Schools are funny things; we are a large collection of pupils and staff, very varied in many ways, encompassing a wide range of backgrounds, different levels of experience, age and expectation and yet we all have one thing in common - we want the best for our pupils. So how is that achieved? It is easy to suppose that we try to find a 'one size fits all' approach, and that we focus on delivering an education that will provide a good fit for the vast majority of pupils.

Perhaps, in some schools, that is true. At Bromley High School, however, we are not prepared to accept this. We pride ourselves in the knowledge that each one of the 900 or so girls and the 150 or so staff that are members of our community are just that - individual members of the community. This means that they have strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, passions and enthusiasms. There is no way that any teacher can provide for all pupils in the class without having this breadth of knowledge and experience at the back of their mind and adjusting their teaching to suit. This process (education speak calls it differentiation) underpins the planning of good lessons, the devising of schemes of work and the selection of resources for teaching. In a good school you would see this process in place in the teaching and learning. But how can a school take it one stage further?

We believe that it is not just differentiation that provides the best education for your daughter but the fundamental provision of excellent pastoral care, from every member of the community towards the girls. If girls feel valued as individuals, if they feel that their teachers understand their needs and interests and if they feel that they are listened to, respected and allowed to develop their talents, they will thrive. Every one of our staff has a pastoral role, whether or not they are a form tutor. All of us work hard to support the girls and develop relationships with them and, crucially, in classes that are on average two thirds the size of those in some schools, we are able to do this. No one should be allowed to slip through the net and every girl should feel that they can be someone. It is our duty to do this for each of our girls. We give each of them the chance to identify and develop their interests and skills - and, crucially without the issues that can develop in a co-educational classroom, the opportunity to thrive.

Louise Simpson, Head, Bromley High School.