Our annual Valedictory event to honour our brilliant Year 11 & Year 13 students took place in September and was as inspiring as ever, amid a year of our best-ever results. We were joined by guest speaker Dr Bahijja Raimi-Abraham, award winning pharmacist and Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Pharmaceutics at King’s College London.  

As our Class of 2024 GCSE and A-level students embark on their next stage of their education, below we shine the light on two of our exceptional students - Elena, reflecting on her time at Blackheath High as she takes up her place at the University of Leeds to study History; and Year 12 Anna-Faye, who tells us of the inspiration behind her decision to pursue a career in paediatric medicine. 

Elena (Alumna 2024) - reading History at the University of Leeds  

Elena was absolutely delighted with the three A* grades she achieved in Psychology, History and Textiles - a stunning set of A-level grades which secured her place at her first-choice university, Leeds, to study History.  

She explains her choice: “I was passionate about pursuing history as I have always enjoyed learning about the impact of the past on events nowadays. History allows us to examine the cyclical nature of our actions and it has immense relevance in understanding the world today. The Leeds history course involves archival studies, allowing me to explore and uncover first-hand sources and objects, something I find fascinating. Leeds was also my top choice as it allowed me to pick up psychology discovery modules - this means I can combine my passion for both history and psychology, allowing me to keep my options open.” 

Elena joined Blackheath High in Year 2 and has many brilliant memories of her time here, in particular the friendships she built, friendships that she is certain will last a lifetime. She also took huge pleasure in getting involved in our renowned annual Fashion Show, both as a model and as a designer, with her own A-level catwalk show. “The collaboration between the younger and older years at Fashion Show was something really special – there was never a dull moment, and the sense of teamwork was so rewarding. I also co-ran Psychology Society, and was part of Knitting, Embroidery and Crochet Society. It was fantastic getting to work with the younger years; both hearing their perspective on psychological topics or teaching them how to embroider was always fun and something I greatly enjoyed.” 

Elena credits the friendly environment, the small class sizes and the strong sense of community as the best part of her time in our Sixth Form. “We got so much support from teachers which built a comfortable atmosphere and allowed me to get to know everyone in our year, creating many positive relationships I still have now. The seminar-style classes and 1-1 support that was available also helped to develop my confidence and engage in through-provoking conversations during lessons.”

She feels Blackheath High prepared her extremely well for the next stage in her journey – the supportive environment built her confidence and helped improve her public speaking skills; while the nurturing atmosphere and leadership opportunities in Sixth Form developed her communication skills and empathy - skills she is looking forward to further developing at university. 

We wish Elena much luck and we can’t wait to see where life takes her.  

Anna-Faye (Year 12) - in pursuit of a career in medicine 

Anna-Faye joined Blackheath High School in Year 3, and still remembers the friendships she forged on her first day – friendships that are still going strong as she moves into her first year of Sixth Form. That is one of her favourite things about Blackheath High – the power of the community and the support she feels at every step of the way. 

That support, combined with her fearsome intellect and strong work ethic, enabled Anna-Faye to reach the stars in all 12 of her GCSEs, achieving six 9 grades and 8 grades. A natural linguist, she gained 9s in Spanish and Modern Greek (her home language, which she took in Year 10), and 8s in Latin and Classical Greek. But her real passion lies in scientific study – she scored top grades in Triple Science, and a 9 in PRE – which feeds into her desire to pursue a career in Medicine. Now in Year 12, Anna-Faye is studying Biology, Chemistry and RS with a view to studying Medicine, ideally at Kings College London. 

Anna-Faye explains the inspiring story behind her passion for Medicine: “My great aunt had a PhD – we think in Molecular Biology, although it was so rare for women of her generation in Greece to work, let alone have a university degree, that no one in the family believed her! At her house, I would spend hours poring over her medical books, examining the pictures and dreaming of one day studying that myself. Biology and Chemistry are the foundations of that, as is RS – the ethical side of Medicine fascinates me. My EPQ, with the title ‘Are the Junior Doctor strikes in the UK ethical for people?’. All this drives me on to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor, hopefully specialising in paediatrics.” 

To make this dream a reality, Anna-Faye has been working with the Blackheath High Futures department to set up work experience opportunities – in Year 8 and 9, she was already undertaking online courses with careers specialist partners InvestIn; in Year 11 she spent a week at a GP surgery, experiencing every aspect of primary care, from admin tasks to dementia care. She is currently planning to shadow a doctor at Greece’s first paediatric A&A department later this year – a challenge she describes as both daunting and exciting.  

Blackheath High has also given her many leadership opportunities which will contribute to her future career. She is Subject Prefect in RS, and Assistant Subject Prefect in Chemistry and Biology, as well as a Careers Prefect. She plans to run Societies in Biology and Chemistry. And outside of school, she is a 2nd Dan black belt in Taekwondo, which she also teaches to younger children. 

Thinking back on her time so far at Blackheath High, and how the school has shaped who she is today, she says: “Blackheath High has given me so much – confidence, a voice, and resilience, which I think is the product of being able to take risks in a safe environment. Teachers here are so supportive and reassuring, and will help you with absolutely anything. Small class sizes, particularly at Sixth Form, make this even easier – our education here is so tailored and personalised, our teachers really know us as people and everyone is here to learn. I never even considered moving for Sixth Form – I love it here, and this atmosphere can’t be replicated anywhere else.”