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Every blade of grass

Today we bid farewell to our Upper Sixth on their very last day of school before their A Levels. They have contributed to the school in so many different ways. They have shown leadership, spirit, humour and kindness. Lots of staff enjoyed celebrating with them at their Ball a couple of weeks ago – they were great company and I enjoyed watching their attempts to persuade some of their teachers to dance (others, I noted, did not need much persuasion at all!)

On Sunday we are welcoming back some 100 alumnae who left South Hampstead 10, 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years ago. Although the school has changed radically in appearance, and although education has undergone many changes, it is clear that the essence of South Hampstead remains unchanged. Prunella Bodington, Headmistress from 1954 to 1969, wrote in her history of the school, The Kindling and the Flame, that it had never been a ‘type-producing organisation.’ She quotes another former Headmistress, Miss Benton (1886 to 1918), whose motto was: “It’s every single blade of grass which makes the grass grow green.”

At this time of year pupils often make unhelpful comparisons with their peers. Exam stress can be contagious. Some people like having a rather public panic about academic work – they find it therapeutic. Others prefer to keep their peace and be in their own space.

For those of you wondering how much revision is necessary, our guidelines are that pupils should do more or less the same number of hours revision whilst on study leave for GCSE or A Level exams as there are hours in a typical school day – about 7 hours a day. For those doing internal exams, a similar principle should apply – the same amount of time your daughter would usually spend on homework plus a few extra for the couple of weekends before the exams. Heads of Year have given your daughters suitable guidelines. The important point is that any revision session should be properly focused. It’s tempting to waste time sharpening pencils and crafting revision timetables. Feeling in control is a poor proxy for actual work, however.

The other area of unhelpful comparison, of course, is when internal summer exam papers are returned. No matter how often we tell pupils not to, they cannot help but ask their peers what mark they got. The reality is that several years later, when GCSEs come round, they get some of the very best results in the country – those results are the product of the whole year group, not just a select few.

Pupils need to recognise that they all have different strengths and attributes and that people learn at different rates, even in a highly selective school like ours. Faster does not necessarily equal better.

In working life we need lots of different types of thinking. We need people who are great at systems and analytical detail. We need the people who ask slightly left-field questions and question the system itself. We need people with BIG ideas and we need people with an eye for practical detail. We need people who take their time and check every detail, and we also need people who work quickly and just get the job done. The most valued employee might be able to do all of these things and, critically, know which situation calls for which approach.

But the point is, in the end, that we are all different. Not better but different. And I hope South Hampstead will always respect this principle. As the Class of 2018 leave us for A Levels, and ultimately for careers, I am sure they will all forge their own unique and interesting paths. In the words of Coco Chanel: “A girl should be two things – who and what she wants.”

Blog post by Vicky Bingham, Headmistress from 2017 to 2023.  

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