My Experience of an All-Girls Sixth Form Education

As Georgia prepares to step into her Upper Sixth year at Farnborough Hill, she shares a look back at her journey so far and reflects on what makes an all-girls Sixth Form education so transformative:

The first time I visited Farnborough Hill in 2019, I remember asking a few of the Lower Sixth at the time 'Why do you like Farnborough Hill so much?'. Their answer, which still resonates with me today, is that'Farnborough Hill is one of the most welcoming places we have experienced; it doesn't feel like a school but a family and a close community.'    

Six years later and now in Lower Sixth, I can tell you that every word they said was true and somehow even better than they described. The deep sense of sisterhood and community is just one of the incredible positives that come from being part of an all-girls school. 

The main thing that I love about Farnborough Hill is something I have perhaps only come to appreciate with time and that is how much the learning environment is tailored for us. For girls. We have the freedom to be completely ourselves. Being free from traditional gender stereotypes empowers us to try anything and truly thrive. The Girls School Association (GSA) referred to Farnborough Hill girls as ‘engaged, committed and fun-loving’ and it’s true that the welcoming environment here empowers us to become the best versions of ourselves. We are a supportive network of girls pushing each other toward greatness, upholding justice, and giving each other the courage needed to take risks. The GSA observation that ‘Girls in girls' school are more confident and well-rounded young women’ is one I definitely see among my peers here. They are awesome!

Research backs up what we experience every day at Farnborough Hill. Dr Alice Sullivan, from the Institute of Education, University of London, wrote that 'Girls do better, in terms of educational attainment, at single sex schools.' That academic edge is clear in our results this year, with 46% of A levels at A*– A and 59% of GCSEs at grades 9 – 7. We are resilient and unafraid to ask for help. Beyond the grades, Farnborough Hill gives us the space to reach our full potential and the confidence to be resilient, ambitious, and unashamedly inquisitive.

This culture of speaking up and putting yourself out there is brought about at Farnborough Hill not only through small class sizes but, most importantly, the unique space our teachers and our peers create for every voice to be heard and for every girl to thrive. We have clubs tailored to our interests - entrepreneur clubs for us business-driven girls, creative clubs for aspiring artists, and teams and competitions for our sports fanatics. Girls’ Schools are a place where we all get a chance to shine, no matter what our passion is. We are given opportunities to throw ourselves into our passion without being in the minority. I chose to take Mathematics at A level and believe I would have thought twice about picking this in a co-ed class. I’m so glad I chose to do Mathematics here as I have realised how much I love it and that the reward is so much greater than the challenge. The year I joined the Lower Sixth, half the A level grades earned that summer were A*s and As so I very much looked forward to being part of a stat like that two years later!

Farnborough Hill offers an enormous amount of room for confidence building and we’re also able to reach for more leadership opportunities. Securing one of the Deputy Head Girl roles this year was a proud achievement for me. I was not alone in applying for a Junior Leadership Team role; it's a goal for many of us, which shows just how much we're encouraged to step up.

I genuinely believe that Farnborough Hill transforms young girls into fearless leaders who are unafraid of breaking stereotypes and become compassionate, well-rounded individuals. Farnborough Hill has completely changed the way I see myself, the world around me and the potential that I can achieve in the future.