insideKENT Magazine Issue 24 - March 2014 | Page 32

EDUCATION Bromley High School Can you achieve anything you want? Well, perhaps not. After all, the ability to win the high jump is increased if you have the right body morphology; excellent surgeons tend to have brilliant brains and manual dexterity; and the best teachers have an incredible love of their subject and are determined to inspire those around them to share that passion. So, the foundations of excellence may be talent, but the greater proportion of the output must be the result of commitment, hard work and dedication. It must also be the result of being in an environment which offers choices, encourages experimentation and excellence, and allows pupils to do what is right for them at their stage on the learning journey. Many schools create opportunities for pupils to try new things; they may have fabulous teachers to inspire the pupils’ learning, great resources to support the pupils’ progress and, hopefully, the environment and values that create an ethos of ‘having a go’. In such an environment pupils will have a wide diet of co-curricular activities alongside their academic work. These activities will bring transferable skills into the classroom and the pupils’ progress will be rapid on all fronts. In such an environment, every pupil can choose their own route, every subject has equal status and every pupil’s individual dreams are encouraged. In my school two very bright girls (each with 4 A* grades at A level) took a brave decision last autumn; they turned down excellent university offers in mathematics and chemistry to follow their hearts and study music. In an excellent school the choice to study any subject is embraced and supported; pupils' are made to feel that all subjects are as important as each other, regardless of the perception by observers. We advise our pupils to do what they love and what they're good at. These are usually the same thing, and they lead our leavers – along with a big dose of hard work and inspiration – to the most amazing futures where they can achieve anything that they set their mind on. Louise Simpson, Head, Bromley High School Open Day Events: Friday 21st March, 10.15am-12.15pm Thursday 1st May, 2.15-3.45pm Saturday 4th October, 9.30am-1pm. To arrange a visit, contact our school via our website www.bromleyhigh.gdst.net or our admissions office on [email protected] or 020 8781 7000. 32