St Mary's Form I 2021 entrance day, coincided with a significant downpour which drenched not only Gauteng but many parts of our country. We hosted 1 SO girls and their parents on a flooded campus, however, all echoed "the blessing of rain''.

Prospective parents are keen to identify a school's foundational principles and ours - an Anglican, independent, girls' school - provides our strength and stability.

In the presentations and Q&A session, the Form V leaders and the senior management team highlighted the international research which supports the benefits for women when their adolescent years are spent in an all girls' environment. The St Mary's girls made an impact on our guests through their willingness to engage in serious topics of conversation, their understanding of the responsibility that leadership carries, their self-confidence and exuberance. Many parents complimented me on our impressive girls and, particularly, on their maturity and authenticity.

To continue this topic, I have engaged in lunchtime discussions with groups of Form V girls and our conversations have often turned to the experience of an all girls' school. Without fail, the girls have expressed their gratitude for this experience, citing the focus placed on leadership, on building self-confidence and the innovative nature of a school which develops out of an "anything is possible" environment.

Each week, the teachers gather in professional learning groups to further their professional development and, last week, we discussed two articles which presented the benefits of girls attending school in an all girls' environment. These articles are taken from a repository of readings about the benefits of girls' schools, which the National Coalition of Girls' Schools curates. St Mary's has become a member of this American organisation that promotes advocacy, research, professional development and networking for its schools.

Deanne King
Head of school