Hello everyone, we’re Agnes and Anoushka, and we are thrilled to be your new Head Girls for the coming year! Having both been shaped by our experiences here, it is a huge privilege to now have the opportunity to give back to The Abbey. We are so excited to help create an environment in which students are empowered to really lead with compassion in an increasingly complex world.
But first, let’s introduce ourselves. Between us, we study a huge variety of subjects – Maths, Further Maths, Art, Economics, Geography and English – so we’re ready to tackle just about anything together. Agnes, who is also an Art Scholar, has been at The Abbey since Reception, and Anoushka, an Academic Scholar, joined The Abbey in Upper III after growing up in Mumbai, India.

The two of us have already had a go at stepping into the role at our Open Morning last week, and it’s quickly become clear just how special it is. We had a remarkable turnout, and we were lucky enough to speak to nearly every family that came to visit, as well as begin to collaborate closely with both the Student and Senior Staff Leadership Team. Over the past few weeks, we’ve not only begun discovering how well we work together as a team, but we’ve also formed a friendship that we know will last a lifetime!

Something that really brings us together is definitely our love of The Abbey as a community. It’s a network of incredible people united by what is so much more than just a school; The Abbey is not just somewhere we learn, but also where we grow up, discover who we are and create some of our favourite memories. Here, we are encouraged to speak up, take risks, and pursue our ambitions without the limitations or gender stereotypes that young women still face globally. We are immensely proud to represent a community that takes the concept of female empowerment and really runs with it.

We know many of you are keen to hear about our plans for the upcoming year, and what we aspire to achieve. We want to strengthen the sense of unity across the whole school community, and make the transition from year to year as seamless as possible, while welcoming stronger external and alumni partnerships. We want to break down barriers between the Sixth Form and the younger years and bring together the Junior and Senior schools into a more cohesive whole. We believe that an education at The Abbey is something that stays with students for a lifetime – but what is truly invaluable are the friendships and connections made. We want every student to know that they are never alone, and that they should never refrain from speaking their minds. Every single voice matters to us.

Above all, we hope to leave behind a community that is more connected than ever. We aim to ensure that The Abbey remains tied together not only through our trademark academic success, but also through the everyday acts of kindness through which we inspire one another to become the best versions of ourselves. We hope that by the end of the year, more students will feel confident, supported and proud within themselves, something that will stay with them long after their time at The Abbey.

We are so grateful for this opportunity, and we cannot wait for the year ahead!

Agnes and Anoushka, Head Girls