“I would like to begin by saying a heartfelt thank you to the whole school community for the warm and positive welcome that I have had to the school. The strong pastoral narrative was certainly one of the key aspects that attracted me to the school initially, and that culture of strong wellbeing clearly extends to new staff as well!
It is an enormous privilege to have been appointed and I still haven’t stopped smiling! At every stage of the interview process I was able to get to know the school better and I was consistently impressed with all areas of Bromley High. Having the opportunity to return to the GDST family feels like coming home and I look forward to upholding the strong values and excellence that already exist.
My vision is to nurture pupils and lead them into bright futures, supporting them as they grow into the next generation of female leaders. I will ensure that the girls learn without limits, so that what happens outside of the classroom is as important as what happens within. I believe in promoting a collective endeavour as our girls excel by being undivided and champions of others
In this era of rapid change, there is no better time to support girls to take their rightful place in the world. The values of putting girls first and encouraging them to use their voices with consideration and passion are inspirational and are central to my own agenda. As an all-through school, being able to support the girls from a bright eyed four-year old to an independent young lady at 18 is extremely rewarding. I am excited about the growth that Bromley High School has yet to come and am honoured to lead the school through it’s next stage of innovation.
Whilst we have already congratulated our Year 11 and 13 girls on their incredible outcomes this summer, I do feel that it needs to be said again. The results were amongst the highest in the school’s history and exceeded the centre and teacher assessed grades from the past two years. This tells me a number of things. Firstly, that our girls are extremely bright. The academics of Bromley High are outstanding and the culture of aspiration and the personalised teaching that each girl receives to achieve her full potential is reflected in the value added that the girls had from their school journey. Secondly, that the pastoral care the girls received throughout such a turbulent time was genuine and had maximum impact as they were supported through this unprecedented period. Thirdly, that the staff here have absolute integrity. The results showed an uprise from the past two years, demonstrating that the centre reporting on grades was genuine and well informed. A school that has clearly done all it can for it’s students and puts the girls first; this is a school that I feel privileged to be a part of.
My first steps as the new Headmistress of this school will be to gather stakeholder opinions. Next September, it will be the school’s 140th anniversary and I will be launching our ‘Towards 140’ strategy in the Spring term. To inform our development plan I will be seeking the views and opinions of our whole school community and I have been very clear that I am interested in all values, perspectives and opinions. Bromley High is an exceptional school and it’s ability to innovate and adapt has seen the school thrive for almost a century and a half. However, we are entering new times and that includes an educational revolution as we witness and participate in new norms, skills and ways of working. Through our Towards 140 strategy, we will continue to be undivided as we represent our whole community in our next steps. Our girls are our inspiration, our staff are our strength and our network is our superpower.
I look forward to working alongside all students, parents, staff, governors and the wider community to pioneer a brilliant education for the girls.”
Emily Codling
Headmistress
