Mission & Values

Mission & Values

Our mission and values underpin how the Girls’ Schools Association interacts with our members and their schools, our stakeholders and the wider community. They also reflect the values of GSA members’ schools.

 

OUR MISSION
The GSA’s mission is to be the expert voice of girls’ education, enabling girls and their teachers to flourish.

We support our members and their staff to develop their expertise in educating girls through a range of events and courses.

Our schools provide education that embraces independent thought and spirit, allowing respectful debate and disagreement. Students are encouraged to embrace change and ‘fail forward’, leveraging learning and future success from their mistakes.

By supporting our members, we aim to enable young people – and girls in particular – to develop the resilience, skills and confidence to flourish, academically and otherwise, and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

 

OUR VALUES
Independence

We value the rights and freedoms of families to make choices about the education of their children.
Like other independent schools, schools within full membership of the GSA are directly responsible to parents. This means they are free to: focus on your child and provide her with an education best suited to her needs; allocate resources as they see fit to meet the needs of pupils most effectively; and be innovative in their choice of curriculum, exams and the very best teachers.

When you choose to send your child to a GSA school, you are choosing to embrace a unique identity and independence which, in turn, inspires and encourages independence of spirit and thought in its pupils as part of a fully rounded education.

Excellence

We value excellence in delivery and contribution as much as attainment.

GSA schools are internationally respected for their high standards. True education is about developing all aspects of the individual and our schools are just as likely to encourage students to pursue excellence outside the classroom as they are within it.

An extensive choice of extra-curricular activities is commonplace, as is experiential learning through foreign exchange programmes, sports trips, inter-school partnerships and community projects. Nevertheless, girls at GSA schools do tend to achieve academic excellence, and research shows that they are more likely to study and do well in STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) subjects.

Social Mobility & Opportunity

We value social mobility and opportunity as engines of change for individuals and society.
GSA schools have an important role to play in improving social mobility through the opportunities they provide to children in their own and other schools.

Our schools provide bursaries and other financial support so that children from less well-off families can attend them. They are also at the heart of numerous partnerships and collaborations between state and independent schools, sometimes involving universities or other organisations, which help to raise aspirations and provide opportunities for all those involved to engage with new experiences and world views, as well as to encounter new life and career possibilities.

Diversity & Inclusion

We value diversity as a strength and inclusion as a common courtesy.

We know that inclusive teams are successful teams, and we also know that young people today need inclusion and empathy among their key skills for the future. We believe that by supporting GSA members to embrace and include diversity in their schools, we can help them to create high performing, inclusive teams that enable the entire school community to thrive.

The GSA is focused on developing a culture where everyone – our employees, our members and their school communities, and our guests – feels valued and included.

Global & Cultural Awareness

We value global and cultural awareness as the first step towards a healthier planet.

GSA schools have a global reputation for excellence and their innovative practice and academic rigour attract pupils and partnership opportunities from around the world.

Educating international students, partnering with schools in other countries, exchange visits (digital or otherwise), and collaborating with overseas organisations bring with it a responsibility to international relations which we take very seriously. For many students, their relationship with a GSA school is their first encounter with British culture and the favourable impressions they gain can influence the UK’s international reputation.

Contribution & Collaboration

We value contribution and collaboration in the interests of all children and communities.

GSA schools play a pivotal role – culturally, socially and economically – in their local communities and make a valuable contribution to the country’s diverse education system. They instil a strong sense of social responsibility in their students, many of whom have become pioneering scientists, award-winning engineers, talented actors, broadcasters, businesswomen and charity campaigners.

Examples of making a difference can be found every day in the partnerships that exist between GSA and state schools, sharing knowledge and resources in mutually beneficial relationships. GSA schools also undertake considerable charity and community work.

 

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