11th Dec 2024
As we approach our centenary year at Belmont House School, we wanted to look back, and reconnect with former pupils, near and far.
Here we have seven thoughtful questions that we ask our alumni focusing on their lives, successes, and the school’s influence.
Name: Lauren Stewart
Time period as a pupil at Belmont House: 2005 – 2017
Current Occupation: Production Controller at BBC
How did your time at Belmont House School shape your career path?
My time at Belmont House School, shaped my career by firstly shaping me as the person I am today. Having first put on the purple blazer as a 4-year-old starting in Mrs Cairn’s class in 2005, to leaving highschool in 2017. My time at Belmont allowed me to be equipped for any chosen career path by giving me the confidence to believe in myself. I was pushed academically and encouraged to try all both in and out the classroom.
Can you share a key moment or memory from your time at Belmont that had a lasting impact on you?
A key memory during my time at Belmont, would be a choir trip to London. Led by the wonderful Mrs Smart, we joined thousands of other pupils across the UK in singing at ‘Voice in A Million’. This was a first London trip for me, and I can still remember getting goosebumps on the night (and the songs we sang) to raise money for such a noble cause.
What skills or lessons learned at Belmont have been most valuable in your professional life?
The most important skills I have learned from Belmont are the ones taught out with lessons with my fellow pupils and teachers – my people skills. Here I learned how to conduct myself appropriately for various situations, which has allowed me to in turn get the best out of others – critical for my current career path.
In what ways did Belmont House School’s community or culture contribute to your personal growth?
The culture at Belmont for me has always been about inclusion and the relationship made. I still have close friends, met at the ripe age of 4 that I still see and talk about our times at school– in fact, we are just back from a trip to Italy (warm, not skiing)!
Can you describe how Belmont’s teachers or extracurricular activities helped shape your future ambitions?
Belmont always encouraged extracurricular activities and ‘giving things a go,’ so whilst I am no violinist nor football player, I can say I tried. My main interests have always been in drama and performance. This was developed through Mrs Speculand’s Speech and Drama class in Junior school with a few fellow classmates. This allowed me, to be me and learn through less traditional means. This was further developed through choir and drama, throughout all my school years and now not so shockingly I work within the creative industry.
What advice would you give to current Belmont students who want to follow a similar path to yours?
To anyone who would like to go down a less traditional career path like mine within film and TV I would say, do not underestimate your traditional education needs, a solid foundation will always be advantageous. I would also say try things and get involved, following your passion, whether it be drama, rugby, choir, books, biology whatever it is you might learn a new skill, but you will always have a story from it.
Looking back, how do you feel Belmont House School prepared you for the challenges and opportunities you’ve faced in life?
I was extremely fortunate to have attended Belmont throughout my entire education and within this time I was built up to have confidence within myself. This going forward in life is something I have brought to interviews, meetings and my general day to day going about. I feel empowered to still try new things, to effectively communicate my ideas to others and to challenge those ideas that I do not agree with or do not fully understand.
Our thanks to Lauren for sharing her experiences – would you like to feature as part of our Alumni of Belmont House School? Please feel free to get in touch with Richard Doak via email: RDoak@belmontschool.co.uk
