October 11

Head's blog - October 2022

We have had another very busy few weeks at Blackheath High School, not least the huge team effort from our whole community in representing our school through Open Morning. I always feel incredibly proud to be part of our school as I walk around the buildings and see it come to life, as I do every day. However, the best part is hearing from visitors about how interesting, articulate, and generally wonderful our girls are. Of course, we know this already but it is always nice to hear!

Our Year 13 students have been busy undergoing external training to be able to run Shine STEM masterclasses for younger students at neighbouring schools; Year 11 have been receiving careers feedback from their interviews; we have had a myriad of sporting events where girls have been proudly representing our school; Diwali celebrations; a Maths conference; preparing Year 10 and 11 girls for moving into the Sixth Form; BHSA drinks; and a Tea Time concert, among other things. It has also been great to see our Year 6 pupils in the Senior School on a Monday and Tuesday; they bring so much enthusiasm and energy and never fail to put a smile on your face.

I was fortunate enough to hear a presentation last week from Kevin Stannard, Director of Innovation and Learning at GDST. He was presenting the most recent research from GDST, The Girls’ Futures Report (which you can read here). This research is important in helping us understand what our girls want from their future. It helps us understand how they think and feel at different points in their educational journey and how we might factor this into our educational offer and respond to them. The report has offered much food for thought and whilst it is pleasing to see that some of the outcomes are aligned with our priorities as a school, it also highlights how incredibly important it is to use student voice in all that we do here at Blackheath High. This is something we do regularly through the many leadership roles our pupils have, but I am looking forward to receiving some feedback from them on the report to see how it aligns with how they think and feel. You can read some commentary on the report in The Times, in Grazia (here), and may have heard it being discussed on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. You can also watch a short film which pulls out some of the highlights here.

Finally, as we move into half term, I would like to wish you all a wonderful break and I hope your daughters have a well-deserved rest, ready to return with an eagerness to learn!

With best wishes,

Natalie Argile

Acting Head

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