“This is your story, your news report. There will be bumps in the road, unwelcome headlines. But there will also be glorious achievements and much happiness.” Sally Biddulph, journalist and presenter.

On Tuesday 1st July, we were delighted to welcome the BGS community for a succession of Prize Giving events, hosted in the beautiful marquee setting within the school grounds.

The Prize Giving events celebrated the success of students from Years 7 up to Upper Sixth, who have gone above and beyond this year.

The prizes ranged from Academic Excellence to Citizenship. Throughout the day, the different year groups celebrated with their peers and enjoyed refreshments and cakes on the lawn, which created a lovely atmosphere for all in attendance. All students engaged in the celebrations as they wrote their personal 'Bold, Imaginative and Reflective' reflections on tags displayed beautifully on boards displayed in the marquee.

During each ceremony the students were treated to wonderful musical and speech and drama performances from their cohort before listening to an address from Acting Head, Mr Gardner, which reflected on the BGS values, in particular, the importance of always being 'Reflective'.

A lively and full marquee saw the Years 11-Upper Sixth prize winners, parents and BGS staff in attendance for the final ceremony, with our special alumna guest speaker, Sally Biddulph (née Mules, BHS 1993). A renowned newsreader for ITV News London during Good Morning Britain and a reporter on the ITV Lunchtime News, Sally read French and German at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. She began her career at Procter & Gamble before moving into journalism.

As Sally stood at the lectern on the stage, the ITV News music opened with the iconic 'bongs', and the TV screens then showed a brilliant, pre-recorded segment by Sally appearing in the ITV news studio with an opening address of: "Hello and welcome to a special Prize Giving speech live on location at Bedford Girls' School. Today we celebrate the class of 2025, their successes, aspirations and achievements. Being Bold, Imaginative and Reflective, looking to their futures and life beyond school."

Sally's address engaged the audience as she shared her journey from Bedford High School to accomplished ITV journalist. Drawing on the school's values of being Bold, Imaginative and Reflective, Sally spoke about the pivotal moments that shaped her career, from her initial rejection from the University of Cambridge to her bold decision to leave Procter & Gamble to pursue journalism.

She reflected on how her love of languages, fostered by teachers like Madame Barnes and Frau Ross (in the audience), became instrumental in her career, and how a single assembly about war correspondent Kate Adie had inspired her path. Sally shared stories from her two decades in television journalism, from breaking news about Princess Charlotte's naming to lighter moments like the European seagull screeching competition that made it onto Gogglebox.

Her speech concluded with powerful advice about embracing life's pivots and viewing education as developing skills to "question, process, synthesise, learn and experiment." Sally's tribute to enduring school friendships, to include former classmate in the audience, whose daughter had performed part of the Counteract rock performance earlier in the ceremony, brought the BGS community full circle. Her final words - "embrace the pivot and go get 'em" and signature sign-off “Sally Biddulph, ITV News, Bedford Girls' School” perfectly captured her inspiring message.

The Prize Giving events perfectly embodied the BGS spirit, celebrating both academic achievement and the school's values of being "bold, imaginative and reflective." Sally's inspiring address provided the perfect conclusion to a day that honoured individual accomplishments and the enduring values that define the BGS community.

View photos from the celebrations here.

Prize Giving programmes

Years 7 and 8, view here.

Years 9 and 10, view here.  

Years 11-Upper Sixth, view here.