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APPLY NOWWord from the Head – 5 June 2026
Dear Parents,
I hope you won’t mind me sharing with you that this week has been a hard one for me as a parent. My son, recently turned 20, is a treasure and a delight. He is also at the end of his first year at university and, as yet, without a summer job. I bet that all of you know exactly what both his father and I are desperate to do: 1) explain to him, at length and repeatedly, why getting a job is vitally necessary for his future prospects (and his bank balance!) and 2) tap up our own contacts to find him some gainful employment. However, I hope that you will be delighted to know that we have (more or less) resisted the temptation of both courses of action: I am trying desperately to practise what I preach in school about the vital importance of allowing our children to sit with their struggles.
While it is our natural instinct to protect our children and alleviate their discomfort immediately, we also know that doing so can inadvertently limit their growth. When we swoop in to solve every problem, whether it is an academic challenge or a social hurdle, we remove the very opportunities they need to build resilience and resourcefulness. You may have seen The Times’ report of Michelle Obama’s talk at London Southby SouthWest in Shoreditch on Monday night, in which she highlighted that young people in their early careers benefit from learning to endure moments of boredom, poor bosses and tasks for which they feel no particular aptitude; these work experiences are fundamental to building the resilience required for future leadership.
This philosophy also applies directly to their academic journey in school. You know that this year we have encouraged our pupils to embrace the Learning Pit. When a student finds themselves struggling in the Pit, it is not a sign of failure, but rather a sign of deep engagement. If teachers rush to provide the answer or remove the obstacle, we deny them the chance to develop the persistence necessary for true mastery. My favourite expression for this is ‘intelligent floundering’ – it’s what we do when we are thrown in at the deep end and have to bring everything we know to bear to find our way out.
The approach extends to how we handle the pressure of exam season. You may remember the revelation I had back in April when I heard from educationalist and author Katharine Radice that telling a child “Don’t worry, it will all be fine” is actually very unhelpful. It can make them feel as though their natural, human response to a significant challenge is wrong. Instead, we should normalise that worry: it is a sign that they care and are paying attention.
Likewise, how we approach the feedback that comes after the exam season is equally important. Please try to resist the temptation to ask questions like ‘What did everyone else get?’, ‘What was the class average?’ or (especially of a child who achieved any mark above 70%) ‘Where did you lose the marks?’. Instead, we use our feedback to pupils to encourage self-reflection on three key questions:
- What did I do well?, encouraging them to identify precise strengths
- What went wrong and why?, ensuring that they can explain this clearly
- What should I do next?, offering specific suggestions about how to improve.
Together we can help our students navigate the discomfort which comes with progress and growth, ultimately emerging as capable, resourceful and self-assured individuals. To that end, we are also in the process of organising 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 students) on the mornings of Tuesday 16 and Thursday 18 June (Year 10), and Wednesday 17 June in the afternoon (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 us at careers@channing.co.uk if you can help, and many thanks in advance.
Finally this week, a moment of reflection. Our school is incredibly fortunate to be home to a wonderfully diverse community, with families representing many different cultures, backgrounds and nations. Because we are so interconnected, when major events happen in the world, the ripples are often felt closer to home. Many of you will have seen the news this week regarding the severe escalation of conflict across Ukraine and Russia, as well as the increased strikes and tension affecting families across multiple countries in the Middle East.
We know that many of our pupils have family and close friends living in these regions. The anxiety of worrying about the safety of loved ones back home is a heavy burden for any young person to carry, and it can understandably impact their emotional well-being. Our priority, as always, is ensuring that school remains a safe and nurturing space for every pupil. Our pastoral team is available to any student who needs extra support. Children often pick up on the anxiety of the news, even if they don’t explicitly talk about it. If you notice your child seems particularly anxious or overwhelmed by world events, please get in touch. By working together, we can ensure they feel supported both at home and at school.
With warmest wishes
Lindsey Hughes
Headmistress
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