Every week at least one of our former pupils lets us know of something fantastic she is doing with her leadership skills – whether that is campaigning for improved disabled access in her college, setting up a charity in Africa or managing large projects at work. Leading people is an enormously beneficial opportunity to have at school and our girls are thankful for the many opportunities given to them.
Girls’ schools have long been pivotal in helping address the inequalities present in our society. Of the five women who are currently, or soon to become, CEOs of FTSE 100 companies, three of them went to girls’ schools and many of our leading female politicians did too.
We can count among our former students the first female Dean in Church of England history, the British High Commissioner to the Seychelles, the Chief Executive of a FTSE 250 company, a prize-winning artist, award-winning photographer, Olympic medallist, celebrity agent, naval commander, doctors, lawyers, architects, civil servants, TV presenter, researchers, engineers, authors and academics... in fact pretty much everything.
The point being that girls' schools, and Queen's in particular, help to redress the gender imbalance that still persists at the highest level in lots of areas of professional life; and we do this by nurturing and empowering girls to get to the top.
Throughout the school, but particularly in Sixth Form, there are opportunities for girls to take a lead role in sports teams, drama groups, bands, ensembles, performances, quiz teams, fundraising groups, House activities, committees and, of course, on the Head Girl’s Team. As a small school, most girls will have several opportunities to lead throughout their time with us and learn what works, what they do well, where they can improve and their own individual leadership style.
Teenagers are not adults and we do not pretend to be the ‘real world’. The school is, however, the perfect stepping stone to ‘the real world’ as it allows girls to have vital space away from societal pressures and expectations. This enables them to grow and develop, to find out who they really are and how best they can use their skills and aptitudes to create a happy, fulfilling and successful life.