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CONTACT US Word from the Head – 27 June 2025
Dear Parents,
I have just returned from an inspiring week in Philadelphia, where I was attending the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools annual conference. ICGS has membership of more than 570 schools educating over 350,000 girls and young women in 26 countries so you can imagine, it was remarkable on many levels! Above all the conference rooms were packed with intelligent, committed and thoughtful school leaders from all over the world, alongside classroom teachers, guidance counselors (the UK equivalent of a Head of Year or pastoral lead), administrators and development professionals, all of whom were there to share their knowledge and expertise in educating girls.
I enjoyed keynote speakers including Illana Raia, whose company provides mentoring moments for girls and young women, and Priya Lakhani, founder of Century Tech, on the role of AI and how we might consider its role in schools and for girls and women. I went to numerous breakout sessions, on topics ranging from institutional sustainability to curriculum design – all led by women leaders in girls’ schools for women leaders’ in girls’ schools. And then there were all the other conversations, struck up with people in sessions or over refreshments and carried on over lunch and dinner. I have come back with a bulging list of new contacts, lots of ideas (my poor team!) and invitations to visit schools in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – for starters. You can certainly expect lots of overseas visitors to Channing in the coming year as well.
Rather than download everything I experienced, today I want to share with you some of the ideas which Megan Murphy, Global Executive Director of ICGS, covered in her conference opening speech. Bearing in mind that the American President had just announced missile strikes on Iran, she made the point as she opened that “in a time when it feels as if the world is moving beneath us and that women’s leadership is still questioned and constrained across many sectors and societies, the relevance of girls’ schools has never been more urgent or more powerful. We have both the privilege and the responsibility of teaching girls to understand their strengths, hone their voices and define the kind of leaders they want to be.”
She went on to consider the return on investment in girls’ leadership, quoting research studies that demonstrate that:
- Companies with women in executive roles are 25 percent more likely to outperform financially;
- Organisations with at least 30 percent women in leadership are 12 times more likely to rank in the top 20 percent for financial performance;
- Women-owned businesses make up 42 percent of all U.S. businesses – yet still receive only about 2 percent of venture capital funding; and
- Companies with diverse leadership teams, including women, report 25 percent higher employee satisfaction and retention.
In other words, “When women lead, we all win”. But, as she pointed out, women leaders don’t just appear, they are cultivated by the specific context of girls’ schools. ICGS’ own internal collaborative research projects, carried out by educators from more than 40 girls’ schools across 10 countries over the last 5 years, show that girls thrive when they feel seen, heard and valued: “they don’t just raise their hands, they raise their expectations”. Certainly at Channing we know that, like their peers in girls’ schools worldwide, our girls are willing and able to engage in leadership roles, STEM activities and political discussion, building strong relationships with their adult educators and their own self-confidence along the way.
Megan highlighted the McKinsey report, The Inner Game of Women CEOs, which explores some of the key attributes women bring to their leadership:They lead with purpose, not ego;
- They are strategic and generous;
- They can see the big picture and manage execution;
- They act with both confidence and humility.
She emphasised that these findings underscore the very attributes we cultivate in girls’ schools every day. Not by accident, but through intentional pedagogy, relational culture and a commitment to equity and excellence. Our message should be that leadership is not doing more, it’s being more – being grounded, collaborative, human – and this is what helps create a more equitable and just world. As Megan put it: “Because we’re not just preparing girls for a seat at the table. We’re preparing them to rebuild the table – with more room, more voices, and more vision.”
It won’t surprise you to learn that I’ll be developing these themes in my speech in our Founders’ Day service on Saturday. I look forward to welcoming you to the school and am sorry that our building work means that we are not able to host all of you for the service at noon. Do please come along anyway to see what your children have achieved over the course of this year and give thanks for the 140th anniversary of our school’s foundation. Among other things I am pleased that our Charity Officers, Millie and Scarlett, have arranged for this year’s school charity, Women for Women International, to be with us. The charity supports women who have survived war and conflict by helping them rebuild their lives through education, skills training, and emotional support. I look forward to celebrating the wonderful work they do, and there will also be an opportunity to make donations before our year’s partnership comes to an end.
With best wishes for the weekend,
Lindsey Hughes
Headmistress
This picture shows Mind the Map having arrived back to the campsite first on Day 2
