January is, of course, far closer to the middle of the school year than it is to the beginning, but it doesn’t stop us from considering fresh starts, clean slates, new ambitions and resolutions. It’s also an apt time, as our school closes on being three times the size it was in 2020, to reaffirm what values sit at the heart of our family; what it means to be Great Ballard.

You can read plenty into the things people carry. This morning at the school gates we welcomed students cradling footballs, art portfolios, musical instruments and history projects. The headmaster himself was not without his obligatory cup of tea and the Head of Adventure had his bag of marshmallows at the ready for the first campfire of 2024. The Tudors were masters of symbolism, and it was exciting to talk in assembly about Katherine of Aragon’s fateful pomegranate, Elizabeth’s concealed eyes and ears or the array of objects so meaningfully placed on the shelves or at the feet of Holbein’s Ambassadors.  

But it is in our actions that we truly express who we are. How we work hard, play hard and, above all, be kind. Because GB people are always seeking to challenge themselves and to improve; last term was good, but this one can be better. And resolutions don’t need to be big things. Small things matter and they can quickly snowball. We discussed the famous video of Admiral William McRaven explaining that the first step to changing the world was by “making your bed”. Start with something simple and achievable, make one difference and see where that difference leads you.

And it doesn’t have to be your bed. In vocab learned and in focus given; in clubs joined and teams supported; in gentle words and doors opened: in all these things we start a chain reaction whose ending can be powerful and transformative. And as we left the hall we noted the words on the board, the words on every board in every classroom: “happy new year and welcome back”. Because sometimes our leaders and role models don’t wear badges, covet titles or sit in offices, they clean bathrooms, serve food and sweep classrooms.  

So, happy 2024 everyone, carry your pride to be GB with you at all times, and never forget the power of those small things in making a difference and reminding us exactly who we are.