Empathy is a highly valuable human quality but one which is not always straightforward for young people to develop. In Junior School this week at Together on Friday we will be exploring ways to practise seeing things from someone else’s perspective and considering another’s view. Developing the capacity for empathy is a shared responsibility of parents and staff and we appreciate everything that families do to assist girls to see various situations from the viewpoint of another, or to help them understand how another person might be feeling in a particular situation. One way in which we can assist young people to build their empathic skills is through assisting them to identify their own feelings so that they are better equipped to identify the feelings of others.

Of course there is a group of girls in the school this week who have been literally stepping into someone else’s shoes by donning their costumes for Beauty and the Beast. Taking on a character and working to understand and portray their motivations is a great way in which to develop inter and intra personal skills that can be transferred to the world off stage! This is just one reason that involvement in a Production can be incredibly valuable. I hope that I will see many of you at the show over the next few days – I know that the girls will greatly appreciate having an enthusiastic audience of supporters! “Break a leg” to all involved in what I am confident will be a very entertaining series of performances!