Florence Nightingale (12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was a remarkable person. A fiercely independent woman, who railed against the expectations that society imposed on women of her time, choosing instead to educate herself in the art and science of nursing. She was a woman of action who went on to establish the modern nursing profession.

It is this independence and relentless determination to succeed in achieving her goals that we, in House Nightingale, have adopted as our core values. Florence was described as compassionate, committed, diligent and thoughtful. Compassionate in her selfless compulsion to help those in need. Committed to achieving her goals. Diligent, in her tireless work to improve the lives of others and thoughtful about how she might make the biggest and most positive contribution to so many people’s lives. Florence was a woman who always put the needs of others before her own and in House Nightingale we will always try to follow the example set by her as we go about our own daily lives.

As leader of House Nightingale, it will be my honour to lead our students in a way that I think Florence would have approved of. In her own words: “I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.”

Sebastiaan Leber
Head of Nightingale