I recently had the pleasure of being involved in the creation of a new short film showcasing the myriad benefits of investing early in your daughter’s education and giving her the best possible start.
Watching the film back, one phrase from a parent ambassador really stayed with me: “the joy in girlhood”. It’s a simple phrase but one which so perfectly captures the essence of a Sheffield Girls’ education and sums up exactly what we strive to protect and celebrate every day.
Girlhood, especially in the Early Years, should feel full of curiosity, imagination, friendship and confidence. It should feel safe and joyful. Yet we know all too well in those crucial early stages how even the happiest girl can wobble a bit when starting school and adapting to new routines. At Sheffield Girls’ Infant School, we think carefully about how we craft an environment where our girls’ joy isn’t a byproduct of their education; it’s actively nurtured.
The Joy in Curiosity
Pupils arrive at school with an instinctive curiosity about the world around them, and at Sheffield Girls’ we are experts at making space for that to flourish. Learning is about exploration and play, always with the girls’ eager questions and voices at the very heart. We want girls to know that their ideas and thoughts matter. We want them to be excited when talking about their learning, and not afraid to ask the ‘big questions’.
We nurture this in a number of ways, but one of the most successful ways in which we do this is through peer reflections and peer leadership built into the classroom experience from day one. Girls are constantly encouraged to be active participants in their friends’ learning journeys as well as their own. They help each other problem solve, lifting each other up in their triumphs, and they are always ready to offer support to those who are struggling.
The result is an environment where learning is inherently joyful, and where success and achievement is shared and enjoyed amongst friends.
The Joy in Belonging
Joy also comes from belonging. One of the most special aspects of Sheffield Girls’ is that we are all girls by design and have been since the School’s founding in 1878. We are an all-girls’, through school from 4 – 18 years old, and that sense of connection and belonging across year groups is palpable.
When girls join us in Reception, or at any stage in their journey, they instantly feel part of something bigger. They see strong friendships forged across all year groups; they see the school values – positivity, courage and kindness – lived out everyday in their interactions with older girls, and they really quickly start to imagine themselves in their shoes.
Our Sixth Form peer mentors play a particularly powerful role in this. For our Infants, our Year 12 and 13 students are aspirational yet approachable female role models. They help at clubs, read with them, play with them and guide them through their first crucial years of school.
Girls who join us in Reception and stay through to Year 13 are fondly known as ‘Melbournians’, and this sense of aspiration is woven in from the very start, as our youngest girls learn alongside, and look up to, the confident, capable young women around them.
These kinds of strong connections forged at an early age are exactly what makes Sheffield Girls’ so unique, and helps our girls develop a strong sense of identity from their very first days with us.
The Joy in Friendship
On the subject of friendships, nurturing strong friendships is absolutely at the heart of our girls’ school experience. Many of our alumnae recount with incredible fondness the bonds they forged during their time at Sheffield Girls’, bonds which are often as strong now as they were in the past.
The joy of female friendships is something we are uniquely placed to cultivate. This cultivation is not only done in the classrooms, where small class sizes enable intimate group work, but also in our play and breakout spaces. Girls often thrive through collaborative and imaginative play, so our spaces are designed with this in mind. There are places to create stories together, to build, to role-play, to negotiate and to dream. Through play, girls learn how to listen, lead, compromise and care – all while having fun.
The Sheffield Girls’ Difference
What I see every day in our Infant School is laughter that comes easily, friendships that feel secure, and girls who are comfortable being exactly who they are.
Watching our new Infant film (and indeed certainly while filming it!), I see that joy in girlhood perfectly reflected back at us. It’s evident in small moments, shared laughter and the easy confidence of our girls. It’s a reminder that while academic foundations matter (and they do), preserving the joy of girlhood matters just as much.
Visit Us
If you’d like to see this joy for yourself, I warmly invite you to watch our new Infant film and come and visit Sheffield Girls’ Infant and Junior School. We would love to welcome you.
Rachael Leslie
Deputy Head Infant and Junior School
EYFS Lead
