Leading a school is a privilege in so many ways, not least because you are guaranteed to experience something that leaves you feeling inspired every single day – no matter what’s happening in the wider world. That’s part of the pure joy of working with children and young people, and especially the pupils we have at LEH.  

In an external environment as changeable and unpredictable as ours, knowing the strength, capability and character of our pupils, their ambitions for the future and the impact I know they will have in the years to come, is what fuels me with much-needed hope and optimism.  

This is what sits at the core of LEH’s new strategy: Facing the Future Undaunted. It’s a declaration of our ambition for LEH and for every pupil, and it sets out our collective goals as a school community over the next few years. Shaped with the involvement of our pupils, parents, staff, alumnae and governors over the last year, our strategy embodies what we stand for as a school, which is best summed up in the words of our confident new vision: 

LEH provides girls with a distinctive education that prepares them to take their place at the table, in the room and in the world, in their chosen sphere. 

We’re not alone in our ambition and high hopes for this generation of young people. Earlier this week, we welcomed Jonathan Simons to LEH as the latest speaker of our Be Bold! lecture series. As one of the UK’s leading political commentators, Jonathan has worked with governments in the UK and abroad and is an expert in education and public service reform. He is a Partner at Public First, working with some of the biggest and best-known organisations in English education and helping them navigate complex public policy questions.  

The title of Jonathan’s talk: Is democracy dead in the UK (and the US) and does anyone care felt completely apt for our current global context. Our Sixth Form students were fortunate to have the opportunity to put questions to Jonathan ahead of his talk and to benefit from his expertise on important and complex issues like changing trends in voter turnout across Europe and the US. I knew Jonathan was a brilliantly engaging speaker as I’d heard him speak at an education conference earlier this year, but he began his talk with a warning to the audience that this it wasn’t going to be easy listening [link to talk write up]. 

While it was indeed tough to hear stats about how dissatisfied much of the world is with democracy, the belief and optimism with which Jonathan spoke about young people in the UK was much more heartening: 

“I remain optimistic about the future of democracy, because I spend an awful lot of my time talking to young people in schools up and down the country, and I’m overwhelmed and blown away by their knowledge and passion. I’m bowled over by their positivity, moral purpose and determination to make things better in the world, and we’re going to need all of that in spades.” 

I often speak about the moral imperative and responsibility we have at LEH for educating some of the most exciting young minds in the country – and this week was another reminder of why this is so crucial.  

An LEH education is about much more than the fantastic examination results our pupils achieve. We are preparing a generation of bold young women to go forward into the world and accomplish important, amazing things across all sectors, industries and walks of life – perhaps even politics. But we also want them to enjoy balance and to pursue the passions and interests that give them fulfilment, which is why our strategy focuses on the role LEH has in developing our pupils in the broadest possible sense, with the skills and aptitudes that will enable them to move on with the courage, confidence and determination to achieve their personal ambitions – whatever these may be.  

It is our hope that every LEH pupil will leave our school Facing the Future (and their futures!) Undaunted. And it is because of this and seeing our incredible young women forging their paths ahead that, just like Jonathan Simons, I feel optimistic about all our futures.