SCHOOL MEMORIES my

Charlene Hunter MBE, CEO and founder of Coding Black Females, shares her memories of Nottingham Girls’ High School.

been in the junior school and she’d been asked to speak to me and make me feel comfortable. And what did I do? I made fun of her accent! And she’s never let me live it down.

I joined Nottingham Girls’ High School (NGHS) at 12 years old, and I think the first thing that struck me was how different it was from my last school. I was really excited about starting, and I remember when I got the offer letter, posing in the mirror, practising saying, “I’m a High School girl” over and over.

And then term started. I entered a room with loads of people that I didn’t know, and I was just plain scared. But the first girl who spoke to me, I am still really good friends with today. She explained that she’d

My era was the Spice Girls. The whole girl empowerment thing was huge for me, and apparently my personality changed a lot when the Spice Girls came out. We all had our own groups at school and I remember one called the Grebs, who would wear really baggy jeans and corduroys, although I think this may have been more of a Nottingham thing than unique to NGHS.

It was interesting seeing the school again last year. The buildings were largely the same, but they are now used differently. So, what used to be the Sixth Form common room is now a Year 7 common room - something I found weird as I don’t know if I understand why [Year 7] need one. Obviously, we didn’t have the Squire Performing Arts Centre in my day –that used to be our dining room – but it’s lovely that pupils now have such a great theatre space.

Thinking about the education there, I enjoyed Maths and the way it was taught. I think I knew I was good at Maths before I started at NGHS, although I felt I became less good over time because everyone else was so intelligent.

NGHS provided an environment where we were asked for our opinions and invited to expand on them. And now I see the effect of this. All my NGHS friends are leaders: we are all able to walk into a room and own it. And when I made mistakes, I wasn’t punished – I was questioned. The one time I got detention was because I was reading a book in a science lesson – so my punishment was to go and read the book in the library! I think that’s the thing about NGHS: the time the teachers have and the respect they show for the students was about making sure that we learnt not just academically, but about ourselves as people, too.

After school I did Maths at university, and was heading down the accountancy route, because ‘that’s what you do’ with a Maths degree… but then I was lucky (I now realise) not to be doing well enough at the end of my second year to be able to apply for jobs. This gave me an extra summer to do some more research into careers and discover the world of software engineering. background to get into the tech world. The industry needs all kinds of people, and the most valuable characteristics you can bring are to be curious and unafraid. Be brave enough to learn from your mistakes, and you can do anything you want.

Coding Black Females came about after I’d been a software developer for about eight years. I hadn’t met any other Black women in the industry, and so I started going to Black professional groups, learning Black history, and doing things where I would feel less isolated. Then I watched Hidden Figures , which totally inspired me. It was the first time I’d seen a film where I felt represented – Black women who were into Maths and computers and I realised that that was me: that’s who I am. So, I created the group because I wanted to find others who felt the way I did.

Charlene Hunter MBE

Brighton Girls

As one of the earliest GDST schools, Brighton Girls’ founding day is 13 June 1876. To celebrate this, recent refurbishments at the school, and its wonderful alumnae, the annual Summer Garden Party is making a return this year, on Saturday 1 July.

Interestingly, when I was in Year 11, a group of us set up a Multicultural Society because we wanted to change the racism that we saw happening, and for people to be more informed. So looking back, I realise that I’ve always been doing community-related things: this ‘thing’ about community and drawing people together has always been in me.

What I say to young people today is that you don’t need a mathematical or computer science

Charlene Hunter MBE is the CEO and founder (in 2017) of Coding Black Females, a non-profit organisation which represents the largest community of Black women in tech in the UK. She is also the co-organiser of Black Devs UK, uniting Black people in software development, and the cofounder of Meet Up and Code, a community which brings coders together to share ideas and experiences. Alongside these enterprises, she has more than ten years’ experience as a Java developer and software developer and continues to work with SAM Software Solutions as its Technical Director.

She was awarded an MBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List for services to Technology and Diversity.

@charlenephunter

@codingblackfems

@blackdevsuk

@meetupandcode https://brightongirls.gdst.net/ alumnae-events/

Back in 1926, in addition to the Garden Party, a ‘Fancy Fair’ was held to celebrate the Jubilee, and according to the school magazine (1927), “all the girls who were helping wore sun bonnets and aprons in their House colours, and the whole scene was very picturesque.” So, taking inspiration from the past, Brighton Girls is joining forces with the PTFA to hold the Summer Garden Party together.

The Regency Society will be unveiling a new Blue Plaque that day, celebrating the Temple building, once the home of Thomas Reade Kemp. And specific year group reunions are being arranged for 2018, 2013 and 1998 alumnae which will take place in the morning. There will be tours of the school available for all year groups, and a chance to meet current staff and students and enjoy the activities at the Garden Party.

All alumnae, family and friends are welcome!

Croydon High School

Emma Pattison joined Croydon High School as Head in September 2016. Her impact, over her six years with us, was immense – on the school community, on alumnae, and on the wider GDST family. Friends and colleagues describe her warmth, her smile, her easy laugh and her ability to connect with people of all ages and in any situation. This, combined with an awe-inspiring energy and work ethic, meant that Emma was respected by all who worked with her. More than this, though, she was genuinely loved. She was a true leader, unafraid to take difficult decisions. She would never ask something of others that she would not do herself.

She oversaw fundamental change, brought stakeholders with her and instilled belief, confidence and pride in her team. This opened an exciting new chapter for Croydon High with burgeoning pupil numbers and a growing reputation locally as "the school everyone is talking about”.

Emma also formalised the school’s ethos into a motto, May her character and talents inspire others. And she introduced what would become the school’s mantra, Every girl, every day Throughout many challenges, including a global pandemic, Emma led the school with courage and strong empathy that came partly from her perspective as a parent. Her daughter, the lovely Lettie, joined our Nursery and was with us until the end of Year 2. Like her mum, Lettie will be forever remembered for her smile, her exuberance and her determination to take on the world.

Emma and Lettie leave a farreaching legacy, and the school will be honouring their memory in a number of ways. For now, we take comfort from the outpouring of love from so many and we focus on supporting those who they cared about so deeply.

Their character and talents will forever inspire every girl, every day.