EDUCATION Mental Toughness and the pandemic By Jane Gandee, Headmistress at St Swithun’s in Winchester
Last week AQR International, which specialises in helping organisations optimise people performance, updated its 2017 research into Mental Toughness with a new meta-analysis of data collected during the pandemic. The findings show that girls in single-sex schools which are part of the Girls’ Schools Association (as St Swithun’s proudly is) are generally more confident and emotionally in control than girls in co-educational schools. The research also indicates, not surprisingly, that girls who were more mentally tough before had an advantage in dealing with the pandemic. At St Swithun’s, we are not surprised by these findings. Girls in single-sex schools like ours grow up without encountering
Biodiversity Week at Embley Prep Discovering, observing and investigating our surroundings and the diverse natural world which surrounds us each day is very much part of teaching and learning at Embley. Last month, pupils from Embley Prep School participated in a week of biodiversity themed activities exploring the variety of life in the ecosystem whilst learning more about the importance of nature and habitats and the role that we all play in protecting them. Children from Reception class thoroughly enjoyed a ZooLab Rainforest workshop where they experienced face-to-face encounters with a variety of creatures including some very large snakes and spiders. All pupils from Year 2 to Year 6 had a wonderful day out at Marwell Zoo, home to hundreds of exotic and endangered animals. Key Stage 1 went on a Gruffalo Trail in Embley’s woods; and across two mornings, everyone participated in a range of Natural Science-based lessons in the school grounds, which included surveying trees and looking at insect habitats. A dedicated Bushcraft Evening involving zip wires,
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gender stereotyping, at least during their education. This has a multitude of benefits which the girls carry with them into the outside world and throughout their adult life. One benefit relates to subject choices. Our students learn that all subjects are open to them and that they are just as likely to be successful in maths and physics as they are in art or English. They appreciate that success is about acquiring the right skills and attitude rather than being male or female. Unbelievably, there are some co-ed schools in which not a single girl studies physics, apparently because there still exist stereotypes suggesting that physics is not suitable for girls. Research also shows that girls in single sex environments are more likely to continue with sport which is linked to a positive body image, a healthy relationship with food and good mental health. The absence of boys has a further plus in that the girls here tend to grow up a little more slowly. They can unselfconsciously have fun without worrying about impressing anyone. Why does mental toughness matter? Because it correlates with ambition, adaptability to change, ability to cope with stress, achievement and well-being. Indeed, other studies have shown precisely that girls educated in single-sex schools are more likely to take risks in the world of work such as asking for a pay rise or applying for a promotion. www.stswithuns.com | Tel: 01962 835703
whittling wood, den building and cooking on open fires was a definite hit with Year 5. At the start of the week Head of Embley Prep, Miss Sheina Wright, gave a thoughtprovoking assembly about the importance of looking after the environment to ensure that all its inhabitants can thrive both now and in the future. Key messages were to make sure litter was disposed of carefully so as not to endanger wildlife and to encourage the children to reuse and recycle as much as possible. Everyone was fascinated to learn that clothing can now be manufactured using coffee grounds and plastic bottles. For more information please call: 01794 512206 or email: admissions@embley.org.uk Embley, Embley Park, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 6ZE (Senior School) SO51 6ZA (Prep School)
