News from Head of Prep

Whenever we have visitors to the school they always comment on the confidence, the curiosity and the independence they see in the classrooms, the corridors, in the dining hall and on the sports field. Our girls are the very essence of what it means to be fearlessly female. But this does not just happen. My staff are ambitious, forward thinking and dynamic. They fill their classrooms with thoughts and ideas and the result is that the girls relish the opportunity to learn.

This week, across the school, girls have been immersing themselves in this year's national theme for Black History month, 'Honouring our Communities'. With their research, girls have turned the lens through two levels - the celebrated, art, music, literature, history and beyond and the everyday community-shapers, including people the girls actually know. It is the second level that means our Nursery girls and our Year Six girls can both take part meaningfully. School has been filled with artwork, dance and poetry and we are all looking forward to joining together next week for our Black History Month Showcase.

Also in evidence has been a love of literacy through our immersive Powerful Poetry Competition. As a House Competition, girls have been tasked with reciting a poem of their choice and, for some year groups, this has involved writing those poems too. What our girls are not short on, is enthusiasm. So, it was unsurprising when a Year Six pupil bounded across the playground to proudly share that she had learnt her poem, 'off by heart'! But, the true joy for me came when she shared her poem with me. The poem's title drew me in...'Differences make you Strong'. The girls know that I love to read. I love to read at every opportunity, whether it be tales of adventure and exploration, a philosophical book on life, a book about art or an anthology of poems. So, I was eager find out the name of the poet of this particular poem. It was, of course, the child herself.

Differences Make You Strong                                                                                                                

By Emily

A disability is a difference
That you don’t need to be afraid to show
And after this poem
You will surely know.

Some disabilities are in the body
And some are in the mind
But no matter what they are
Your hands towards them should be kind.

Although some may say
That they are bad or wrong
Sometimes the things that make you different
Are a superpower. You are strong.

Never discriminate against people with differences
Don’t bully them, ignore them or be mean
Take them into your friendships
And let their superpowers shine and be seen.

For me, this is the perfect example of a Fearlessly Female girl.

Wishing you all a peaceful weekend,

Mrs N Hobson

Head of Preparatory School