On Saturday morning I had the tremendous privilege of hearing Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, in conversation with Edward Mortimer, Trustee of the Children’s Radio Foundation, at the University Church in Oxford, where I was taking part in the annual Alumni Weekend, which involved me in chairing a session of …
Category: Headteachers
Sep 03
A new school term … a new hope and excitement
As I write this post, there is a real sense of excitement and anticipation in the air at school. On Wednesday, all the girls return after the summer break, and we will be greeting a fantastic cohort of new girls, as well as welcoming back girls who are continuing on their journey of education and …
Aug 29
A new school beckons: helping your 11 year old child make the transition to senior school
September every year brings the first glimpses of autumn and the end of the year, with a hint of coolness in the air, and days becoming visibly shorter. As the calendar year starts to draw to a close, however, the academic year begins in earnest, and for those children entering Year 7 in the next …
Aug 27
To EBacc or not to EBacc …
Following on from my interview in The Independent on Thursday, I thought that it was worth writing a little more about the EBacc and its consequences. Figures released ahead of GCSE results day and published in The Telegraph indicated that fewer and fewer 16 year olds are taking GCSEs in five strongly academic subjects – …
Aug 25
A celebration of GCSE results … but can we ensure this is one of the last?
GCSE results are out, and they are fantastic – a huge congratulations to all girls at St Mary’s Calne, from Year 9 upwards, who have been awarded their GCSEs. A tally of 79% A*-A is outstanding – well done! Almost two thirds of the girls gained at least 8 A* and A grades. They worked …
Aug 23
School skirts: a matter of human rights?
Ever since this morning’s article in The Times about some schools banning skirts in school from the beginning of the new academic year, I have been waiting with bated breath for the inevitable comment piece decrying the fact that choice has been taken away from girls, and that all girls should have the chance to …
Aug 22
Universities – have they lost their way?
An article in yesterday’s Sunday Times argued convincingly that a university degree was no longer the route to secure employment that it has previously been, and indeed is still reputed to be. When asked in a poll by ICM for Santander, only 20% of employers said that they would be more likely to consider a …
Aug 18
Let’s celebrate A Level achievement!
Today brings news of many fantastic A Level grades, and I congratulate all the Leavers of 2011 from St Mary’s Calne. Nearly 40% of all their grades were A*s, half of them achieved an amazing full marks in one of their papers, and 1 in 5 of them is off to Oxbridge. An ENORMOUS well …
Aug 15
Proud to be a Headmistress: Moira Buffini’s ‘Dinner’ at the Edinburgh Fringe
The very last show I watched at the Edinburgh Fringe before heading back south for exam results week was a show for which I had especially extended my stay in Edinburgh by a day. It was the Fringe debut of a group consisting essentially of 2011 leavers from St Mary’s Calne, presenting an adapted version …
Aug 04
The risk of not taking risks
A quietly uplifting article about Forest Schools appeared in the pages of this week’s Wednesday’s Times. If you can’t read it online, then do at least look at this website about the phenomenon of Forest Schools – this model of outdoor schools, relatively common in Scandinavia, is being adopted by a number of schools in …