Leading From The Front
Mrs Paul features in The Week’s independent schools guide, sharing her views on the role schools can play in empowering the next generation of ethical leaders.
In an historic year of global political upheaval, the new Head of South Hampstead High School GDST in London argues that it’s more important than ever to encourage young people to become a positive force for future change.
Globally, this is a historic year for democracy. With significant elections taking place in around a third of countries, home to almost half the world’s population, this seems like a particularly poignant time for reflection on what great leadership looks like. More than ever, our society is in need of young people who are educated in the hallmarks of humane, compassionate and empowering leadership. So how can schools help equip the next generation with an understanding of the principles that underpin truly ethical leadership?
At South Hampstead, we aim to instil in pupils a sense of purpose and the belief that they can use their presence in the world as a force for good. As well as providing a wealth of opportunities for our students to effect change, we actively promote an open-door culture where democracy is celebrated over hierarchy. For example, when some of our students learned that Black and minority ethnic trailblazers are rarely celebrated on London’s blue plaques, they mobilised the whole school community to support a charity that recognises the contributions of those traditionally underrepresented in history. They succeeded in raising enough funds to help sponsor a brand-new heritage plaque to commemorate the pioneering work of Trinidad and Tobago-born activist Claudia Jones and were subsequently invited to the unveiling ceremony to speak out about the importance of championing diverse stories to assembled guests and the media.
Each year, our aspiring Sixth Form leaders submit applications to participate in a special Head Girl Team hustings assembly where they set out their stalls to the whole school community before everyone casts their votes; each student appointed to the team takes ownership of a specific area, including social action, diversity and inclusion, wellness, and the environment. Effervescent with initiatives and projects, our new student leaders studiously take minutes and assign actions with impressive energy as they embark on their ambitious visions. As Head, I aim to guide them in terms of the ethical cornerstones they can use to ensure they selflessly do their best for the school community. I start with sessions which encourage them to know themselves before they begin trying to lead others. Knowing our strengths and weaknesses is central to our ability to lead authentically – to delegate with skill and to deploy our teams to maximum effect. No-one ever explained this human side of leadership to me when I was at school; although I was the recipient of a wonderful education at an incredibly empowering school for young women, I don’t recall the nature of leadership being foregrounded to us. Today, however, schools play an increasingly critical role in preparing our young people to live, thrive and lead in tomorrow’s world.
No-one ever explained this human side of leadership to me when I was at school.
Working alongside potential future leaders also provides brilliant opportunities for shifting the language of leadership into an ethical space. Some of our students will be drawn to key roles because they offer a chance to be more powerful. This is not necessarily problematic, but it does provide a useful moment to talk to our pupils about the fact that power needs to be used with great care. Are there are words that are better to use than the bald concept of power… How about influence? Impact? Challenging the semantics can guide our students away from the preoccupation with personal legacy and instead into a more compassionate realm in which they are encouraged to seek to understand the needs of the community around them before they act.
This also serves to underpin one of the most humane acts of leadership: listening to others. Amid 2024’s flurry of international elections, our students will have seen many examples of grand proclamations, impassioned debate and verbal bombast. But how many of the politicians who have taken to the stage have shown a genuine ability to listen to those around them? Being able to truly listen to others, and to respond with empathy, is a dying skill in our society – especially where social media can encourage us to function in echo chambers, and we move at such a fast pace that simply taking the time to listen can feel demanding. Formal education in oracy offers one of the most powerful opportunities to equip our pupils with the skills for listening that will serve them so well in adult life. Our award-winning Debate Hub partnership programme helps hundreds of young people in the state sector, as well as our own pupils, to express themselves with clarity, eloquence and conviction. Through Debate Hub, we provide coaching, workshops, competitions, online resources and even a podcast to support thousands of pupils across the UK, empowering them to not only listen to the views of others, but to respond with respect, curiosity and an openness of spirit which welcomes diversity of opinion and thought.
Timetabled critical thinking and oracy lessons at South Hampstead, including a whole-school oracy week in the summer term, also provide all our pupils with vital skills: to evaluate the quality of information, listen to other perspectives, challenge assumptions and voice opinions. This year, we also introduced a global issues oracy project – a new, cross-curricular programme to provide pupils with a greater knowledge of economics, politics, ethics and human rights exploring themes such as the ethics of business, the political compass, and fairness vs equality on an international scale.
Recognising that not everyone seeks a formal leadership role, we also provide plenty of scope for pupils to shape the agenda in other ways. Whether that’s teaching a musical instrument at a local partner primary school, contributing opinion pieces to the school magazine, delivering thought-provoking assemblies, directing plays at the Edinburgh Fringe, presenting ideas at academic symposia or being a buddy or peer mentor for younger pupils… Our girls also collaborate online with school children as far afield as Kigali, Calcutta and Taipei, broadening horizons and exchanging ideas. Learning to walk in other people’s shoes and adopting an expansive outlook are crucial aspects of leadership. Listening to different perspectives is also encouraged through our well-established Speaker Series; our pupils have quizzed high-profile guests on topics ranging from Brexit and unconscious bias to the broader political and cultural landscape. At our most recent event, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe spoke movingly about her experiences of being imprisoned in Iran with incredible poise and magnanimity – and it was wonderful to witness our students putting their questions to her with such empathy and care.
We also offer a plethora of social action initiatives for every year group to ensure all our pupils learn to think beyond themselves, whether litter-picking on Hampstead Heath, helping at local foodbanks or volunteering at our nearby Maggie’s cancer care centre. The gradual evolution of leadership possibilities within our schools, as our pupils move up the years, create wonderful opportunities for personal growth and collective gain, if we can teach our pupils to use their leadership role to give back and to serve with a compassionate eye on the true needs of those they lead.
As school leaders, we should be proud to talk to our communities about our own personal slants on what effective leadership means to us. I deliberately highlight that I am combining a profoundly fulfilling career with parenthood. Whilst I would never assume that all my students will want to have children – and would certainly never suggest that all leaders need to model this aspect of life – I have a personal commitment to being a real-life role model who can demonstrate ‘the juggle’ that enables life to combine so much. And I seek to demonstrate this without suggesting all of this can be done with perfection. One of the biggest barriers to our students fulfilling their potential will be a fear of failure and a misguided desire to appear perfect in the eyes of others. Our personal contexts will all be different, and as Heads we will celebrate different aspects of leadership. Whatever those aspects of leadership are, it’s important to have the confidence to show that a truly brave, honest and inspirational leader is one who can acknowledge their mistakes, celebrate the successes of others, and bring people with them on incredible journeys of evolution.
Leadership can be a shared experience rather than an isolated one; it can transform lives if used in an ethical way; it is a gift rather than a right. School seems a brilliant place to begin intentional education about these principles. As teachers we should all be proud to shine a light on the connections between outstanding leadership, humanity and integrity.
Leadership can be a shared experience rather than an isolated one; it can transform lives if used in an ethical way.
This article appeared in the autumn/winter 2024 edition of The Week independent schools guide.