The staggered return of all the pupils in the last few weeks of term gave us a chance to connect with most of the children leaving Walhampton this year.  Instead of the usual Founders’ Day, we held a socially distant prize giving event for our Year 6 and 7 leavers, and a separate one for the Year 8 leavers.
 
As we were unable to bring the events inside, we had to put up with 40mph gusts of winds on the front lawn and a heavy rain storm during the Year 8 event.  But we remained in good spirits and were determined to say a proper farewell to the children and their families.
 
Each child had an opportunity to tell us their favourite memories of their time at Walhampton, before we told them what we were most proud of them for. Here are our Year 8s sharing their memories:



It was a very moving occasion, especially with everyone’s emotions heightened as a result of the current conditions. We presented them with a book chosen especially for each individual by our Librarian, Miss Rachel Knight.  The Head Boy and Head Girl made speeches but the announcement about next year’s Heads of School has been delayed until September.
 
Lorraine Lee, a child psychologist who has given many training sessions at Walhampton, who was supposed to be our speaker on Founders’ Day, joined us to make a film in which she was able to share her inspiring wisdom with the Class of 2020:


https://vimeo.com/435003961
 
As the children left, the staff formed a guard of honour and cheered them off... a fitting substitute for the usual handshakes and hugs.