The start of term has been full of energy, excitement and joy. It has been a real privilege to welcome our new Reception girls and the few new girls who have joined other year groups. The warmth with which the rest of the school has embraced them has been truly heartening. One of my favourite moments so far has been watching the “older” girls – including our very proud Year 1s – helping our newest pupils to find their way around, offering reassurance at drop-off, sharing smiles in the playground and holding their hands at lunch. It is those small acts of kindness that make me so proud of the Channing community.

This year we have introduced families and pupils to The Learning Pit, a new initiative we are embracing this year to help the girls develop greater confidence and resilience in their learning. The Learning Pit helps the girls understand that real learning is rarely a straight path and that challenges, frustrations and mistakes are an essential part of the journey. By stepping outside their comfort zones and working through “the pit,” the girls learn to persevere, solve problems and develop a deeper understanding of new concepts. It aligns beautifully with our Channing Promise and the Channing Characters, encouraging the girls to take risks, ask questions and see mistakes as valuable stepping stones to success.

The Channing Promise underpins everything we do. It reflects our shared values as a community and guides how we care for ourselves, one another and the wider world. These values are brought to life through our eight Channing Characters: Resilience Robin, Perseverance Squirrel, Empathy Rabbit, Responsibility Badger, Bravery Mole, Independence Owl, Respectfulness Hedgehog and Curiosity Fox.

These are not simply posters on walls but qualities we see the girls demonstrating every day – in classrooms, on the playground and in the way they treat one another.