From the Principal #136

This edition of ‘From the Principal’ is actually ‘From the Bursar’ and I feel privileged to be standing in for Irfan this week and writing this week’s edition, as in most schools and colleges the Bursar leads a somewhat ‘behind the scenes’ existence, only occasionally stepping into the foreground. It is wonderful to have the chance to address the whole DLD community and to reflect on another exciting week here at DLD College London!

As ever, DLD has been a hive of activity and unique learning opportunities this week. On Wednesday, the first football fixture of the term took place in the impressive, floodlit grounds of Cobham FC with DLD taking on Reed’s School in the U18 Society of Heads Football Competition. Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening our boarders celebrated Burns Night in style with an amazing Scottish-themed supper in college, accompanied by live bagpipe music and featuring not only the infamous haggis but also some lesser-known Scottish dishes such as Cullen Skink, Rumbledethumps and Cranachan, which most students proclaimed were surprisingly tasty! It has also been wonderful to see students dropping into the new DLD Wellbeing Suite throughout the week. This is a newly created quiet space for students and staff to wind down and relax, away from the rest of the college. It will also be hosting wellness talks, presentations, videos, and drop-in sessions with the Student Council Wellbeing team. The opening of this new facility is the latest chapter in DLD’s award-winning culture of health and wellness, and I am really excited to see the positive effect this will have on our community.

Alongside all these moments of positivity, the week also included times of contemplation and sorrow as staff and students attended the Holocaust memorial display in college this week, as part of the international Holocaust Memorial Day. This thought-provoking display provided a valuable opportunity for the community to explore and honour the experiences of people affected by the Holocaust, and to learn lessons from the past.

This week also saw a further relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions nationally, including the end of the Government directive to wear face masks in schools and colleges. With restrictions easing, I have been reflecting this week on how well the DLD community has responded to each new change in guidance and I am consistently impressed by how staff and students alike have worked together to keep each other safe and well – whether it be wearing face masks around college, completing twice-weekly lateral flow tests, or adapting to online learning when the need has arisen. DLD’s mission statement is “Developing the next generation of Leaders to take their place in a challenging and Diverse world” and the world has certainly been challenging throughout the pandemic – it has been a true test of resilience to which the DLD community has responded admirably every step of the way.

Next week the co-curricular program will resume fully, now that all the mock exams have concluded. So as we look forward to another busy week at DLD, I wish you and your families a very safe and enjoyable weekend.

Best wishes

Helen Edwardson, Bursar