Mrs . Katherine Weir-Davis HEAD OF EARLY YEARS
Writing a message for the Yearbook is a small part of my role as Head of Early Years , and over the past ten years , I have always enjoyed expressing how proud I am of our students , staff and school . This year , however , is slightly different because in July I will be moving on to a new position in another part of China .
When I arrived in Guangzhou in 2008 , the British School of Guangzhou was a mere 180 students , ranging from Pre- Nursery to Year 6 , all based at the Lakefront Campus . The School had just acquired the Nanhu Campus and Years 3-6 were to move into the new Nanhu site , leaving Pre-Nursery to Year 2 at Lakefront . It quickly became apparent how well the reputation of our school was growing within the Guangzhou community , and being part of the School Management Team , I realised that we needed to make strategic plans for rapid growth whilst continually striving to provide a world class education and upholding our year on year high academic standards and successes .
Within a few years , the capacity of the Nanhu campus had expanded to allow us to transfer KS1 to the main site , leaving the Lakefront Campus as a dedicated Early Years unit . From this point , the Early Years teaching team really came into their element and began the process of developing a facility that was welcoming , stimulating , attractive , yet ageappropriately challenging for the youngest of our BSG students . It was due to the hard work and commitment of the Early Years team that has resulted in the school we have today .
I feel confident that the successes BSG has experienced to date and the quality of your child ’ s education will continue to improve with each and every year under the new leadership of Mrs . Danielle McKenna , the continued care and guidance of the high caliber of teachers , supportive leadership teams and overall leadership of our Principal Mr . Mark Thomas , who in my opinion , is the most outstanding leader I could ever have had the privilege of learning from and working alongside .
On a daily basis , I receive some form of positive feedback from a variety of stakeholders across our community . Whether it be a prospective family , a teacher visiting from another school , a representative from the Local Education Department , a member of staff from a different department within our school , a parent , a student , a teacher , an ayi — the list is endless . What consistently comes through is how impressed they are with their first impressions of our Early Years . The provision and opportunities we are able to offer our children , the welcome they receive from all staff when they enter and walk around the school , the polite , well-presented and impeccably behaved children , the high levels of engagement and strong relationships between staff and students , and above all , the very evident culture of respect and well-being that we nurture within our students .
All of the above , and more , makes me so proud to have been part of a school that has such strong core values of respect , commitment , integrity and responsibility , resulting in every member of the school being dedicated to developing a lifelong love of learning in every single student and making it the outstanding school it is today .
Quite simply , BSG is the best school I have ever had the pleasure of working at , the best school I could have provided for my own children ’ s educational experience and the most welcoming community for my family . It has the best teachers , teaching assistants and administration staff to work alongside , the best students and most supportive parents … and for these reasons , leaving after ten amazing years will be very sad indeed .
I look forward to reading about the continued success of The British School of Guangzhou in the future , and despite my heavy heart , I will be taking with me ten years of wonderful memories !
“ Quite simply , BSG is the best school I have ever had the pleasure of working at .”