Having spent most of my professional life in education, the start of the academic year in September always feels more like the beginning of a new year than January! It’s an exciting time filled with opportunities, and I previously wrote to you celebrating the fantastic success of our GCSE and A level exam results. Now, it’s especially rewarding to receive messages from our Year 13 leavers as they embark on their university careers. Many of our girls are pursuing STEM subjects, excelling in Finance and Science, with 100% achieving A* to A in Further Mathematics and 70% in Mathematics. Many of this year’s cohort are now enrolling in courses like Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics at leading Russell Group universities.

To highlight just a few of our girls: Cara and Louise both achieved an impressive three A*s. Cara will pursue Theoretical Physics at Durham University, while Louise will study Mathematics, Statistics, and Data Science at Bath University. Alice, who achieved three As, will study Computer Science and Mathematics at York University, and Lara, who also achieved three As, will study Computer Science at Nottingham University. The incredible success of sisters Abigail and Joan in STEM is highlighted by Abigail’s upcoming studies in Engineering at Birmingham University and Joan’s pursuit of Medicine at Sunderland University.

The school’s outstanding performance in creative arts and design was demonstrated by 100% of pupils earning A* in Dance, 100% achieving A* to A in Art, and 70% achieving A* to A in Design Technology. This excellence has inspired several pupils to choose Architecture and Product Design for their studies. Kate-Olivia, who earned an A* and two As, secured a place at the prestigious Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL), while Mei-Xi, who achieved AA*B, will pursue Product Design at The University of Edinburgh.

Several students are preparing for careers in finance and the City by enrolling in courses such as Law, Economics, Business Management, and Finance. Congratulations to Isabella, who earned three A*s and will study Business, Accounting, and Finance at Newcastle University, and former Head Girl Indie, who achieved AA*A and will study Economics at Exeter University.

Continuing Bromley High School’s proud tradition of students pursuing higher education abroad, we are thrilled to announce that Daisy has earned a prestigious full tennis scholarship at California State University, whose notable alumni include Steven Spielberg. Daisy will join the varsity tennis team while exploring the Liberal Arts programme to discover her preferred major.

I wish all our outstanding Upper Sixth pupils a bright future, and I am incredibly proud of you.

During one of our recent assemblies, we discussed the 2024 Paris Olympics, which marked a historic milestone with full gender parity – an equal number of men and women competing across 206 countries. Not only was there equal representation, but the games were also scheduled to provide balanced coverage of all events, putting men and women in the spotlight equally. There were more mixed events, offering additional opportunities for women to win medals, and women were also employed as commentators across various events.

In our assembly, we explored some of the barriers that still limit women’s and girls’ access to sports worldwide. Sports play a vital role in fostering leadership, confidence, and overall wellbeing, highlighting the urgency of ensuring equal access. For example, women athletes still face unequal pay for the same sports as men. A Sporting Intelligence survey revealed that elite female athletes earn, on average, only 1% of what their male counterparts make, and no women are included in Forbes’ 2024 list of the 100 highest-paid athletes. In football, Norway was the first country, in 2017, to offer male and female players equal pay for international games. Brazil, Wales, and Australia have followed suit, but many countries have yet to do so.

Girls’ schools have long been at the forefront of promoting gender equality, and I am proud to lead a school where every athlete, every team captain, and every sports scholar is a girl. The progress made at the Paris 2024 Olympics serves as a catalyst for continued advancements in women’s sports, ensuring that it does not lag behind.

Before I conclude my first blog of the academic year, I must address the distress caused by the many divisions we witnessed across the UK over the summer. Although we were not in school, we were still here to support each other in every way we could.

In my next assembly with the Senior School girls, I will address the distress experienced by particular groups during these events and how triggering they must have been. Unfortunately, racially motivated incidents do happen in our country, and we remain steadfast in our fight against them. I will speak to the girls about racism, how we can support each other in our community, and the importance of educating ourselves about anti-racism and being race allies. Wellbeing is often a buzzword, but a sense of belonging truly fosters happiness, health, and comfort – things I wish for all my girls, colleagues, and families here at Bromley High School.

Mrs Emily Codling, Headmistress