No decade is plain sailing but it’s fair to say that the social, political and economic impact of daily life across the globe over the last 10 years have been some of the most impactful of the 21st century: a global pandemic, conflicts, the advent of AI, social media (interestingly TikTok is also celebrating its decennial year) and a challenging look into the way that society still treats women and girls.
We asked Mrs Keller to give us some highs and lows of her 10 years as Head: what makes her want to come to work every day, why no two days are the same, and why, once they step through the doors of NGHS, parents don’t hesitate to invest in their daughter’s future here.
What is most prevalent is that Julie’s goal has been, and will always be, to prepare girls for the future, by building resilience and confidence across an ever-changing landscape. Her journey has been one of positive change, to design a safe space for girls to find their voice, their tribe and more importantly, themselves, to build the future they want.
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I fell in love with NGHS the minute I arrived and my greatest aim was always to make the school the happiest place to study and the best place to work. Our parents are investing in NGHS because they believe in us and while that’s a heady responsibility, it’s also a joy. My team and the girls here are what drive me every day.
Parents and visitors alike openly comment that they’ve never visited such a happy school. But you can’t have a happy school without a happy workforce. You can’t have a successful group of students and parents if your staff are disengaged. I have worked very hard over the past 10 years to create a positive team because it all begins with them. In our recent staff engagement survey, a huge 92% of all NGHS staff said they enjoyed their role.
The team at NGHS works tirelessly to support our girls and I’m proud of the foundation that this support rests on: open conversation, great relationships and building confidence. But what the girls needed from us 10 years ago is not the same as what they need today – and nor will it be the same in 10 years time. This is where our fantastic pastoral support team has gone from strength to strength, supporting our students through personal issues and external pressures to ensure that no girl is left behind, and that both their emotional wellbeing and education are protected.
When I first started teaching and even when I first came to this school, the age of social media was in its infancy but it has been one of the biggest impacts on our children in my lifetime. We give our children phones which give them access to far more knowledge than ever before, but our girls are also dealing with more pressures – and at a younger age – than ever before. As a result there has been a massive shift in topics we address with girls across Years 5-8. Unachievable beauty ideals in the age of AI being one of them.
But here at NGHS our girls are not trying to impress anyone with their looks. In a girls school they are free from that pressure and we are able to build resilience. In turn, this builds confidence and when a girl believes in herself, she will deal with much more that is thrown at her. In a girls-only setting where they are free to be themselves, they develop a self-worth that equips them far beyond the real world.
We have always had exceptionally bright students, but when I arrived I was shocked by such a broad spectrum of grades, with some far below expectations. One of my proudest achievements is that we now have a comprehensive programme of individualised support, ensuring that every single girl not only realises her potential but often achieves far more than she believed she could. It goes back to ‘no girl left behind’. Girls don’t fail here.
As a leader I am always looking for new and better ways of doing things, a very recent example of which is our exciting new Senior school educational programme “ConnectEd”, a teaching and learning collaboration across multiple GDST schools. It enables students studying A-level subjects such as German and Latin, which are on the decline nationally, to be part of a vibrant, academic collaboration which will ensure these subjects thrive well into the future. Further exciting teamwork comes in the form of the LEAD programme, an innovative partnership between the GDST and the London School of Economics that prepares our students for the future, equipping them with the skills they need to become leaders and entrepreneurs. Both these examples demonstrate the great impact and power of being part of such a phenomenal network.
Schools are judged on examination success and we are a proudly academic school, but the importance of having a fantastic careers provision now matters more than ever. 10 years ago, the majority of our girls were, as they are now, heading off to University to study the likes of medicine and law, but with the advent of AI, that traditionally trodden path has become somewhat squiggly. Many of our students may not be choosing a ‘job for life’, which feels unsettling for some but can be a hugely positive experience for many. Our expert guidance reflects all these options. Our dedicated careers and Sixth Form team help the girls identify hundreds of different career options that didn’t exist 10 years ago, alongside the support of a 6,000-strong alumnae network who regularly come back to speak with our students about their own experiences, offering plenty of words of wisdom and advice.
One of the areas I was keen to build back in 2016 was the number of girls who continued to enjoy and be involved in sport. Many schools, including ours, have elite athletes, but the trade off perhaps can be that the school programme then excludes the not-so-sporty girls, and for me that was not good enough. Yes, we can offer the elite experience for the very able, but what’s most important to me is that all girls play, and want to continue to play, sport. It’s a mindset change and one I’m really proud of. More girls than ever are engaged in sport and fitness – and more girls than ever shine.
In a recent survey, 94% of girls said they are proud to be at NGHS. That’s a huge achievement and one which an examination league table cannot reflect. It drives many prospective families to engage with us, particularly when they are seeking a change of schools.
This pride is reflected in the fact that the girls themselves play a huge role in shaping the future of our school. The student council and the prefect team are inspired to bring fresh ideas to life and shape new initiatives for their peers. And we want to hear from them. We are a progressive school. We are a quirky school. We are an inclusive school. And we have exceptional academics. Girls at NGHS are more confident than most and I strongly believe that our girls-only education plays a huge part in that. It’s cool to be clever here. Girls go where their friends are and when their friends are learning, reading and inspired to be the best they can be, they follow.
One of my fondest memories will always be the TedX event in 2023 Everybody who spoke on stage that night epitomised everything I had been striving to achieve at NGHS. Inclusive, fair, progressive. This again is reflected in our Undivided survey results, where 92% of girls said they feel they belong and that their culture and identity are respected. This is matched by the staff, 96% of whom in their staff engagement survey felt the organisation was committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community and that everyone is valued within the school. From an entirely external perspective, it was a joy to receive such a rave review by Muddy Stilettos who spent the day with us experiencing not only a flash mob (read the review if you don’t believe me!) but also first hand our teachers and students doing what they do best: embodying the very ethos of NGHS.
This week, particularly, I’ve pondered what 10 years from now could look like. As part of the GDST, we are in a very fortunate position to ensure girls-only education thrives into the future. We’ve learned so much this past decade and we will continue to learn, to adapt, to challenge and to prepare girls for the future.
And perhaps that is the best way to understand the past decade at NGHS, not as a fixed chapter, but as a foundation. A school that listens, evolves and refuses to stand still will always be one step ahead of the world its students are about to enter. ‘No girl left behind’ is a promise that every girl will be seen, supported and stretched to become more than she imagined possible. As the next 10 years begin, that promise feels more important than ever to me.
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