As we look back over another vibrant half term at Bromley High School, I am filled with immense pride. If you’ve been following our news, you will have caught a glimpse of the sheer energy, creativity, and dedication that defines our wonderful community.
Our feeds have been a joyous showcase of what happens when ambition meets opportunity, and this term has brought some truly spectacular wins. In the sporting arena, the courts were absolutely buzzing following our double-podium success at the Bromley Youth Games Netball Tournament, where our athletes showed incredible tactical grit to secure both second and third place.
Equally thrilling has been the news from our music department. As the world’s first all-girls Steinway School, music is in our DNA, and we’ve been celebrating Ameli (Year 12) winning First Prize and the Audience Prize at the London International Chopin Competition – an extraordinary achievement. We also saw hundreds of inspiring performances at our annual Music Festival, culminating in Francesca (Year 12) being named Musician of the Year 2026.
Our girls’ talents stretch across every discipline. From Bella and Ayla (Year 10) demonstrating their debating success at Oxford University to a large number of our students undertaking the Raspberry Pi Coding Challenge, the variety of achievement is breathtaking.
Behind every photo, video, and trophy is a story of a student who stepped out of her comfort zone, supported by our exceptional staff. It has been wonderful to see our girls taking part in their Duke of Edinburgh journeys, showing resilience, teamwork, and determination throughout. We are also delighted that our Gold Award pupils and their families from last year are at Buckingham Palace today celebrating their achievements. Alongside my colleagues, I have to thank our wider community who give their time so generously to enrich learning beyond the classroom.
Bromley High School’s Minerva Lecture Series, run by the inspiring Mrs Olatunji, features lunchtime talks by industry experts and academics, providing our girls with insights that extend far beyond the classroom. Many of the guest speakers are alumnae, or people with strong links to the school. Recent speakers have included Irene Yeung, Associate at Potter Church & Holmes, and Riddhi Parakh, Project Lead Architect on the Burj Alshaya Four Seasons in Kuwait and the Microsoft flagship store at Oxford Circus. We have welcomed GDST alumna Helen Brocklebank, CEO of Walpole, to our offices in Victoria to work with our alumnae, Bromley High School alumnae Jane Cardnell, who now works at Chevron Law in Houston, Texas, and Hannah Wilkens, Senior Lawyer in the Government’s Legal Department. These alumnae unlock lifelong career mentorship, networking opportunities and act as inspiring role models for our current girls.
Our Middle School Careers Fair was a fantastic success, filling the hall with energy and excitement as parents and alumnae from a wide range of sectors – including finance, medicine, media and sport – shared their experiences and advice. Our pupils were outstanding school ambassadors, approaching guests with confidence and curiosity.
Our Sixth Form health prefects are supported by wider professionals to organise monthly talks to keep our Women’s Health programme high up on our agenda. This fosters open conversations on PMDD, cysts, IVF, PCOS, endometriosis, and post-natal depression, ensuring our girls are informed and have the confidence and signposting to care for themselves and other women. Maya (Year 12) says: “I enjoy being a women’s health ambassador because in my opinion everyone needs to have more open conversations about women’s bodies to reduce stigma and amplify knowledge and awareness.” A huge thank you to all of our women’s health ambassadors and staff for their commitment as they trailblaze in this important area.
These are just some examples that show how our united community provides diverse role models, resource sharing, and a vital support network, showing our girls they are valued and supported.
Exam season is underway and we had both a fun and emotional Muck Up Day as we said good luck and farewell to our wonderful Year 13 cohort. We are, of course, seeing our Year 11 and 13 girls as they come in for their exams and many are still here most days using our refurbished library for revision. After each exam, my office is then busy as girls come in for their wellbeing cuddle with our fast-growing Maple who is now 15 weeks old! I’m not so far from my own exams that I can’t remember the pressure to do well. My warmest wishes of encouragement go to our examination year groups and I know that they have been well-prepared and will do their very best.
I hope that you all have a lovely half term break and I look forward to returning next Monday (1st June) for our final push of this academic year.
Mrs Emily Codling, Headmistress