International Women’s Day took place this week, and its message resonates through the school. We celebrate equality and diversity in all their forms, and take very seriously our responsibility of raising the next generation of women and men to understand why equality and equity matter more than ever. I was involved in a discussion with Year 8 children about the importance of International Women’s Day. The children were wonderfully articulate and demonstrated excellent real-world knowledge when making their points. The ideas discussed ranged from seatbelt design that makes women more likely to be injured in car crashes, to the number of women lawmakers in governments around the world (26%) and in the UK (35%). We discussed the importance of hearing all voices when making laws in order to make decisions that benefit all of the people in our society. At the end, we all agreed that although there had been progress since the first IWD in 1975, there was still more work to be done.
As I mentioned last week, one of the most welcome aspects of the return of normal life has been the mixing of year groups. Middle School joined me for the first time in Celebration Assembly this morning, with the House Captains on hand to announce the Commendations. One highlight of the week saw Year 7 spend time in Year 1 and Year 2, reading some stories that they have been creating in lessons. The smiles on faces say it all – older children taking a role in mentoring the younger ones is an experience that benefits all involved. At St Christopher’s, we very much believe in giving positions of trust and responsibility to our oldest children, and watch with pride as they display genuine care and kindness to those lower down the school. A further example of this is the number of senior children who willingly offered to give up their Saturday morning for our nursery event at Glebe Villas; St Christopher’s children love caring for others, especially those younger than themselves. Year 8 are looking ahead to next term when, after the exams are over, they can spend glorious time in the sunshine with Reception. Many of our current Year 8 pupils have been with us since they were four years old, and still speak fondly of their own Year 8 mentors, who will now be of university age.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head