You may have seen too this week that the Ofsted report on sexual harassment and abuse in schools was released, and can be read here.
This is of course an area being focused on, by absolute necessity, across the board in education and, in some cases, in particular in the independent sector; and we certainly plan to continue our approach of reflection, listening and looking to improve. We have never had a culture of complacency here and we know there is always work to be done and change to be made. The HMC Chair, Sally-Anne Huang, has made this statement:
“Several HMC schools welcomed the opportunity to contribute directly to the report. Our members are already working closely with local safeguarding authorities and the police. They have commissioned reviews of their safeguarding processes and, of course, have been in close dialogue with parents and pupils as well as encouraging further conversations with students and seeking to share best practice. HMC will take due care and time to examine the findings and recommendations of this report, as it deserves, and work with schools, their heads, students and parents, to introduce procedural changes where appropriate and needed, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children.”
So we will continue to reflect and plan as a school, but clearly there is significant work to be done as a sector too.
Just more widely, though, I wanted to touch on the viral activism which is widely exhibited by young people at the moment, and the way in which schools can, cannot, should and should not respond. It’s such a fine balance between allowing our amazing girls to feel heard and valued and respected, and also understanding that we are the ones ultimately setting the tone, pace and structure of what happens, and I wanted to emphasise again that finding this balance is being discussed across the board across HMC, GSA and GDST. I’ll leave for now the final word on this to a very wise sage indeed, former Head Girl, Priyanka Patel, who wrote to me in response to an idea we are forming together that, “It really is people like you and the WHS teachers who make the difference, by acting on the recognition that the wisdom of your generation can be supported and enhanced by listening to and engaging with the voice of ours.”
And that is, in a nutshell, what we are looking to achieve.