Boarding News

The girls are back in town!

Over the last couple of weeks, life has been breathed back into the corridors and dorms of Loader! It is a joy to hear the chatter and laughter again, and I have been so impressed with how the girls have adapted to the social distancing expectations - even if it has been a steep learning curve! 

Despite this strange situation the girls find themselves in, some beautiful moments and new opportunities have arisen, especially when it comes to year group bonding. For example, the Year 12 card playing den which has sprung up in their Common area. Before, this was a little used space other than to laze on the lounges and catch up on Love Island! Now the girls can now be found socialising (from a distance!) and engaging in very competitive (and loud) games of cards. They even have their own league table up on the wall – it’s a serious business! The girls freely admit that this never would have happened under normal circumstances, due to the busyness of their everyday lives and after-school commitments.

Last weekend we welcomed some temporary Year 7 residents from Stuart Douglas House, who have already made their room homely and welcoming and have adapted admirably to the change. It was so wonderful to hear reports from parents and staff, of the older Loader girls who were there to greet our new girls and help them with their luggage up the many stairs! Again, out of a strange situation another opportunity has arisen – a chance for these Year 7 girls to fully immerse themselves in to Senior House life in preparation for next year.

This weekend the remaining Year groups will arrive back to PLC, and although boarding is going to look a little different for the near future, I am confident that as a House we will discover more opportunities to thrive during this situation. In particular, I am excited at the prospect of us coming up with new and creative activities for weekend activities, although as it grows ever colder, I have a feeling that the new Apple TV and Disney+ facility will also feature highly on the girls’ lists!

Kelly Cunningham

Head of Loader House

Note from the Loader House Captain and Vice Captain

After being apart for so long, we have been appreciating each other’s company more than ever, even from a 1.5 metre distance. Playing cards every night, drinking too much tea and doing bootcamps have been staples in Loader, and although our main common room has been temporarily converted into a bedroom, we have seen an improvement in boarding house bonding and quality time in the Old Chapel, something which has surprised us all given the circumstances. It’s clear to all of the girls the effort that has been put in from heads of house and RAs to keep us all from going stir crazy, and lots of activities we hope can be continued on in the future for boarding. 

Being back to face-to-face teaching has been a relief, and teachers are extremely understanding of different circumstances, which makes the adjustment into ‘normal life’ an easy and enjoyable one.

Thanks so much to everybody who has made settling back into boarding as easy as it can be! 

Love from Bridget & Edwina 

Loader House Captains