“The highest result of education is tolerance.”- Helen Keller
There is a reassuring rhythm to the school year. Stay in schools long enough and it becomes embedded in your world view. September is the start of the year. New pencils, new ambitions, new resolutions, new courses and new friends. An exciting time, a period in which young people adjust to all that is different and reacquaint themselves with the familiar. By the end of September, those who were new pupils appear to be old hands. Some of those resolutions will be intact, others may be slipping. It is a time of year that for the thirty-one years I have been in schools I’ve really enjoyed. This year has been different for me; but having joined the academic year when it is “well aired”, it is clear that our young people have made an excellent start without me. I have had the chance to see the Nursery class listening to instructions and playing constructively. I heard about an older pupil carrying a bag for a smaller, younger pupil who was struggling, and I have seen prefects helping others to find their feet. There has been a lot of laughter as we’ve enjoyed the sunshine. Lessons are being taught, expectations established, and ambitions set. Like any year there have been teething problems. It appears that the school day is running smoothly thanks to the excellent work of my colleagues, and everyone is where they need to be at the right time of day. Over the course of the year our pupils will face hurdles, we are here to help them overcome these difficulties. We hope to be able to answer questions that parents may have, and I would encourage you to approach the school for information as you require it, no matter how convenient social media may be.
I have enormous respect for our pupils, and do not envy them growing up at this moment. They face myriad pressures and, seemingly, ever greater levels of scrutiny. It is important that they have time to be children and teenagers and that they learn to balance work, play and rest in appropriate measures. They need to get things right and – to a much lesser extent – wrong if they are to learn.
The benefits of sleep are not to be ignored particularly as the year wears on towards its end. Engaged and well rested pupils are those that succeed most readily. That is not always a popular message with pupils, but one that I’ll be reminding them of. Part of the world in which our young people are growing up is one in which we appear to have lost the art of disagreeing amicably. In a world of sound bite, image based, ‘with me or against me’ politics, there seems little space for doubt, reflection or consideration. This year we will be listening carefully to and challenging vocabulary that causes upset, hurt and division. Whilst we do not have to agree, we need to ensure that our community can entertain a broad range of opinion and ensure that all feel they have a place here at the BSP.
Thank you to all who sent messages of support during my absence – I can’t tell you how much I appreciated them. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and all that will be achieved.
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster
