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A year at St Paul’s Juniors seems a short time. ‘What can a boy do in a year?’ I hear you ask. Well, a lot can happen in twelve months.

For example, a boy can go from being the new kid in the class to House Captain. A boy can go from looking at the red and black of a monitor’s tie in awe to actually wearing one. A grin spreads to my face when I see the new Lower Third boys looking at me, astonished that someone who joined at 11+ like them could have become the Deputy Head Boy. To be honest, this title would not be mine now if it were not for the encouraging welcome by all the boys and the teachers.

I remember my first day as if it was yesterday. Arriving into school half an hour early, just in case the times on the website were wrong (they are not, I assure you), with my backpack full of folders and my head full of worries. ‘What if the boys don’t like me? What if I make a bad first impression? What if my form tutor is mean?’ These ideas swirled around in my head as I walked into my form room at eight o’clock and observed the people around me. The friendliness was immediately obvious as people crowded around me, asking my name, my favourite sport, whether I could sing (some questions were a bit weird) and more.

The timetable set before me by my form tutor made no sense, yet all the old boys started comparing sets and groups. Confused, I asked the nearest boy for help understanding it. Now, he is one of my best friends. I was surprised by the amount of lessons we had – eight periods! Back then, the day seemed never ending compared to the short, six hour days in my primary school. The thought of doing Latin terrified me, yet now it is one of my favourite subjects. But the most astonishing thing of all was the hour and twenty minutes lunchbreak!

The range of clubs and activities presented to a Third Year boy is mind-blowing. I wanted to try them all, from debating to engineering, technical theatre to water polo, but unfortunately I don’t own a Time Turner. I still threw myself into as many activities as I could.

Just over a year after joining, I find myself walking around the school like I’ve always been here, a recognised face in a sea of familiar faces. I have loads of friends, enjoy all my subjects and love the school. I do not think of St Paul’s Juniors as being just a school, or a place where you have to go to learn; it is now home. Joining St Paul’s at 11+ has been the best experience for me. I’m making the most of it and having an awesome time. Just imagine, I’m off to NASA Space camp in two weeks. If you become a pupil at St Paul’s Juniors, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.