From The Principal #205
22nd March 24
Dear Parents and Guardians,
From time to time, it’s important to reflect on where we are, what we have achieved, and where we are going. Our students have sat mock exams, received feedback, and had parents’ evenings to discuss progression and preparation for various assessments. All this is against a backdrop of sport, music, drama, art, trips, house activities, university offers, student council interviews, CCAs, British Science Week, the start of Ramadan, Nowruz, and more. During this busy term, I have reflected on how far we have come as a school, not only during my time as Principal but nearly a hundred years since the school was established last century. As I start handing over the reins to your new Principal, James Kidd, who will take up his new position as the 10th Principal of DLD in the Autumn, it’s a valuable time to pause and reflect on what we have achieved together. We hosted a number of agents and a delegation from Austria this week, and one of them said, “I have visited many schools around the world in the US, Europe and the Far East, and DLD College London is one of the best!” High praise indeed, and the school continues to be a happy and vibrant place to live, learn, work, and play, as we saw this week when our alumni returned to play in the students Vs staff/alumni charity netball match. It was great to see the affection our former students still have for the school, and one former student flew in, especially from Monaco, to play in the match – now, that is commitment!
The school will come together at the beginning of the new summer term (Wednesday 10 April), when we will welcome the new Student Council for 2024/25 and bid farewell to the outgoing Student Council of 2023/24. That will be a special moment as the outgoing Student Council has led by example and has raised the bar even higher for the incoming cohort. They have been remarkable, admirably led by the effervescent duo of Olivia and Mark; they have been a delight to work with and leave behind a compelling legacy.
Many students will be using the holidays in preparation for the summer examinations – public and internal. You should see work being done on this during the holiday at home, but I hope it is also a time for rest after a term of hard work. I wish all our students taking public exams the best of luck next term. Thank you to all parents and guardians for supporting our vibrant learning community. Education is a partnership, and only by working closely and effectively together can we inspire our students to achieve their greatest potential: to live life by our core values of tolerance, respect and kindness and become the global changemakers of the future. The Easter holidays will be a time of reflection and an opportunity to refresh, recharge and renew after a busy term. It’s also a time to look forward (don’t forget the clocks go forward for BST on Sunday 31 March at 0100 GMT). We have come a long way together; let’s keep going.
Kind regards,
Irfan Latif, Principal
