HEAD MISTRESS’

Head Mistress’ Welcome

One of the great joys about LEH is the amazing sense of community and connection we share, a lasting sense of loyalty and pride that remains with so many of you long after you’ve left.

It’s why we are focusing on the theme of Teamwork: Together We Can in this issue of Holles Connect magazine: LEH is a close-knit community with shared goals and ambitions.

Nowhere is this seen more clearly than on our playing fields, netball courts and boat house as pupils come together to take part in competitive sports. In addition to encouraging team spirit, sports can help our children to develop character and learn important social brain skills, as our Director of Sport Dani Mugridge explains on page 28.

The benefits of playing competitive sport in school can extend well beyond the classroom, as several of our alumnae, who excelled as pupils, have gone on demonstrate. See pages 32 to 43. Stephanie Hilborne, Class of 1986, who now heads up Women in Sport, sets out how the real benefits of playing netball for the school only became apparent to her in later life. See page 32.

I am often asked by prospective parents and others who visit LEH, about my philosophy of education – on what do I base my school leadership? This is a very complex question, but I frequently sum it up with one word: kindness.

And there is a reason for this: being kind underpins almost every other desired behaviour in human beings. Kindness asks you to attend to others and not always pay attention to yourself. The practice of kindness inspires and deepens our connection to ourselves and to one another. It binds us together as a team, as a community. Empathy allows us to see connections rather than differences and this sense of supporting each other and of being on the same side is one of our central tenets. Our Head of Middle School, Katie Sinnett, really focuses on this when pupils arrive at LEH in the Thirds (see her article on page 29).

Kindness binds us together as a team, as a community.

Occasionally, I come across alumnae who attended LEH in years gone by and sadly don’t feel that sense of connection and loyalty to the school. They felt that academic achievement was valued above all else and if they weren’t headed for an Oxbridge scholarship themselves, the experience

left them feeling side-lined. I suspect this says as much about the ethos of society at the time, as it does about the school, but still, it makes me feel rather sad.

Times change and while we will always be immensely proud of those students who go on to study at university and pursue an academic career, if you came back to school now you would see there has been a fundamental shift.

We are proud of all alumnae, whatever they go on to do.

Now we empower pupils to be exactly who they are, whatever their current interests or future aspirations. While we still encourage them to stretch and strive to become their most confident selves, as students and as citizens of the world, we do this by giving them the freedom to express themselves and take on new challenges and, above all, to be supported and championed by each other. It is this sense of community which raises us up. As our Creative Directors in the L6 explain on page 30, it’s why we encourage a sense of female solidarity and support. That’s why it was so important for us to update our alumnae wall last term, increasing the number of former pupils on display three-fold to ensure that it is more inclusive and to make it clear that we are proud of all alumnae, whatever they go on to do.

There are yoga teachers, charity workers, foster carers, sports people, actors, writers, artists and yes – lawyers, doctors, and academics – and they all play an equally important role inspiring current pupils as they walk by. To see the full list of alumnae featured, please turn to page 23 to 27.

We are delighted to be holding a Remarkable Women Reception to which you are all invited on Saturday 26 March. This is your chance to celebrate each other and everything you have achieved since leaving LEH. Please see details of how to purchase tickets on page 18.

At LEH, we encourage pupils to believe that they can be anything they want to be and that if we are kind, support each other, champion the achievements of others and work as a team, then Together We Can.

Heather Hanbury Head Mistress

28It’s the Taking Part that Matters

32

Women in Sport CEO Stephanie Hilborne on fighting gender inequality in life.

29The Whole is Greater than the sum of its parts.

30Together We Can Change the World

18 LEH Alumnae wall. You are all invited to our Remarkable Women Reception.