Marina Gardiner Legge, President of the Girls’ Schools Association which represents the Head teachers at some of the top state and private girls’ schools in the UK, recently encouraged pupils to “speak up and speak out” and become “modern suffragettes” to help create a fairer world. We’ve talked to three very different pupils at GSA schools about how they feel about the world and their place in it – what makes them happy, how they want to live their lives, and where they see their place in the world. Sit up and take notice, here comes the future.

ABIHA, 14, Westfield School for Girls, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

I like the fact that if, I want to do something, I can put my mind to it. I have the resources and I have people who can help me do it; there’s nothing’s holding me back. I really want to go into a job that helps people – that’s my passion, to be able to help and do something good for the world. One of my uncles is a doctor and I’ve always been really inspired by him – I know there are loads of people in the world who are like suffering and they’re not as fortunate as me.

I’m not exactly sure what career I want to pursue yet, but maybe a lawyer, doctor or a neurosurgeon? I’ve never worried about things like money that much because I know that even if you don’t live in like a million-pound mansion you can still have like a happy life with your family and friends – you just need to like make the most of what you have, and not don’t dwell on what you don’t have.

I love, love, love reading, it’s like my favourite thing on the planet! My favourite author Sarah J Maas, who wrote the Throne of Glass series, I’m a really big fan. I don’t mind sport, but I just prefer more calm and relaxation like crochet or reading or painting. One thing I like about being in a girls’ school and a small school like Westfield is that I feel comfortable and can be just myself – I don’t think I’d feel like that in a co-ed.

My top priority is study, but I also need to look after myself when I’m in school and build relationships. If you don’t let yourself enjoy them, it’s going to be hard for you to heal your inner child when you’re older, so it’s better to just take a breath and feel where you are right now and take each moment like it’s your last. Mental health is so important, but I feel like it’s still quite stigmatised and we should be able to have more like open conversations about it, and not suppress our feelings inside – a lot of like teenage girls and boys feel like they can’t really talk to anyone about anything they’re going through. At our school we have counsellor we can talk to but to be honest we can also talk to all our teachers, they’re very open and welcoming.

I always try and keep a positive mindset and I do believe things are going to be alright for me, but there’s always like that little nagging voice in the back of your head because you read about inequalities with pay and everything. I feel like Barbie – girls can be anything! – but I feel like some guys still have the mindset that girls can’t do it as well as boys. That’s not fair of them because if I put my mind to it, I can do just as well as anyone else.

TRISHA, 18, The Abbey, Reading

I was going to study neuroscience at university, but then I realised drama is what I wanted to do, so I have an unconditional offer to RADA on its Technical Theatre course for this September. It says it all for girls now that I can choose between two career paths like this, it’s amazing. I love the sciences – our school has 50/50 split between STEM and Humanities for A Level – and it was a difficult decision but, with the joy the drama brings me, I don’t think I could do anything else.

I’m not taking a gap year, I’m going to RADA in September and after that I want to go straight into the industry and hope to work in the West End eventually – that’s the dream!  I’m really interested in political theatre – diversity and inclusion are big things for me. I think we’re known as the generation for wanting to make a lot of social change; we have a level of passion which is very driven to closing the gap very quickly between the world that exists and the world we want and, though there’s a lot of positives in terms of more diversity, there’s still a lot to do.

We had Claire Balding, the BBC presenter, speak at our school recently and she was talking about how difficult it was for her as a female TV presenter when she started, and that wasn’t even that long ago.  So in another 20 years’ time I hope that all women and people of all backgrounds and ethnicities have the same equal and fair chance to enter into any space, any job, any anything, and be treated with the same level of respect. 

School has definitely helped my awareness in this. There’s so much you can get involved in here; the environment at The Abbey is about throwing yourself in and doing as much as possible that you love – for example, with diversity and inclusion there’s things going on every week and you’re encouraged to think about how you help outside school too. Also, being a girls’ school means there’s a definite level of female empowerment and community – I’ve always thought that the smartest person in my year is a girl, the most athletic is a girl, the most musically talented is a girl, because that’s been my experience since Y7.

Like a lot of people my age, I do worry about the future: the environment, student debt, equality. And, of course, mental health is a big thing for my generation. If your child is telling you that they’re stressed or there’s something that’s affecting them, I’d say listen to them – as a parent you might think that you coped with it at that age, and you probably did, but it doesn’t mean your child is still feeling that way. It’s true that my generation is more willing to talk about mental health and not push it aside – and people do say a problem shared is a problem halved! On the other hand, although we’re more open to expressing feelings and respectful of others, it’s a fine line between respect and cancel culture – by trying to be accepting and accommodating to everyone it’s also possible to become unforgiving of other views, so that’s important for us to think about.

FREYA, 14, Headington School, Oxford

A good day to me is spending time with my friends or when I’ve achieved something – maybe a challenge or something I’ve been working hard for like an audition or an exam. Once those are over, and I feel like I’ve done well, that’s when I feel really happy because I’ve made myself proud. I’ve been given a lot of opportunities in school and I’ve pursued drama, music and sport from a young age – it’s made me want to get good at everything! 

Kids my age are just trying to navigate a lot of things in our daily lives – we can get quite overwhelmed and agitated over things but we are still children and we make mistakes so I would just say to parents and adults, ‘Please be patient with us!’. We’re the first generation to have had smart phone technology from birth which gives us lots of opportunities and freedom but also problems. For example, boys do judge quite a bit on looks at a time when girls have a lot of insecurities about themselves.

Even as young women we are still very hard on ourselves. I feel like there’s sometimes an unwritten standard how we need to look, and they are ridiculous – it’s sad that a lot of people feel like they have to live up to those standards. We should like who we are, in whatever shape or form, we don’t have to pretend to be somebody else to be important or special. At my school, we’re appreciated for being different, or having our own opinions. It’s crucial to feel supported and safe in your own skin. 

I can feel anxious sometimes as a young person about the future but actually I do feel I have power too – I appreciate my opportunities. The reason I have options in my life is because people fought for the equality I have – it wasn’t even that long ago that women gained independence. There are still so many women across the world who don’t have these freedoms, and it makes me feel I need to do more with my life. 

I love the sea and travel and Australia so maybe I’ll end up studying marine biology at university – growing new coral reefs and things like that really interest me. I’m excited to see what the future holds.

Girls’ Schools Association 

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