The Girls’ School Association & the benefits of girls’ senior school education: a thought piece from The Head:
“The week before half term I attended a course run by the Girls’ Schools Association down in Stratford-upon-Avon. It was wonderful to be surrounded by like-minded Heads, all of whom are ambassadors for excellence in education.
The Girls’ Schools Association is a group that The Mount is proudly a member of and one who champions girls’ only education. Of course, having chosen an all-girls senior school for your child you already understand the benefits of a school like ours, but I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you.
Having come, most recently, from a co-ed environment what strikes me about the girls at The Mount is the level of respect that they have for each other. I have really enjoyed seeing the celebration of different talents and interests amongst our pupils and that this is possible without the feeling that they need to conform to any stereotypes. This freedom of expression is particularly important and formative during those teenage years when I feel that the advantages of girls’ education really shine through. Our model of a co-ed primary school and all girls’ senior school and College is, I believe, the perfect balance.
I am sure that many of you watched Netflix’s drama Adolescence, as I did. While the show is a piece of drama, not a documentary, it holds up a mirror to the many and varied challenges faced by our modern teenagers. I, as we all do, believe that school should be a safe place where pupils can learn without distraction, be that by behaviour or the desire to fit in and follow the crowd. This is one of the most refreshing things about The Mount, the level of individuality. One of our pupils recently commented that whatever it is that makes you you, The Mount celebrates that, which is a such a wonderful way of expressing the individualised support that our pupils get.
When meeting with Year 11 pupils during my first term I was very taken with the wide range of their ambitions for the future, from veterinary science to stunt performing! Such a range shows that schools like The Mount really do allow and encourage everyone to pursue their own dreams and be ambitious for their future – that we really do celebrate whatever is unique about a person. At an all-girls senior school, girls can gain confidence, develop resilience and become the leaders that they aspire to be. We want our girls to leave us with skills for life rather than just excellent grades.
The Girls’ School Association not only champions girls’ education but also funds a great deal of research into the advantages of choosing an all-girls school for your child. Their research demonstrates that there is a significant advantage for girls attending girls’ schools when it comes to helping young women achieve their life goals and this is certainly my own experience of schools such as ours. You will have heard me speak on the subject of transferable life skills before and this idea forms a fundamental part of our new sixth form programme, Ignite. STEM is certainly an area that I am excited about, here at The Mount, especially given the new cohort of College pupils joining us in September where we see a strong STEM enthusiasm. I look forward to them being further inspired by our excellent staff next academic year.
It is interesting to note that recent data shows that an impressive 50% of Girls School Association alumnae have worked in a STEM related field during the course of their career. This is particularly significant when we consider that only 8% of the overall STEM workforce is female. It is also worth noting that independent research has shown that girls in girls’ schools are more likely to study subjects like Physics and excel academically. We are proud to have the top A level results in York and I do put that success down, in part, to the advantages of our all-girls’ senior school and College model.”
Anna Wilby, The Mount School Head
If you would like to read more about the results of the GSA research projects the information can be found here: https://research.gsa.uk.com/