_(1).jpg "The Key Stages")
Part of our mission at Sherborne Girls is ‘To send out into the world girls of character, commitment and compassion who are able to think clearly and creatively, choose wisely and have the courage to make a difference’. Our Lower Sixth are exemplifying these qualities not only through their actions fundraising for various charities who are struggling during these uncertain times but also through proactively participating in social programmes and movements including Amnesty International and Black Lives Matter.
Other pupils in this year group wrote to me recently to express their distress and abhorrence over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 and the circumstances surrounding it, and the thoughts and prayers of the Sherborne Girls community are with Mr Floyd's family and friends at this truly tragic time. The email I received illustrated the profound sense of moral justice that this generation of young people have and their desire to build a better future for all. It was deeply saddening to read the sense of frustration and anger conveyed by the author as examples of experiences of discrimination based on skin colour were communicated. Sherborne Girls is fully committed to eliminating all forms of discriminatory and offensive conduct, including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia and islamophobia.
No educational establishment is perfect and it is the role of the leaders of all institutions as well as its staff and pupils to listen, reflect, review and learn. Sherborne Girls and our brother school, Sherborne School, will continue to work collaboratively to develop initiatives such as the recently-formed Joint Pupil Pastoral Forum, in which pupils can feel empowered to explore issues which are of concern to them with staff, so that they can be tackled and solved.
Sherborne Girls is an educational environment where equality, diversity and individuality are not merely tolerated but appreciated, respected and celebrated, as are courage, conviction and a sense of moral duty. I would like to thank all members of our community, both current and past, who support us in our endeavours to equip everyone, including those from any minority group, with the necessary skills to stand up to and not be a bystander to discriminatory language and behaviour in all its forms.
Dr Ruth Sullivan
Headmistress
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's message on Black Lives Matter. (08.06.2020)
