Foundation Day 2025

Beneath a warm June sky, and following our annual Service of Commemoration for Founders and Benefactors in Chapel, the School assembled on The Quad to mark Foundation Day with parents and distinguished guests.

This year, we were honoured to welcome Natalie Campbell MBE as our Guest of Honour. A dynamic leader and changemaker, Natalie is Co-CEO of Belu Water and Chancellor of the University of Westminster. Her career spans social entrepreneurship, innovation, and public service, including her candidacy for Mayor of London, her work with The Royal Foundation, and her role as co-founder of A Very Good Company (AVGC).

In a wonderfully inspiring, deeply personal, and perfectly judged speech, Natalie, who grew up locally, made an immediate connection with the pupils as she recalled her own childhood journey to school on the 240 bus. With warmth and humour, she shared the challenges and triumphs of her entrepreneurial career, encouraging pupils to “make good trouble” in pursuit of meaningful change.

With Mr David Benson (The Head) presiding, and along with Antony Spencer (CEO, Mill Hill Education Group) and Elliot Lipton (Chair of the Court of Governors), Natalie awarded pupils with our annual prizes; this year including a warmly applauded King Charles III Coronation Medal to Anthony (Fritzy) Albrecht, our long serving School Sergeant Major.

New Senior Monitors Alex C. (Murray), Caroline M. (School), Edie W. (Atkinson), and Cherry Xu (Burton Bank) each shared thoughtful reflections on the year past, their own experiences of Mill Hill, and hopes for the future.

Romina D-Z (Upper Sixth Poet Laureate), delivered her original poem The Final Bell (displayed in full below), and a Vote of Thanks from Mr Benson concluded Prizegiving.

Following the formal proceedings, the ever-popular Foundation Day Luncheon was served on the Head’s Lawn, accompanied by a fine CCF Corps of Drums display and the thrillingly contested Athletics Finals. Cedars House retained the Athletics Trophy, whilst Atkinson and McClure - tied on points after a monumentally competitive year of House events - shared the much-coveted House Shield.

A day of celebration, reflection, and inspiration, Foundation Day 2025 was a powerful reminder of the richness of our traditions, the strength of our community, and the enormous potential of our pupils.

Post Prizegiving Photos

The Final Bell

Written by Romina D-Z, Upper Sixth Poet Laureate

The final bell, it softly rings,
A chapter closed, with folded wings.
The days we’ve counted, slow and fast,
Now memories, part of the past.

The weight of exams pressed on our backs,
With late-night notes and panic attacks.
We walked through storms of doubt and fear,
Not knowing what might wait next year.

But through each trial, hand in hand,
Our teachers helped us learn and stand.
With patient hearts and guiding grace,
They shaped our minds; they gave us space.

To every teacher, thank you so —
You lit the path when we felt low.
You saw our worth, you knew our fight,
You stayed beside us through the night.

To friends who shared both laughs and cries,
Who stayed when all we did was sigh.
You held us up when we fell down,
You turned our silence into sound.

And family — our steady ground,
When dreams were lost or not yet found —
You wiped our tears, you held us tight,
You told us we would be all right.

Now here we stand, all eyes ahead,
With hearts that thump with hope and dread.
The future waits, still undefined,
But we will face it, strong and kind.

So raise a cheer, both loud and proud,
To every voice within this crowd.
We made it through, we found our way,
Congratulations, we end today.