I am currently in Seattle for a couple of days, attending the conference of the US National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls, which I had the privilege of addressing on Sunday. It is a fabulous conference, at the heart of which there is the opportunity to share experiences with colleagues and to grow …
Category: Uncategorized
Feb 25
Marie Colvin – a brave woman who sought to make a difference
You cannot fail to have read or heard this week about the death of Marie Colvin, the Sunday Times journalist who was killed on 22nd February in Syria as she reported on the bloody conflict and the appallingly relentless attack on civilians that continues there day and night. Her death was a shock – a …
Feb 23
Afghan girls paying for their elders’ sins
On my way back from Australia, I picked up a copy of the International Herald Tribune at Singapore’s Changi airport and read a truly shocking story on the front page – a story that was subsequently picked up in the New York Times. It described the practice of ‘baad’, which despite being denounced by the …
Feb 06
The case for girls’ schools
Earlier today I appeared on the BBC2’s Daily Politics – find it on BBC iplayer with today’s date (6th February) – and I was able to talk about the benefits of girls’ schools, which was a real boon. Girls’ schools are such fantastic places, and I am meeting with some colleagues from the US National …
Feb 04
Girls learning to lead: deciding on next year’s Head Girl and her team
I am just about to announce – tomorrow, after our morning assembly – the new positions of responsibilities for our Sixth Form girls for the coming year. The time has come for our final year pupils, with public exams looming, to relinquish their leadership roles and to pave the way for the next generation of …
Jan 23
Parent power at work: ensuring excellence in independent schools
A great article on independent schools appeared in last week’s Times newspaper. Written by the thoughtful and insightful Greg Hurst, Education Editor of the Times, it posed the question ‘Just how good are independent schools?’ and proceeded to look at the evidence. The article quite rightly acknowledged that independent schools come in many shapes and …
Jan 20
Miss-Representation – how we portray women in the media, and what we can do about it
One of the sessions at the UK Girls’ Schools Association Conference in Bristol in November, which I hosted as GSA President, was an uplifting interactive conversation with colleagues from the States. It immediately preceded the arrival of Nick Gibb, Minister of State for Schools, who was delayed; the positive upshot was that we were able …
Jan 15
Keep an eye on the hidden surveys – for they tell a truth we must not forget
Surveys, by their nature, are newsworthy. They give a snapshot of a current issue at the current moment amongst whichever group they target, and as a result they will often make it into the daily news schedule. Sometimes they make a big splash, become major news items and have producers running to elicit requests for …
Jan 10
New Year’s resolutions for a new term
Yesterday, according to the Daily Mail, was the day when most people gave up on their New Year’s resolutions and slipped back into old habits. Apparently, on average, people make the same New Year’s resolution four times in total – and, presumably, break it the same number of times. Opinion is divided on whether the …
Jan 08
An emboldening experience in a Chelsea nightclub …
Last night I found myself in a wine bar/nightclub on the King’s Road, Chelsea, London – not, I hasten to add, where I would normally expect to find myself on a Saturday evening shortly before the start of the Spring Term … or, indeed, on a Saturday night ever. Having arrived unfashionably early, I was …