On Tuesday 22nd September, we were delighted to welcome prospective students and their families to our annual Open Evening. As always, the event was exceptionally well attended, and the feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive.

The evening provided visitors with the opportunity to meet staff and students, explore our facilities and gain a real insight into life at Great Baddow High School. From the moment families arrived, our students played a key role in creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere, acting as tour guides, departmental helpers and ambassadors for the school community.

As Headteacher, I am always immensely proud of the students who volunteer their time to support this important event. Every parent I spoke to commented on their confidence, enthusiasm and exemplary conduct. Their willingness to share their experiences and answer questions helped prospective families gain a genuine understanding of what makes Great Baddow High School such a special place to learn and grow.

The positive feedback from visitors has been particularly heartening:

“We were so impressed with how friendly and helpful everyone was and we were made to feel so welcome. We would like to say a special thank you to our Open Evening tour guide, Isla in Year 10, and also to Mrs Field, who escorted us on our tour this morning. She was very welcoming and thorough and knew instinctively what we all needed to know, so much so that no one seemed to have any questions!”

Another parent wrote:

“I just wanted to write to say that our tour guide, Blake in Year 11, was fantastic. We also had some brilliant Library Monitors and all four spoke with such enthusiasm for the school. I had a lot of questions throughout, but Blake was not phased and answered them all in a very warm yet professional manner.”

Following the success of Open Evening, we are now welcoming Year 6 families on daytime tours, giving them the opportunity to see the school in action during a normal working day. We know that our students will continue to represent Great Baddow High School in the fantastic manner they demonstrate every day.

Mrs A Mills, Head of Lower School and Senior Deputy Headteacher, said:

“We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the students who gave their time to support our Open Evening. They were a true credit to our school, welcoming visitors with warmth, enthusiasm and confidence.

Seeing them speak so passionately about their experiences and proudly represent our community was wonderful, and the positive feedback from prospective families has been overwhelming.

We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them and deeply grateful for the part they played in making the evening such a success.”

We would like to thank everyone who attended and helped make the evening such a memorable occasion. The event was a wonderful celebration of our school community and an excellent opportunity to showcase the values, achievements and opportunities that make Great Baddow High School so special.