Girls' Schools Association
Press News

As President of the GSA in 2010, and now as Vice President, Mrs Low's views on current topics across the national educational agenda appear on a regular basis in the national press and can be viewed below."

• How to bring up daughters – by the Girls School Association. A new book offers advice to parents on bringing up girls, covering everything from tattoos to teenage tantrums.
  The Guardian - 4th January 2011
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jan/04/guide-to-bringing-up-girls
  
  
• Gove promises teachers the right to inspire pupils. Call for end to 'culture of compliance' in which bureaucracy stifles innovation in the classroom.Their concerns were graphically illustrated by Gillian Low, president of the Girls' Schools Association, last week when she complained that UK education had "lost its way". The Independent - 21st November 2010
  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/gove-promises-teachers-the-right-to-inspire-pupils-2139731.html 
  
  
• All the statistics point to a rise in education standards under Labour. Take the comments made by Gillian Low, president of the Girls’ Schools Association. In a speech to head teachers, she warned how education in England had “lost its way” as schools were strong-armed into raising achievement and passing Ofsted inspections at any cost.
  The Telegraph - 22nd November 2010
  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8148076/All-the-statistics-point-to-a-rise-in-education-standards-under-Labour.html 
  
  
• London's 1000 most influential people 2010: Education Gillian Low, Girls School Association, president. Head teacher of Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton represents girls' private schools and has warned that a damaging perception of elitism is prompting the departure of some head teachers. Has called for schools to give more time for girls' sport.
  The Standard - 19th November 2010
  http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-home/article-23897850-londons-1000-most-influential-people-2010-education.do
  
  
• A toxic mix of exam pressure, celebrity culture, and the internet is fuelling mental health problems among schoolchildren according to a leading headmistress. 
  The Telegraph - 17th November 2010
  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8134232/Exams-culture-fuelling-teenage-mental-health-problems.html
  
  
• Allow pupils 'to be more carefree'. Gillian Low, president of the Girls' School Association, warned that education had "lost its way" because of its focus on exam "hoop-jumping". 
  The Independent - 16th November 2010
   http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/allow-pupils-to-be-more-carefree-2135006.html
  
  
• Dropping one grade 'can blight pupil's life: Exam culture is damaging pupils, headmistress warns.
  Daily Mail - 16th November 2010
  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1329993/School-exam-culture-damaging-pupils-headmistress-warns.html
  
  
• Girls' Schools Association head Gillian Low warned that as competition for university places intensified, pupils might no longer have time to be "young" and "carefree". BBC News - 15th November 2010
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11757810
  
  
• Education has lost its way". Schools are mired in a tick box culture and forced to "jump through hoops" to meet exam targets, as politicians focus more on results and inspections than teaching and learning, according to Gillian Low, president of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA).
  The Independent -15th November 2010
  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/leading-headmistress-education-has-lost-its-way-2134533.html
  
  
• Girls learn so much better without boys. Gillilan Low, president of the the Girls' Schools Association tells Richard Garner why she supports single-sex education - and what she believes state schools can learn from the private sector.
  The Independent - 11th November 2010
  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/girls-learn-so-much-better-without-boys-2130775.html 
  
  
• The smarter sex. Does it matter if girls do better than boys? The Girls' School Association president, Gillian Low, sums up the argument: in a single-sex classroom, girls "are more inclined to stand up and make contributions in class. They're not thinking about what the boys' reaction will be." Similarly, supporters of boys-only education say there is less pressure on them to play to the gallery in single-sex environments.”
  The Independent - 21st October 2010
  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/the-smarter-sex-does-it-matter-if-girls-do-better-than-boys-2112129.html
  
  
• Students should be allowed more time off school to play sport. Gillian Low, headteacher of The Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton, said teachers should give more support to pupils who are at the top of their game in sports clubs outside school. It comes as more than 400 of the country's best schoolgirl sports stars will meet for the first time at a conference in London.
  Evening Standard - 22nd September 2010
  http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23880462-sporting-students-should-be-given-time-off-from-studying.do
  
  
• School Gate – ‘Starting school advice from a headteacher’: Gillian Low, headteacher of The Lady Eleanor Holles School, shares her advice....
  The Times online* - 6th September 2010 (*available to online subscribers)
  http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/education/schoolgate/?blogId=Blog02cd6d73-6e92-40a4-9ad9-6e71abb873aaPost5f3b8d62-206a-4afd-99d9-fc2566bd1e7f
  
  
• ‘Gove hopes English Baccalaureate will bridge language barrier’: Gillian Low, headmistress of Lady Eleanor Holles School in London and president of the Girls’ Schools Association, said: “Essentially I am in favour of anything which encourages breadth of study and leaves young people’s choices open...." 
  The Times online* - 6th September 2010(available to online subscribers)
  http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/education/article2714791.ece
  
  
  
• Universities introduce steps to increase state school bias: Gillian Low, head of the Lady Eleanor Holles school in Hampton, west London, and president of the Girls’ Schools Association, said: “We are absolutely in favour of social mobility. The issue is how that is achieved, how talented people from disadvantaged backgrounds are identified......."
  The Sunday Times online* - 5th September 2010 (*available to online suscribers)
  http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Education/article386807.ece
   
  
  
• Does the new A* at A-level make the grade? Gillian Low, president of the Girls' School Association, said: "There was stretch there and some demanding questions. We did welcome the A*. It is important to give that stretch and challenge to the brightest."
  BBC News online - 21st August 2010
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11037928
  
  

• UK Independents retain their allure abroad, but not at home. Gillian Low, president of the Girls' Schools Association, which represents the heads of leading girls' independents, added that her members had learnt "some interesting lessons" during the financial crisis, and said schools would "remain sensitive" to the economic circumstances of parents.
  TES - 30th April 2010
  http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6042417
  
  

• Fall in independent school pupils, census shows. Gillian Low, president of the Girls' Schools Association, said the sector could be "cautiously optimistic" about the future. "Schools will be looking very carefully at their financial planning for the future and we are very aware of the circumstances in which we are operating. But the signs at the moment are positive."
  BBC News online - 29th April 2010 
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10089109.stm
  
  Daily Telegraph online - 29th April 2010
  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7644200/Private-school-pupils-falling-in-the-recession.html
  
  
• Swedish lessons: are new 'free' schools the answer? "Of course, we're not against more choice and competition," says Gillian Low president of the Girls' School Association, "but we are first and foremost educators, and we are concerned about the other schools. You could have sink schools that sink down even further."
  The Independent - 22nd April 2010
  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/swedish-lessons-are-new-free-schools-the-answer-1950142.html
  
  
• 'Reputation is more valuable than statistics'  Gillian Low, head of The Lady Eleanor Holles School in London and president of the Girls' Schools Association, says: “The culture in a girls' school is such that the girls really feel they can do anything. In a girls' school you get to play Hamlet.”
  FT - 19th March 2010
  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b444cd80-321e-11df-b4e2-00144feabdc0.html 
  
  
• University lessons: Do schools prepare high fliers for student life?' -At Lady Eleanor Holles, a fee-paying independent girls school, headmistress Gillian Low offers a range of guidance about the personal and practical sides of life, and enough chance to become independent through other projects and activities.
  FT - 19th March 2010
  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae02371e-321e-11df-b4e2-00144feabdc0.html
  
  
• Answering the Swedish question. As Gillian Low, president of the Girls' Schools Association, asked recently, what will happen to the existing schools in the area?
  SecEd - 8th March 2010
  http://content.yudu.com/A1mz4p/SecEd25Feb2010/resources/6.htm
  
  
  
• Choice matters in a successful start to secondary education. Education expert Gillian Low says the dreams of many are shattered when they do not get into the school they want.
  TES online - 4th March 2010  
  www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/school_league_tables/article7047997.ece
  
• Secret downgrading of GCSE exam results. Gillian Low, headmistress of Lady Eleanor Holles school in west London and president of the Girls' Schools Association, said: “If these students genuinely deserved grades they didn't get, it's quite scandalous.”
  Sunday Times - 28th February 2010
  www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article7043962.ece
  
  
  
• Think independent heads back the Tories' free school dream? Think again.  GSA president Gillian Low warns the system is divisive and could fail to offer genuine choice.
  TES - 12th February 2010
  www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6035581
  
  
  
• 'Farewell to the gifted and talented scheme' - The decision to disband the national provision for gifted students without an effective alternative is completely misguided. Gillian Low, Head Mistress, The Lady Eleanor Holles school in Hampton and president of the Girls' Schools Association
  The Guardian - 2nd February 2010
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/feb/02/gifted-talented-scrapped-funds-redirected
  
  
• It is not elitist to nurture gifted pupils. When it comes to education, the Government persists in looking through the wrong end of the telescope – and with an ill-fitting, short-sighted lens, says Gillian Low.
  Daily Telegraph - 28th January 2010
  www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/7090921/It-is-not-elitist-to-nurture-gifted-pupils.html
  
  Education News.org - 28th January 2010 
  www.educationnews.org/global/37248.html
  
  
• Gillian Low, president of the Girls' Schools Association, said : 'We are certianly seeing an increase in interest in American universities, specifically over the last couple of years.
  Daily Mail - 28th January 2010
  www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246619/3-000-fees-middle-classes-university-new-figures-revealed.html
  
  
• Gillian Low, president of the Girls' Schools Association, discussed methods of measuring progress in schools with Mary Bousted (ATL) and Isabel Nisbel (Oqual)
  Radio 4, Woman's Hour - 27th January 2010
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qlvb
  
  
  
• I'm ready for new challenges. The 2010 President of the Girls' Schools Association speaks exclusively to Indpendent Schools Magazine about the year ahead.
  The Independent Schools Magazine - January 2010
  www.independentschoolsmagazine.co.uk/resources/ISM_Jan_2010_to+web.pdf
  
  
• The president of the Girls' Schools Association, Gillian Low, said the government did not recognise iGCSEs because they "did not tick all the boxes on the national curriculum".
  BBC News - 15th January 2010
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8460189.stm
  
  
  
• Gillian Low, president of the Girls' Schools Association and Headmistress of Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton, said: “The league tables are completely undermined by this failure to recognise a good qualification. 
  Daily Telegraph - 13th January 2010 www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguetables/6980711/GCSE-league-tables-private-schools-attack-flawed-rankings.html
  
  
• A leading headmistress has criticised Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, for subjecting schools to an “initiative a week” without any sense of a coherent plan. Gillian Low, the president of the Girls' Schools Association, cited last week's announcement that all pupils should be offered lessons in Mandarin.
  TES -13th January 2010
  www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6985455.ece
  
  
• Gillian Low, the new president of the Girls’ Schools Association, warned that a barrage of rules from Whitehall was diverting teachers away from education.
  The Times - 29th December 2009
  www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6969904.ece

• Gillian Low, incoming president of the Girls’ Schools Association, which represents more than 200 leading fee-paying schools, insisted the private sector was struggling under a “barrage” of new rules.
  The Daily Telegraph - 29th December 2009
  www.telegraph.co.uk/education/6899730/Private-schools-face-barrage-of-regulations.html
  
  
• The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) has named its new president for 2010. Gillian Low, head of The Lady Eleanor Holles School in Richmond-upon-Thames. 18th December 2010
  www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6029874