Update from the Head 14 September 2023

Update for Parents from the Head: Thursday 14 September 2023

Dear families and guardians

This week we are building up to our Sustainable Travel Month in school. We started off the week in Upper School with a superb assembly from Imogen in Upper Sixth, who asked us to consider increasing the number of journeys we can make using public transport and biking or car-sharing. I have already been really impressed by the increasing numbers of staff I see arriving by bike each day and this is a great chance for us to really start to change some of our habits in this respect. For my own part, whilst I’m not yet in a position to remove the car from my school commute entirely, I am looking to introduce some journeys by bike, tram and train or a combination. During Sustainable Travel Month (18^th Sept to 14^th Oct), there are a number of initiatives led by our staff group and sustainability prefects. We will be capturing any changes in commuting behaviour through a weekly form time quiz, with prizes available; we are working on ‘bike buses’ and car-sharing amongst the staff and we will be celebrating World Car Free day on 22^nd Sept to raise awareness. Anything you are able to support in your families, or between families, will make a difference. Every little counts!

As a school, we have worked hard over the last two years to consider what we are doing to improve our sustainability as a community. Steps forwards so far include: a school-wide commitment to move towards net zero by 2045; a push on bio-diversity through maintaining and reviving our pond and garden areas; a reduce, reuse, recycle focus to reduce over-consumption, supported by a clothes swap event; a focus on Car Free Day in 2022 and annual carbon footprint measuring. There is a committed band of staff and students driving these causes forward in their own time and I am extremely grateful for their efforts.

Alongside our focus on sustainable travel this term, our new catering team, Thomas Franks, will be investing in a biodigester to process food and paper waste and have a high level of green accreditation as a company. Environmental issues and sustainability feature significantly in the curriculum the girls study throughout the school and at recent alumnae events it has been interesting to see how many of our alumnae are working in this field.

We hope you and your children can find a small way to support our focus this month,

With grateful thanks