International Women’s Day

International Womens Day Presentation

The theme of this year’s International Women’s day was ‘Choose to Challenge’. We wanted to rise to the challenge of welcoming the girls back after lockdown and still deliver a comprehensive programme to celebrate IWD 2021, including assemblies, interviews and virtual speakers.

As a school, we are continuing our work to achieve the Rights Respecting Schools Silver award where we embed further the girls’ awareness of rights. This links to the school core values of dignity, compassion and social responsibility.

During the week, we highlighted the statistics below;

  • Across the world, over 60% of the people who cannot read are women.
  • At least 60% of the world’s countries have fewer girls enrolled in secondary education than boys.
  • Generally, when girls have an education, they marry later, have fewer children and earn higher wages.

Despite lockdown, we wanted to provide the girls with an opportunity to speak virtually to women who are great role models and have challenged stereotypes. Recently, Deputy Head Girl, Tegan interviewed former pupil Professor Dame Sue Ion, asking her a range of questions detailing her journey from PGHS to her current role as a renowned nuclear scientist.

You can watch this QA session on the school website by viewing Tegan’s presentation on the website in the powerpoint presentation above.

Additionally, our Year 10 Respect school council group are going to virtually interview Katherine Fletcher, the MP for South Ribble on Friday 12th March at 9.00am. The girls will be posing a range of questions, including her role as an MP, the government’s response to COVID, free school meals and what further work needs to be done to achieve equality for women in the workplace.

International Women’s Day Assemblies – Miss Starkie

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Choose to Challenge’. As a school, we wanted to link our celebrations to World Book Day which also takes place in March and think about the many inspiring female authors and characters who embody this theme. The teachers have selected examples of outstanding women from the world of literature who have chosen to take on many challenges: inequality in society, limitations placed on them by others and their own personal journeys to find themselves. Take a look at the list of recommended books, poems and plays chosen by the teachers and use this International Women’s Day as an opportunity to enjoy the works of many talented women and meet some new incredible female characters.

  • Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
  • · Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  • · I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban By Malala Yousafzai
  • · Das Kunstseidene Ma dchen By Irmgard Keun
  • · Poem ‘The Hill We Climb’ By Amanda Gorman
  • · Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
  • · Educating Rita by Willy Russell
  • · The Language of Kindness: A Nurse’s Story by Christie Watson
  • · The works of female crime writers: Agatha Christie, P.D. James, Barbara Vine         
  • · The Girl in the Picture by Denise Chong
  • · Circe by Madeline Miller
  • · Poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou
  • · Becoming by Michelle Obama
  • Cathy: My Autobiography by Cathy Freeman 

International Women’s Day in Religious Education – Miss Brooks and Miss Hollier

Recently, Year 10 GCSE students have been studying how Christians put their faith into action in the world today. On Tuesday, we combined their studies with the celebration of International Women’s Day. We heard from Rose McCarthy, a dedicated Catholic who is the founder of the Refugee Council charity, followed by two inspiring ladies who were brave enough to seek asylum in the UK.

Some of the key messages taken away from the session include:

  • Everyone is human. Our experiences are only different by chance. Everyone is deserving of a life worth living.
  • Seeking asylum in an unknown country is not a choice anybody wants to make. It is a last possible resort.
  • Helping those who have nothing to give in return is a selfless, compassionate act full of love. The intrinsic rewards received by giving to those less fortunate brings more happiness and content than any materialistic items.

What did the girls think?

“Listening to the refugees, it concerns me that people escaping conflicting countries have to live in such terrible conditions. I thought they were both very interesting”.

“I thought the virtual speakers were very interesting and explained their stories very well.  It make me understand more about refugees and that there is a story behind everyone who has been put in that situation”

“I found it interesting because the virtual speakers spoke about their hardships and this shocked me as they went through a lot.  It helped me understand more about refugees and the impact of persecution, so thank you for a great opportunity”

Mrs Hall

Deputy Headteacher

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  • Artsmark Platinum Award - Awards by Arts Council England
  • Lancashire Socio-economic Equality Badge
  • SMART
  • UNICEF
  • School Mental Health Award
  • Ofsted - Outstanding Provider
  • International School Award
  • Artsmark Platinum Award - Awards by Arts Council England
  • Lancashire Socio-economic Equality Badge
  • SMART
  • UNICEF
  • School Mental Health Award
  • Ofsted - Outstanding Provider
  • International School Award