Francis Holland Sloane Square on faciliating creative perspectives

Alexandra Haydon, Head of Francis Holland, Sloane Square, on an exciting year-long initiative exploring creative perspectives on climate

As a Head, I consider curriculum to describe the what, the why, and the how students should learn in an intentional way. It goes far beyond the subjects that are on the timetable or the qualifications that the girls work so hard for at key points. At FHS, curriculum thinking is taken very seriously.

We are striving for a curriculum that is dynamic, innovative, responsive – a curriculum that reflects the changing world around us and that gives the girls the skills and the opportunities to think in ways that will set them apart in the future. Life beyond school is never neatly divided into maths, history or biology – it is really important to us that the girls are given the opportunity to work and link across the disciplines in a meaningful way.

So, at FHS, we are doing something different this year. We have launched the first of our Perspective projects, Creative Perspectives on Climate Change, in collaboration with a charity called Cape Farewell. The charity was founded by artist David Buckland and works in the powerful space at the intersection of the arts and climate science. In the last 20 years, he has organised voyages to places such as the Arctic and the Pacific Islands, each time taking with him leading artists, writers, scientists, informers and young people who have then produced work in response to the effects of climate change that they have witnessed.

“The purpose of the project is to get all the girls involved and thinking – really thinking deeply – and producing their own work in response”

For the whole of this academic year, FHS is going to be hosting the exhibition of this work. The pieces will be woven throughout the tapestry of school life – going up the stairs, outside in the playground, in our beautiful Sixth Form centre, the Old School House, and more. Pieces by renowned contributors, including the sculptor Anthony Gormley, the choreographer Dame Siobhan Davies, the musician Jools Holland and the writer Ian McEwan, will inspire our students and staff, every day.

Real-world problem solving requires deep understanding of the problem at hand. The challenge to understand climate change, to educate ourselves, is not just a political problem or a scientific problem – it cuts across every subject that we study at FHS – literature, arts, maths, geography, history.  Girls are engaging with the exhibition formally through their lessons, different year groups through different subjects, alongside participation in workshops from the key contributors to Cape Farewell.

The purpose of the project is to get all the girls involved and thinking – really thinking deeply – and producing their own work in response. This builds upon the foundations of a long-held emphasis on creative thinking, problem-solving and innovation at Francis Holland – the flagship programme TIPS Week (Thinking Innovatively and Problem-Solving) is now entering its eighth year.

In the first half of the Summer Term, the Creative Perspectives project will culminate in a combined exhibition, curated by the girls, of the interdisciplinary work that our pupils and visiting students from other schools have produced in response to the project. It will sit alongside the professional work from the core exhibition.

This is about creative thinking, storytelling, oracy and social influence – all key skills identified by the World Economic Forum as essential for the 2030s workforce. These are all skills that will empower our pupils to become the leaders, thinkers, innovators, designers, entrepreneurs and game-changers of tomorrow. 

Francis Holland Sloane Square fhs-sw1.org.uk

Further reading: Habs Girls on the rise of climate anxiety