This week, our Class of 2026 have gathered for two very special events to celebrate their time at FHS before heading off on study leave for their A Levels.
The first of these was our Upper Sixth Leavers’ Dinner: always a dazzling highlight of the Summer Term calendar. In a lovely selection of black tie dresses, the girls came together in the playground for a drinks reception with their teachers, before making their way to an utterly transformed Senior Hall. Our Head Girls, Regina and Chloe, gave a rousing welcome, before Mrs Haydon addressed the girls, thanking them for their remarkable individual and collective contributions to FHS life and praising the mature, articulate, compassionate and above all kind young women they have grown into. Staff and students also enjoyed observing a slideshow of photos through the years and perusing their Class of 2026 yearbooks!
Our guests enjoyed a delicious Asian fusion style buffet supper produced by our wonderful catering team, followed by a fantastic speech by Mr Courtenay Clack, Ms Hameed and Mrs Wilkes, reminiscing fondly and wittily about the girls’ time in the Sixth Form and offering gems of wisdom to help them make the most of their next chapter.
The following afternoon, our Upper Sixth pupils, parents and staff gathered once again in St Mary’s Church, Bourne Street, for a moving and memorable Leavers’ Service led by our School Chaplain, Revd van der Hart, followed by a special celebration tea back at school.
Every member of the Upper Sixth has made their own unique contribution to our FHS community – whether it be on stage in productions including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Little Shop of Horrors and Guys & Dolls, performing in spectacular concerts, creating beautiful pieces of art, excelling in the classroom, in the science lab or on the sports field, or demonstrating their creativity, oracy and storytelling skills in excellent EPQs and tremendous TEDx talks.
However, more important than all these achievements are the extraordinary women they have become over the past seven years. They have personified empathy, compassion and dedication as they have supported one another through the challenges of Sixth Form, including the increased workload, the pressure of public exams, and the significant demands of Higher Education applications. Through it all, they have shown resilience, humour and determination, and they have left a real and lasting mark on our FHS community. It has been an enormous privilege to get to know the girls and we are so incredibly proud of every single one of them.
We wish them the very best of luck in their upcoming exams, we could not be more excited to hear about their next adventures and we look forward to welcoming them back as members of our Old Girls community.
