The Girls’ Research Association 2026 Student Cohort Launches
Eight schools from across the UK have joined forces to launch the Girls’ Research Association 2026 – a student-led programme that puts girls at the centre of genuine academic inquiry.
This year’s cohort brings together independent and state girls’ schools reflecting The Girls’ Schools Association commitment to collaboration across girls’ education.
Norwich High School for Girls
Bedford Girls’ School
St Mary’s, Colchester
Farnborough Hill
Sir Jonathan North College
Batley Girls’ High School
Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls
St Julie’s Catholic High School
Following a highly successful mentor launch, students came together for their national launch, meeting their partner schools, exploring the structure of the programme, and beginning to engage with this year’s theme: Equality.
Working in cross-school pairs, students will define their own research questions, carry out independent research within their schools, and reconvene later in the year to share to compare findings and present their conclusions. The questions they ask, and the answers they find, will be entirely their own.
The Girls’ Research Association gives young women the skills and the space to think rigorously about issues that shape their lives. Past cohorts have produced work of genuine quality and ambition, and the enthusiasm at this year’s launch suggest 2026 will be no different.
The Girls’ Schools Association Chief Executive, Jeanette Cochrane, says:
“Too often, girls are asked to achieve within a system that wasn’t designed for them. The Girls Research Association asks something different – it asks them to question the system itself. That’s exactly the kind of thinking we need more of and I’m proud that The Girls’ Schools Association is giving girls the opportunity to voice theirs in our forward-thinking programme.”
Explore work from last year’s cohort.
To find out more about the Girls’ Research Association contact Robert Preston at [email protected]