A Day in the Life of Pilgrim Pupils
The following is an account of what it's like to go to school at one of The Pilgrim School bases, as shared by a number of pupils. Everyone's experience is individual, and may vary slightly from those shared below, but we hope that these accounts offer a flavour of what you can expect.
Before school...
"I start my day by waking up at 7am, ready for my taxi by 7:30am. My taxi ride can take anywhere from 40 mins to an hour. My taxi driver can be talkative sometimes, which I like, but sometimes I just like to chill on my way to school."
"I get woken up by my best mate, ringing me every morning to make sure I'm going to get up and get ready. We then get ready on the phone together. Once my taxi arrives at my house, we end the phone call knowing I am ready and leaving the house. My taxi then drives to pick up my friend and we continue our journey to school, sometimes with an extra pick-up."
"I wake up and get ready and dressed for my taxi that arrives at 8:20am, when it comes I get in the taxi and listen to music while I wait to get to base."
Getting to school...
"When I get to school, one of the teachers or PSWS are stood waiting at the door waiting to greet all the students. When I get into school I go and sit in the student area and wait for my mates to get to school and have a chat with them before tutor time."
"Once I arrive at school, a PSWS mostly collects me from my taxi and as soon as I walk through the doors to come into school everyone is so welcoming and my mood starts to brighten up. Mostly everyone sits in the student area in the morning after getting out of their taxis."
"It normally takes around 25 minutes to get to the base and when I arrive I sit in the student area."
Tutor Time...
"At 8.55am we head to tutor time. The theme of tutor time changes from day to day, some days it's Word of the Week, some days it's Drop Everything and Read."
"8.55 is start of tutor time. Some mornings in tutor time you do Maths is Fun, or Word of the Day or learn and go through a powerpoint about something and Fridays is reading."
"I wait for form time at 8.55am, where we normally have a look at careers."
Lessons...
"At 9.15am we start our first lesson, the lessons at Pilgrim are a lot more laid back and more calm compared to mainstream schools as the class sizes are a lot smaller and there is more communication between teachers and pupils. When the first lesson finishes at 10.15am, I walk to my next lesson which is a lot easier because the school is smaller and there aren't loads of corridors and shouting kids between me and my next class."
"Next is period 1, which is BTEC Sport - one of my two options I picked in year 9. This lasts from period 1 to period 3. In BTEC Sport we do a mix of theory, which is either work done on a laptop or in books. The rest of BTEC Sport is practical which is playing sport, learning new sports and skills."
"All morning I have Health & Social Care, for periods 1, 2 and 3."
Break time...
"After period 2 is break time. In break time I like to play football most of the time but I also like to sit and chat and have a laugh with my mates."
"Break starts at 11.15am and ends at 11.35am and I will either go out and watch the boys play football after or play it with them."
"When my lesson ends at 11.15am it's break, where I either relax in the student area or play football until 11.35am when break ends."
Another lesson...
"I do my third lesson and after that I go home at 12.35pm because of my flexible times."
"Back to my lesson for another hour."
"Period 3 is also BTEC Sport today."
Lunchtime...
"Next is lunchtime. Normally I like to go to the student area to eat my lunch with my mates. At lunchtime, one of the teachers come around and makes sure that everyone has lunch and is alright."
"It hits 12.35pm and it's lunchtime and I just have a laugh and annoy the teachers! On a Friday lunchtime there is a BBQ for whoever wants it."
"Then at lunch, I sometimes play football or talk to my mates and have a snack."
Afternoons...
"Next we have lesson 4, which today is English and currently English Language but the other half of the year is English Literature. Period 5 is Science. At the moment we are doing about how vaccines are made and how they work. We also have Science with another teacher where we are currently learning about waves and the different types of wave. This teacher teaches us Physics and Chemistry."
"Period 4 I have English and then straight after, for period 5 I have Science."
End of the Day...
"Then 3.30pm hits and it's home time, which means nap time for me!!"
"My ride home can take up to an hour as another student in my taxi lives a lot further away than me. When I get home I study with the Science textbook they gave students so I don't fall behind due to my half days."
"After period 5, we normally just chill in the student area or play football with my mates and some of the teachers. At 15.30 my taxi is waiting outside to pick me up and take me home."
And another thing...
"I just want to add it in here, that Pilgrim is an amazing school and, although I have only been here for just over a month, I really do want to say this school has changed me and I couldn't thank them enough, they are an awesome team and some lifesavers! I think it's safe to say I'm happy and settled into what feels like a second home to me, everyone will love it here!"