Head's blog - March 2025

Spring finally feels like it is springing – longer days, sunnier skies and a lovely crisp feel to the air are putting a spring in all of our steps! 

I’d like to start by thanking every single member of the Blackheath High School community for their support and contributions to our Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspection this month. The inspection and subsequent report are crucial, providing an unbiased, independent view of our school’s performance and adherence to regulatory standards. I will look forward to sharing the results with you in the next few months, but in the meantime I would like to thank every single member of our community: staff across the Junior and Senior School, who worked so incredibly hard to showcase the many ways we support our girls; parents, who trust and support us in nurturing your daughters; and of course our fantastic students, who represented the school in the most incredible ways, giving up time for interviews, demonstrating impeccable behaviour and truly bringing to life our ethos of ‘where girls boldly go’. 

But of course, ISI is just a tiny snapshot of our daily lives here at Blackheath High. This term has provided yet another whirlwind of learning adventures and exciting opportunities our girls to shine, with headline events such as Year 7’s appearance on BBC Radio London, our beloved annual Senior Fashion Show and the Junior Choir’s performance at the finals of the GSA Choir of the Year; not to mention all the other wonderful opportunities, from World Book Week to our athletes’ incredible achievements across our Sports department. 

We are passionate about giving girls the chance to develop their voices to prepare them for the future, meet inspiring role models, and build their confidence through various leadership opportunities. This term, Years 10 to 13 students had the opportunity to take part in our Women in Leadership conference, where they heard from experts in the Artificial Intelligence and Gaming industries (look out for more on this in our next issue); write and deliver a speech in front of their peers and an external judge at the Greenman speaking competition for Years 6-9; take part in a live lesson on BBC Radio on the subject of ‘disagreeing well’ as part of their Civil Discourse lessons. Sixth Formers created a wonderful finale for our Shine project, in partnership with the Royal Institute, in which students lead STEM classes for Year 5 local students. And our Year 6 pupils became sports leaders for the day at the Year 1 PE discovery morning. 

As the Head of Blackheath High, I frequently reflect on how privileged I am to hold this role. I was beaming with pride as I watched the Junior School Choir prepare for the GSA competition and was literally moved to tears as I heard them sing ‘Defying Gravity’ in unison - they were incredible. Year 11 have been hosting tea parties for residents of our local care homes, particularly for dementia patients and I am touched by how caring, sensitive and welcoming our girls have been. I was absolutely blown away and laughing heartily as I watched our latest musical production of ‘High School Musical’, especially watching how girls across different years interacted with each other. There is so much to be proud of; every, single, day. Teaching really is the best job in the world! 

Best wishes,

Natalie Argile

Head