International Coalition of Girls’ Schools Symposium
During the first week of term, I had the privilege of attending the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) Symposium, held in Melbourne. The ICGS is an important association of which Meriden is a proud member, dedicated to advocating for girls’ education and sharing research and resources on its many benefits. This year’s symposium brought together experienced educators, researchers, and school leaders from across Australia and around the world, and it was a genuinely enriching experience to be part of these conversations.
The symposium offered a comprehensive body of research and practice affirming what we at Meriden know deeply to be true: that an all girls environment provides the conditions in which young women can flourish – academically, personally, and in their sense of identity and agency.
One of the great benefits of ICGS membership is access to current and rigorous research on girls’ education. A recent study from South Korea, which used a lottery based school assignment system to compare outcomes for girls in single sex schools versus coeducational schools, is a compelling example. Because students were randomly assigned, the findings carry particular weight.
The research found that girls in single sex schools closed the gender gap in high stakes mathematics exams by nearly three standardised points. Importantly, this effect was driven entirely by the single sex school environment itself, rather than by differences in teacher gender, class composition within coeducational schools, or public versus private school status.
The researchers concluded that, freed from peer norms that can discourage overt academic ambition in mixed settings, girls in all girls schools sustain greater effort and perform more strongly when it matters most. The study also found that these girls were more likely to go on to enrol in university STEM degrees – a finding with profound implications for gender equity in the professions of the future.
This research resonates strongly with Meriden’s own experience and with our belief that the environment we offer our students is not incidental to their outcomes; it is central to them. The evidence supports what our community lives every day: that girls thrive when they are free to lead, to compete, to ask questions, and to take intellectual risks without the social pressures that can so often constrain them in other settings.
It was a wonderful opportunity to hear from many experienced and expert presenters, and I returned to school with renewed conviction about the importance of what we do here, along with fresh ideas about how we can continue to develop our practice in support of our girls’ learning and wellbeing.
Mother’s Day Breakfast
This morning (Friday), the Meriden Parents and Friends’ Association hosted the annual Mother’s Day Breakfast. This much loved tradition brings together mothers, grandmothers, and special female role models from across our school community for a morning of celebration and gratitude.
I value deeply the opportunities our community has to gather, and events such as this, which welcome families from both the Junior School and Senior School, are particularly special. The breakfast was a chance to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution that mothers make, not only within their own families, but also to the life of this school.
We are also grateful to Junior School student Valerie’s grandfather, Mr Chenbin He, an accomplished Chinese ink painter, for generously donating two original artworks featuring a mother koala and her joey. Both pieces were unveiled at the Mother’s Day Breakfast this morning, and are now live in a Silent Auction, which will remain open until midnight on Mother’s Day. You can place your bid here. The proceeds will go towards the Meriden Aquatic Centre, for which we have recently received development approval.
My sincere thanks go to the P&F committee for their wonderful organisation of this event. I hope the morning offered all who attended a moment of warmth, connection, and joy.