James Brinkley：满怀热爱的教育者，满怀希望地到来 | A passion for education, a passion for life

Mr. Brinkley has nearly thirty years of experience in education, but before he became a teacher, he was a a professional cricket player, representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup. This experience is a gift. ‘Sport taught me discipline, teamwork and how to bounce back from failures.’

On the pitch, no team wins all the time; the key is to learn from defeat and step back onto the field. This motto is reflected in his daily leadership and into his expectations of pupils.

He has seen countless children gain confidence, leadership and collaboration skills through sport – the school team that was written off but fought its way to the final, the kids cheering their hearts out for teammates in a relay race, and the whole team huddled together after a loss to encourage each other rather than point fingers.

He strongly believes that sport is one of the most powerful tools for building character:

At Bromsgrove School UK, he personally led and coached the school’s sports teams, organised hundreds of sports fixtures every year and large scale inter-school tournaments (upto 15 schools), ensuring every child could find an activity that suited them – for the gifted and talented, and for those who made the efforts.

“I have seen pupils gain confidence, leadership skills and teamwork abilities through sports, music and co-curricular programmes. These experiences often help pupils discover strengths they did not know they had. ” Former pupils said, “the co-curricular experiences at Bromsgrove changed our lives”, which is a powerful message to hear.

The primary education is a crucial time when children form their initial understanding of the world and develop habits. Holistic development and academic achievement are not contradictory but mutually reinforcing. As leadership member of Prep School, Mr. Brinkley has an even deeper understanding of this:

In internet slangs, James Brinkley is a typical high energy person. Apart from all the activities with children at Bromsgrove, he also loves road cycling, rugby, skiing, travel and live sports, and still stays in the habit of playing club cricket.

Mr. Brinkley, his wife Kim, and their two daughters have been living in Worcester for many years. He has the calm confidence of someone who has extensive experience at the same school for twenty‑two years and the courage to embrace challenges and the unknown.

He is particularly looking forward to learning more about Chinese education, traditions, cuisine and language, and experiencing the warmth of Chinese hospitality. He will spend the coming months beginning some Mandarin lessons and working closely with the BMH leadership team to ensure a smooth transition so that he arrives ready to contribute positively from day one.

Before deciding to come to China and become BMH’s new Head of Prep UK, he did plenty of research and preparation. He knows that he will face challenges very different from those in the UK – especially at a bilingual, bicultural school like BMH, where he will have a lot of learning and adapting to do. But with twenty‑five years of experience at Bromsgrove School UK, Mr. Brinkley is confident that he can rise to any challenge.

In early May, Mr. James Brinkley will fly from the UK to Shenzhen to meet the whole BMH community face‑to‑face. He is very much looking forward to meeting the colleagues he will be working with. Please come and meet him on site – all questions will be answered!

Once again, our warmest welcome to Mr. Brinkley!

Looking forward to another brilliant chapter with you here at BMH!