilee day. We did a lot of activities such as “Tug of War”, “Bouncy Castle” and “Throw the boot”. I hated tug of war because my team was the loser. Today is my last day this term and I feel upset because my friends will leave but next term I will be here and new people will come.
Indy”
“My Life In Bishopstrow College
Last year, as I stepped into the school with my parents, I was extremely nervous, but soon I felt better because all the smiles and ‘hello’s which the other students gave me.
I have been here for one year now. My development in English and other subjects has been greater than I thought. I’ve learned lots of vocabulary so I understand more difficult books. I can use some very English words and phrases to talk to English people. Last holiday when I went back to China, my parents were so surprised at how much I have learnt.
I’ve learned lots of cultural things about England and about British history and the Romans. In science I’ve learned about the human body and life processes. My favourite classes were English Literature where we studied some of William Shakespeare’s plays.
I’ve done lots of things at Bishopstrow; I’ve made lots of international friends from other countries, for example, Japanese, Russian, Thai and all other nationalities. I’ve learnt some basic things in other languages as well. I know how to say ‘hi’ in many languages.
I’ve had lots of fun here. I did lots of activities, games and sports. I’ve learnt to play rugby, football and basketball, (although I am not so good at it). Also I’ve learnt how to respect my opponent and how to be a good sportswoman. I enjoyed everything, especially the trips on Sundays. I’ve been to lots of places all over England and I have learnt and understood English culture.
The best thing at Bishopstrow here is the food. I love the food here! Our chef makes food from lots of different countries, because it is an international school, so students here eats different kinds of food and we like it very much!
There are too many things that I’ve learnt in Bishopstrow: how to communicate, how to organise my time and how to control myself. There are lots of changes on myself that I didn’t even notice!
By Yulu aged 12”
