It is with great pride that we can share with you our latest academic progress data this week (Click here to see 2021-22 Academic Statement). It is testament to the hard work and quality of our teachers and the superb attitude towards learning our children continue to demonstrate. Whilst data alone can’t define any school it is useful to compare and challenge ourselves within our local market and as part of United Learning and make comparisons against other schools. We are very proud that our data is as good as and, in some cases, even better than other co-educational, single sex and academically selective schools both within our group and in our local area.

We very deliberately focus on the happiness and wellbeing of our children as our number one priority, as happy children flourish and happy children learn. In our opinion, this should be the starting point for every learning organisation, and there are countless examples of negative impact on progress and fulfilment where this is not the case. Our very existence is of course to prepare children for the next step in their education, to enable them all to make significant academic progress. But our ethos delivers much, much more than that, it prepares children for life, all of it! To narrow our ambition simply to get children into their senior school feels very much like a wonderful opportunity missed. That’s why at BPS we offer a broad and modern curriculum with a focus on life skills. We kow that in doing this, we prepare our children to make a difference whilst celebrating that we are all different. We know that a broad and exciting curriculum does not limit academic progress, it enhances and deepens the experience.

This academic progress data combined with our senior school success and our ISI judgement of excellent in academic outcomes and in all areas, gives us even greater confidence that the BPS approach is the right one for children.  We will continue to take pressure away when it is unhelpful or unnecessary, be brave enough to try alternative approaches and deviate from the traditional perception of normal. It inspires us to continue to evolve and keep asking questions, just like we encourage our children to do.

So we continue to celebrate what we do here BPS and the progress our children make. Our attitudes for learning and their associated animals have already become part of our every day language and we continue to seek out every opportunity to develop these essential life skills. To recognise the children who are demonstrating these in different ways we have re-introduced Hot Chocolate with the Head! A lovely way to say ‘Well done’ and to spend some time with children across the school. Mrs Windett and I very much enjoyed spending time with our first group on Tuesday and we will have lots more guests over the coming weeks and terms.