It takes a degree of bravery to take on a new role in a new location without ever having been there. But that’s exactly what Daniele Harford-Fox did when she accepted the post of Principal of The Ladies’ College. Her final interview was due to take place in Guernsey, but plans were thwarted by the pandemic and so the school governors appointed Daniele without having met her in person, and she took what she describes as a ‘leap of faith’ and accepted. She has never looked back.
“There’s a phrase that says when you say no to something, you’re rewarded with safety. And when you say yes to something, you’re rewarded with adventure. And we just felt like it was time for an adventure.”
Prior to this new adventure, Daniele (pictured left) was Director of Studies and the Deputy Head of Innovation for a large independent day school near Birmingham. This time around she wanted to move into an all-girls environment.
“I had worked in co-education my whole teaching life and I knew I wanted to lead an all-girls school. I have spent my life watching girls come into year seven full of exuberance, interested in lots of different things. Quite quickly they start to ‘mute’ themselves a little bit. They smile more and say less and start to take a back seat sometimes to boys. So, I wanted to create a space where it didn’t matter that they were girls, where they’re not defined by their gender.
“We have so many different types of students – scientists and artists, introverts and extroverts and they do really extraordinary things because they just never question whether they should. A lot of empirical evidence demonstrates that girls academically perform better in single sex schools, and they also have a stronger sense of belonging. They have higher self-confidence and self-esteem. They stay in STEM subjects for longer. They stay in team sports for longer. And one of my favourite facts is that girls from single-sex schools are more likely to negotiate their pay in their first job. Basically, the research shows that they go on to have happier, healthier more successful lives.”
The Ladies’ College has around 540 students from pre-school to sixth form all based on a single site. The 140 girls in the pre-school and primary school, Melrose, is headed up by Mary Lawson (pictured right) who joined in September 2023. Mary also relocated to Guernsey from a prep school in the New Forest. Melrose has a single-form intake and has a focus on creating a collaborative, family-type environment, as Mary explains:
“We are single-form intake, but our year groups work together on certain projects. So, there is a collaborative element with students and teachers co-working. One-form entry doesn’t mean that a class is isolated. We have a real community, a lovely family feel and keeping the school small is really beneficial for the children and for the staff.”
Daniele’s passion for developing her students’ life skills as well as their academic and other achievements is almost tangible. She questions the validity of the current education system and explains how she aims to weave new technologies and developments into the school’s curriculum delivery.
“I think the thing that’s unique about us, apart from being single sex, is our focus on preparing young people for the future. AI and future technology are posing fundamental questions about whether the education system is fit for purpose. There are really big questions around that. The system was designed 150 years ago. It’s hardly changed. It’s a knowledge-based system designed at the time when there weren’t even public libraries, let alone the internet. And so, for me, there are really urgent questions to be asked about how AI is going to reshape the world and the world of work. What kinds of skills are at the heart of that?
“The students who are coming into my year seven now will come out of school or university in 2035 and everybody I speak to in all different industries say that essentially the world of work will be entirely different. And so, we’re asking really profound questions about that. And looking at what skills our students really need to have.
“Skills development is intertwined within the whole curriculum. So, we look at subjects across the board and think about how we can set them in a real-world context and how we get the students to start thinking about their community.”
Daniele has introduced a new ‘Pathways’ project this term. This gives older students the opportunity to work on real life projects alongside studying for their A-levels. Students are able to elect one of four options – change makers, business leaders, science pioneers or innovators & creators. Daniele is developing partnerships with local business leaders as well as UK universities to support the initiative and is delighted with the positive feedback and levels of support she has received.
“There’s such a wealth of expertise in such a small community. There has been real willingness of businesspeople to jump in to lead a workshop or give a paid internship or offer to help build the curriculum. It is amazing. There is a general community feel and people want to give back to the community that they live in.”
The Ladies’ College academic results speak for themselves – this year’s GCSE students achieved excellent results; 43% of all grades were Grades 8 or 9, 66% 7-9 (A*/A) and 97% of results were within the 4-9 (A*-C) range.
There is no doubt that alongside this, the school’s clear aim under Daniele’s stewardship is to develop rounded young people ready to face the outside world with confidence and the skills to succeed.
