Girls on Board
Thorpe Hall School pioneered the Girls on Board approach, a proven way of empowering girls to solve their own friendship issues.
Northampton School for Girls and Southend High School for Girls have adopted the Girls on Board approach, which has been delivered to the schools by the Head of Thorpe Hall at substantially reduced cost. Over 3,000 girls now benefit from the settled relationships which the approach engenders and teachers are freed up to focus on teaching and learning.
Aims
Wherever girls are at school there exists issues with friendships. Northampton School for Girls and Southend High School for Girls are no exception. The Girls on Board approach is a proven way of empowering girls to solve their own friendship issues, and save time and anxiety for teachers and parents.
Background
Two staff from Northampton School for Girls attended the Girls on Board training and then invited the Head of Thorpe Hall to visit the school to assist in the launch of the approach.
Deputy Head of Southend High School for Girls got in touch to ask for help with some difficult issues in Year 9 in particular. I went to meet her and the Head and we agreed that launching the Girls on Board approach at Southend High School for Girls would be ideal. Training was delivered to staff through twilight sessions and a day was spent launching the approach to the whole of Year 9.
Resources
Southend High School for Girls have been given the licence to operate the approach for free. That means they have access to the complete range of training materials in order to establish expertise and Champions throughout the staff and 6th form.
Impact
Early assessments of the impact were extremely positive. After working with Years 8 and 9, staff reported that instances of friendship turbulence had fallen off and the girls were more content.
Pupil Involvement
The approach is suitable for the entire community with 6th formers getting involved as mentors.
Frequency
The project, once fully established will exist for as long as the staff and leadership wish it to. Northampton School for Girls have been an early adopter of the approach but which now has over 30 schools in the UK using it.