The Grey Coat Hospital

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by The Grey Coat Hospital's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from The Grey Coat Hospital is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.gch.org.uk

1THE GREY COAT HOSPITAL |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

Headteacher Siân Maddrell

GCH St Andrew’s site: a

Grade II listed building in

the heart of Westminster

The Grey Coat Hospital, founded in 1698, is a Church

of England comprehensive school for girls aged 11 to

18, which has a mixed sixth form. As a school, they

pride themselves on having strong values and express a

deep commitment to ensuring each student is known as an

individual who can then develop the knowledge, skills and

personal qualities to lead a successful and fulfilling life. Their

motto, taken from Corinthians, is “God give the increase”.

Headteacher Siân Maddrell and the school’s head girl, Elena,

provide a further overview of the school.

The aim of The Grey Coat Hospital is “to enable students to take charge of

their learning, make decisions based on Christian values, live in the world as

independent women and men and meet the challenges of the 21st century”. This

is a living aim which we strive to achieve for every student each and every day. We

have the highest aspirations for and expectations of our students, and everyone is

expected to represent themselves and the community as well as they can. We aim

for excellence both in and out of the classroom, seeking to develop the qualities of

inquisitiveness, resilience, independence, humility and kindness.

Expanding horizons

As a community, we want to be the very best school for our students, one which

ensures that each student experiences a challenging learning journey, achieves well

and learns in a reflective, creative and vibrant atmosphere in which all our students

may thrive.

REPORT CARD

THE GREY COAT HOSPITAL

»Headteacher: Siân Maddrell

»Founded in 1698

»Based in Westminster

»Type of school: Church of

England comprehensive

academy for girls (mixed sixth

form) aged 11-18

»No. of staff: 67 FTE teaching,

42 FTE non-teaching

»No. of students: 1,075

»Ofsted: “Outstanding”

»www.gch.org.uk

The Grey Coat

Hospital

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

2| THE GREY COAT HOSPITAL

We emphasise the learning of

languages, as we believe that it is

important to develop the linguistic

skills to communicate with people from

around the world as well as to gain

an understanding and an appreciation

of other people, religions, countries

and cultures. We want our students

to be able to use their linguistic skills

in their future careers and lives. We

have the longest-standing German

exchange in the country, having

established an exchange with our

partner school, the Annette von Droste

Hülshoff Gymnasium, in Münster

in 1952. Students in year 10 have

the opportunity to take part in an

exchange with Chiyodo-ku in Tokyo,

which was established in 1997. Our

more recently established exchange

with Pamplona in Spain is thriving.

We believe strongly in the value of

exchanges to foster international

understanding and friendship.

We keep in close touch with our alumni.

Students enjoy their visits to the school

to talk about university, work and life

beyond Grey Coat. Whether they are

18 or 80, they say the same four things

about The Grey Coat Hospital:

1. You have to work hard at Grey

Coat. We believe in the importance

of working hard and achieving your

best so as to ensure real choices in

the future.

2. You are taught and expected to

behave according to Christian

values, with kindness, respect,

generosity, courtesy and honesty.

3. Students are given fantastic

opportunities and show boundless

enthusiasm for the many activities

offered, from STEM club to athletics,

gardening club to orchestra, and

exchanges abroad to the school play.

4. Attending The Grey Coat Hospital

means being part of a strong

community: the Grey Coat family.

Students make strong and positive

friendships, which last throughout

their time at school and beyond.

Treating people as individuals

At the core of The Grey Coat Hospital

is value for each member of the

community as an individual with a

shared learning journey and shared

values. We want our students to be

reflective and active in their learning

journey, consciously thinking about

the impact they want to have on the

world, and to think big.

Each year, we reflect on a theme that

is important to our community, such

as kindness, courage, discovery and

leadership. This reflection helps us to

develop together as a community and

The school community

celebrating the theme of

‘kindness’

The success of our school lies in several factors:

»We are a strong community – a creative and dynamic team of staff

and students working together.

»Students are known as individuals and supported by our excellent

pastoral team, who create a sense of family within the school.

»Staff are committed to ensuring that students make excellent

progress and achieve extremely well in their examinations.

»Students are supported to explore the breadth and depth of the

curriculum both in lessons and through excellent enrichment and

extra-curricular opportunities.

»Many student leadership roles from year 7 through to year 13

give our students the experiences they need to develop and

demonstrate important personal qualities needed for success.

»A cycle of reflection ensures that everyone in the school community

contributes to ensuring that our school continues to develop with

each cohort.

We have the

longest-standing

German

exchange in the

country, having

established an

exchange with

our partner

school in Münster

in 1952

“

3THE GREY COAT HOSPITAL |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

within ourselves. This is the foundation

on which we are able to build a

community where we work extremely

hard while having a lot of fun.

Head girl Elena’s commentary

I have been a part of the school

community for nearly seven years

now, and I can honestly say that The

Grey Coat Hospital is definitely not

any old regular school. Excellence here

is more than just expected; rather, it

is a natural and inherent part of our

culture. I see this on a regular basis in

our sixth-form common room, where

we tell one another about our hopes

and dreams for the future – of going

to Oxford, UCL, the Royal Academy

of Music, or even to southeast Asia to

do humanitarian work. These are only

a few of the plans some of us have

for ourselves, and I truly believe these

aspirations stem from the environment

that has been cultivated here.

This summer, I was fortunate enough to

visit India through my church to support

women and young people within the

red-light district. As a sixth former, I

was offered financial aid through an

initiative called The Grey Coat Hospital

Adventure Trust: a fund set aside to

support students who choose to go on

an adventure. The grant I was awarded

really made a difference to my being

able to participate in the trip. The trip

itself was incredible, and so I am very

thankful. Through this opportunity, I

gained an understanding of the joys

that can come from simplicity. I was

humbled by the individuals I met, who

lived a very different kind of life to

mine, and grew in compassion.

This is an environment in which you

learn that not even the sky is your

limit. As students at Grey Coat, we

ourselves like to say that there is a bit

of a bubble. Not the negative kind that

leaves you ignorant of events in the real

world – most certainly not. We love to

get involved in all sorts, whether that

be raising awareness and donating

to our local charities, often raising

over £1,000, or discussing politics,

listening to external speakers talk about

their amazing experiences, or being

competitive against other schools in

national competitions. No. Rather, in this

bubble you truly believe that nothing

can stop you from achieving what you

want, and the things that try to do so

need only be moved out of your way.

Personally, it had never occurred to me

that I might be discriminated against

in the working world as a woman.

This remained the case until only

a few years ago, because that had

never been relevant to my life. This is

because, here in our school, we build

more than just women of the 21st

century. We build, first of all, leaders,

scientists, philosophers, philanthropists,

debaters, creatives and so much more.

School life can be challenging, and it

is true to say that as students, you do

not always love it. At The Grey Coat

Hospital, you are pushed to be the

best version of yourself, and that can

sometimes mean being faced with

tough love. However, I do know that

my peers and I look back and realise

the extent to which our respective

journeys at Grey Coat have defined so

much of who we are and who we strive

to be. In the future, we will proudly

We want the

students to be

reflective and

active in their

learning

journey,

consciously

thinking about

the impact they

want to have on

the world, and

to think big

“

The Grey Coat Hospital

headteacher, head girl

and deputies

» SPECIALISING

IN LANGUAGES

»Progress 8 in 2018

(consistent with

previous years) +0.74

»Progress 8 for

disadvantaged

students +0.47

www.gch.org.uk

This article was sponsored by The Grey Coat Hospital. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Michael Gove.

Rt Hon Michael Gove's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Michael Gove

This year's Parliamentary Review comes at a momentous time for parliament, as we collectively determine the destiny of the United Kingdom.

On October 31, the UK will leave the European Union. The successful implementation of this process is this government's number-one priority.

Three years after a historic referendum vote, we will deliver on the decisive mandate from the British people. Trust in our democracy depends on it. Until that final hour, we will work determinedly and diligently to negotiate a deal, one that abolishes the backstop and upholds the warm and close relationship we share with our friends, allies and neighbours in the EU. But in the event that the EU refuses to meet us at the table, we must be prepared to leave without a deal.

As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, it is my job to lead on this government's approach, should that scenario happen. Preparing for Brexit is my department's driving mission. But while I am leading this turbocharged effort, the whole of government is committed to this endeavour.

Ministers across Whitehall are working together to ensure that every possibility is considered, every plan is scrutinised and every provision is made. A daily drumbeat of meetings means that we are holding departments accountable, so that preparations are completed on time.

The chancellor has confirmed that all necessary funding will be made available. And we have mobilised thecivil service, assigning 15,000 of our most talented civil servants to manage our exit from the EU.

We will make sure that on November 1, there is as little disruption to national life as possible. Our trade relationships will continue to thrive, thanks to agreements with countries around the world worth £70 billion. Our country will remain secure, thanks to nearly 1,000 new officers posted at our borders. And the 3.2 million EU nationals now living and working among us can remain confident, with absolute certainty, of their right to remain in the UK.

Above all, our goal is to be transparent. Soon, we will launch a public information campaign so that citizens, communities and businesses are ready and reassured about what will happen in the event of “no deal”.

In my first few weeks in this role, I have travelled to ports and tarmacs, borders and bridges, all across the UK –from the seaside of Dover to the rolling green hills of County Armagh. I have heard from business owners and border officials, farmers and hauliers. They are ready to put an end to uncertainty. And they are ready to embrace the opportunities ahead.

Our departure from the EU will be a once in a lifetime chance to chart a new course for the United Kingdom. Preparing for that new course will be a herculean effort. But this country has made astounding efforts before. We can do it again.

Rt Hon Michael Gove
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster