I am sure many of you will have seen the Panorama documentary on Tuesday about the rise of sleep disorders in children and the damaging effects this is having upon family life. Increased ‘screen time’, busy working lives and the sugar/caffeine roller-coaster are all combining to make bedtime a battleground in many homes. The pace of change in technology and society can sometimes seem overwhelming for all of us, children included and we have to be ever flexible in finding strategies to achieve balance and a sustainable approach to these new challenges. Of course, at Blackheath High, we embrace the innovation, variety and interactivity that technology brings to the classroom. It is incredibly important that we prepare our students for the technological and inter-connected world in which they will operate in the future and it brings a new dimension to our teaching and learning. It is vital therefore, that we also equip our students with a balanced approach and the desire and ability to embrace all the other forms of interaction and stimulation that life offers: physical activities; mindfulness; love of a good book and the joy of human conversation. This fortnight’s Highlife amply illustrates many of the ways in which the girls are being encouraged to develop this balanced approach. 

I was fortunate enough to be able to support our under 12 and 13 Netballers at the GDST Rally in Condover Hall this weekend and felt really proud of the teamwork, commitment and skill of both teams; Miss Morrell and Miss Newton have done some fabulous work in inspiring the girls. In Juniors, we also saw a packed fixture list of Netball, Hockey and Cross-country for the girls to enjoy. Girls were lucky enough to benefit from some wonderful dance workshops as part of World Book week, which saw pupils throughout the whole school encouraged to ‘Drop Everything and Read’ (DEAR). Academic Societies at Seniors treated us to some really enriching workshops this week with a Middle Eastern belly dancing session and a great talk from Alumna, Saina Hydara, as part of International Women’s day on some fabulous work she is doing with the charity ‘Tender’, highlighting the ‘everyday sexism’ of advertising campaigns (#stickit). Girls and staff from across all departments came together on Tuesday evening for a special ‘Victorian evening’ of culture, comprising of inspiring performances and presentations. These kind of enriching activities really provide the girls with the chance to extend their love of subject beyond the classroom and engage in intellectual and cultural pursuits. Finally, helping others is an essential element finding balance and contentment. It is therefore, very pleasing to see Mrs Argile’s community outreach project where Digital Leaders spend time with the residents at Morden College, teaching them about e-safety and digital literacy taking place for the first time. The girls have worked really hard in preparation and we are very proud of them.

So please feel free to make the evenings a tech-free zone once homework is complete, encourage the girls to seize new opportunities at school and get involved in all the activities that will help them achieve balance and happiness during their time at school.

Mrs Chandler-Thompson
Head