In one of the powerful and fabulously creative devised drama pieces our Upper V students performed with such energy and skill this week there was a brilliant twist on the tale of The Little Mermaid which left the audience thinking: what does it mean to ‘lose your voice’, to have no say? We regularly speak of encouraging all our pupils to develop considered opinions and the confidence to express them. And this is important, as those who felt inspired to join last week’s climate change global day of protest recognised.

But we know it isn’t just about words. For all of us, following in Greta’s zero-carbon footprints requires action for change. Sometimes, our young people feel they have little say over such change so when we find ways we can make a difference it is empowering. Thursday’s assembly, led by passionate Abbey alumna Widge Woolsey, invited us to imagine the transformation to the lives of girls and women in Malawi of ending period shame: her charity Ufulu (‘freedom’) funds the distribution of inexpensive kits which enable girls to attend school every week of every month, not three out of four, and allow women confidently to seek employment to support their families. This year, led by our Sixth Form Charity Prefects, we aim to raise enough to pay for every young woman on Likoma Island to be given a kit of their own and to experience the dignity and independence it offers. You can hear more from Widge at The Bull in Henley on 1 October or read about their work on the website.