Moving on who has already navigated the whirlpools and doldrums of balancing work and family life, can lead by example and show that what might seem unattainable can, in fact, be achieved. The third is when a woman is considering throwing her hat into the ring for that big, important, career-defining job or promotion. Then, an experienced female mentor, perhaps in a senior leadership position, can reassure them that they have the skills and experience to get the job done and inspire them with the confidence they need to go for it. The really encouraging news is that, according to a recent survey in the U S, participants in a mentoring relationship, as either a mentee or a mentor, are five or six times more likely to get a promotion, and 20% more likely to get a pay rise. This also rings true with the participants on our scheme who noted that their performance and motivation levels increased as a result of working with a mentor. Our experience shows that the most successful partnerships arise when the mentees are very clear about what they want to achieve and have asked themselves: what do I want to get out of the mentoring relationship? This self-reflection exercise really allows mentors to understand how they can add value. Hearing from alumnae working in different sectors and at different stages of their careers also helps us to learn a lot about the working environment our current students will enter. We like to believe that no careers are off-limits to girls, yet gender stereotypes still linger, influencing perceptions of many jobs and careers. Do a search online for images of chief executives or surgeons or judges, and you don’t see many women. Do a similar search for images of nurses or childminders or personal assistants, and it will come as no surprise that there aren’t many men to be seen. These stereotypes permeate our national and indeed global culture, and our students can’t help but subconsciously absorb them. Raising awareness of different jobs at an early age enables girls to imagine themselves in a full range of roles, and not limit their horizons too early or too readily. This is something that GDST schools do as a matter of course,
starting in the junior years, which is why they are perfectly placed to nurture girls’ interests and ambitions in a safe and supportive environment. GDST senior schools and sixth forms take this even further with their strong focus on employability skills. Our CareerStart programme supports the development of the soft skills, such as leadership, teamwork and communication, that will be essential to our students throughout their careers and are consistently at the top of employers’ wish lists. When it comes to university courses, GDST students consistently break the mould by studying subjects in disciplines where women remain underrepresented. In 2013, over 43% of our A level students studied science, technology, engineering, maths, medicine or related subjects. The vast majority of girls from GDST schools go on to the place of their choice in higher education with 69% securing places at the 24 leading (Russell Group) universities and 8.2% gaining places at Oxford or Cambridge. The focus on lifelong learning and employability skills combined with the encouragement our alumnae receive as they embark on and progress in their chosen careers, allows the GDST to continue to support its student community long after they have left school. One of the participants on this year’s Alumnae Mentoring Scheme commented: Everyone needs a mentor. I don’t believe there is ever a time where you are ‘too successful’, ‘too sorted’, to have no need of dialogue and support. It is never a weakness to ask for help, in fact, I believe it is a sign of strength. As part of the Alumnae Network, we already have this shared experience and bond, and so want the best for each other. That’s absolutely something to embrace and make the most of! We couldn’t agree more! Karen Kimura is learning and development manager at The Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST).
Testing! Testing! And yet more testing: Ann Entwisle urges senior schools to reduce the number of their entrance examinations At a recent meeting with prep school teachers, a frustrated and exasperated director of studies asked me if there was anything that could be done to reduce the amount of time spent by pupils in his school sitting an array of different assessments and examinations to senior independent schools. He was referring not just to the growing number of pre-tests but, at the other end of the process, to the proliferation of scholarship assessments. Parents were entering their children for scholarship examinations for a range of schools in the hope that at least one of them would offer their child a prestigious scholarship place, ideally accompanied by a discount on fees. The
30
result was that prep schools, under pressure from parents, were having to prepare candidates not just for entrance examinations in Year 8, but also now for pre-tests in Year 6 and for a growing range of scholarship examinations, all taken at different times of the year. The scholarship papers were of particular concern. Some, he told me, were so idiosyncratic in nature that they bore no relation to anything his pupils had been studying and were almost impossible to comprehend. In one case, a pupil reported being presented with a set of questions that looked as if they had just been torn out of a textbook. “Why don’t senior schools use the ISEB Common Academic
Spring 2016
*CCR Vol53 no1 Spring 2016.indd 30
22/12/2015 15:42
