“Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness.”
George Sand
I do like a break time cake sale. Therefore, it was with great pleasure that I heard the sound of tables being set up by the front steps of the Debussy building this morning. What a selection. What great work had been done by Year 7 on their cell cakes – perhaps in the near future this will feature as a Great British Bake Off or Meilleur Pâtissier de France technical challenge – the results were certainly far more appealing than the Maids of Honour that confounded contestants in the UK tent this week. A good deal of effort had been spent and I suspect the odd helping hand had been given. The result? A happy school community and money raised for a good cause. The same situation was to be found in the Junior School where there was an enthusiastic take up of denim additions to the school uniform. Once again much needed funding to support vital research was raised and fun was certainly had as a consequence.
It is on days like these that I am possibly at my proudest as a school head. There are days when it is all about academic achievement, others when sporting glory takes a front seat or musical virtuosity is to the fore. We have days when we can show our artistic skills through drama or art but for me one of the true hallmarks of a really great school is measured by the amount of kindness that can be seen through day to day interactions. Kindness should always be found in schools. Sometimes it will be the welcoming of a new classmate who is understandably feeling nervous about their first day at school, other times it is shown through baking a cake. However it comes is immaterial. Surely learning the value of kindness is one of the most valuable lessons that we can teach or learn.
Like many British Schools we have a culture of support for charities. As a school community we have built, staffed and equipped two school in rural Cambodia – much of the funding coming from the activities of the BSPS, our parents and friends group. We regularly support other good causes during the course of the year such as L’Abre à Pain, animal rehoming centres and Love in a Box through events, collections or non-uniform days. Our older students give their time to the local branch of the Red Cross, work with the Emmaüs community and provide entertainment in old people’s homes. Valuable lessons about human relations come from these experiences. These opportunities give us time to pause and to reflect upon the opportunities that we as a school community enjoy, they also allow us to see things differently. I also thank parents in anticipation for the inevitable frustration of the mid-evening request for cake baking just after the shops have shut!
Tomorrow is the BSPS Fair. This is an occasion at which kindness is central. A time for new families to be welcomed, a time for all to support our Cambodian partner schools and a number of other charities. Perhaps just as important a time to catch up, to meet and to have a pleasant afternoon on the banks for the River Seine. I hope to see you there.
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster
