Choir of the Year – The Grand Final 2026
8 March 2026
St Helen & St Katharine
St Helen & St Katharine
🏆 Woman of the Week 🏆
Fashion forward and one to watch - we are celebrating Anoushka Mehan alumna of Manchester High School for Girls this week!
She’s been named in Drapers 30 Under 30 Class of 2026. This annual list from the UK’s leading fashion retail publication reveals a who’s-who celebrating the rising stars driving change and redefining fashion. Now in its 17th year, it remains one of the industry’s most coveted nods for disruptors, new thinkers, creators, craftspeople, experts and innovators who are reshaping the future of the fashion retail industry.
Anoushka caught the judges’ eye for building British brand Threadbare alongside her father, turning a shared love of fashion into a label where everyday wearability meets fresh thinking. As Head of Brand, she has helped shape a Manchester-designed success story now stocked by major retailers including Next, ASOS and Zalando.
With London Fashion Week stepping into the spotlight next week, Anoushka’s success is a reminder that the next generation of fashion talent is already here. Nurtured by schools and teachers who champion creativity alongside ambition, these are the designers shaping the future wardrobe.
👏 Huge congratulations to Anoushka on this very stylish and well deserved recognition.
This week, our Chief Executive, Jeanette Cochrane, spent time with GSA Member Jo Duncan, Headmistress at Wycombe Abbey, listening closely to hear what matters in girls` education.
At Wycombe Abbey the clarity of purpose shared by students and staff alike shone through. Jeanette said: “Visiting Wycombe Abbey was such a joy. Hearing directly from school colleagues across academic, and admissions and marketing teams, about their mission to fuel the best futures for our young women was yet more proof of the brilliance of our schools. Meeting the students – like Estelle already setting her sights on aerospace engineering – brought that vision vividly to life. There’s a real sense, here, that the girls trust themselves to relish their intellectual ambition and that confidence is encouraged every single day.”
Visiting GSA schools shines a light onto the extraordinary cultures our schools create. Places where girls are encouraged to be intellectually bold, socially conscious and confident citizens. From classrooms to studios to sports pitches, we have schools deliberately designed to nurture young women’s curiosity and leadership. It is this intentional education that puts girls first that makes our schools such an important force for positive change and lifts girls up.
Thank you to Jo Duncan, Estelle and all the brilliant colleagues at Wycombe Abbey for an excellent visit. The GSA can’t wait to come back and see you all again soon.
Stay tuned for more dispatches from The Listening Tour.
The Girls` Schools Association Listening Tour Continues …
Jeanette Cochrane, our Chief Executive, is spending time in our girls` schools across the country and hearing directly from headteachers about the realities, ambitions, and pressures shaping girls` education today.
As part of her ongoing tour she recently visited Manchester High School for Girls and was warmly hosted by GSA member Headmistress, and GSA President-elect, Helen Jeys.
Since 1874, Manchester High School for Girls has been a vital part of Manchester’s story of progress and its students are inspired to think boldly, lead kindly, and shape the future on their own terms.
Time spent in girls` schools is central to the GSA’s work. The GSA listens to leaders, staff, and students about the realities of school life and the opportunities they see for girls` education now and in the years ahead.
Helen Jeys says:
“It was wonderful to see Jeanette at MHSG. I was really grateful for the opportunity to talk to her about the bright future for girls’ education and the Girls` Schools Association, and for her to meet staff and our inspiring students. We also learned a lot about the Plague while touring lessons; thank you to Miss Martin and her fabulous Year 7 History group! I look forward to further collaborations in the future as we continue to emphasise the importance of girls’ schools.”
Jeanette, adds:
“I left Manchester High School for Girls inspired, humbled, and reaffirmed in my belief in the transformative power of girls’ schools. Meeting the girls’ leadership team was a powerful reminder of the impact of an education that truly empowers: young women who spoke with assurance about their readiness for the world, knowing that while glass ceilings still exist, they have already learned how to overcome barriers.”
Thanks to everyone at the school and to our member Helen Jeys for such a warm welcome.
Stay tuned for more updates on the CEO Listening Tour over the coming months!
🏆 Woman of the Week 🏆
All eyes are on Lilah Fear, South Hampstead High School GDST alumna, as the Olympics get underway in Cortina. Lilah and partner Lewis Gibson arrive as genuine medal contenders after making history with bronze at the 2025 World Championships, Britain’s first global ice skating medal in over 40 years.
From Queens Ice Rink in Notting Hill to the world stage, Lilah’s journey spans three countries, multiple languages and a reputation as one of ice dance’s most compelling performers. From a bold Spice Girls Rhythm Dance to a stirring Scottish-inspired Free Dance, their performances have made them fan favourites worldwide.
Tune into the Opening Ceremony this evening as Lilah has the honour of serving as a Team GB Flagbearer, and again next week when the competition gets underway.
Wishing Lilah, Lewis and all our athletes the very best of luck. We are cheering you on. 🇬🇧⛸️✨
The countdown to GSA’s 2026 Choir of the Year is ON 🎶
The finalists have been selected by our brilliant judges and the standard of our choristers is exceptional!
A huge well done to all the GSA choirs who took part and for the inspiring support of their music teachers. Choirs are having a moment, rightly so, and the GSA is happy to be part of that singing renaissance and to hear young women’s voices ringing out as a part of it! Long may it continue.
Massive congratulations to those choirs heading to the Grand Final, next month, at our wonderful member school St Helen & St Katharine School. The choirs will come together to perform live on stage; travelling from far and wide from across the country they will sing in front of family, friends, headteachers, teachers, and the judging panel of course.
We also want to take a moment to thank ABRSM, the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music, for being the sponsors and supporters of this event. We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you!
Without further ado, the 2026 finalists are:
Juniors
Burgess Hill Girls
Blackheath High School, GDST
Headington Rye Oxford Prep School
Howell`s School Llandaff, GDST
North London Collegiate School
The Old Vicarage School
Seniors
Burntwood School
Nottingham Girls` High School, GDST
Queen`s College London
South Hampstead High School, GDST
Thornton College
Tormead School
We can’t wait to hear these choirs in full song next month! Stay tuned for more …
📸 Ed Kirwan
🏆 Woman of the Week 🏆
This week, we’re celebrating Professor Sarah Sharples CBE FREng FIET, recently appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her outstanding contributions to transport, manufacturing research, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
An alumna of Wimbledon High School, GDST, Sarah`s Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Manchester, and formerly Professor of Human Factors at the University of Nottingham. She also serves as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Transport.
Her work focuses on how people interact with complex systems. In simple terms, she helps ensure that transport and technology are designed to be safer, more intuitive and work better for real people, reducing risk and preventing avoidable error.
Sarah’s career highlights the far-reaching impact women bring to science, engineering and public life, and the role girls’ schools play in supporting leadership at the highest level.
Why girls-only?
The evidence is in the classrooms, the results, the voices and the futures being shaped everyday in our schools.
Girls’ schools are designed for girls, intentionally. Every lesson, every opportunity, every activity is built around young women, and when education is built around girls they don’t just participate - they lead.
Listen to two GSA headteachers, Fionnuala Kennedy of Wimbledon High School GDST and Jo Sharrock of Putney High School GDST, speak up for our schools where girls are the focus.
So, when others keep asking why girls` schools matter, The Girls` Schools Association will continue to build confidence, break stereotypes and change the world through its brilliant schools and headteachers, just as we`ve always done since 1874.
🎥 Ed Kirwan Empathy Studios – taken from the GSA short film ‘Captains of Our Ships’ 🛳️
💪 Myth busting with the Girls’ Schools Association 💪
Our membership spans both independent and state girls’ schools, and this latest analysis reflects that breadth.
Using Department for Education data, GSA research shows a clear pattern for girls in girls’ state schools:
✔️ More likely to stay in education after 16
✔️ More likely to progress to higher education
✔️ Less likely to be NEET
A similar advantage is seen for boys in boys’ schools too, challenging the idea that one model works best for everyone and highlighting the distinctive role single sex education can play in helping young people thrive.
Full analysis on the GSA website. Link in bio.
📸 Farnborough Hill, Burntwood School (Nick Bull)
🏆Woman of the Week🏆
Are you Team Faithful or Team Traitor?
Tonight, we’ll find out who from the Class of 2026 will win in this stellar series so brilliantly hosted by the inimitable Claudia Winkleman MBE, alumna of City of London School for Girls.
A superpower, style icon, and generally all round good egg (she’s a trustee for Comic Relief, a patron for Child Bereavement UK and an Ambassador for The King’s Trust), we couldn’t NOT celebrate Claudia today.
In the past year alone, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours list; celebrated two decades of sharing the glittering co-hosting of Strictly Come Dancing, and announced fresh plans for a chat show in Spring.
One of the UK’s highest-paid presenters, particularly for female talent she`s a funny and savvy role model for girls and young women. Her example shows that when you follow your passions, work hard and hone your craft you can take the centre stage in whatever you choose to AND lift up those around you.
Claudia also has a great appreciation for education in its fullest sense. A Trustee of The British Museum, she has a deep love of art and spent almost every Saturday morning with her father visiting the National Gallery. We particularly liked hearing about her Father’s ‘one painting rule’ on these outings: picking just one artwork and spending time talking about that for about 45 minutes. We’ll be giving this a whirl this weekend, will you?
Brava Claudia - we’re following along and can’t wait to see what you do next!
👉 Gender equality isn’t a women-only issue 👈
As our member, Richard Tillett, Head at Queen’s College London, says, feminism is about policy and opportunity in a society that still isn’t equal.
Our male leaders are part of the solution too and we walk shoulder to shoulder in allyship with our educational leaders to lift up the lives of over 90,000 girls and young women in our schools.
👀 What does a life well-lived look like for the girls, young women and teachers in our schools?
In our latest Leading the Conversation, Kristina Lewis, Deputy Head (Academic) at James Allen’s Girls’ School, shares her own thoughts on this and gives a rallying call for the powerful role creativity plays in education today.
A timely reminder that placing joy and curiosity at the heart of students` educations is vital to instil a love of learning, and for our young people to learn to trust their instincts and follow their own dreams.
Kristina`s also listed the best up and coming female-led art shows to see in 2026. Grab it now! The link’s in our bio.
🏆 Woman of the Week 🏆
Wing Commander Sasha Nash, alumna of Lady Eleanor Holles School, has made history as the first woman to lead the Red Arrows, the RAF’s iconic aerobatic team.
A former Tornado pilot with operational tours in Afghanistan, Sasha now commands one of the most visible symbols of the Royal Air Force, overseeing 150 RAF and civilian personnel. She has spoken of being inspired as a young girl by air shows, speed, and the thrill of flight, a dream she carried with her through school and into a remarkable career.
Her appointment is a landmark moment, not just for the RAF but for the generations watching from the ground. It is a powerful reminder of what happens when girls are encouraged to aim high, trust their ambitions, and believe their dreams can take flight.
📸 Cpl Iwan Lewis RAF
UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
