When starting this spotlight blog, I thought I’d be talking to you about openness as a key pillar of our values, and in particular our amazing PSHCE programme, which really gets our students to think hard about being a well-rounded, tolerant, receptive, and ultimately kind, individual.

 

However, one week before Easter a small group of students came to my office to ask whether they could have an Eid Celebration event. Then, within those five days before the Easter break, I had the pleasure of seeing a small group of BG6 students galvanise all students across Years 12 and 13 to plan and implement our immensely successful Eid 2024 charity event; through which a truly amazing £1514 has been raised for Save the Children. 

 

The most humbling part was not the money raised, but the ethos demonstrated; how students from all different beliefs, friendship groups, and academic interests supported each other.

 

At the heart of the event, our students truly exhibited all of our values (generosity, resilience, openness, wonder). They collaborated with local businesses to donate goods for the evening, hosted events for younger year groups, and represented the College at Year 10 Parents’ Evening. I couldn’t be prouder to see them truly understand and embody the true essence of being open; as Brené Brown eloquently states, it is about being vulnerable. 

 

Brown explores vulnerability as the courage to be imperfect, have compassion to be kind to self and others, and hold authenticity to be who we are. In this one event every young person at BG6 College had a voice, represented themselves, and what we authentically are, as a community - a wonderful jigsaw of eclectic differences who cohesively come together to become their very best selves every day, seeking their next step in Every Opportunity for Excellence in all areas of school life, as well as real life.

 

I really can’t wait to see our BG6 plans for Iftar 2025 and the 2025 charities plan for the next academic year, to really put BG6 at the heart of the community.

 

My quote to end this week couldn’t be from anyone other than the wonderful Jo Cox: "We are far more united and have far more in common, than that which divides us."