Speech Day 2025

On Monday 15th December 2025, we were delighted to invite our wonderful ex-year 11 and 13 students to celebrate their outstanding exam results and achievements this summer. It was a joyous occasion to see family, friends and teachers come together to celebrate all the hard work of our students.

The ceremony was hosted by our Senior students, who started the celebrations with a summary of Presdales life over the last academic year. With a special mention to the amazing achievements of each subject, and recognition of the trips and extra-curricular activities which are available to all students. It truly did make us realise just how many opportunities the students are provided with, even in the short space of a year.

Throughout the celebrations we were graced with some beautiful music by our very gifted students in Year 11, 12 and 13: The Swan from Carnival of the Animals, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square and the Canzonetta from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major. Together, these performances created a truly memorable occasion, celebrating the remarkable musicality and exceptional talent within our school.

To continue our acknowledgement of rising stars, we were lucky enough to welcome back Lottie Mills, to give an inspiring and motivational speech. Presdales alumna class of 2019, Lottie has gone on to become the winner of the BBC Young Writers’ Award 2020 and published her first book of Monstrum which was longlisted for the 2025 Dylan Thomas Prize.

First joining Presdales in Year 9, Lottie felt instantly supported, more so than ever before and although she understood her diagnosis, she and her family chose to live by their catchphrase, “turn every disadvantage into an advantage”, refusing to accept the limitations and low expectations set by her doctors. With her sheer resilience, determination and unwavering support of her family, those expectations were not only surpassed but completely redefined. This was then further championed by her teachers here at Presdales which enabled Lottie to overcome every obstacle in her path and achieve a place at Cambridge University, to then go on to become a published author. All those fortunate enough to hear her speak so eloquently were visibly moved and we are immensely proud of everything Lottie has accomplished; she is truly an inspirational role model for our students and a powerful embodiment of the Presdales values of ambition and resilience.

To round off the celebrations, we invited our ex-head and deputy head girls to give the valedictorian. Esme Sabin, Zuriel Adetifa and Jessica Ward explained how lovely and welcoming it felt to return to Presdales. They noted how it is only when you leave the caring arms of such a school that you notice the level of support and opportunities which they had available to them. They felt honoured to have to come to such a special, supportive school and shared their appreciation for how all the staff here had helped to set them up for their next exciting chapter ahead.

We are so proud of our students, and everything they have achieved. We thoroughly enjoyed celebrating together as they head into their future endeavours.