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APPLY NOWWord from the Head – 24 April 2026
Dear Parents,
The summer term is picking up pace, and our first full week of the Summer term seems to have flown by in a flash. Congratulations to Year 10 for their success in navigating their Silver DofE practice expedition last weekend. While some emerged from the woods slightly later than anticipated on Monday afternoon (!), everyone is on course to complete the assessed expedition later this term.
With the set for James and the Giant Peach now built and rehearsals well underway, the school is buzzing with creative energy. Last night’s second annual Gymnastics, Cheer and Dance display was a particular highlight, showcasing the extraordinary range of talent and ability among our students. I love the fact that it featured girls from Year 3 to Year 11, giving the younger pupils role models to aspire to and forging our identity as a through school. Congratulations to Ms Nelson, Miss Lindsay, the PE team and our fabulous dance and cheer coaches for a wonderful evening. It was a pleasure to see so many of you there, and the sense of community continued at the Channing Association’s wine tasting and quiz night immediately afterwards. Our host from the West London Wine School balanced knowledge with light-hearted quiz questions and it proved to be a lovely way to spend a sunny evening. Many thanks indeed to Mrs Parker, Mrs Wenninger, Mrs Clarke and the CA’s team of volunteers for their hard work making it happen.
Your contribution to the school is vital to the school in many ways and I have a particular appeal this week from Ms Wilberforce, our Head of Careers and Higher Education. We are starting to organise our annual Careers Convention for Year 10 and Year 12 students on the morning of Wednesday 17 June 2026, which aims to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of various careers sectors. We are looking for a large number of volunteers who are prepared to share their career journeys in a 25-30 minute talk, with questions afterwards. The talks will be hosted by a member of staff and take place in classrooms at 8.55am, 9.45am and 10.50am. The talks can include presentation slides or be more informal – whatever suits you. If you are able to help, please complete this form to let us know your availability and we will be in touch.
We are also seeking organisations who can host Work Insight Visits for up to 15 of our students on the mornings of Tuesday 16 and Thursday 18 June (for Year 10), and Wednesday 17 June in the afternoon (for Year 12). Visits generally last a couple of hours; students are accompanied by staff, are shown around the premises and ideally engage with some employees, and sometimes complete a short work-related task. Several of our regular hosts are unavailable this year so we would love to develop relationships with new organisations. Please email Ms Wilberforce at careers@channing.ac.uk if you can help, and many thanks in advance.
On Tuesday afternoon, we hosted a truly unique gathering: a Head Girls’ Tea. We invited every Head Girl from 1945 onwards, and more than 30 women joined us. Our guests spanned decades, the earliest being our 1963 Head Girl, to Ava and Siana, who began their tenure just last week. With every decade represented, the atmosphere in Founders’ Hall was truly joyful. While returning to one’s old school can be daunting, the shared experience of leadership provided an excellent conversation starter. It was clear that the role is one these women took seriously and learned much from.
The power of the Channing community was evident even in this small group. One of the invitees is a current Channing parent, another is a Channing Governor and we even had a mother and daughter pair, who had served as Head Girls in 1965 and 1987 respectively. The latter had flown in from Spain specially for the occasion! There were many laughs over the handover instructions passed down through the years, with women amazed at their 18 year old selves’ handwriting and turn of phrase. One vintage gem advised the student team on the importance of Friday morning coffee for the Headmistress: “Check with Matron about the sugar” and “Never forget [X’s] birthday”. It seems some of my predecessors were quite exacting in their requirements!
The event ended with a tour of the Senior School, including a chance to see the first part of the new Brunner House which we started using on Monday this week. Our Old Girls, some of whom had not been back to Channing since they left, were amazed at the developments on the site and awed at the growth of the school. Indeed, thinking about how far Channing has come just in the nearly six years since I became Head fills me with enormous pride. I am also heartened that this progress is reflected in your feedback during our recent parent surveys. You have noted significant improvements in how the school operates, and I look forward to sharing the full analysis of these results with you in the coming weeks.
Next week marks a significant milestone as we celebrate the final days of school for Year 11 and Year 13. Year 13 has already begun their tradition of dressing up for their final week. Today’s theme, What I Wanted to Be When I Grow Up, sparked some fabulous costumes in assembly. I also want to formally thank and welcome our new Officer Team, who introduced themselves this morning. Hearing their hopes and ambitions for the year ahead was truly inspiring.
This week I was 10% braver and was interviewed live on Tuesday afternoon by Shelagh Fogarty on LBC radio about the proposed statutory ban on mobile phones in schools, “screen time” (a term I hate) and the Government’s consultation on banning social media for under 16s. As President of the Girls’ Schools Association the use of technology is a topic I am always keen to discuss, and I’m amazed at the number of you who tell me you happened to hear me – it was good to know someone was listening and thank you for saying you thought I talked sense! If you have a spare 10 minutes you can listen to the interview here: LH on LBC.wav.
Finally, I wish those of you running the London Marathon this Sunday the very best of luck. It’s going to be a hot one so please remember to pace yourself and stay hydrated. We are particularly excited for Mrs Munro, Head of Music in the Junior School. While she is a seasoned competitive marathon runner, this is her first London Marathon and she will be on the starting line carrying a minor injury. She is running for Omega, the letter writing charity, and you can support both her efforts – and theirs – here: Just Giving. Mrs Munro, you’ve got this, and whether in person or from the comfort of our sofas, the Channing community will be cheering you on!
However active you are choosing to be this weekend, I wish you all a wonderful, sunny time.
With warmest wishes
Lindsey Hughes
Headmistress
