By Mr Gracie, Deputy Head – Student Engagement and Welfare

This week marks a special annual moment at BGS as we celebrated our student led Cultural Dress Day. With the support of our new Diversity and Inclusion prefects, I helped lead an assembly for Years 7 to 10, where we explored the importance of the day and reflected on why it holds such significance for our school community and I think our Diversity Pledge encapsulates this wonderfully:

We commit to being a warm and welcoming environment for all. We value each and every member of our community as an individual. We celebrate our differences and acknowledge that these make us a more powerful group as a whole. We commit to constructively challenging discrimination, so everyone feels safe to be who they are; free from prejudice or bias. We always treat each other with kindness and respect. Our commitment to inclusion permeates all that we do. 

In the assemblies this week, we highlighted that one of the origins of our Cultural Dress Day was students taking the lead about how we can observe South Asian Heritage Month. This month really focuses on sharing culture and being inquisitive of one another. This is the approach that can really make a difference and help us all to feel safe to be who we are. In exploring how we can construct dialogue and learn about one another, the Cultural Dress Day with its vibrant student led fashion show  was born. 

Our commitment to our Diversity Pledge must be actively realised. At BGS, we are committed to doing the necessary work to challenge stereotypes and create genuine feelings of safety. We were proud that the ISI noted the impact of student actions to promote inclusion and celebrate diversity in 2024, but the job is far from finished. We were also pleased to see significant progress in the third year of a survey by Flair, which measures experiences of race within the school community, particularly in the area of race-based microaggressions. Our results are significantly better than those of schools in our region. However, the survey also highlighted that there is still work to be done in equipping our community with the tools to confidently confront racism and other forms of microaggressions or discrimination. Some of our wonderful Lower Sixth students led impactful guidance assemblies last term, and we have reinforced this with a focus on sexist and gender-based discrimination in assemblies  across the senior school this term. Our annual Diversity and Inclusion Days for Years 7 to 9 also aim to build practical tools, in an age-appropriate way, to help confront discrimination of any kind.

You may also be someone with experiences or insights to share, and we welcome ongoing conversations that help us reflect the diversity of our community. Our calendar of events celebrating a wide range of cultures is constantly evolving, and we regularly review our curriculum and student learning to ensure they remain relevant and inclusive. Much of this development is shaped by feedback from students, parents and staff. If you feel you can contribute to this ongoing work, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Most importantly, I would urge you to get involved in celebrating the diversity of cultures at BGS by keeping Saturday 28th June 2025, 2.00pm to 4.00pm, free for our triennial CultureFest event on the Main School Field. This significant occasion will feature cultural dance, a cultural parade, music, a food tent with demonstrations, garden games, fundraising stalls and the BGS Marketplace, all celebrating the breadth and diversity of our school community. Most of our students will be involved in some way, and it is a great chance to learn from one another and share our cultures. I look forward to welcoming you to the event.