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Dear Parents
During our assembly this morning, I had the pleasure of introducing our Junior School staff team to the girls. There was plenty of fun in putting names to faces and discovering just how many different people, in so many different roles, it takes to make our school work each day. But behind the introductions was a much more important message: every single person matters.
As the girls looked around Fairseat Hall, we thought about the community gathered there. Our Junior School is created every day by people working together, each bringing something different and each playing their part. And, of course, the girls are at the very heart of it.
I wanted every girl to hear something very clearly this morning: you belong here. What you bring matters, and our school is richer because you are part of it.
I also wanted the girls to notice just how many adults there are at school who are here for them. For children to flourish, they need to feel safe, known and secure. They need adults who notice them, care about them and will listen. They also need to know that they do not have to get everything right, know all the answers or manage every difficulty on their own.
This matters just as much for learning as it does for wellbeing. We want our girls to be curious, to ask questions, to take intellectual risks, to find themselves in the Learning Pit, to be 10% Braver and to persevere when something feels difficult. To do that, they need to feel confident enough to say: “I don’t understand.” “Can you help me?” “I got that wrong.” “Can I try again?” Those words are not signs of weakness. They are signs of a child who feels secure enough to learn. And the same is true beyond the classroom.
Childhood inevitably brings bumps along the way: friendship fires, disappointments, mistakes and worries. Part of growing up is learning to navigate these, developing resilience and discovering that something can go wrong and still be put right. But resilience does not mean dealing with everything alone.
Sometimes being 10% Braver means having another go at a difficult maths problem. Sometimes it means putting something right with a friend. Sometimes it means speaking up when you are unsure. And sometimes the bravest and most important thing a child can do is simply say, “I need some help.”
That is why I reminded the girls that there are many people they can turn to. For one girl, that might naturally be her Form Teacher; for another, a Teaching Assistant, specialist teacher or another adult she knows well. What matters is not who they tell; what matters is that they tell someone.
We looked together at the safeguarding poster displayed around the school. The girls know that Mrs Brant, our Deputy Head, is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), supported by Miss Kitsis, Head of KS2, and Miss Micallef, Head of EY & KS1, as our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSLs). They also know that they can speak to me, their Form or Co-Form Teacher, Miss Bernard, our Welfare Assistant, or indeed any member of staff with whom they feel comfortable. They never need to worry about finding the ‘right’ person before they speak.
If something worries them, if they are concerned about a friend, if something they have seen or heard makes them uncomfortable, or if they simply have a feeling that something is not quite right, we want them to tell us. They do not need to decide whether their worry is ‘big enough’, and they do not need to have all the words. They simply need to start the conversation. As our safeguarding poster says: “Sharing a problem makes it better, no matter how big or small you think it is.”
Of course, this is not something children learn through a single assembly. It is woven throughout their experience at the Junior School: through Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE), Friendology, our work on emotional literacy using Kimochis and our conversations about understanding and respecting boundaries. Most importantly, it happens through the countless everyday interactions between the girls and the adults who know and care for them.
We are teaching the girls to recognise and communicate how they feel, to understand and express their boundaries, to respect the boundaries of others and to speak up when something does not feel right. We also want them to listen when somebody else finds the courage to use her voice. These are not simply skills for school; they are skills for life.
For me, this is where everything connects. A girl who feels safe enough to say “I’m worried” is more likely to feel safe enough to say “I don’t know.” A girl who trusts that someone will listen when something goes wrong is more likely to have the confidence to take risks in her learning. That security gives her the freedom to explore, make friends, make mistakes, recover from them and grow.
That is what we want for every Channing Junior School girl: to become curious, courageous and increasingly independent; to know that her voice matters; and to understand that asking for help is a strength.
We cannot do this without you. I hope you might reinforce these same simple messages at home: that worries are worth sharing, that asking for help is a courageous thing to do and that no concern is too small to talk about. If your daughter ever tells you that something at school does not feel quite right, please encourage her to talk to us, and please talk to us too.
We never forget how precious your daughters are to you, and we never take for granted the enormous privilege and responsibility of caring for and educating them.
If every girl left Fairseat Hall remembering just one thing from this morning, I hope it was this: At the Junior School, you are known. You are valued. You belong. Your voice matters. And there is always someone who will listen.
That message of care, connection and looking out for one another feels especially important at the moment. I have been deeply saddened by the tragic events in Highgate last week, and my thoughts remain very much with everyone affected. Thank you to those who have been in touch with such thoughtful messages of support and care for our community at this incredibly difficult time.
We will continue to do all we can to support the girls, and one another, in the days and weeks ahead. Please do not hesitate to contact your daughter’s Form Teacher or a member of our Pastoral Team: Miss Micallef or Mrs Kitsis, our Heads of Key Stage, or Mrs Brant, our Deputy Head, if you have any concerns, or if there is anything you feel it would be helpful for us to know so that we can best support your daughter.
Above all, my heart goes out to the pupil’s family and friends, and to the entire Highgate School community, as they face such a devastating loss.
I have also received a number of emails from parents regarding road safety around the school. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write and share your thoughts and concerns. I am reading these carefully and will respond to each of you individually. Thank you for your patience while I work my way through them.
With warmest wishes
Miss Dina Hamalis
Head of the Junior School
