Editorial 23rd March 2023

Dear Parent

What do you see when you look at this picture?

Do you see an old woman in a headscarf or an attractive young woman with a feather? It is impossible to see both at once but by adjusting our vision, we can see it in another way. This is an illustration of how we need to be prepared to look at situations in different ways to appreciate other, equally valid, points of view. There is seldom one way of seeing which is totally right and this is an important message which our cancel culture has forgotten.

However, understanding that there are different ways of looking at an issue does not mean that we should condone hate speech. Antisemitism, homophobia, racism and misogyny are always wrong, whatever form they take. We have made progress on these matters in the last few decades but the report on the Met police shows how far there is still to go as does the anti-Semitic abuse our young people sometimes have to endure on their journeys to and from school. Respecting others who are different, or who hold opposing views to our own, even while disagreeing with them, is a key part of a healthy democratic society and is something which it is important to foster in our children.

Wishing you a good Shabbos.

Yours sincerely

Mrs K Brice
Headteacher – Girls’