Oct 06

What a world-class education really means

One of the other speakers I very much enjoyed listening to at the IAPS conference (see my blog on Sunday) was a teacher from Windlesham House School in West Sussex, a prep school teaching girls and boys up to the age of 13. He was speaking about the partnership that Windlesham has with The CRED Foundation, which enables the school to take trips abroad, to developing countries, on expeditions which are mutually transformative, and the pictures he showed and the stories he told were captivating.

Through CRED, groups of boys and girls from Windlesham have been out to help in projects in Africa and now India – visits which by all accounts have changed the lives of the participants quite profoundly. To see poverty up close, and to do something to help put it right – this was the opportunity that these young citizens had, and they grasped it with both hands. Whether it was by teaching, or by playing games, or simply by connecting and building relationships, the visitors were able not only to gain an insight into the issues facing the whole of humanity, but also to seek to do something about them.

This was a fabulous opportunity, and it made me reflect on the purpose of the education to which we devote our time in schools. Independent schools in the UK – all independent schools, not just prep schools – set their sights extremely high in all that they do, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the aims that we set ourselves to ensure that the education we offer to our students is absolutely excellent – world-class, in fact. A world-class education must be worthy of the name, and cannot be restricted to the development of the individual alone, although this is an important part of it; rather, it must allow for the growth of the individual into a social, socially-aware, socially-responsible, human being who understands and is sensitive to the needs of the wider, global community, and who is prepared to make a difference.

I feel this incredibly strongly in my role as an educator; hearing the stories of 12 year olds last week, and the change these experiences have wrought in their lives, inspired me yet further. We should all be seeking to change the world for the better. If you haven’t started yet, it is never too late to begin.

Oct 04

“Women earn more than men”: should we be excited?

An article in yesterday’s Independent by Richard Garner, the Education Editor, drew attention to the content of this year’s Elizabeth Johnson Memorial Lecture at the Institute of Physics. Betty Johnson, who died in 2003, was a great supporter of women in the sciences, and in her honour, this lecture this year was given by Mary Curnock Cook, the chief executive of UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. She spoke in part about figures published by the UK Office of National Statistics, in their Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, which revealed how women of a certain age group (22-29) have started to earn more than men, and it was this figure that made the headlines. Is it indeed proof that the gender pay gap is closing, or even that women’s qualifications are translating into better-paid jobs in the workplace?

Delving further into the statistics shows us that the news isn’t perhaps as positive – or, indeed, in an age where we are used to seeing stories of a persistent pay gap, as unusual – as the headline in the Independent suggested. For a start, the difference is very slight – a difference of a few pence an hour, hovering around the £10 an hour mark. Besides, this pay difference is restricted to this particular age group of 22 to 29 (and given that the average age to have a first baby in the UK is now 29, this may be a significant cut-off point). Overall, the picture is not so rosy either – while junior women managers now earn £21,969 on average, ie £602 more than men at the same level, female managers in general are paid on average £31,895 per year, which does not compare nearly as well with the £42,441 that men are paid on average for doing the same job. It is no surprise, then, that while the mean net graduate premium – the amount by which lifetime pay is boosted through degree level qualifications – is £108,000, this splits into an unequal £121,000 for men and only £82,000 for women.

Still, we should not be too pessimistic – any signs that men’s and women’s pay is growing closer together are encouraging as we strive to move our society towards a situation in which gender inequality is not even an issue. This is not about women seeking to be superior to men, nor is it even about particular women always seeking to be paid the same as particular men (although to be fair, if they are doing the same job, then they should be!). Statistics are a crude measure and do not discriminate between individuals of different characters, aptitudes, experiences and suitability for any particular job; they are a fair indicator, though, of trends, and one trend we would need to see in order to ‘park’ the whole issue of gender inequality would be precisely the sort of trend to which Mary Curnock Cook was drawing attention. In the meantime, it seems sensible to continue setting the kind of target, however aspirational, which Lord Davies broadly recommends in his report for the number of senior women on boards. Unless we set ourselves goals, we will not get to where we should be in this respect.

So in the light of this news, let us all – in equal (no pun intended) measure – celebrate, be cautious, and determine to make sure that the issue does not yet fade from our consciousness.

Oct 02

How a hijack revealed the immense power of humanity

One of the privileges of being President of the Girls’ Schools Association is being invited to the annual conferences of the other UK Heads’ Associations, and last week I was a guest at the IAPS conference of Prep School Heads, which this year was held in Birmingham. It was a super conference with a stimulating theme of ‘Torch Bearers – Key Relationships in Shaping Society’, and it was great to be able to spend three days talking and thinking about the relationships we foster in our schools, which is one of the amazing strengths of the independent schools’ sector.

The speakers were inspirational, and one particularly inspirational – and moving – speaker was Mike Thexton, who told the story of how he was involved in the hijacking of Pan Am flight 073 in Karachi in 1986. He has written a book about the incident ‘ What happened to the hippy man? ‘ which refers to his rather unkempt appearance at the time (he was returning from a climbing expedition to honour his brother, who had died in the Himalayas, climbing without oxygen). In the early stages of the hijack, one passenger was shot, and Mike was chosen as the next man to die. He spent hours kneeling at the front of the plane, by the door, waiting to be shot, until he was eventually sent back to his seat. The ordeal did not end particularly well – 20 people were shot in a mass shooting by the hijackers – but Mike managed to escape, and live.

He spoke in a very matter-of-fact way about the incident, and had us captivated, holding our breath in shock and awe. It was a powerful presentation. Two points in his narration were particularly powerful, though. He told the story of the air hostess who, when told to collect in the passports of the passengers for the hijackers to select their victims, demonstrated incredible courage in ‘losing’ the passports of the white Americans who were on the flight – judging, rightly, that they would otherwise be the first to die. It struck home – I remembered the story of bravery and resilience in another hijacking experienced b a dear friend of mine, which you can read about on her website.

He also told his own story – of how, at the front of the plane, a bullet away from death, he not only said goodbye in his head to all his family and those dear to him, but he decided that he did not want to die angry, and that he would forgive the hijackers. He did, and he found an amazing peace and calm.

The strength that comes from going beyond the everyday, from rising above concerns with the self, and taking a bold, brave leap into concern for others, even in the face of tremendous adversity, is phenomenal. Terror may be an extraordinarily disempowering, imprisoning force – but we break free when we decide, consciously, that we are greater than the bodies in which we inhabit our lives – we are part of this amazing body of humanity.

To be courageous and to forgive – two choices which we can all make.

Sep 30

Having 3 children doesn’t have to damage your career

If you have time, do read these two online articles: the first, entitled ‘Working Moms: Women With Three Children Less Likely To Have Jobs Than Those With Two, Study Says’, reports on the findings of a research study in Australia, published in July, which looked at how women with more than two children were less likely to be in employment than women with fewer than two children. The second, on bnet.com, written by Laura Vanderkam, is called ‘More Kids Won’t Kill Your Career-Unless You Want Them To’ and takes slight issue with the findings, pointing out that the figures are less depressing than mothers of three or more children might think.

I might be said to have a vested interest, as I have three children of my own and a career, but in fact I was just curious to explore why it might be that the study findings were as they were (other than, of course, the obvious costs both financially and in time of managing large families). What was really interesting, however, was that despite the headline – which re-emphasised the ‘difficulty’ aspect of working motherhood, as captured too in the film and book ‘I don’t know how she does it’ (see my previous blog) – the facts were somewhat different. In fact, an average of 55% of the women with three children interviewed in the study actually did work outside the home. This means that women with three children were more likely to work than not to work – a fact which did not make the headlines. Given that only 21% of women under 30 with three children were working, (not surprising, as it is quite hard to manage to have three children before the age of 30 as well as study and work), then this suggests that a much higher proportion of older women with three children were working too.

So the picture is not bleak at all … but in any case, I would question whether we should even worry about statistics, except in as far as they highlight areas where employers need to address hurdles which prevent women from working and having families. Let’s move instead away from an entrenched position where we assume that life is difficult for working mothers; what really matters is that women are allowed to make their own choices, and that there is nothing to prevent this happening. As Laura Vanderkam says at the end of her article, ‘Sure, it’s challenging, but so are most things that are worth doing in life. Three kids doesn’t have to be the kiss of death, and isn’t for most Australian women, apparently. Even if that didn’t make the headlines.’

Indeed.

Sep 27

Re-forming the state education landscape in this country

There has of late been a whirlwind of activity in the field of national educational debate in the UK, with a drive on the part of Government to encourage independent schools to sponsor failing state schools as they become Academies – effectively, semi-independent state schools. (I say ‘semi-independent’ because I have yet to be convinced that Academies will have the true independence experienced by fee-paying independent schools, which can – albeit within a regulatory framework designed to keep children safe – respond immediately and effectively to the needs of their children and their parents.)

At a lunch last term at Guildhall in the City of London, Michael Gove said that independent schools should ‘hang their heads in shame’ if they did not sponsor an Academy; at a meeting in Downing Street earlier this month both David Cameron and Michael Gove made a similarly robust case for independent schools to take over state schools; a symposium on Academies at Wellington College last Thursday was well-attended by the great and the good in the independent sector; independent school leaders are meeting with Government officials – the Girls’ Schools Association, for instance, met with Dr Elizabeth Sidwell, the Schools Commissioner, last week. It seems very much as though there is a movement which is taking us towards a blurring of the boundaries between state and independent education, and there seems to be a cross-party commitment to the Academies programme.

Why is the Academies programme so important? The argument is as follows: education is without doubt vital for the future of the young people in this country and for the country as a whole. There are too many under-performing schools, which are blighting the education and aspirations of too many young people. A good – great – school has a strong, aspirational ethos, outstanding teachers and strong, robust, autonomous leadership. Independent schools have this expertise, this ‘DNA’, as Lord Adonis called it several years ago. It takes only a small step of the imagination to see that the state sector could benefit from the involvement and engagement of the independent sector.

So why should independent schools even entertain the notion of ploughing time, effort, and – no doubt, in due course – financial resources – into state education? This question has yet to be answered in the minds of many, and many more are extremely cautious, but when the answer comes, it will be connected with the original charitable aims of our independent schools, many of which were set up to educate the poor and disadvantaged. It will also be because as educators we have a strong sense of moral purpose in what we do, and this means reaching out beyond what we do in school to the wider community and world. It will be because we recognise that we have huge experience in running extraordinarily fine schools, and that we have a responsibility to share this. And it will be because we understand that our pupils will benefit when our teachers will gain an even greater breadth of experience.

There are many difficult hurdles ahead, both practical and conceptual – the relationship between Government and schools, for example, not to mention the thorny issue of funding and investment (who pays and how much?). No school should be rushing into this kind of relationship. But when you look at all the successful and mutually rewarding partnerships we already have in place across the independent-state divide, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that we might edge yet closer.

If our young people benefit, then we owe it to them at the very least to consider it.

Sep 25

The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling: do single-sex schools really make pupils more sexist?

I wish that I could gain access to the full study published in this month’s edition of Science journal which appears to conclude that single-sex education is bad, wrong, immoral, not worth it – you can imagine the tone. As the website of the American Association of the Advancement of Science, who publish Science does not allow free access to the whole article, I have had to make do with the summary, and with the number of press articles (including in the Telegraph) picking up the highlights (possibly from edited press releases, although I would hope that the AAAS have given education journalists access to the full report).

I would love to read the whole article, partly because I enjoy soaking up research on anything to do with education, but partly too because I am extremely curious to see what makes the authors of this report so certain of their conclusion. I have no issue with them claiming that ‘there is no well-designed research showing that single-sex (SS) education improves students’ academic performance’, as I suspect that they are probably right – how would one design such research in a way that was ethically and practically acceptable? Besides, each young person is a unique individual; how can we ever be certain that what works for one person will work for another? And at what point in their life could we take a stand and draw a conclusion about the effect of their school experience – at 18, 30, 65? And how would we distinguish their experience of schooling from all the other experiences they will have had in their lives? And how could we pull apart all the very, very many aspects that make up education or schooling anyway: different teachers, teachers at different times of the day, teachers at different stages of their lives, teachers with different life stories who interact with their charges in different ways as a result – and so on, to name but a few?

I do, however, have a problem with the authors of this report claiming that this lack of scientific evidence makes single-sex education ‘deeply misguided’. If there is no evidence to suggest that single-sex education is better or worse than co-ed education, as they claim, then the same must be true of co-education. And what evidence are they drawing on to conclude that ‘sex segregation increases gender stereotyping and legitimizes institutional sexism’? This is so far removed from my experience of single-sex education that I find it completely perplexing. When a statistical analysis conducted by the Girls’ Schools Association shows that, ‘compared to all girls nationally, in GSA schools over 70% more girls took A level maths; over 50% more girls took a science at A level; over 90% more girls took a physical science (physics or chemistry) at A level; over 80% more girls studied French, German or Spanish at A level.’, then you have to wonder how the authors of this new report came to their conclusion. Surely they haven’t fallen into the trap of judging schools today by the outcomes of schools several decades ago, when our social history was very different?

The aspect of the report, though, which caused me quite simply to put the report out of my mind and file its conclusions as verging on opinion rather than fact is the affiliation of all of its authors: ‘All authors are founders and uncompensated board members of the nonprofit American Council for CoEducational Schooling.’ As I said in my letter to the Telegraph the day after the news was published, which was sent on behalf of the Girls’ Schools Association, I sense a strong self-interest here in the research group reaching such a radical conclusion. What a shame that this should undermine a legitimate research goal.

By all means let us keep researching the area of single-sex education, as every other part of education, in the search for what helps young people learn and grow into well-rounded, well-grounded young adults. Let us debate, let us share experience, let us develop good practice. But let us recognise too that in a healthy national and international education system there will always be sufficient choice for parents to be able to find the right place at the right time for their daughters and their sons, and a part of this must be choice in schools with different gender balances. I know some great single-sex schools, and I lead one myself. The girls emerge as amazingly well-balanced human beings, with a self-knowledge and ease of being which surpasses most of their expectations, and those of their parents. I would defy any of the researchers to come and experience my girls’ school and still think single-sex education was even remotely ‘misguided’!

Sep 23

Women’s depression rates: how can we prevent them rising further?

A relatively well-considered article in the Daily Mail last week drew attention again to the rise in the number of women who are being treated in this country for depression, and who are as a result of this diagnosis are being prescribed anti-depressants. As usual in the Daily Mail, it is important to read beyond the sensationalist title, which accuses (on this occasion) drugs companies of cynicism in encouraging prescriptions of their own products; equally, it is important to gloss over the usual embedded criticisms of women – especially working women – which surface briefly. And do – as ever – steer clear of the comment streams which follow the article, which contain polarised, ancient views of women which can border on the ludicrous.

This aside, the main drive of the article is that we do not really know why women suffer from depression more than men, although we have a fair inkling that it lies in the speed at which social change has occurred over the past few decades, and the impact that this has had emotionally and physically on women’s lives. This change, of course, is to be welcomed: with every decade we move closer to a situation where gender inequality is no longer a reality, and where women and men are able to be more authentically themselves. It stands to reason that when we reach such a harmonious state – and I am under no illusion that this will be hard to attain – then we will end up with a happier, healthier, more balanced society.

What we must not forget, though, is the period of time between now and then. Change is hard; transition causes stress, and the psychological hardships experienced by women and men in relation to their shifting gender roles should not be underestimated. Drugs, as part of an arsenal of approaches to help ease this transition, can of course be of benefit. The point of the article, though, is that we should be more robust; more appropriate than drugs, perhaps, are personal counselling and guidance to help women deal with these enormous changes.

This makes perfect sense. We should be supporting all our women, young and old, to make the most of themselves, and we should not be afraid to stand up and argue for this kind of help. Muddling through will get us only so far; the more resources we can devote to enabling women to develop strength and resilience, the better. Girls’ schools make a phenomenal starting point; the medical profession should catch up.

Sep 20

“I don’t know how she does it” … or do I?

Media and lifestyle critics have been engaged in a frenzy of comment these past couple of weeks over the film ‘I don’t know how she does it’, based on the 2002 bestseller book of the same title by Allison Pearson. The film stars Sarah Jessica Parker as the heroine Kate Reddy, who balances (or doesn’t) life as an investment manager with life as a mother, and you cannot have failed to see the coverage: endless comment pieces about how true or not the film is, and countless reviews, most of which say it is an ‘all right’ sort of a film – lighthearted and without huge substance, but moderately entertaining. It is in the mould of most films, then – and there is nothing wrong with light entertainment, after all.

I haven’t of course seen it – not enough time while actually balancing work and family – but I can appreciate its content. Interestingly, however, although the main thrust of the comment pieces has been that ‘this has happened in my life too’, there is an ascerbic tinge both (according to reviewers) to the movie, and to the commentaries on it. The competition that can exist between women is highlighted – encouraged even – and it is debatable how helpful this is in our striving to move things forward more generally for women, including working mothers. The debate for women often centres around the question of whether it is possible ‘to have it all‘, and there is a certain malicious delight – not a pleasant emotion – which often seems to surface when it becomes clear that you can’t actually have everything in life.

But what a foolish assumption to make in the first place! Taken to its extremes, of course you can’t have everything in life – every consumer good, every experience, every state of being. To have children and not have children at the same time; to live simultaneously in New York, Delhi and the wilds of West Africa … how absurd even to contemplate it! We can add experiences to our lives, and this is one of the messages we should be communicating to our young people – make the most of your opportunities, and you will lead a richer life – but just think of all the information there is in the world: how ridiculous to expect we could know, or even encounter, a fraction of all of it! So much is unknowable, so much is impossible to do.

Seen with in this context of the truly impossible in life, it seems eminently possible to consider that we might be able to conduct the relatively simple actions of (a) having children and (b) working. Why on earth do we create such a fuss about it? It doesn’t mean that it is easy – but why would we expect it to be? Everything that is worth anything in life requires hard work, and therein lies the satisfaction of it. What matters is our attitude to it – a positive, optimistic, ‘can-do’ attitude, which acknowledges that there is no such thing as perfection, and that this is fine. We need to change the language around women’s lives – ‘choices’, not ‘compromises’, for example.

So … do enjoy the film. I expect that I will at some later stage in the future, but it doesn’t worry me not to be able to see it now. In the meantime, go and enjoy your family and your work. We do know how she does it, just as we know how we do it – with humour, determination, and an embrace of all that life has to offer. Go for it!

Sep 19

Kofi Annan, children’s radio, and the immense power of charitable action

On Saturday morning I had the tremendous privilege of hearing Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, in conversation with Edward Mortimer, Trustee of the Children’s Radio Foundation, at the University Church in Oxford, where I was taking part in the annual Alumni Weekend, which involved me in chairing a session of Q and A with the Vice-Chancellor in the Sheldonian. Hearing Kofi Annan speak, however, was a highlight of the weekend: it was the first time I had heard him in person, and I was struck forcibly by his dignity, presence and total commitment to making the world a better place. Since retiring from the UN in 2006, Mr Annan has devoted his time to continuing to press for better social policies for the poor and vulnerable, particularly in Africa, and he has also been an active mediator in areas of conflict – in Kenya, for example, in the terrible post-election violence in 2008. He is also a member of the Elders. He had agreed to speak in Oxford to highlight the fantastic work being done by the Children’s Radio Foundation, who empower young people by giving them a voice in the medium which is still the most effective means of communication throughout the great continent of Africa, and it was fascinating to hear of their work.

Perhaps it is because I am more attuned to them personally, having reached that stage in my life where I have a voice and the means and network to support them, but I have the glorious sensation at the moment of seeming to encounter charitable ventures at almost every turn. A week ago I was visited by an Old Girl of St Mary’s Calne who lives in Zambia, in the town of Livingstone, and who is organising a series of events and projects to mark David Livingstone’s bicentenary, raising money too for the Anglican Street Children’s Project. On Friday night I met a fellow alumnus of Oxford University who has recently set up a charity, Mardi, to connect recent graduates of a number of universities in order to share knowledge and experience to help charity organisations in the developing world. Throughout 2011 I have been supporting – through school and through the Girls’ Schools Association – two major charities: The Prince’s Trust (South West) – and in particular their Women Into Enterprise programme, giving business grants to disadvantaged young people – and Plan UK, the children’s charity, which does amazing work in 50 countries around the world to support young people, and which lobbies governments to make a change for the futures of the youth of the world. Their ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign has been – and continues to be – far-reaching, and seeks to address the issue that 75 million girls in the world are not in education. I will have the huge privilege of accompanying them in October this year on a field trip to one of their projects in Bangladesh, where they are working to reduce the instances of early and forced marriage, which prevent millions of girls each year from completing their education.

In all of this work done by the people I meet, I see the real power of action, and what can be achieved in this world if people put their mind to making a difference. We all have our own families to care for, our own circles of friends, our own jobs and organisations to tend … but in addition, if we are to be global citizens and contribute to the development of humanity, then we must all realise that our responsibility – and our capacity to influence – spreads out beyond our immediate relationships. It is incumbent upon all of us to reach out to others and to help make the world a better place.

I asked Kofi Annan a question on Saturday: what advice would he give the girls and young women in my school about what they could do to help? His response was that they should go beyond what they do at home and at school and stretch out to give to others. “If each of us does something, collectively we will make a difference.”

Great words from a great man. Let us heed them.

Sep 15

It is natural to feel conflicting emotions about your children going to university

With the new university term now fast approaching – and just started for some – it is natural for parents of first-time university students to feel very strange. Such a conflict of emotions – pride in your child for gaining a place and hope for the future, for new relationships and new horizons, balanced against fear of the unknown, of what they might encounter, and fear too of the aching gap that they will leave in your home. No matter how infuriating your teenager can be at times, she or he is still essentially your baby, whom you have nurtured and cared for, through thick and thin, for the past 18 or 19 years. Is it really time for them to leave?

These are entirely natural, human feelings. You have invested enormously in your child – not just financially (try not to think about how much this is, but an article in the Guardian last year set the figure at over £200k … excluding school fees), but, more pertinently, emotionally. Although as parents we understand rationally that our children are their own independent selves, emotionally we are bound to see them as extensions of our own selves. A part of us resides in them, and while we want the very, very best for them, and we know that this means that they must leave us and forge their own path in life, nonetheless a strong tie holds them to us, and part of us wishes that they would never leave.

So how can you prepare for their departure? Distract yourself by preparing with them – reading about the course, helping to sort out accommodation issues and practicalities such as bank accounts. Speak to other parents for advice on areas – I wrote a short article for the MyDaughter website, for example, a while ago, in response to a parent who was worried that her daughter might be lonely at university. Read Khalil Gibran’s poem ‘On Children’ again and cry, but know that you have done the most amazing job in bringing your child to adulthood.

And then sit back and wait for the end of term, and the inevitable load of washing which will come your way, and for which you will secretly be glad.