It is impossible to hang your hat on one theme or moment in any given academic year, term or even week at BGS and hold it up as the essential ‘thing’ that represents us, our school.
There is so much diverse and interesting stuff going on as a matter of routine that finding a single superior flavour in the BGS banquet is a pointless task – apologies, I’m just back from a long(ish) and damp Sunday run, tummy rumbling. That said, the glue that binds the BGS family has been particularly evident in recent times and the image of Ben, Henry and Harry playing The Last Post in poignant concert at our final Great War Commemoration continues to play through my mind.
In that moment, we saw a former BGS student, and therefore Old Bradfordian, or OB for short; a Year 13 (Upper Sixth) former and Year 11 student coming together to play one final time. They did themselves, and those OBs we were remembering proud, notes resonating clearly, filling the space of the Price Hall. These services have themselves been a collaboration between the Old Bradfordians Association and the school, and each of the aforementioned three young men have each graced our acts of commemoration with their playing. Undoubtedly talented, they are generous and decent human beings too who have made time, shifting the other pressing commitments of youth, to add something very special to what has been a remarkable programme of remembrance for every OB on the one hundredth anniversary of their death.
As an image of the togetherness of the BGS family comprising current and former pupils, their families, staff past and present, Governors and members of our wider community, I can think of none more profound.
The commemoration services held at our BGS War Memorial represent just one way in which current pupils have come together with OBs in recent times, reflecting the cohesive nature of our school family. For example, Sixth Former and netball star, Jaya, was every bit a Leading Lady when she stepped up onto the Price Hall stage with distinguished OBs and guests in the autumn at one of our events to mark 35 years of girls joining the Sixth Form and 20 years of full coeducation at BGS. The First XV rugby team were joined by an equally enthusiastic, but perhaps a little less agile, OB First (and only!) XV at the annual Blackheath fixture against friends at Colfe’s School, London. Additionally, whilst brevity does not allow for a full account of all Old Bradfordian/school collaboration, OBs have these past months and weeks, working alongside a wide body of ‘friends’ of BGS, provided UCAS interview support and vocational advice, including at a BGS careers evening. Other visionary OBs and partners have recently committed to widening access to the school by providing more Assisted Places, of which more will be said in due course.
OBs are a vital and valued part of our wider community and make a positive difference to the modern BGS. Our school family is robust and after a week when we have met and guided the next generation of BGS pupils through Clock House and +11 entrance tests and practical assessments, I am excited for the future of our vibrant and healthy school. The flourishing relationships that prosper beyond our gates, but which have BGS as their point of origin, can potentially last and enrich a lifetime.
I recently met with OBs over a few informal New Year beers at The Dog House Bar, in Leeds. Stories of former teachers, the chess and running clubs, OB friendship groups and various get-togethers in our region and beyond, made for a lively and highly enjoyable evening. Those present were of varied vintage, current undergraduates to others who described themselves as ‘crusty’ (a category I increasingly fall into these days).
Whether over a cold beer, or at a discrete gathering to discuss avenues for supporting prospective pupils, or when listening to, and being moved deeply by, one OB and two current members of the school playing quite beautifully at an act of commemoration, I am reminded of the strength of the BGS family, our relationships with each other and an iconic Bradford School, and the shared experiences that can bind us.
“Whether over a cold beer, or at a discrete gathering to discuss avenues for supporting prospective pupils, or when listening to, and being moved deeply by, one OB and two current members of the school playing quite beautifully at an act of commemoration, I am reminded of the strength of the BGS family, our relationships with each other and an iconic Bradford School, and the shared experiences that can bind us.”
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