Updates
“When Girls Fall Out”
“When Girls Fall Out’ is the new book that accompanies the Girls on Board approach and is written specifically for parents. You can purchase the book in our shop. The book looks at parenting from the daughters’ point of view and offers fresh and often radical advice for parents of daughters who are experiencing friendship turbulence at school. The book is also a vital resource for schools who have adopted the Girls on Board approach and completes the library of resources available to support parents in this tricky area of life. Four years in the writing, the authors are Andrew Hampton (CEO of Girls on Board) and his two grown-up daughters, Holly and Naomi. One reviewer on Amazon commented:
“This book is incredible. I purchased it upon recommendation, after trying (and failing) to navigate the complexity of parenting my wonderful and ‘spirited’ daughter. From the beginning, not only did the friendship dynamics of girls start to make complete sense but I was transported back to my own year 9 classroom at break time and could identify the different types of girls, behaviour and experiences both positive and negative. This book is so helpful in balancing tools to help, with reassurance that sometimes leaving girls alone is the right thing to do, the insane power of just listening and not trying to dish out advice. There are a couple of mantras from this book that I play back daily in my head such as ‘listen not because you need to know but because she needs to tell you’. This book has genuinely made me feel more confident in parenting my 9 year old and I am so pleased I have it by my side for the teen years ahead! Simply the best parenting book I have EVER read.”
TES ISAwards
We are so proud that Thorpe Hall School was shortlisted for a TES ISAward for Wellbeing Initiative of the Year 2020 – that is the second year running. Thorpe Hall school is where the Girls on Board approach was first conceived and developed. The school also won the Independent Schools Association Award for Pupils’ Mental Health and Wellbeing for 2019. Many thanks to all the schools and teachers who have worked with us over the last 4 years to make Girls on Board such an important innovation which is being recognised by more schools every day.
NAPCE Award
We were very proud and delighted to be shortlisted in 2023 for the Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care In Schools award by the National Association of Pastoral Care in Education.
The NEU
We are very proud to be working with the National Education Union to bring Girls on Board online training to its 450,000 members.
GDST
We are very proud to be working with the Girls’ Day School Trust to deliver training to teachers within its 25 schools. The GDST hosted a Girls on Board webinar for parents and you can watch that webinar here.
The Koko Story
We are proud to have been working with Meg Cannon of thekokostory.com. Meg is a truly inspirational woman who makes films aimed at empowering girls across the UK. Her latest project was sponsored by Girls on Board and Thorpe Hall School and is another blockbuster in her collection. You can find this film here along with many other inspiration films which really chime with the Girls on Board message. This film won ‘Best Use of Video’ at the Premier Digital Awards in November 2019.
Training for teachers
Face-to-face training opportunities for teachers are plentiful you will find bookable events here.
If you would like to host a training event (in return for free delegates) then get in touch with info@girlsonboard.co.uk. You can download more information about how you can host an event and therefore get free training for teachers at your school here.
Support for Parents
If you would like Andrew Hampton to visit your school to talk about parenting daughters and how to support their friendships, then get in touch via info@girlsonboard.co.uk . Andrew can deliver this advice in person or via Zoom.
INSET
If you would like your school to receive staff training to become a Girls on Board school on an INSET day then get in touch to discuss your requirements. info@girlsonboard.co.uk.
Boys
The long awaiting book about boys has been published by Routledge. The book is called Working with Boys – Creating Cultures of Mutual Respect in Schools. A number of schools are now using the programme which is focused on 12 lessons taught to Year 7 during PSHE time as part of RSE. A training scheme is available; get in touch with info@girlsonboard.co.uk for more information. The Working with Boys programme will be offered as an online training course, coming soon.
Review:
An amazing book! It is brilliant at explaining the adolescent boy’s mind, motivation and particularly the fear of humiliation. The chapters are relatively short and easily digestible with simple but creative ideas for guiding boys in their understanding of different forms of masculinity. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on banter; I’ve always searched for the best way to discuss this with boys and I have never heard it summarised so well as Hampton does in just 6 words:
‘Humour is the currency of influence’.
I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who works with boys in education. The best educational book I’ve read for a long time.
New book
Andrew Hampton’s new book, How to Run a School, will be published by Routledge in the summer of 2025.