Modelling a democratic culture

Putney High (GDST) embrace and welcome their student voice

In a year where we have so much enjoyed being back together as a community, our students have played an important role in developing the culture of the school with wellbeing, inclusiveness and intellectual agility at the heart of everything we do.

Putney has always had a democratic culture with girls knowing that they are valued and their views respected. 2020-21 saw the Student Build Committee actively involved in the design of our new Athena Centre for Science, Music, Drama and Debating, opening this winter with state-of-the-art facilities and a central forum where students will come together to debate the issues of the day and develop their skills as orators.

The new cross-curricular centre builds on the school’s research into the impact of Biophilic design, work which has already transformed the Sixth Form Futures Hub into a space where students and staff can flourish. The project examined the impact of bringing plants and nature into the classroom and was shared at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this autumn, winning the school a coveted gold medal.

Students and staff are encouraged to think differently, keen to share and challenge ideas whether in Putney’s many co-curricular groups and societies, or through critical thinking in the classroom.

This autumn our biennial PIE conference (Putney Ideas Exchange) will be a day off timetable for the whole school to celebrate diversity and promote inclusion. There will be Keynote speeches from Paralympic athlete, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, and Putney alumna, dancer and choreographer, Aicha McKenzie, along with lectures and workshops on everything from LGBTQ+ in the Classics to Diversity Policing, folkdancing and diversity in Art.

With social conscience high on everyone’s agenda, Putney does not shy away from difficult discussions, learning that society’s ills are not “someone else’s” to solve. The It Starts with Me programme has offered a proactive approach to helping our young people gain a more confident understanding of the diverse society in which they’re growing up; replacing complacency with a sense of shared responsibility.

www.putneyhigh.gdst.net