I’m delighted to share the highlights from the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) London event, “Celebrating the Power of Girls and Girls’ Schools,” which I attended on November 7th at South Hampstead High GDST with Norwich High colleagues Rebecca Musson, Rachel Magee and Helen Dolding. It was an action-packed schedule and a fantastic chance to meet connections from across the GDST and further afield.

Following welcomes from leaders including Megan Murphy (ICGS Global Executive Directive) and Cheryl Giovannoni (GDST CEO), we had an extremely interesting discussion on the future of girls’ education facilitated by Danielle Heard (ICGS President) in conversation with heads from the UK, Australia and Canada.

Inspiring Keynotes

• Dr Alison Edgar MBE delivered a highly motivational talk on seizing opportunities and encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset in schools.
• We heard an inspirational keynote from Katy Parrott (Redmaids’ High School GDST alumna), an ultra-endurance athlete and finalist on BBC’s Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week. She shared powerful stories of resilience and mindset, and how we can inspire our girls to lead with grit and self-belief.

Breakout Sessions and Partnerships

• I visited Paul Dwyer, Headteacher of Redmaids’, who delivered a fascinating talk on a value-led curriculum.
• I also participated in a breakout session on forging international partnerships between schools in London and Texas – a key area I am passionate about developing for the students at Norwich High.
• In the third breakout, I heard from fellow ICGS researcher Holly Webb (Wimbledon High GDST) who spoke about encouraging girls to understand curriculum choices in History through historical significance reasoning, which is a key element of our GCSE coursework.

Our Deputy Head – Pastoral, Helen Dolding, attended several pastoral-focused talks and reported back with some excellent ideas for discussion at the next Norwich High pastoral staff team meeting to boost student creativity, voice and leadership:

• Permission Not Required (Marymount School New York): Focused on Design Thinking to enhance problem-solving and collaboration.
• The Art of LeadHERship & Finding Your Voice (Jersey College for Girls): Emphasised inclusive leadership and oracy.
• Empowering Women’s Voice (Beaconsfield High School): Detailed the successful “Amplify Her Voice” awards, which we may look to take forward with our student-led Fem Soc group.

Rebecca Musson (Norwich High School Lead Teacher for PSHE/RSE and GDST Trust Consultant Teacher for PSHE (Secondary)) and I, alongside another Global Action Researcher, presented on the transformational power of the ICGS research programme. We showcased how it has led to lasting change in our school, specifically through:

• The creation of our student learning dispositions, “ACTIVE.”
• Major revisions to our PSHE/RSE provision.

The event wrapped up with a panel celebrating GDST alumnae in creative industries (including the Editor-in-Chief of Grazia and a TV/film producer). They provided inspirational insights into the sector’s challenges and opportunities for young women and discussed the slow but vital move toward greater diversity and inclusivity.

I had the chance to catch up with colleagues from my Global Action Research Cohort, including Eric Walters from New York and Debbie Hill, the GDST lead for the programme. The enduring nature of these international links is critical to keeping Norwich High at the forefront of global education conversations.

Finally, we are very excited to announce that one of our Norwich High School for Girls English teachers, Josh Mangham, has been accepted into the next cohort of Global Action Researchers! He will be looking at creativity in English and how to maintain this during the challenges of GCSE assessment. Josh will travel to Toronto in 2026 and present in Brisbane in 2027. Josh earned this opportunity after successfully navigating an increasingly competitive field. We look forward to the insights he brings, which will help us continue positioning Norwich High School for Girls firmly on the international educational map. More to follow!