Welcome Nicola Dudley, the new Head of QM

We are delighted to officially welcome Nicola Dudley, our new Head. In her first assembly this week, Nicola reflected on the excitement, anticipation, and nervous energy of starting at a new school, sharing that she is “delighted to introduce myself to you all” and looks forward to becoming part of the QM Family. Nicola has already begun meeting students, immersing herself in school life, and is eager to support everyone in making this year one that is full of lifelong memories and new opportunities.

As we come to the end of the first week this term, we’re pleased to share her full speech - its message to students and staff will also undoubtedly resonate with parents and families.

Monday 2nd September Assembly

Good morning and a very warm welcome to this new school year at QM!

It was wonderful to meet so many of you yesterday. One delightful girl I met on one of my visits in June described me as a mythical figure - talked about but never met. I am pleased to say I am very real and here delighted to introduce myself to you all. And I very much look forward to meeting you all and getting to know you in the coming weeks as I become part of this special QM family.

As I prepared myself for the start of this exciting new chapter in my own life - new school, new location, new people, new routines - I can tell you it is with a sense of excitement, nervous anticipation and a dose of adrenaline created by new challenges.

You too will all be feeling a sense of anticipation - if it is an important exam year, or you are taking on new responsibilities, new subjects, new sports, and of course if you have just joined Queen Margaret’s and this is your first term here. A particularly special welcome to all new girls. I know from my own personal experience how warm the QM welcome is - everyone is here to help you settle in quickly and I know you will be very happy here.

It may surprise you to know that teachers, housemistresses, all staff will also be feeling a sense of anticipation. No matter how many new school years you have welcomed in, there is always that sense of nervous energy at the start of a new year, those butterflies in your stomach.

What will this year bring? Huge rewards, new friendships, new learning, fresh insights, undoubtedly a few challenges, and of course memories.

My memories of my own school years are still incredibly strong even though it is quite some years ago now.

Last year I was clearing out our old family attic, and I came across my old school trunk.

My trunk - mottled green/brown, rusty hinges - definitely rather old fashioned. I had to go through a big box of miscellaneous old keys to find one which would open the rusted locks and on opening the trunk I was hit by a very musty smell.

This trunk had been passed down from my mother to my sister to me… all alumnae of the same school. I spent 7 years in an all-girls boarding school not dissimilar to QM aged 11-18. I had to pack and repack my trunk at the start and end of every term. - a well-embedded routine by the end of 21 terms.

On coming across this trunk after years had passed, it was incredible how memories came flooding back.

• The emotions, generally of excitement and anticipation, of returning to a new school term or similarly of looking forward to returning home for the holidays. Our family dog regularly trying to climb into the trunk as I packed to come back to school with me.
• The very vivid emotions of my first day at school. Meeting the lifelong friend I made on my first day in school.
• The fairly lengthy uniform list we had to pack, and get checked off by Matron on arrival - we too had cloaks although navy not the vibrant red of the traditional QM cloaks - but we had the colour of our house sewn into the insides of the hoods - mine was bright yellow.
• Then onto memories of activities I took part in. The rich musical life I enjoyed in school, being part of the orchestra, band and chapel choir; the strong team spirit we enjoyed in lacrosse and the particularly competitive interhouse lacrosse (or lax) matches - I remember our house prided ourselves on our 7 am lacrosse practices, even in the winter, to give us the competitive edge. I remember Saturday sports fixtures, long coach journeys to play schools at lacrosse or tennis around England, match teas, and which schools gave the best match teas!
• I remember clearly my teachers and housemistresses who all provided me with great support.
• I remember struggling with French in my first two years, feeling I was behind my peers having not done it previously, then going on a French exchange, coming back inspired to make progress, proudly achieving 97% in the next assessment, and that was me set with my love of learning languages for life influencing my future subject choices, university course and impacting my career pathway when I found myself most recently working in a bilingual French-English speaking environment in my last school in Switzerland.
• Memories of boarding life and dormitory antics. Being encouraged with increasing rigour to settle down and stay in our dorms after lights out. One particular memory of a nighttime wander between dorms and being confronted in the dark corridor by the Housemistress’s dog - a huge Great Dane which was almost bigger than me - that made me retreat very quickly.
• Two incredible school trips stuck with me: a French/History trip to the battlefields in Northern France and a choir tour in Italy, singing in beautiful churches in Venice and Florence including the great Duomo.

You will recognise some of these memories and experiences as your own. School education has evolved significantly since my time at school - for starters mobile phones and laptops didn’t exist and we had to queue for one of the two house payphones if we wanted to call home. But many of the features which make a school such as QM such a special place, remain similar and core to the school - the ethos, shared memories and traditions.

I certainly led a busy life in school and I am absolutely clear that the breadth of opportunities I enjoyed, the culture of getting involved, those times I was maybe encouraged to give things a go even if I didn’t want to, has played a big part in my approach and interests today.

My school environment instilled in me a strong work ethic, independence, certainly resilience, and open-mindedness to opportunities and to getting along with other people. I worked hard and played hard and definitely had fun in the process. It gave me the courage to follow my passions. I have continued this approach with an openness to opportunities that have taken me out of my comfort zone and led to new adventures, most recently with jobs working in schools in Hong Kong and Switzerland.

As we embark on a new school year, I encourage you all to do the same. Look out for each other, encourage each other through kindness, be open to new friendships, have fun, be curious, embrace opportunities and have the courage to step out of your comfort zone. By embracing opportunities, new doors will open. Be open to new learning - I will certainly be learning a lot over these opening weeks and asking lots of questions as I get to know the school.

Look at QM as your home away from home - we are here to help you, support you and help you to make the most of your time. QM is a community which through its character, traditions, and the kindness of its people, creates a sense of belonging and connectedness which will stay with you for life.

You will be making so many lifelong memories during your time here. You will in time look back and recognise how your QM career has influenced your life pathway. Over the coming few days, I encourage you to each think about what you want to achieve and experience this year or over the coming few years. What do you want to be in your trunk of memories at the end? Be deliberate about your goals but also embrace the unexpected and there will be so much more in your trunk than you can ever imagine now. There will be highs and lows, successes and failures, but that is all part of the rich tapestry of your school experience. I very much look forward to seeing everything you throw yourselves into and achieve over the coming year.