On Friday 7th July 2023, our FHS community gathered in the elegant surrounds of St Marylebone Parish Church for a very special event: School Prize-Giving. This year’s Prize-Giving was particularly poignant as it marked the end of Mrs Woodcock’s first year as Headmistress, with her opening speech reflecting on how warmly welcomed she has felt during her first year as part of this unique community. Interspersed with beautiful music pieces from our Chamber Choir, Junior Choir, String Quartet and vocalists Louna G and Venice G-H, this momentous occasion celebrated the successes of our students throughout the past academic year, recognising both achievement and progress in curriculum subjects, co-curricular endeavours and wider areas of school life. We were also treated to a raucously entertaining excerpt from our recent Junior Play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

We were also delighted to be joined this year by Guest Speaker Dr Frances Baawuah, FHS governor and alumna. Frances, who was Head Girl during her time at FHS, delivered an inspirational speech to our community about the significant impact FHS had on her life and career, noting with particular fondness how a Francis Holland education equipped her with the resilience, self-belief and confidence to pursue a successful career in medicine. It was also an honour to hear from Mr Patrick Sherrington, Chair of the FHST Governing Council, who thanked parents for their ongoing support of the School and their daughters.

Thank you to all who joined us for another spectacular Prize-Giving, which was a wonderful culmination of another exceptional year at FHS. We would like to wish our community a restful summer break and we look forward to the whole school joining together again in September for the commencement of the 2023-2024 academic year.