Thursday 24th June

Farewell to the class of 2021

This week, we have welcomed our graduating class of 2021 and their parents to the campus to complete their graduation. Whilst not the event that any of us wanted to celebrate the achievements of the cohort, individually booked time slots allowed us to provide a personalised experience, complete with certificate presentation and family photos. The event was highly successful, with all students receiving a lovely send off. We will be sharing a commemorative video of this event with all of the students and their families shortly, but in the meantime, here are some of the class of 2021 talking about their next steps and also their fondest memories of BSB.

To the class of 2021, congratulations, we wish you all the very best in your next chapter.

Welcome to our new Year 7 for September

This morning, our new Head Prefects welcomed our new Year 7 students for a transition session to prepare them for life in the senior school. It was wonderful to see our new Year 7 cohort, who were full of enthusiasm and excitement for the new academic year. We look forward to greeting you in person in the new term!

Food Technology Update

I must round off the year and say how proud I am of all the students who have continued to cook and develop their practical skills at home. I must also say a huge thank you to the families who have supported these practical experiences, I hope you have enjoyed seeing your children in the kitchen as much as I've enjoyed seeing what they are capable of.

The students are welcome to continue to post any practical work they do over the summer in the BSB Cooking at Home KS3 album they have access to in their Google Classrooms.

Thank you

Mrs Reid

Thursday 17th June

Head Prefects 2021-22

After a rigorous selection process, involving a video speech to their peers and teachers, a democratic vote by students and teachers, followed by a grueling interview with the current Head Prefects and a final interview with Ms Williams and myself, I am absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of the new Head Prefect team for 2021-22. It was a terribly difficult decision, as all candidates were such strong contenders. My congratulations go to all candidates who put themselves forward; the future of student leadership at BSB is strong and all who applied will take up prominent positions within the committee structure for the next academic year.

Many congratulations to Charlotte, Kaviesh, Anoushka and Tamara. Their passion and drive to make a difference shone through as well as their extensive leadership experience already gained. I am sure that they will be a fantastic voice for the students.

This announcement always fills me with mixed emotions, as it also means we must say goodbye to our outgoing Head Prefects. Abdulhafedh, Yasmeen, Leenah and Loobdhak have been fantastic role models for their peers across the school. This year has seen tremendous strides in working towards the ambitious targets set for the students to create a legacy that is long lasting and provides a platform for future head prefect teams to build upon. They have taken on this challenge with gusto, at times making it look easy. They leave behind an imprint in BSB's history that will never be forgotten. From all of us at BSB, we thank you for your tireless efforts to make a difference and wish you all the very best in your University careers. You never truly leave BSB and you are always welcome to come and see us whenever you can.

Mr Ridgway

PE - the importance of trying something new

Our students have been learning the basics of rhythmic gymnastics and trampolining over the course of this term. With much of it being delivered remotely, it has proved a major challenge for many students. However, that didn't stop Anthony from making the most of what he could find at home to attempt some basic new skills.

Physical activity is so important to all of us for our physical health and fitness, but also for our psychological health. Research has proven that physical activity releases endorphins in the brain, which stimulate your mood. This can lead to a reduction in stress levels and a feeling of satisfaction. In these difficult times, there are many opportunities to be physically active at home without the need for any equipment. Well done to Anthony for showing us all how easy and enjoyable it can be to try something new.

Thursday 10th June

Inspired Student Leadership

Further to last week's announcement, we have another 2 successful students to announce.

Bedoor Jawad Ahmed, Year 9: Vice President, Culture and Arts Committee

Rose Baslious, Year 12: Vice President, Charity Committee

Congratulations to Bedoor and Rose on this fantastic achievement. I have no doubt they are going to be wonderful representatives of both themselves and the BSB.

Food Technology Update

Mrs Reid is immensely proud of all our students who have taken the time to move away from their devices and into the kitchen. Below is a selection of highlights from each Year group.

Thursday 3rd June

Inspired Student Leadership

Following on from the successful Inspired Student Leadership Conference last month, all participants were invited to apply to take leading roles on global student committees for next Academic Year. After a rigorous application and interview process, I am absolutely delighted to announce the following successful appointments from our BSB student body:

Kaviesh Kinger, Year 12: President, Human Rights Committee

Charlotte Rodney, Year 12: Vice President, Human Rights Committee

Yasmeen Almoayed, Year 9: President, UN Sustainable Goals Committee

Congratulations to all three of them on this fantastic achievement. I have no doubt they are going to be wonderful representatives of both themselves and the BSB.

Cricket Success

Congratulations to Aryan Ashwin in Year 9, who recently took part in an U14 and U16 cricket tournament in UAE. Whilst his team finshed 3rd, Aryan was awarded both Player of the Match and Best Batsman for the tournament, after scoring the most runs of any player.

Thursday 20th May

Back to in school learning on Sunday 23rd

All of us in the senior school are looking forward to welcoming students back to the campus on Sunday. Please may I take this opportunity to remind parents to check the email information shared prior to the Eid holiday, which provides you with details of your child's days given in school and at home. Many classes have been able to safely remain at 5 days of in school attendance for those who opted for it and we will continue to monitor closely in order to accommodate all requests of families to amend their scheduled attendance. Please contact pa2seniors@thebsbh.com to make your request.

Wishing all families a safe and restful weekend.

Mr Ridgway

Year 11 & 13 Enrichment Opportunities

As we reach the end of the assessment period and students are finalising their last pieces of evidence for teachers, next Thursday 27th will mark the "end" of GCSE and A Level courses. This means that our teachers will now be busy finalising evidence and grades, all of which must be justified, verified and submitted to the awarding bodies. They will then carry out their own checks on our grading to ensure that we are accurate in our judgements.

As we did last Summer, we are using the remaining weeks of the school year to prepare students for the next stage, whether going to University or starting in 6th form. The schedules below outline the online sessions being delivered over the coming weeks. Using their BSB email log ins, students should click on the link of sessions they wish to take part in and register to join the enrichment webinars.

In addition, we are asking all students to complete an independent study project. This will develop a range of key skills that are required both at 6th form study and degree level. Our Year 10 and 12 students also complete a project over the course of the school year, so this will prepare our Year 11s well for their project for next academic year. Universities worldwide are now actively looking for these skills in potential students, so these opportunities really do keep our students at the forefront of developments within University admissions and give them an edge over the competition.

For convenience, the Beyond BSB lecture schedule has been added to the enrichment documents, where the link will take students to the usual sign up form.

Thursday 6th May

Thursday 29th April

Thursday 22nd April

Earth Week 2021

This week has seen us embrace the challenges facing our planet head on. Led entirely by the student environment committee, there have been sustainable items for sale, activities for form tutors to watch, review and discuss with their students, and subject lessons have covered the environment in specific ways relevant to their curriculum. I have been busy responding to Year 11 students, who emailed me directly as part of their English work on sustainability and plastic waste. The students wrote with passion and flair, whilst demonstrating that they had researched the subject before providing me with carefully considered suggestions for improvement.

Whilst this week has been fantastic, it means nothing if our actions stop now the week is over. The aim of the week was to raise awareness. Now that is achieved and people have taken notice, we have to build more momentum through our actions. I am immensely proud of the students who led this weeks initiatives and look forward to working with them to further enhance our contributions to the climate emergency.

Mr Ridgway

House Points

Congratulations to Alexandria Baillie, who is the first student in the senior school to reach the 100 house point milestone. She is also the highest earner of house points, through her hard work and dedication across all of her subjects and also for her attitude within class and around the school. She is a true role model to her peers.

Endurance Riding Success

Congratulations to Freya Rasmussen, who recently achieved second place in the season ending FEI 100km CEI race, which was her best result of the season. Despite the intense weather conditions of 50m/s winds and 30 degrees Celsius heat, Freya revelled in the added challenge to ensure she finished the season on a high. A very impressive result indeed

Art Competition

Senior school students have been taking part in an art competition, put on by the Royal Academy of Arts UK. They stated that ‘Artists are at the heart of everything we do at the Royal Academy of Arts – we’ve been championing them since 1768 and firmly believe in nurturing young talent and celebrating the next generation of artists’. This competition has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their talents outside of the classroom with no specific brief. The Young Artists’ Summer Show is a free, open submission exhibition for young artists aged 5-19 years studying in the UK and British schools overseas. These artworks are then judged by a panel of artists and arts professionals with selected artworks displayed online and on-site at the Royal Academy of Arts. Judge for yourself the amazing talent we have at the BSB.

Food Technology Update

Before the spring break, Year 9 were challenged to learn a napkin fold. There was a lot of laughter and the occasional tear, but overall fabulous effort put in by these students. The recent practical at home tasks have had Year 9 making Curry, Year 8 making bread and Year 7 making muffins.

The students are provided with a basic recipe and guidance and are welcome to modify the recipes to suit their likes and dislikes as well as the skills they would like to develop. Well done KS3, your dishes look amazing and I love how your food photography and recordings are developing!

Mrs Reid

Sports Week Results

Prizes galore this week in PE as students were rewarded for their fantastic sporting efforts during last term's Athletics competition. Both remote and blended learners completed a variety of adapted athletic activities, submitting scores via our PE website. The activities in school included standing long jump, speed bounce, chest push, vertical jump and shuttle run. The home based activities were the same although the chest push was replaced with the target throw. The list of winners can be found below. Well done to all students, some fantastic scores and excellent attitudes as always.

Thursday 15th April

Welcome back

Ramadan Kareem!

There has been a wonderful atmosphere of positivity and motivation throughout this week as we welcomed the students back after the Spring break. The corridors have been filled with sounds of students who are happy to be at school and are enjoying their learning. This final term of an often turbulent academic year will see a number of key events and milestones, including our optional assessments for Years 11, 12 and 13 students, University offer confirmation for our Year 13 students, and the continuation of transition processes for our students moving into the next phase of their educational journey. This will focus specifically on welcoming our new Year 7 cohort from Juniors, Year 9 into 10, Year 11 into 12 and our Year 13 preparing for University. Throughout it all, our staff will be supporting and guiding our students to ensure the best possible outcomes for all.

Next week is Earth week, with a number of activities taking place, organised entirely by our passionate student environment committee. They have prepared slides with activities for form tutors, suggested a range of activities for specific departments to include in their lessons over the week and also prepared sustainable items for sale to our students. All of these activities will fall in line with our strict campus safety protocols, to ensure that students can benefit from this important collaborative learning experience. Our students are committed to a sustainable future for themselves and their families and BSB proudly supports them in passing on their message and making changes that will have a positive impact on the major threats facing our planet.

With the Holy Month of Ramadan upon us, I wish all families a safe, healthy and reflective month. During this time of reflection and charity, we are inviting donations to the Migrant Workers Protection Society.