Following a flurry of press reports at the end of last week, it appears that we are the seventh best school in the coun-try! This excellent publicity was courtesy of the latest league table, which reflected the percentage of Year 11s last summer gaining the English Baccalaureate (96% at DCHS) and the percentage achieving at east five A* - C GCSE grades including English and Maths (100%). Each league table tells a different story, and whilst this data says nothing of our very high proportion of A* and A grades, it does send out a key message – Challoner’s girls are not al-lowed to slip through the net. Every Challoner’s girl counts and every girl achieved a broad range of GCSEs including English and Maths.
Earlier this week I spent a happy few hours reviewing A Level results. I was impressed to see that of the 13 Bucks grammar schools, DCHS has had the highest average A Level points score per entry for 12 of the last 16 years (A Level grades are given a points score by the government: A* = 300 points; A = 270 etc. with averages being published). This is another key measure and says a lot about our school’s longstanding tradition of academic excel-lence.
Whilst academic achievement for all is at the heart of Dr Challoner’s High School, our educational vision is much broader and aims to give our girls the confidence to dream big dreams, find their own path through life and make their dreams come true. One key component of this is to ensure a steady flow of inspirational speakers.
I was very impressed with the impact local MP Cheryl Gillan had on our students during her recent visit. Ms Gillan’s lunchtime question and answer session gave our girls the clear message to aim high and have a go. The Sixth Formers I spoke to afterwards were not only animated about Politics but were clearly inspired to be adventurous, to work hard and to have confidence in their very significant abilities. Visits like these plant golden seeds in the imaginations of young people.
Our weekly Sixth Form lecture series has included a wonderful diversity of speakers this year. Very capably coordinated by Year 13 Deputy Head Girl Georgie Proctor, our speakers have inspired our girls through their life experiences, advice and insights into specific careers. Georgie commented, “The speakers introduce you to opportunities you previously would never have thought of! It's always great when groups of students come up after the lecture full of questions- and how it's a different group every time so I know I'm catering for as many interests and skill sets as I can. A standout has to be the very first with alumna Lauren Ray who shared her journey since Challoner's and put on a lunchtime concert outside, which the Year 7's loved! The lecture that I think was best received was with the three army officers who discussed careers in the military- I think the huge range of ca-reers they offered and the adventures they shared were really engaging topics.”
Positive role models for girls are so essential for developing aspirations and encouraging young women to make significant contributions to society. As inspirational Headteacher Lady Marie Stubbs said, “Believe in yourself, work hard and the world can be yours.” Later this term, Georgie Proctor will be handing over the reins to her successor and is keen to pass on a list of contacts for next year’s lecture series. If you know of a potential speaker for our lecture series who would inspire our girls to have the confidence to pursue big dreams please contact [email protected]
Best wishes for a really good weekend
Alan Roe
