Co-Education an historic moment for Elizabeth College

A MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF OUR SCHOOL 

In September Elizabeth College was delighted to welcome girls into Year 7 for the first time. The school will have girls in each year group by 2025. Understandably, this is a proud moment in the school’s history.

Thank you to Julia Hirst OE (8991), who has performed at Hatfield House (where Elizabeth I spent most of her childhood), for visiting the College to mark this milestone and bringing to life our iconic foundress Elizabeth I.

A fiercely independent, educated, determined and shrewd monarch Elizabeth I would have been in awe of the opportunities available to students, irrespective of gender, at College today.

Elizabeth College was founded in 1563 during the time seen as a golden age of culture and exploration, when many new universities and schools were established. Elizabeth I is widely credited with improving access to education considerably, through having the foresight to believe that society could be immeasurably improved through education and learning.

ACCESS TO EDUCATION

We chose to celebrate this historic moment for our school in March 2022 as it coincides with the first International Women’s Day at College since welcoming girls into Year 7 and back into Year 12.

Education is something we often take for granted here in Guernsey, but it is important for our students to understand that education is still not available to everyone – and in many parts of the world girls are the first to be excluded from it.

For International Women’s Day 2022 Elizabeth College was delighted to support Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), a charity who assist vulnerable girls and young women in Africa to create the future they imagine for themselves and their communities.

BREAK THE BIAS

Throughout the week our students have explored International Women's Day through a variety of activities.

We are proud of the opportunities available to boys and girls at Elizabeth College, where they can work together as equals, to develop an understanding of different perspectives and continue to break down outdated gender stereotypes.

ACTIVITIES

• Ahead of the school’s charity day for CAMFED Elizabeth College Charities Prefect Joe Cashin, presented to students on how the charity supports education in African communities. Congratulations to the students on raising £316.
• British travel writer, photographer, polar explorer and television presenter, Kari Herbert, spoke with Year 7 students about her life as an explorer and writer.
• Sixth form students attended a round table discussion hosted by Deloitte on the 'Butterfly Effect' and how a small action can lead to significant and lasting change. Henry from Year 12 was so inspired, he hopes to present to the rest of Sixth Form on the themes they discussed.
• During tutor time students heard from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a celebrated Nigerian writer, through extracts from her TED talk ‘We Should All Be Feminists’.
• Miss Johnson led whole school assembly and focused on trailblazing women in sport who have opened up their sports for future women, as well as some of the challenges still being faced by women in sport today.
• In English Year 7 students completed a research task and presentation on a modern inspirational woman of their choice; Year 8 students linked their study of Shakespeare with gender biases, by examining Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own’ essay in which she asks her audience to imagine a parallel history in which Shakespeare had a sister who also wanted to be a writer; and Year 9 examined rhetoric and speech making through US poet Amanda Gorman’s inaugural address for the President.
• In Sixth Form history lessons students explored the history of International Women’s Day and the connection with the People’s Republic of China.
• In the library there was a celebration of women’s literature.
• The Year 7 girls competed in their first hockey tournament, and students involved in early morning cricket training enjoyed a session hosted by Women’s Cricket Development Officer, Hannah Eulenkamp.
• At the Junior School they had a surprise visitor and there was a fun guess who assembly recognising the hidden talents of staff at ECJS. Year 4 met with Elizabeth I, who remained in character, as she answered questions on their Tudor topic and Year 1 enjoyed speaking with her as part of their Castles project.

GALLERY