Finding Balance in a Changing World
8th November 2025
As parents and teachers, we all want our young people to succeed: to achieve their potential, to earn opportunities, and to feel proud of their accomplishments. Yet in our enthusiasm, it can sometimes be easy to focus too narrowly on academic results, forgetting that true success depends on balance.
I was reminded of this last night when I attended a session on emotional intelligence in an AI-driven world, which explored how artificial intelligence is transforming almost every professional field. The message was clear: as technology takes over more routine and analytical tasks, it is our emotional intelligence, our ability to relate, collaborate, and communicate effectively with others, that will increasingly set us apart.
Universities, and later employers, are not looking for students who can only perform well in exams. They seek well-rounded individuals with strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills, the capacity to think independently, and the resilience to adapt to change.
That is why our wide range of extracurricular opportunities is so valuable. While it can be tempting to prioritise academics above all else, experiences beyond the classroom are where many of the most important life skills are developed. Athletics, for instance, with the Braeburn Athletics Tournament at Nyayo Stadium just around the corner, and team sports such as football, netball, and hockey all build teamwork, leadership, and discipline, while also supporting physical and mental wellbeing.
The performing arts offer something equally vital. Through music, drama, including things like our ongoing school production, students develop creativity, confidence, and empathy. In an age when AI can process data but cannot imagine, interpret, or truly create, these human capacities are more essential than ever, even in scientific and technical fields.
Meanwhile, clubs such as EAMUN and debating cultivate critical thinking, diplomacy, and the ability to articulate ideas persuasively, precisely the skills our students will need in the complex, interconnected world they are growing up in.
As we look toward the end of a very busy first term, I would encourage all students, and parents, to remember that balance is not a distraction from success; it is the foundation of it.
Harry Ogonji-Bricknell
Deputy Headteacher Pastoral
