Weekly Highlights 16/08/2024

Mr. Simon Higham, Principal

Dear Parents 

Welcome Back! 

Welcome to the first edition of the Weekly Highlights for the academic year 2024-25 and thank you for taking time to engage and connect with us. 

Each Friday afternoon, you will receive an email from school with a link to the Highlights that aim to celebrate and share the many successes that occur across BVIS each week whilst also reminding parents and students of key dates, deadlines and events that are coming soon.  

From next week onwards, the Highlights will be written in partnership between myself, Ms Mary and Mr Bate to showcase success across EYFS, Primary, Secondary and Whole School. 

I am writing this first edition following a successful Orientation morning for all new students and families to BVIS for this academic year. On behalf of everyone across our BVIS family, I would like to welcome you to our school and thank you for your trust in allowing us to educate your son(s)/daughter(s). You have chosen well! 

Additionally, I would like to welcome back all of our existing BVIS families as you continue to put your trust in all that we do. As Principal, I feel both proud and privileged to have your child(ren) studying at our school and I am looking forward to another extremely successful and enjoyable year ahead. 

 

Updates and Upgrades

As part of our ongoing strategic planning, we have again been very busy over the summer break to ensure that our campus facilities are the very best that our students deserve to give them an even higher quality of educational provision, coupled with further enhanced learning opportunities. 

I am pleased to report that all scheduled updates and upgrades to our campus have been completed on time and to the highest standards.  

Here are some of our major projects: 

Our newly designed and upgraded Primary Canteen allows a high-quality dining experience to match the high quality of food that we offer. 

Interestingly, when one of our new staff members had their lunch in there for the first time last week, they commented to me, ‘Nice restaurant!’ 

Year 4 to 6 Primary classrooms and Learning Together Rooms (LTRs) have been fully redesigned and refurnished to create more space and natural light when learning. This now completes the full refurbishment of all primary classrooms across a 2-year project. 

A total redesign and refurbishment of our Secondary STEAM and DT area, giving students more than double the amount of space than they previously experienced. This will allow for greater expansion in our IGCSE and A level Design Technology provision.  

A total update and redesign of all adult and student toilets across the school. Again, this was the second phase of a successful 2-year project.   

How can we develop a learning environment that embodies our EDIB values?

On Monday and Tuesday this week, BVIS staff had the honour of welcoming Dr. Leslie Williams to school, the Senior Programme Lead for Social Impact and Giving and the Global Chairperson for Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) at Nord Anglia Education.    

The question asked across the 2 days was: How can we develop a learning environment that embodies our EDIB values? 

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) is an integral element within our school community as we use this as a lens, not a strategy, to reflect and evaluate and action how we can ensure that all stakeholders across our school feel heard and valued with a strong sense of belonging. 

Read more about Dr Leslie William’s visit in this post from our school website. 

Website – Parent Essentials

All essential information needed to support your child at BVIS can be located in the Parent Essentials section on our school website's homepage, in just 2 clicks: 

1. Click the 3 lines on the right-hand side of our Homepage: 

2. Click on the ‘Parent essentials’ link at the right hand side of the page 

Here you will find: 

• Key dates for the academic year 2024/25 
• This year’s academic calendar to download 
• Parent Handbooks 
• Monthly menus to help choose your child’s lunch 
• Information about how to order uniform 
• Presentations from previous parent seminars 

Over the weekend, I encourage you to familiarise yourself with this area of the school’s website and ask the following questions with your child(ren): 

1. What are the start and end dates for each term this year? 
2. What time should you arrive at school and when should you be picked up at the end of the day? 
3. What lunch options will you choose next week and what are the main allergens outlined in each menu? 
4. Do you have the correct uniform and if more is needed how can I order it? 
5. If you need to ask for help or support, who should you go to first? 

Next Week’s Highlights

In next week’s Highlights, we will be sharing with you our reflections relating to the many settling activities that have happened during the first full week back at school. 

Also, I will begin introducing you to our new teachers in order for you to get to know them better.  

Finally, I will be including details about our first Principal’s Afternoon Tea of this academic year and giving you details of our new school photographer who will be coming into school in November and taking individual and class photographs for you to purchase.

Should you wish to contact your child’s Class Teacher(s) or Form Tutor directly, we encourage communication to be written in the language you most feel confident to use. 

Parents may also find it useful to contact their child’s class teacher(s) or form tutor directly for all individual queries about their academic work/social and emotional wellbeing in school. Individual contact details can be found in the Parents’ Handbooks or via our Primary/Secondary Receptionists.  

Child Protection

The health, safety and wellbeing of our students remains the number one priority at BVIS HCMC.

Please note the updates to our Safeguarding team.

Should you have a concern for the welfare of any child in our school, please refer to our Safeguarding poster below: 

Have a great weekend and thank you for your continued support to engage and connect with us.