I have always loved the back-to-school rituals of the autumn term. They present a blank slate, full of promise. As students, we move into a new class, with new teachers and the possibility of new friendships to forge. As staff, we think through the kind of school we want to be. Oftentimes we refresh our wardrobes with new shoes and uniforms; we may even update our hair. A natural reinvention happens, heightening the sense of an ending of one thing and the beginning of another. What that might be is wholly up for interpretation. Having come out of The Great Pause with more questions than answers, we’re all reimagining school life – figuring out how we can grow together.

But recent world events make it more challenging to view the future in a positive light: rising inflation, deepening class and political divisions, worrying climate news. As educators, how do we re-envision tomorrow when its forecast looks bleak?

Meanwhile, the nation’s corridors of power are in the throes of change as new leadership transitions in. Despite all the transformative possibilities that diversity offers, will the world ever reach an equitable culture for women? How do we summon main-character energy in those moments when we’re feeling vulnerable? 

To help us understand this movement, let us turn to women who are defining a brave new era. Thought leaders, political activists, celebrated authors, cultural critics, scholars who revolutionise feminism – women shaping the conversation around women’s rights, social justice and environmentalism – can all reveal what motivates them even when they suffer setbacks. Compelling voices who speak to a unique cultural movement we all find ourselves in. 

They ask prickly questions. Who wields the power? What lengths should we go in order to achieve it? What makes us feel powerful as an individual and collective? Society demands us to inhabit our girl-power to the fullest, to listen to our instincts and make tough decisions to protect our identity, even when we know we may have to swim against the tide. 

In our all-girls setting, we talk a lot about gender stereo-typical bias. The simple acts that make us stronger, healthier, kinder and true to ourselves might just be the most radical power moves of all. And we learn to harness this from a young age. Our school’s unique Human Intelligence curriculum supports a deep-seated belief that every child should be nurtured in a space where their identity is open to their own free interpretation. Where their voices are heard. Where meaningful learning, which makes connections between knowledge and understanding, develops a sense of agency to make a difference in our world. Because we are girls, not despite it.

During a time when the stakes around protecting our sense of self have never felt higher, let’s celebrate all that we bring, as we pull up a chair to ensure an inclusive society. Let’s develop courage to take risks, to encourage creative thought and to communicate with an open heart. And let’s do it with honesty and compassion. Planet Earth reminds us daily: she’s depending on it.

Nisha Kaura, Head of The Abbey Junior School