Tess H and Angus B (both Lower Sixth) have taken on the responsibility of Heads of School for the Summer Term. They have both given their speeches to the student body in Headmaster’s Assembly. You can read both speeches in full below:

Tess H:

Good afternoon school,

I hope you had a relaxing easter and a good first week back.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Mr Thomas, and the rest of the senior management team for giving me this opportunity. It is a real privilege, and I hope I can give back to a school which has given me so much. I would also like to congratulate Angus on becoming Head boy. I can’t think of anyone more deserving and I’m sure we will make a great team.

I shall admit, that standing up here today is probably one of the most daunting things I could ever think of and when trying to write this speech, I struggled to come up with something. However, after spending a week in the lake district doing my Duke of Edinburgh, I realised that the most meaningful thing I can share with you are the lessons that I’ve learned through the challenges I’ve faced and the importance of perseverance and self-belief.

I think it is fair to say that life, in general, is not straightforward, and challenges are something that we unfortunately are always going to face but I believe it is how we respond to these setbacks that really define the person we become. Whether they come during exam seasons, on the sport pitch, on stage, or while trying to dissect a poem with Mr Lee-Browne, everyone will face their own tests, however big or small.

For me, one of the hardest challenges I have ever had to face was the death of my mum when I was younger. It was of course difficult and changed my life completely. Yet whilst through this challenge I have learned that the key to dealing with life’s inevitable difficulties is it to tackle them head on. As someone who prefers to keep things to myself and tries to ignore problems, I’ve come to realise that the more we dwell and run from the tough times the more control they have over us. While the pain of losing my mum remains, it has taught me to confront adversity, rather than avoid it. It has shown me the true value of resilience and the importance of not giving up when things get hard.

When I joined Sutton Valence, nearly 7 years ago, I came from a small village primary school. Back then I was naturally a very shy person and lacked any kind of confidence so when moving to SV I was certainly nervous and overwhelmed, but I suppose having my older brother already here helped a little, although depending on who you ask, it might have been more of a curse than a blessing! However, as I progressed from the U13 D-Team hockey all the way up to the 1^st team, I managed to prove not only Mr Bradick but also myself wrong. It showed me that with a little hard work and self-belief, you can achieve more than you think. By simply putting that little bit of extra effort into my work, running that extra bit further for my team (which probably explains why I’m bright red most of the time!) or just putting that extra bit of effort into getting to know someone, it has helped me learn things I never thought I would. It is important to remember success isn’t always straightforward and it’s not about being the absolute best, but instead simply showing up, working hard and being able to laugh even whilst you try to understand what Miss Hallet’s shouting at you from the sidelines. My journey at SVS has taught me that success is rarely linear and that having the determination and drive to pick yourself up and carry on when it gets difficult, is what truly matters.

What has helped me navigate these hard moments has been the unwavering support of those around me. I won’t stand here and pretend that speaking to you all isn’t still absolutely terrifying, but there is no way I could have done this a few years ago and for that I must thank the school. Sutton Valence prepares and provides the support needed to tackle the difficulties in life. From the teachers who believed in me, even when I didn’t in myself, to my friends who have always stood by me and kept me laughing and smiling through the highs and lows. This school has helped me build the confidence that I lacked for so long and given me strength to overcome life’s tests.

To those of you who are currently facing challenges whether they be academic or personal, I encourage you to meet them head on. Speak to those you trust, seek help if you need it but above all, believe in your ability. There will always be moments when you doubt yourself but that is normal and remember that every person has struggled at some stage. What sets the successful people apart is not talent alone but resilience, humility and courage.

As tradition, I shall end with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt – ‘Believe you can and you’re already halfway there’

Thank you for listening and enjoy the Exeat and bank holiday.

Angus B:

Good afternoon school,

I hope you have all had an enjoyable Easter break and are
prepared to embrace the next term at SV. It’s a huge honour to be addressing you this afternoon as Head Boy and I would like to start by thanking Mr Thomas, Mr Sansom and the rest of the senior leadership team for putting their faith in me, I would also like to congratulate Tess on being awarded the position of Head Girl. I’m confident that over our term as Heads of School we will maintain and improve the school environment to the best of our ability.

Being honest, it is not easy to work out how I changed from the quiet and shy boy who started nervously at SVS, to the person who is standing here before you today. But I would like to share some thoughts with you on how Sutton Valence has helped me to grow as a person over the last six years; and perhaps to encourage you to seize all the opportunities that come your way thanks to the efforts of the Headmaster, the staff and of course your hard-working parents. The key, for me at least, is – get involved.

I have to say, I was pretty nervous when I started at SVS as a day boy in 2019. Although I’d had an amazing time at the Prep School, SVS was an entirely different prospect – bigger, scarier and much busier by far. I was wearing my new uniform, tie and polished shoes and I was mostly worried about doing something wrong or silly. At this point, I made a strong start to secondary school life by spilling pasta sauce all over me on Day 1, much to my friends and new tutor’s amusement. Things could only get better from there!

From the start my mum’s mantra was to “get involved”, and it’s hard to think of a better motto. As we all know Sutton Valence is full of opportunities many of which, at the time were brand new to me. But with the occasional nudge from my Mum, I threw myself into as many as I could. Each new activity or club that I tried still made me a bit nervous, whether it was music, shooting or some form of sport. However, the two things I learnt most from were Duke of Edinburgh and CCF both of which I quickly came to love. Both of these can be tough at times, and they’re definitely not for everyone—there’s often a heavy rucksack involved, sore feet, and very little sleep. But I honestly think they’re brilliant. You get to work as part of a team, meet people you might never have crossed paths with otherwise, and challenge yourself in ways that are hard to replicate elsewhere. You learn how to lead under pressure—even when you’re tired, hungry, and stuck with a group who may not always be thrilled to hear your ideas. One moment that sticks with me is arriving at our Gold DofE campsite at 9:30 in the evening after hiking for hours in the dark, running low on water and food and then having to set up tents and get ready for the next day. It was definitely a low point for morale—but also a huge learning moment.

Perhaps the biggest single change was becoming a boarder. I moved into St Margarets in 2021 when my parents were posted to Denmark. There was quite a lot of uncertainty at the time – the Covid pandemic was not yet over, air travel was still difficult and no-one knew when normality might return. I was going to be living
with 50 lads who I hardly knew. But Mr Head, Miss Barden and the rest of the House quickly made me feel welcome, and soon I
settled into the new routines. Boarding had it’s ups and downs; but just like with CCF, Duke of Edinburgh and so much else, the key was to get involved. The
late-night chats, shared prep chaos, and the experience of solo travel back and forth to Copenhagen, all built my confidence more than I could have imagined – as well as my knowledge of how to get to Nando’s in Gatwick South Terminal.

All of us in this room may have slightly different ambitions for our time at SVS. But I am pretty sure that all of us want to leave here confident, happy, and ready to take our next steps in life, whatever they may be. In order to achieve that, I can’t think of a better formula than simply to “get involved”. By doing this, phones can be left behind, new friends made, we see new places, learn new skills, help others and receive help when we need it. We learn that we are not alone, but part of a community of friends, fellow pupils, and teachers who want nothing more than for us to succeed. We also learn what it’s like to get lost, disagree with each other, lose a match, mess up a piece of work – and we learn that we can recover, grow more resilient and do better next time.

Just by being at this school, we are some of the very luckiest people. We are supported by amazing staff, with a plethora of opportunities to learn and grow. It would be criminal to waste this time. On that note I’d like to end in tradition, with a quote from Paulo Kwelyoo “Seize every opportunity that life offers you, because when opportunities go, they take a long time to come back” If you have been, thank you for listening.