The GDST Difference - Annual Review 2015

Annual Review 2015 The GDST difference

8

25 26

18

10

12

20

11

19 9

6 14

24 15

22

2

8

21 23 4

Heads & Principals

1

Blackheath High School

Carol Chandler-Thompson

2

Brighton & Hove High School

Jennifer Smith

3

Bromley High School

Angela Drew

4

Croydon High School

Debbie Leonard

5

Howell’s School, Llandaff, Cardiff

Sally Davis

6

Ipswich High School for Girls

Oona Carlin

7

Kensington Prep School

Prudence Lynch

8

Newcastle High School for Girls

Hilary French

9

Northampton High School

Dr Helen Stringer

10

Northwood College for Girls

Jacqualyn Pain

11

Norwich High School for Girls

Kirsty von Malaisé

12

Nottingham Girls’ High School

Susan Gorham

13

Notting Hill & Ealing High School

Lucinda Hunt

14

Oxford High School

Judith Carlisle

15

Portsmouth High School

Jane Prescott

16

Putney High School

Suzie Longstaff

17

The Royal High School, Bath

Jo-Anne Duncan

18

Sheffield High School

Valerie Dunsford

19

Shrewsbury High School

Michael Getty

20

South Hampstead High School

Helen Pike

21 3

Streatham & Clapham High School

Dr Millan Sachania

22

Sutton High School

Katharine Crouch

23

Sydenham High School

Kathryn Pullen

24

Wimbledon High School

Jane Lunnon

Academies

25 26

18

10

12

20

11

19 9

7

13

6 14 5

1

16

17

5

7

13

Schools

15

2

Schools in London

The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool

Peter Kennedy

26

Birkenhead High School Academy

Christine Mann

1

16

17

25

24 22

21 23 4

3

As at January 2016

Contents Location of schools and academies

Inside front cover

What’s the difference?

2

At a glance

4

Stepping up the pace

6

Leading in girls’ education

7

Sustaining a high-performance culture

8

Embedding social responsibility

12

Driving innovation

16

Financial summary

20

Structure and governance

Back cover fold in

Notable GDST alumnae

Inside back cover

What’s the difference?

Many schools in England and Wales achieve outstanding results, and at the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) we’re proud to be not just among them but at the forefront.

It’s the network. Most independent schools are individual, and some of them are in small groups – but there is nothing to match the size, scope and commitment to girls’ education of the 24 schools and two academies that form the GDST.

We lead the field in a variety of ways – the number of girls studying STEM subjects and modern foreign languages, feats on the sports field, and success in exam grades and university destinations achieved are all examples of trails we blaze.

In this Annual Review you’ll see example after example of the huge benefits our network brings to our schools, our staff and our pupils. You’ll see how much we stand apart – and how we’re able to help our girls thrive and be happy.

Welcome to the GDST difference

Results like these set our schools apart from most of the alternatives. But there is a particular way in which we differ not merely from most others, but from all of them.

Our network makes all the difference to how we teach, how we manage ourselves and make plans, how much we can invest and how well we can help girls perform confidently on a national level as well as within their schools. The network even makes a difference to how much we can support girls after they leave us: no other school or group of schools has an alumnae network anything like the size and scope of ours.

2 GDST

ANNUAL REVIEW 3

At a glance A Level results

Core values

% of A* / A grades at A Level - 2015

The core values of the GDST set out how we go about our business and how we expect our people to behave.

60 50

While the values can’t say everything, they encapsulate a simple, active and challenging guide for all the GDST’s staff and pupils.

40

Science Over 45% of A Level students take one or more science subjects

Maths 38% take maths

30 20

Each description stands on its own terms, without further scene setting or explanation, so any of us can measure ourselves against them, asking “Am I doing the right thing?”

10 0

National average

GDST schools

Independent schools

52.6% of exams gained an A* or A 79.8% of exams gained an A*, A or B

GCSE and IGCSE results % of A* / A grades at GCSE and IGCSE - 2015 80

They are:

Girls first

Networked

Put the girls’ interests, happiness and wellbeing first at all times. Encourage each girl to be the best she can be, to reach her full potential.

Work together productively within our schools, our communities and the GDST as a whole.

Share inspiration among ourselves and with others.

Bold Take risks, push hard and overcome setbacks.

Do things in a new way.

Have a go.

Have fun.

Principled Always do the right thing. Be open, honest and accountable.

70

Languages 19% take one or more languages

60 50

Nearly 20,000 pupils in 24 schools and two academies

40 30

• Nursery • Juniors: Reception - Year 6 • Seniors: Years 7-11 • Sixth Form: Years 12-13

20 10

EPQ 20% take an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

0

National average

GDST schools

Independent schools

72.3% of exams gained an A* or A

The GDST educates one in five of pupils at independent girls’ schools in the UK.

Bursaries and scholarships spending Nearly 3,700 staff

£14m £12m

• Teaching • Premises • Administration • Catering

£10m £8m £6m £4m £2m £m

4 GDST

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Our size and scope allows us to develop and promote talented staff throughout our network.

ANNUAL REVIEW 5

Stepping up the pace The recent release of the film ‘Suffragette’ reminded us of the long struggle for women to get the vote. It was a long while, too, until women were able to enter a whole range of professions. But they still aren’t treated as equals everywhere. There is still much to do.

The gender pay gap in the UK has barely improved in recent years and it may be 2133 before the global pay gap between men and women is finally closed.

The rate of change needs to be faster, but it won’t accelerate unless it’s given a push. That’s why we need committed, courageous and confident women – and why I’m so proud to be chief executive of the GDST. After six full and rewarding years, I will be stepping down in August 2016. As I hand over the reins to a new CEO, I will take with me many fond memories of my time with this wonderfully inspiring organisation.

In this Annual Review we celebrate the successes of young women who are going to help make the world a fairer place, and a better one. We also report on everything we do to help them make it possible.

Leading in girls’ education As we look back at another successful year for the GDST, we also look forward.

As a GDST alumna, I am conscious of the difference my education made to me, and the opportunities it opened up. I am now delighted to give something back as Chairman of Trustees, and play my part in making a difference to the lives of future generations.

The pace of global change – technological, economic, environmental, social and political – is accelerating. The challenge of preparing the girls now in our schools for a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous has never been more important, and rising to that challenge has never been more crucial.

The notable alumnae listed in this review show the many great achievements that GDST women are already making. As the GDST continues to go from strength to strength, we are positive that, in developing young women who are confident, composed, courageous, and committed, we are playing our part in building a better world for all.

At the GDST we lead not just in the results we achieve but in the bold, committed and innovative routes we take to attain them.

We invest in research, in training and development, in the systems we employ, in the facilities we provide and maintain and in developing the skills our staff and students need to help them realise their potential.

Our approach enables us to lead academically: • This year our students again outperformed their maintained and independent sector peers at both GCSE and A Level • Our students’ take-up of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects and languages continues to exceed the figures for girls nationally. In 2015 59% of our A Level students took one or more STEM subjects, and 19% studied one or more languages • The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is an excellent preparation for university-level study, supporting cross-curricular links and helping students develop their planning, research, analysis, evaluation and presentation skills.

In 2015, 19% of Sixth Form students took an EPQ, of whom 67% gained an A* or A

Juliet Humphries Chairman

We’ve called these pages ‘The GDST difference.’

We chose those words for several reasons. They’re about what sets our schools apart from others.

They’re about the unmatchable benefits of our unique nationwide network. They’re about the shift-change we bring to the lives of the girls in our care.

We also lead on national issues and in many other ways: • The GDST annual conference on the topic of women’s networking and employability achieved widespread media coverage. The GDST’s voice was also heard in national media on a variety of issues, including technology in education, changes to exams and syllabuses, girls and sport, female role models and the magic of maths. Our impact remains significant on social media platforms too • The inaugural GDST Young Choir event was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London’s Southbank Centre in February 2015, with 400 singers from the eight schools in the final • The first Student Digital Leaders’ Conference also took place in February 2015 • In November, many GDST geography students took part in the world’s biggest data mapping event organised by Raphael Heath, Head of Geography at the Royal High School, Bath

And they’re about the difference our girls are going to make, and indeed are already making, in the world.

Let us celebrate their achievements – and let us increase the pace.

Helen Fraser CBE Chief Executive Helen Fraser

6 GDST

Juliet Humphries

ANNUAL REVIEW 7

Sustaining a high-performance culture The GDST has earned many laurels this year – but we haven’t rested on them. We’ve continued to invest time, effort and resources in support systems, administration and management to ensure we provide the best possible education for all our students.

• Pupil numbers across our schools and academies were maintained, reflecting strong recruitment and retention in a number of schools, including Putney, Wimbledon, Shrewsbury and Croydon High Schools • Year on year, we invest substantially in our business and IT systems in support of our overall educational objectives

• We began work on updating the payroll system and introducing a new Human Resources Information System (HRIS) to improve the quality and range of information about our staff held centrally and to facilitate management decision-making and statutory reporting

School and individual achievements Portsmouth High School’s food technology facilities were officially opened in October by the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Councillor Frank Jonas. The school and a local Waitrose branch ran a ‘Ready, Steady, Cook!’ event in the new facilities, in which girls had one hour to make and present three different types of canapés. The Lord Mayor tasted the selection with the Chair of Governors, Anne McMeehan Roberts, before officially opening the facilities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

In January 2015 The Belvedere Academy underwent a thorough two-day Ofsted inspection at the end of which it was awarded ‘Outstanding’ status in all six categories.

Highlights of the Ofsted report included: “teaching is of a high quality”; “pupils make rapid and sustained progress”; “teachers have excellent subject knowledge”; and “students’ behaviour is impeccable. They are courteous and are very happy at the academy.”

8 GDST

September 2015 saw the introduction of the Kaleidoscope initiative at Sutton High School, which gives Year 7 girls timetabled opportunities to experience a wide range of enrichment activities and to make their own learning choices.

Modules range from Japanese, Urdu and Ancient Greek to outdoor education, personal & social responsibility, design and STEM projects. As part of the initiative the girls are encouraged to develop their own research and learning skills as preparation for future study.

Oxford High School’s 140th birthday coincided with the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, whose author, Lewis Carroll, taught at OHS during the 1880s. The Junior School was challenged to become ‘curiouser and curiouser’ in a day of fun activities designed to bring to life the four Cs of the GDST – confidence, courage, commitment and composure. Carroll’s legacy lives on as the girls worked imaginatively together, using algorithms to help Alice find her way home or tackling the ‘White Rabbit blindfold challenge.’

Kensington Prep School received the highest possible grades across the board from inspectors in 2015 – and the rarely awarded top accolade of ‘Exceptional’ for the “quality of pupils’ achievements and learning.” Impressed by the school’s pastoral care, academic rigour and girls’ intellectual risk-taking, the inspectors praised the school for being “extremely successful in fulfilling its aim to equip all pupils for a changing world that requires courage, flexibility and resilience.”

Croydon High School’s Alison Maguire, GDST Alumna of the Year 2015, has continued to inspire her school’s community. Girls enthusiastically raised money for her Lily Foundation charity and Alison set up work experience opportunities for Year 12 girls in research labs at Guy’s Hospital. Meanwhile, Year 13 art student, Isabel Andrews, met Croydon High parent and renowned artist, Jason Brooks, to discuss his work and receive advice from him.

It was, in Isabel’s words, “an unbelievable opportunity.”

Musical activities involving the local community have featured prominently at Howell’s School. The highly popular ‘Blow your own trumpet’ initiative saw Junior School brass players taking instruments into maintained schools to teach the children about the instruments and how to play a march. Over 400 hundred children from local schools also attended the first performance of the whole-school musical, The Sound of Music.

Sheffield High School‘s new cookery room opened. It features eight fully functioning workstations, a demonstration area, a prep room and state-of-the art cookery equipment for up to 14 girls at a time. In addition, Sixth Former Sarah Sobka was named UK Young Scientist of the Year for her research work on cystic fibrosis, which she carried out with the University of Sheffield’s Department of Biomedical Science last year.

ANNUAL REVIEW 9

Sustaining a high-performance culture

We’ve also invested substantially in physical infrastructure. A total of over £29m was invested in capital buildings and facilities in 2014-15. Some of the principal works included: • The completion of major improvements to Woolverstone Hall, the historic Georgian building which is home to Ipswich High School • The start of a large-scale redevelopment of the Senior School site of Streatham & Clapham High School • The completion of the extension and refurbishment of the dining facilities at Sydenham High School • The enhancement of the Junior School dining facilities at Blackheath High School, and the beginning of a major redevelopment of the Senior School site • The start of the redevelopment of the Tankerville Terrace site to become the new home of Newcastle High School for Girls’ Senior School • The commencement of a three-year project to replace roofs at The Royal High School, Bath A condition survey and a master plan of the GDST estate are underway to help us determine future maintenance and capital expenditure priorities.

ANNUAL REVIEW 11

Embedding social responsibility At the GDST we recognise our responsibilities to our staff, to the environment and to the local communities our schools serve.

Chief among our obligations is our abiding duty of care to our pupils. It includes recognition of the difference we can make to the lives of bright girls whose families wouldn’t be able to support them financially through their school years without help.

Bursaries and scholarships A central part of our programme of social responsibility is the availability of bursaries. They represent a life-changing opportunity. This year the changes we have made mean more families have access to bursaries at the lowest entry point.

We acknowledge the continuing and generous support of HSBC, John Lyon’s Charity, Leverhulme Education Trust, the Sutton Trust, and the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust towards our bursaries.

• Over £10.6m was allocated to bursaries, representing 4.6% of our fee income. This funding meant that 1,098 pupils, whose families were not in a position to pay the full fees, benefited from a GDST education • We target our financial support on girls and families who most need it. Last year 858 girls received funding equivalent to 50% or more of fees, of whom 359 received funding equivalent to 100% of fees • Nearly 22% of girls in our fee-paying senior schools receive financial assistance in the form of a bursary or scholarship (or both), and our total spending on bursaries and scholarships came to nearly £13.8m

Partnerships Every one of our GDST schools and academies engages with its local community and neighbouring schools through a range of activities, events and partnerships. Seven schools are involved in projects funded by the SHINE Trust (Support and Help In Education) with local schools. Funding is also made available to our schools through the generosity of HSBC via their funding for maintained school partnership and collaboration initiatives. Some examples include: • Shrewsbury High School and Sheffield High School were both shortlisted for the best independent-maintained school collaboration in the Independent School Awards. Another, South Hampstead High School, was shortlisted for community initiative of the year • Streatham & Clapham High School organised and hosted the second STREAM children’s book festival in November. Hundreds of parents, children and teenagers from across South London attended the talks and took part in the workshops

School and individual achievements Sydenham High School’s girls and staff raised almost £10,000 for charity with activities including a Mad Hatter’s tea party and auction of promises; a virtual trek to Nepal; a ‘Practisathon’; a charity calendar; a talent show; and a ‘Stand Up To Cancer’ day which was filmed and broadcast on YouTube by Cancer Research UK. The School’s ‘Flourish and Fly’ PSHE programme attracted national media interest, including an ITN interview with the Head of Junior School, Claire Boyd.

Alanah O’Rourke, a student at Brighton & Hove High School (BHHS), was welcomed onto the prestigious Arkwright Scholarship scheme, awarded to the brightest and best future engineers to encourage and support potential leaders in engineering. Alanah now has a dedicated sponsor: the Nuclear Institute will offer support to enable her to fund her engineering interests. In July 2015 a team of BHHS girls travelled to central Europe to provide a week of educational activities to a group of socially excluded Roma children in the Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora.

12 GDST

Bromley High School‘s triumph of the term was the victory of the Under 16 Hockey Team in both the county Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Cultural highlights were the sublime Christmas Concert in The Swiss Church in Covent Garden in October, and the exhilarating performance of High School Musical which gave a rousing finish to 2015.

The Royal High School, Bath, enjoyed a sparkling year of celebrations for the school’s 150th Anniversary. Many students volunteered for the Inclusive Futures project with the Youth Sport Trust, helping to coach young people with disabilities. Year 13 student Claudia Dickinson was also chosen to represent Team GB at the International Geography Olympiad in Moscow.

The Head of Ipswich High School, along with another member of staff and two Sixth Form students, raised over £10,000 for a local hospice with a London-to-Paris cycle ride in memory of former teacher Dawn Blake. Year 4 pupil Jessica Burden played Marta in ITV’s The Sound of Music Live, while Year 7’s Darcy Sanders competed in the Shetland Pony Grand National.

Nottingham Girls’ High School has been organising charity, volunteering and outreach initiatives in its local community. Sixth Form girls logged over 5,000 hours of volunteering through the VInspired programme, and over £17,000 was raised for local and national charities. The highly successful outreach initiative continued to grow, with over 500 pupils from 50 local primary schools attending a range of exciting and challenging themed days, including business and enterprise, science, dyslexia awareness, STEM and storytelling.

After a recent inspection, the Independent Schools Inspectorate awarded Putney High School the highest possible grading in every category, saying “a spirit of innovation, openness and creativity” pervades the school. Alumna and The Thick of It actress Olivia Poulet returned to raise the curtain on the school’s new Performing Arts Centre. The centre boasts an acousticallysensitive performance theatre, raked seating, a concert Steinway piano and a green room, as well as state-of-the-art sound and lighting, funded by the parent body FOPHS.

The 2015 Wings of Hope Achievement Award was presented to Northwood College for Girls’ Team Eclipse: Lauren Lewis, Davina Pindoria, Tara Ghassami, Riya Kotecha and Sherin Ahmet.

The team raised £6,000 via a sponsored haircut, swim and cycle; a school talent show; a student prom; and an afternoon tea.

An ingenious PR campaign included a leaflet drop, an interview on Harrow Community Radio and a meeting with the Mayor of Harrow.

Norwich High School pupils and staff were delighted to win Norwich City Council’s Sports School of the Year Award 2015. Amelia Williamson won the National Under 18 Golf Championship the day before her 15th birthday, and there were county and regional wins in hockey, netball and rounders.

Year 13 students achieved the best A Level results in Norfolk and the Junior School was delighted to be in The Telegraph’s Top Ten Best Value Prep Schools in the country.

ANNUAL REVIEW 13

Embedding social responsibility

Partnerships continued • South Hampstead High School hosted over 700 teachers from across the UK for the 2015 researchED national conference, a day of debate, research, and intelligent discussion • Norwich High School organises an annual week-long Winter Arts Festival, which involves 300 pupils from local schools • Notting Hill & Ealing High School’s Minimus Latin teaching link for Year 5 and 6 pupils at a local primary school is now into its third year • 100 girls from local primary schools participated in a Girls Only Football Festival organised by Howell’s School, in partnership with Cardiff City Ladies Football Club. In addition, 360 Year 6 children take part every year in workshops and experiments at their schools, provided by the Howell’s Whizz Bang Science Team of Sixth Form College students and a member of staff

GDST Academies The two academies in the GDST Network – The Belvedere Academy in Liverpool and Birkenhead High School Academy – offer a first-rate GDST education free of charge to nearly 2,000 girls.

Academy staff have access to GDST training and development, and the girls benefit from the same opportunities to participate in all the GDST-wide events and competitions that every other GDST girl enjoys. All former Academy students automatically become life-long members of the GDST Alumnae Network, with all the advantages that brings.

Following successful inspections in 2015, both academies now enjoy an ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted.

Living Wage The GDST Academy Trust decided this year to join the rest of the GDST’s schools in paying all staff the Living Wage. This means that all GDST staff directly employed in both our schools and academies now receive the Living Wage. We expect to be eligible to apply for accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation this year.

Environmental policy Our environmental policy commits us to continuing to work to improve our environmental performance and reducing our carbon footprint, conserving natural resources and limiting environmental pollutants. From this year, responsibility for funding the carbon reduction charge has been devolved to our individual schools, to encourage them to monitor and further reduce their energy use.

ANNUAL REVIEW 15

Driving innovation Many of the greatest challenges we face at the GDST are those we set ourselves. We’re not content to rely on practices that are tried and true.

We question them; we test them; we explore alternatives and, if we find they’re better, we adopt them.

• The first collaborative academic conference for Year 6 pupils from across the GDST took place in October 2015. The seminar focused on maths exploration and was hosted by Oxford University’s Institute of Mathematics. GDST alumna Dame Frances Kirwan opened the event

Our commitment to innovation is part of what makes us different:

• A new website, www.innovateandlearn.co.uk, was launched to share knowledge and best practice among GDST teachers and the wider teaching community

• The GDST continues to monitor and support our schools and academies adapting to the continuing reforms of GCSE and A Level exam syllabuses and grading

• The first ‘Welcome to the GDST’ induction conference was held for teachers new to the GDST network, attended by over 150 new staff

• We are also working with our staff to enhance pastoral support and adopt measures designed to develop girls’ confidence beyond exams

• Our central training & staff development programme focused on girls’ learning and support. Nearly 1,500 staff attended one of nearly 200 forums, workshops and seminars organised for GDST staff

• The GDST has bought a Trust-wide licence to Planet eStream, a video-on-demand and live streaming platform to enable teachers to share relevant video content and resources online.

It is already being widely used across many subject areas and is a valuable asset for staff and students alike

• New approaches to literacy using the ‘Write Inspired’ model, involving sensory and auditory inputs to stimulate creative writing, are being adopted across Trust schools • The Firefly virtual learning environment has already been adopted by 24 of our 26 schools and academies, providing a flexible platform and a common set of tools to enable better internal communications between teachers, students and parents within school communities • The inaugural GDST Digital Leaders’ Day, hosted by South Hampstead High School in February 2015, brought together 150 students from Years 5 to 13 from all 26 GDST schools and academies. Working in teams and supported by mentors from companies including BT, Ogilvy, Capita, Discovery, Morgan Stanley and Accenture, they developed an idea for a new digital product or service. Students also enjoyed a careers Q&A and design, pitching and video masterclasses

School and individual achievements Birkenhead High School Academy (BHSA) received a wonderful ‘Outstanding’ in all areas in its latest Ofsted inspection, closely followed by the official grand opening of its underground WW2 air raid shelters attended by 100 invited guests. After receiving a grant for £81,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the shelters are now open as a piece of living history in the grounds of BHSA. Streatham & Clapham High School (SCHS) held its second STREAM Book Festival in November. Speakers included Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell, author and poet Michael Rosen and comedian David Baddiel, and the event attracted over 2,000 visitors. Events and workshops for readers of all ages ran throughout the day, which was open to all. In addition, SCHS Lower Sixth student Holly Jackson was offered a place in the National Youth Orchestra, one of only sixteen cellists selected from throughout the UK.

16 GDST

Following its win at the Independent School Awards, Shrewsbury High School was delighted to win the Sports Award at the 2015 Education Business Awards – unprecedented recognition for any school in Shropshire. This award cited the wide variety of sports scholarships available and the national and international success of several of its pupils.

Notting Hill & Ealing High School’s U14 and U16 waterpolo teams made it through to the national finals of the English Schools Swimming Association competition. The production of Lorca’s Blood Wedding sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe, and Thushika Ravichandran (Year 7) won first prize in London’s Fourth Plinth sculpture design competition for schools.

The Northampton High School 360°Me Day gave all senior school students the time to reflect about who they are and what has turned them into these people, and asked them to think about who they would like to grow up to be in the future. It helped them think about different aspects of identity and to look at themselves from all angles: hence the name of the day.

2015 saw Newcastle High School for Girls engage in projects to help, inform and support others. Over 1,200 pupils from NHSG and local schools raised thousands of pounds in March with a 10km sponsored walk for Plan UK. In May, girls guided visitors around the touring exhibition ‘Anne Frank – a history for today’. In September, CareerConnect put girls in touch with industry specialists while the new SELFIE programme – Social and Emotional Learning for Everyone – provided valuable support for girls and parents.

Celebrating its 135th birthday, Wimbledon High School reflected on its heritage and history with over 150 alumnae attending a birthday reunion and with a fitting re-emergence of the school motto ‘ex humilibus excelsa’. An array of speakers over the year inspired the girls to greatness indeed, from England’s winning rugby team players to Director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti and prize-winning author Ali Smith. “Own your own space” was their call to arms and WHS students proved time and again they do just that.

South Hampstead High School (SHHS) has had its busiest year yet with a particular focus on community partnerships. In addition to fundraising drives and links with local care homes, the year also presented many first time events including an inaugural alumnae event, a STEM outreach project and hosting a literary festival.

Finally, the school was honoured to make the shortlist for the TES Independent School ‘Community Initiative of the Year’ Award.

Blackheath High School introduced the ‘Wollstonecraft Programme’, designed to open minds and broaden horizons and provide fresh ways of looking at the world. Lectures cover topics as diverse as a history of psychiatry, gender diversity in banking, women in war, the culture and history of Tibet, applying creativity through playwriting, exploring science within literature, analysing world film and cinematography and investigating engineering through modelling structures.

ANNUAL REVIEW 17

Driving innovation

Bright Ideas Award The Bright Ideas Award is designed to encourage and reward the spirit of innovation, with funding set aside for GDST schools or academies that come up with great initiatives.

Judges were impressed by the range of ideas and suggestions for their implementation. The winning submissions were: • Birkenhead High School Academy, for a portable planetarium for use in both the Junior and Senior Schools and which will be taken to local schools as part of an outreach programme • Blackheath High School, to introduce an enrichment course in Key Stage 3 deploying CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), delivering a physical activity course in a foreign language, such as tai chi in Mandarin or yoga in French • Brighton & Hove High School, for a robotics kit and weather station to be housed in its soon-to-be-installed bio-dome, which will be used for both cross and co-curricular activity • Northwood College, to introduce a Mental Toughness Test for its Year 7 girls

18 GDST

Financial summary

Structure and governance

Income and expenditure – year end 31 August 2015

Trustees (as at January 2016)

Group balance sheet – year end 31 August 2015

INCOMING RESOURCES School fees

£m

FIXED ASSETS

£m

219.7

Tangible assets

334.0

Other income

9.8

Investments 101.2

Academy Trust Government Grants

9.4

435.2

Trading income

2.3

Investment income

2.9

CURRENT ASSETS

Voluntary income

2.9

Debtors 6.7

Net gains on disposal of fixed assets

7.1

Cash at bank

Total incoming resources 254.1

41.1 (36.8)

RESOURCES EXPENDED Provision of education Other costs

217.6

NET CURRENT ASSETS 11.0

5.5

Total resources expended 223.1

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

446.2

Actuarial and investment losses

CREDITORS: due after one year

(53.3)

(10.7)

NET SURPLUS 20.3

TOTAL NET ASSETS 392.9 Endowed funds

1.6

Restricted funds

78.9

Unrestricted funds

Tom Wheare Deputy Chair Helen Williams Deputy Chair

Julie Chakraverty

Richard Harris

Kathryn Davis

Mary Hockaday

Rita Dhut

John Jay

Kevin Gibbons

Paula Nickolds

Joanna Greenslade

47.8 CREDITORS: due within one year

Juliet Humphries Chairman

312.4

TOTAL FUNDS 392.9

The Council of the Trust (our Trustees) is responsible for the overall running of the organisation. Its principal roles are to: • set strategy • monitor key performance indicators • maintain financial stability • review policies and procedures to mitigate risk The Council delegates some of its responsibilities to four Committees: • Audit • Governance and Nominations • Senior Appointments and Remuneration • Investments

Each Committee has up to four Council Members, and external members may be appointed to complement their expertise.

The Council delegates the day-to-day management of the Trust to the Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team. They are in regular contact with our 24 schools and two academies, and the Heads of the schools report to the Chief Executive.

Each of the GDST’s schools has a local School Governing Board, whose members support and challenge the

Heads, as well as being vital links between the schools and their local communities.

The GDST Academy Trust is responsible for our two Academies. The GDST appoints the majority of the members of the GDST Academy Trust Board, and it is chaired by a GDST Council member. Other members are drawn from the HSBC Education Programme (our co-sponsors of The Belvedere Academy) and the Chairmen of the Academies’ local governing boards.

Giving the gift of education By 2022 the Trust aims to grow our bursary fund to a level that will guarantee more gifted girls, regardless of their background, receive a full bursary.

The GDST is one of the UK’s largest educational charities, and any surplus is reinvested in enhancing the education provided by our schools.

To achieve this ambitious objective, our fundraising programme is engaging with a number of local and national companies, generous benefactors, and our wider community of friends to help us transform the lives and raise the aspirations of hundreds of talented girls.

Full audited accounts can be seen at www.charitycommission.gov.uk

If you are interested in helping to provide the gift of a GDST education by supporting our Bursary Fund, please contact Glen Fendley, Head of Development at the Girls’ Day School Trust, on 020 7393 6689 or at g.fendley@wes.gdst.net

20 GDST

Notable GDST alumnae The GDST Alumnae Network is the largest group of its kind in the UK, with a worldwide cohort of 69,000 past GDST pupils and staff and current Sixth Formers in an online community providing mutual advice and practical support.

Last year a national alumnae mentoring scheme was launched in which former students in professional careers provide advice to their peers.

Business and enterprise

Media

Jasmine Birtles (Brighton & Hove) Finance expert, journalist, TV and radio presenter and author; founder of moneymagpie.com

Samira Ahmed (Wimbledon) Journalist, writer and broadcaster

GDST women have an outstanding record of achievement.

Here are just a few examples:

Emily Brooke (Royal High, Bath) Founder and CEO of Blaze, creator of the Laserlight, an LED bike light designed to tackle a common cause of accidents

Academic

Karen Easton (Sutton) Co-founder of Café Rouge restaurant chain

Professor Mary Beard (Shrewsbury) Professor of Classics at Cambridge, and Fellow of Newnham College Professor Anne Stevens (Blackheath) Emeritus Professor of European Studies, Aston University Professor Dame Marilyn Strathern (Bromley) Former Professor of Social Anthropology at Cambridge; Mistress of Girton College

Arts and literature Jenny Beavan (Putney) Oscar-winning costume designer; credits include The King’s Speech and Mad Max: Fury Road Helena Bonham Carter (South Hampstead) BAFTA-winning actress, known for Fight Club, The King’s Speech and Harry Potter AS Byatt (Sheffield) Author; winner of the Man Booker Prize Olivia Colman (Norwich) BAFTA-winning actress, known for Peep Show, Rev and Broadchurch Alice Edgerley (South Hampstead) and Maria Lisogorskaya (Wimbledon) Members of Assemble, the collective which won the 2015 Turner Prize Allie Esiri (South Hampstead) Creator of iF Poems, an educational poetry app and the accompanying anthology, and The Love Book Harriet Evans (Notting Hill & Ealing) Author of several best-selling novels Anne Fine (Northampton) Award-winning children’s author and writer of adult fiction Linda Grant (Belvedere) Author; winner of the Orange prize for fiction Frances Hardinge (Ipswich) Author; winner of the 2015 Costa Book of the Year award Susan Howatch (Sutton) Novelist; author of bestselling mysteries, family sagas, and other novels Mab Jones (Howell’s) Award-winning performance poet Elizabeth Llewellyn (Streatham & Clapham) Soprano Kate Moross (South Hampstead) Illustrator, art director, director and designer; has worked with Sam Smith, One Direction and Jessie Ware Kerenza Peacock (Ipswich) Violinist; leader of the Pavao String Quartet Sandy Powell (Putney) Oscar-winning costume designer; credits include Carol, Cinderella, The Young Victoria and The Aviator Caroline Raphael (Putney) Editorial Director, Penguin Random House Audio Indhu Rubasingham (Nottingham) Artistic Director, Tricycle Theatre Jane Salmon (Oxford) Cellist; member of the Schubert Ensemble Rosemary Squire (Nottingham) Founder, co-owner and Joint Chief Executive of Ambassador Theatre Group

Emma Bridgewater (Oxford) Designer; renowned for potteryware and accessories

Clare and Rebecca Hopkins (Sheffield) Sisters Rebecca and Clare founded award winning natural beauty brand Balance Me in 2005 following successful careers at L’Oréal and Gemini Consulting respectively.

The brand is now available in the beauty halls of leading retailers, overseas and online; has enjoyed many celebrity and editorial endorsements; and appeared on the covers of magazines including Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar and Glamour.

Nicola Horlick (Birkenhead) CEO of Money & Co and Chairman of Rockpool Investments LLP Bianca Miller (Sydenham) Entrepreneur, founder of Bianca Miller London (hosiery); Apprentice finalist Jane Platt (Birkenhead) Chief Executive, National Savings & Investments Lesley Titcomb (Oxford) Chief Executive, The Pensions Regulator

Charity and non-profit Sue Archbold (Newcastle) Chief Executive of the charity The Ear Foundation Tanya Barron (South Hampstead) Chief Executive of Plan UK Ann Cotton (Howell’s) Founder and President of Camfed International Alison Maguire (Croydon) Alison was the 2015 recipient of the GDST Alumna of the Year award. When her daughter Niamh died of mitochondrial disease in 2009 aged just four and a half, Alison joined the Lily Foundation, which funds research into the condition and supports parents of affected children. She now heads up both the research and finance arms of the charity, and successfully campaigned for a change in the law to permit a new IVF technique called mitochondrial donation.

Gemma Mortensen (Oxford) Executive Director of Crisis Action, an international NGO that works to protect civilians from armed conflict

Law Dame Margaret Booth (Northwood) Retired judge, third woman appointed as a High Court judge Madeleine Heggs (Notting Hill & Ealing) Solicitor and Social Security & Child Support Commissioner (retired) Judge Frances Kirkham (Heathfield) Senior Circuit Judge; founder member of the UK Association of Women Judges Sandie Okoro (Putney) Sandie is qualified as both a barrister and solicitor and is General Counsel for HSBC Global Asset Management, managing the firm’s legal risk and legal teams. She is also a Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Mary Berry (Royal High, Bath) Celebrity chef, writer and journalist Mel Giedroyc (Oxford) Television presenter, comedienne, actress and writer; presenter of The Great British Bake Off Afua Hirsch (Wimbledon) Social Affairs and Education Editor, Sky News Bettany Hughes (Notting Hill & Ealing) Award-winning historian, author and broadcaster Martha Kearney (Brighton & Hove) Presenter of The World at One on BBC Radio 4 Suzy Klein (South Hampstead) TV and radio presenter, BBC Eleanor Oldroyd (Oxford) Sports presenter, BBC Sophie Raworth (Putney) National news presenter, BBC Susanna Reid (Croydon) Journalist and TV presenter on ITV’s Good Morning Britain Kate Riley (Ipswich) Presenter and sports correspondent, CNN Charlene White (Blackheath) Journalist and news presenter, ITV News

Sport Sophie Hemming (Norwich) A practising vet, Sophie is also an international rugby player, described by the RFU as a “world-class tighthead prop.”

Before retiring from the sport in October 2014, she earned 71 caps for England, competed in several successful Six Nations campaigns and two Rugby World Cups, and was a member of the team that won the 2014 World Cup. Caitlin McClatchey (Northampton) 2006 Commonwealth gold medal winning swimmer; competed in 2008 and 2012 Olympics Hannah Mills (Howell’s) Olympic silver medallist in sailing at London 2012 Karen Pickering (Brighton & Hove) Swimmer – World, Commonwealth, European and British champion; Chair of the British Athletes Commission Emma Pooley (Norwich) 2008 Olympic silver medal winning cyclist; Commonwealth silver medallist 2014 Vicky Williamson (Norwich) Team GB sprint track cyclist; won the bronze medal in the team sprint at the 2013 World Track Cycling Championships

STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths)

Public service

Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (Oxford) Royal Society University Research Fellow and Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London

Madeleine Albright (Kensington) Former US secretary of State

Professor Alison Bruce (Newcastle) Professor of Physics at the University of Brighton

Fiona Bruce (Howell’s) Conservative MP for Congleton

Dr Ellie Cannon (Newcastle) GP; writes regularly for The Mail on Sunday, Woman magazine and other titles

Cressida Dick (Oxford) Director-general at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office; former Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police Baroness Lynne Featherstone (South Hampstead) Life peer; Liberal Democrat spokesperson for energy and climate change; former MP for Hornsey & Wood Green Suella Fernandes (Heathfield) Conservative MP for Fareham Sophy Gardner (Putney) Retired RAF Wing Commander; now runs her own company working with Service charities Louise Haigh (Sheffield) Labour MP for Sheffield Heeley Meg Hillier (Portsmouth) Labour MP for Hackney South & Shoreditch; Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Rt Hon Margaret Hodge (Bromley) Labour MP for Barking; former Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Rupa Huq (Notting Hill & Ealing) Labour MP for Ealing Central & Acton Susan le Jeune d’Allegeershecque (Ipswich) UK Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna.

Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller (Northampton) Former Director General of MI5; life peer Esther McVey (Belvedere) Chair of the British Transport Police Authority; former Conservative MP and Minister of State for Employment Dame Stella Rimington (Nottingham) Former Director General of MI5, and first female DG of MI5; author of several spy fiction novels Alice Walpole (Norwich) UK Ambassador to Luxembourg; formerly HM Consul-General in Basra, Iraq Rev Canon Alison White (Notting Hill & Ealing) Anglican Bishop of Hull

Dr Jane Collins (Portsmouth) CEO of Marie Curie Cancer Care; former CEO of Great Ormond Street Hospital Baroness Ilora Finlay (Wimbledon) Professor of palliative medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine, and a consultant at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff; life peer Professor Alison Hodge (Sydenham) Associate Dean and Professor of Engineering Leadership, Aston University Dr Bethan James (Howell’s) Astronomer specialising in extragalactic observational astrophysics. Postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Astronomy and Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge Dr Sheila Kanani (Wimbledon) Education, Outreach & Diversity Officer, Royal Astronomical Society Dr Suze Kundu (Croydon) Nanochemist and Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Surrey; science communicator and writer for Standard Issue magazine Dame Frances Kirwan (Oxford) Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Frances Saunders (Portsmouth) President of the Institute of Physics Dr Miriam Stoppard (Newcastle) After qualifying as a doctor, Miriam became a senior registrar at Bristol Royal Infirmary before moving into the pharmaceutical industry. Since then she has enjoyed a long career as TV presenter, author and journalist on medical topics particularly relating to women. She also runs her own business providing services and products to parents and children.

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www.gdst.net The Girls’ Day School Trust, a limited company registered in England No. 6400. Registered Charity No. 306983.