At the start of term, I informed you that Leicester High School would be starting a full-scale review of the representation of race in all our activities. As we come to the end of our first half term, and midway through Black History Month, it feels an appropriate time to reflect on what we have achieved so far, as well as our future plans. 

A review of PSHCE activity has taken place in the Juniors, with the result that a new PSHCE curriculum, Jigsaw, has been introduced. Central to the ethos of Jigsaw, is the belief we are all unique and this should be celebrated and enjoyed. Each half-termly unit provides an inherent response to racism. We understand how important is it to start these conversations with our youngest girls and continue them throughout their time at the School. 

October has marked Black History Month and many activities have taken place. The History Department have provided resources for each Form to complete, the Library have displayed books by black authors, Form 9C delivered an assembly on the Black Lives Matter movement and a display on the history of slavery, provided by Leicester Archive Museum, has been on show in the Pupil Foyer throughout the month. 

In the Sixth Form, our Prefect Team have confirmed their chosen charity and theme for this year as the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, with the theme of Equality. They will be highlighting the work of the Trust throughout the year, alongside fundraising for them. 

We are excited to be actively engaging with key figures in the area of race relations, to work in partnership with the School, helping us to identify the actions we need to take and support us in their delivery. We hope to be able to update you on this piece of work soon. 

Our other plans include a review of Junior and Senior library resources, to ensure full representation of black authors and black issues. All departments, throughout the School, have been asked to identify where they can educate on prominent black influencers and race issues in relation to their subjects. This work will be reviewed as part of the ongoing departmental review process. A review of the Senior School PSHCE curriculum will take place in March 2021 and will focus on ensuring the issues of race and equality are covered in-depth and are current.  

As a staff, we continue to educate ourselves on the key issues in race equality, but we know there is always more to do and more to learn. We are committed to ensuring we are providing the girls with the best education and support in this arena and we will continue to challenge ourselves to ensure we are achieving this. 

Mr Whelpdale

Headmaster