Blackheath High School welcomes three new gap students who are gaining work experience at the school. Read all about our new gap girls Rosa, Camille and Bailey: 

Tell us about yourselves.

Rosa: I was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand with my two sisters and two brothers. I love summer time and I also love pasta!

Camille: I am Australian and from a small town on the south coast of New South Wales called Nowra, about 2.5 hours south of Sydney. I love Drama, Art and History, two of which I will be reading at university in 2019. 

Bailey: I am from Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia which is a coastal city. I am the youngest of three children.  

Why did you decide to come to Blackheath High School?

Rosa: I am following in the footsteps of my older sister who made the great decision of accepting her placement here at Blackheath High School. She had the time of her life here in 2014, often referring to it as the best year of her life so far. It was because of her overwhelmingly positive experience that I asked to be placed at this school when I applied for the Gap Tutor role.

Camille: To be able to experience a different school that has such a unique and enriching way of teaching and learning. 

Bailey: My brother completed a gap year through the same programme and ever since, I have wanted to follow in his footsteps because I saw what a great time he had working and exploring Europe. 

How are you finding Blackheath High School?

Rosa: It is exceeding the great expectations that I had. I think I speak on behalf of all three of us when I say that we appear to be the envy of other gappies due to the warm welcome in the school community and our awesome location.

Camille: I absolutely love it here! I feel as if I have walked into such a great community. Everyone here is so lovely, welcoming and helpful. 

Bailey: It is such a lovely school with a lot of character and a great vibe. You can tell the teachers love what they do and go to great lengths for their students. The girls are also eager to learn and enjoy coming to school. 

What are you enjoying or looking forward to about your time here?

Rosa: Not only am I excited to get away and take advantage of Europe’s conveniently close countries, but I am also excited to keep taking advantage of our location in Blackheath. Being so close to all the amazing places and events in London is something that I am enjoying so much. 

Camille: Working at the school with the girls. It is so lovely to work with the students every day, it is such a rewarding job.

Bailey: I am most excited about being able to explore so many different countries in such little time as everything is so close, it is definitely not possible to do so in Australia as we are so isolated there.

What is unique about Blackheath High School?

Rosa: This school is very diverse and prides itself in appreciating the diversity it has. I also think that it is amazing how many opportunities the girls have to go on trips in London and overseas, that is a big difference from the high school I went to. 

Camille: The beautiful relationships that are developed throughout the duration of the students' education. All of the girls from nursery up to Sixth Form are so lovely and kind, not only to each other but also to us as the new gap girls. 

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

Rosa: Moving away from my family and friends, especially my dog. It has been tough to live without the familiarity of my city and all the people I knew in it, but I believe it is a great challenge to put myself through. 

Camille: Adapting to a new life in a different country. However, everyone at both the Senior and Junior schools have made adapting much easier.

Bailey: Buying and cooking my own food is the biggest challenge by far. Getting around is also very difficult and expensive as in Australia, I was able to drive myself anywhere I needed to go.

Tell us something surprising about yourself?

Rosa: I never crawled as a baby - I was a bottom shuffler!

Camille: I can juggle! 

Bailey: I am half Dutch so in Year 10, I chose to go a student exchange to my grandmother's old high school for three months.