Cfnm St Dunstans Autumn Term-l High Quality Direct

Miss Thorne notices.

"Again, Watkins. That was a half-rep. We do not permit half-measures in this building." Cfnm St Dunstans Autumn Term-l High Quality

The five boys—Fourth Form, aged fourteen—stand in a loose line on the cold vulcanised rubber floor. They wear nothing. No socks. No shorts. No house colours. Just the gooseflesh rising on bare arms and the involuntary shift of weight from one cold foot to the other. Miss Thorne notices

Cressida’s smile vanishes. The asymmetry, after all, is not permanent. It is a lesson . And at St. Dunstan’s, everyone learns. The Autumn Term at St. Dunstan’s does not pretend to be comfortable. It is designed to produce a specific outcome: boys who understand that vulnerability is not a weakness to be hidden, but a state to be occupied with composure ; and girls who understand that power is not cruelty, but attentiveness . We do not permit half-measures in this building