What can you do to help prepare your daughter for her future?
The adversity women experience through the entitlement gap in the workplace emphasises the importance of preparing girls for their futures from the beginning of their schooling. It’s an exciting time for girls to grow up ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges.
Cultivating the skills needed for girls’ futures can seem like a daunting pursuit, but when parents work together with the school to develop their daughter’s potential, the extraordinary can happen.
Heidi-Jayne Boyes, head of Wakefield Girls’ High School, shares the key factors to consider in ensuring girls get the most out of their schooling, and how a single-sex education plants the seeds for success in their careers and future life.
Empowerment and leadership skills
To know your potential, is to know your value - empowerment is the foundation for success here at Wakefield Girls’ High School. It’s vital we equip girls with the confidence to achieve their best, encouraging them to speak and lead with authority – our philosophy is to guide and facilitate, rather than to instruct.
We offer various leadership roles and opportunities to transition our students into 21st century women, who aspire to drive change in the workplace and the wider community. The school has its own form representatives, student council (with pupils from every year group), deputy and head girl for the junior and high school, senior prefects, buddy systems and peer mentoring for the younger years.
Being educated in an all-girls environment introduces an element of healthy competition, encouraging our students to champion themselves and flourish without the pressure of male comparison - we allow our girls to try new experiences within a safe space.
A comprehensive education
While academic excellence is undoubtedly important, education is not solely founded upon academia. Girls are multi-faceted with diverse talents and abilities, which we reflect through a holistic approach to their schooling.
We have a curriculum called Edge, which is an extended timetable that offers an opportunity to embrace new experiences and activities within term time.
Over 90 different extra-curricular endeavours are engrained into our schooling programme including off-site experiences such as dry skiing, snowboarding, BMX riding and go-kart racing. For the passionate creatives, there is crochet, origami, street food, culture and film sessions.
Perseverance and determination
At Wakefield Girls’, students develop drive, commitment and motivation to reach their maximum potential. Each individual is on their own journey and it’s our role to guide them through it, providing them with the knowledge and understanding to overcome challenges they may encounter.
We organise webinars and Instagram lives with school alumni, which focus on inspiring students to transform deliberation and anxiety into moments of self-advocation and confidence. We educate our students on how to confront imposter syndrome, and navigate their way through a male-dominated environment to achieve success.
Empathy and self-reflection
Having a sense of community and camaraderie enforces a positive impact upon a girls’ academic experience and their ability to learn. When a child is happy, it gives them the best chance at achieving and getting the most out of their education.
Understanding and listening are important lessons we enforce throughout the school, encouraging students to care about themselves and their peers.
Self-reflection is also key for success - we teach our students that to fail, is to learn. Learning from mistakes is a crucial part of a child’s journey as they continue to improve and develop, becoming the best version of themselves.
Visit wgsf.org.uk/wghs-senior for Wakefield Girls’ High School, or wgsf.org.uk/wghs-junior for Wakefield Girls’ Junior section. The school can be reached on 01924 372490.
