I was educated at an all-girls’ school until the age of 16. In this girls-first environment, I was able to explore my varied interests and build real-world skills for life. School taught me that there were no limits on what girls were capable of – I built outward confidence and inner resilience, I had numerous leadership opportunities and made friends for life.

These life skills were first put to the test when I moved to a co-ed school for Sixth Form and found myself as the only girl in top-set maths with a teacher who didn’t believe girls belonged there! After university, I joined a global media company and my career quickly progressed from on-air reporter to senior and then board level leadership positions. At times, female role models were few and far between and I observed how the environment eroded the confidence of some highly-talented women.

An all-girls’ education combined with strong female networks and some progressive male allies, have given me deep reserves of resilience, confidence to take risks and a determination to pursue work of my choice which is meaningful, fulfilling and fun. In my role as Director of Engagement & Development, I have the joy of connecting with the lifelong Abbey community and I see the fruits of an all-girls’ education play out in glorious technicolour! 

The NEW 2024 edition of the Magnolia Alumnae Magazine features many examples: The Abbey’s alumnae span the world and work across every professional sector. Vet Laura Massey-Pugh (2004 leaver) became a world-record holder when she and her husband Stevie became the fastest cyclists to circumnavigate the globe on a tandem; Professor of Oceanography, Karen Heywood OBE (1980 leaver), has a glacier named after her, The Heywood Glacier, on the Antarctic Peninsula; communications expert Sarah Browning (1992 leaver) is an influencer and advocate for kindness; Marine Biologist Emily Armstrong (2011 leaver) is working overseas to conserve turtle nesting habitats; and author Ruth d’Alessandro (1985 leaver) has published her third novel based on the real-life experiences of her mum who was the first female detective in Berkshire.

These stories are illustrative of the spirit I witness in so many of our former students – that there are no limits on what can be achieved by girls and women when fuelled with passion and purpose. This network of visible and active role models matters because gender bias still exists in society today, with the potential to limit personal achievement without the skills and confidence to navigate it. A generation on from my own Sixth Form experience, my daughter attended an open day where she was singled out in a group of boys by the Head of Department to be told that ‘physics was a particularly hard A-Level subject’! Needless to say, as a result, she chose to stay on at her all-girls’ school for Sixth Form and, undeterred, went on to pursue her interests and achieve top grades.

Marianne Clarke, Director of Engagement & Development