Principal's Update 9 Sep 2022 - Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II, 1926 – 2022

At The British School of Beijing, we, alongside millions of people around the world, are mourning Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. Her sense of duty and service were hallmarks of her remarkable legacy as our longest reigning monarch. She has played an important role in so many of our lives over such a long period of time, that it is, indeed, a very sad day.  That said, her life, impact and legacy are a cause for great celebration and, over the coming days we plan to come together as a school community to pay fitting tribute to the Queen.

As a visible mark of respect, we have lowered the Union Flag to half-staff where it will remain for a period of 10 days.

Our school will also pay respect through a book of condolences for colleagues, students and their families to sign, which will then be sent to Buckingham Palace. We will introduce this concept to the students in an age-appropriate way next week and share with you some of their contributions.

We will organise assemblies where we emphasise and celebrate the Queen’s sense of duty and service, including a minute of silence for our older students.

There will likely be a National Day of Mourning in the UK to mark the Queen’s Funeral and whilst we will not close if this is the case, we would respect parents and families who wish to mark such a day, should this be announced.

In deepest sympathy to all that mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth.

Jayne Needham

PRINCIPAL