Welcome from Jo Duncan | 20 November 2020

Last week I participated in the annual conference for Heads held by the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA). I have attended the conference every year since 2008, and for the first time, participated online rather than in Manchester. Despite not being able to see the speakers ‘live’ or meet with colleagues and friends in person, the conference was as useful and inspirational as ever.

I believe strongly in girls’ schools because of the important role they play in helping young women to develop the personal attributes and skills to step up and lead. Girls’ schools are an environment in which pupils display the courage to make a difference. As Heads, we were reminded of the importance of this in the period of Covid-19, and more generally, throughout the GSA conference.

As educators, it is our responsibility to take on the challenge of making the world a better place through the way that we are educating. We are working hard with this generation of young women to help them to see what they might be one day and the impact they can have.

This idea is being reinforced by our new Seniors’ Mentoring programme, which began this week. It was my great pleasure to welcome more than twenty Seniors to the first meeting with Upper Sixth pupils and to see them connect and start to build relationships, some of which will take root and grow into important lifelong bonds. You can read more about this initiative in this Newsletter.

As we come to the end of National Anti-Bullying Week, a theme which we have explored in Chapel and tutor times, we are looking forward to a weekend packed with activities. This will be followed by Reading Week where girls are encouraged to engage with the written word, exploring new authors and texts, inside and outside the classroom, before we break for Short Leave on Thursday 26 November.