Welham Girls' School

As someone who began her professional journey with this school as a teacher in 1997, I feel as if I have come a full circle in these 26 years! I have seen Welham grow and I have grown to know and love this exceptional school where diversity in ability, talent and thought is celebrated, this unique place where children are nurtured to discover, grow, and build on their individual strengths. Children learn the best when they are valued by their educators. We, as educators, understand that it is only in a supportive climate that students are engaged and take intellectual risks. They act in accordance with well-established rules and norms for behaviour that their teachers and school leaders model and support. My raison d'être as a school head is therefore to nurture a community that is characterized by positive relationships between teachers and students, a place where genuine respect is natural, and where all students feel they belong.

Besides offering experiences that foster the 21st century skills of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication, the school’s true legacy lies in the social and emotional skills that it imparts to its students, enabling them to become responsible agents of change and socially aware citizens with sound ethics and integrity. It is this legacy of character building and leadership which makes the school stand out as a beacon amongst the many leading schools of the nation.

The global pandemic of 2020-2022 has reinforced what we, at Welham, have known all along. It is futile to prepare students for a future that we as adults are ill- equipped to even envisage. Instead, the focus here is on developing in students, skill sets that empower them to thrive in novel and unfamiliar circumstances. The thought that ‘one learning fits all’ is outdated and is the root cause of student disengagement and poor learning outcomes. It has no place in the agenda for future education at Welham. As an educator, I firmly believe that students need to become co-creators or partners in their own learning. In this direction, the school has made a conscious shift towards self and student-directed activities that allows room for a more differentiated and evidence-based learning.

Customized learning pathways rooted in a common foundation is a key action area for us in school. As we ride the wave of the digital era, we also consider it our duty to equip our children with skills to cope in an inter-connected world heavily dependent on media and technology and to teach them to handle problems that arise from it.

At the same time, tradition too remains very much a part of the fabric of Welham Girls’ School. Because of our strong tradition of academic excellence, with equally outstanding and diverse co-curricular and extra-curricular achievements, Welham competes with the most selective boarding schools in the country and is regularly ranked as the top girls’ boarding institution. My role, and that of everyone on this campus, is quite simple: to inspire and to be inspired by the community, students and staff working toward a higher ideal.

The metamorphosis of an impressionable 11-year-old into a confident, compassionate, responsible, young individual, as she passes out of the portals of Welham is our biggest reward! Upholding the school’s motto of ‘Aartt Shanti Phala Vidya’, I shall endeavour to continue to provide our students an environment that cultivates global citizenship, social commitment, and an open and critical mind-set - an environment that exudes trust and mutual respect, nurtures the spirit of inquiry, and commits to authenticity, perfection, and lifelong learning.

Thank You!