As many of you will know today, March 8, 2024, is International Women’s Day. A day to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and to take action to drive gender parity.

One of the most impactful art works I have ever seen is in the Brooklyn Museum. I encountered it when visiting the Hewitt School in Manhattan, one of our sister schools in the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools.

It is an installation piece. In a darkened room there is a raised triangular table at which there are 39 place settings. Each guest at the Dinner Party has a hand painted china plate, cutlery, chalice and napkin and is set on an elaborately embroidered runner. The table stands on the floor, made of more than 2000 triangular tiles, each inscribed with a name.

The work was created by Judy Chicago with the goal of ‘ending the ongoing cycle of omission in which women were written out of the historical record.’ Places are laid for inspirational female leaders in every field from Hypatia and Boudica to Mary Wollstonecraft and Georgia O’Keefe. The tiles on the floor highlight 999 women leaders include Aethelfled, Margaret Mead and our own Florence Nightingale.

Seeing the work brings home both the magnitude of the achievements of these pioneering women and the size of the hurdles they had to overcome. Their confidence, bravery and courage reminds us of the importance of instilling similar qualities in our young women today.

And this week our RHB girls, once again, showed themselves worthy of taking their places at the table.

This was evidenced this week in our Head Girl hustings, where no less than 11 of our Sixth Form Year 12 students took the stand to explain why they wanted to lead the student body and serve their school. Each brought their own style and personality, but all were equal in exuding confidence and sincerity.

Further examples of inspiring female leadership were seen this week in our Green Team’s presentation in the BANES Youth Climate Change Conference, at the GDST sports rally at Bromley High, and in our girls’ presentations at last weekend’s Model United Nations conference. Our Y13 IB visual arts students present their astonishing work in exhibition after school today, do pop in and take a look.

Our students are already living out the advice Judy Chicago gave to young women, and seeing its value: ‘Believe in yourself, pursue your own vision and don’t give up.’

Long may that continue, this International Women’s Day, and every day at Royal High Bath.