Headmaster’s Blog: Week 1 Michaelmas Term 2024

As we kick off a new academic year at BCS, I am filled with admiration for the incredible dedication and teamwork displayed by everyone in our community. From the meticulous efforts of our Estates and Housekeeping teams to the passionate commitment of our academic staff, everyone has played a vital role in ensuring that our pupils return to a vibrant and inspiring learning environment. 

Earlier this week, I was delighted to meet with my first Head Boy and Head Girl under my tenure at BCS, Hasan and Maya. After a set of exceptional results, Maya is heading south-west to The University of Bristol to study Economics. Hasan is taking a well-deserved gap year before hopefully moving on to The University of Oxford to read Geography. It was wonderful to catch up with them and their families and hear how BCS set them up for their ongoing academic adventures. I am confident that both will go on to achieve at the very top of their fields. Pictures below!

The atmosphere around the School is one of focus and optimism, and it’s truly heartening to see how everyone is embracing the new term with such energy and belief. This year, our focus will be on further enhancing learning opportunities, enabling our children to thrive and make substantial progress from their individual starting points. I’ve set a challenge for our teachers to seek out that extra 5% in every child, pushing beyond the expected to achieve even greater results in all curriculum areas.

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking to both our Prep and Pre-Prep pupils about our core values of kindness, perseverance, and respect. This term, we are emphasising the importance of treating others as we would wish to be treated—a principle that, while simple in concept, requires conscious effort from all of us. I genuinely believe that if we all take a moment to pause and reflect before we speak or act, we can foster a community grounded in respect and understanding. Let’s commit to this value, not just at school, but also at home.

I am incredibly proud of how well our pupils have settled back into their routines, embracing the daily expectations with enthusiasm and diligence. Feedback from Mrs West (Pre-Prep) and Mr Newman (Prep) has been exceptionally positive, highlighting the hard work and dedication that your children have already shown in this first week. They have set a strong foundation for what promises to be an exciting year of learning and growth.

I hope to see many of you this evening at The Friends’ Summer Festival — a joyous event organised by The Friends to celebrate the start of our year together. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a community and share in the spirit of the season.

As always, let’s continue to work hand in hand, aiming high and supporting each other every step of the way. Together, we can achieve great things.

Wishing you all a happy and restful weekend and I hope many of you will join me at Park Run at Cannon Hill Park this Sunday at 9am!