Girls on Board is a national programme that aims to help girls navigate tricky friendship issues. It has been adopted by more than 300 schools across the country. Mrs Sumner, our Girls on Board Champion, explains why King’s uses the approach.
Friendships can be difficult for some pupils to manage and when adults get involved in friendship issues, it can often make things worse. Through Girls on Board, we empower the girls to deal with issues as they happen without necessarily having to involve a parent or teacher in the first instance.
We begin the programme with all Removes girls when the focus is on positive interactions within the year group. We help them understand different behaviours that they will already recognise in their own friendship groups, and we encourage them to think about the kind of friend that they want to be, and being a group that are inclusive and welcoming at all times.
By learning the model in these sessions girls are reminded about the vulnerabilities and feelings of others.
At King’s, we run Girls on Board sessions whenever new girls join the school, and also if there is a problem within a particular year group.
By getting all girls together, rather than just those who are directly involved, it helps to reinforce the message that they all have a responsibility to each other to include everyone and to be mindful of how their words and actions can affect others.
Our sessions always prompt some excellent questions and reflections from the girls, who take away with them the key message that every girl needs a friend and we all have a responsibility to ensure that no girl is left in the water.
For parents who would like to find out more about the Girls on Board approach, click on the image to the right to access our online booklet.
We also highly recommend this book - When Girls Fall Out by Andrew, Holly and Naomi Hampton.
