The GDST Difference

Girls’ schools by design

A GDST education is unlike any other, where girls thrive when they are truly seen, heard and empowered.

Backed by a landmark study of over 5,000 girls, the GDST Difference proves what we see every day in our schools: girls who are more confident, more resilient and more ready for the future than  those attending non-GDST schools.

Read The GDST Difference
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GDST confidence

We build belief early, and it lasts for life.  GDST girls:

  • Are significantly more confident than their peers by age 9
  • At sixth-form, are more likely to feel prepared for the future than their non-GDST counterparts in mixed-sex schools
  • Feel less restricted by gender stereotypes and happier to take on leadership positions.

 

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GDST ambition

We ensure girls learn without limits, where no subject, no role and no future is out of reach. Our research shows that in classrooms without boys, GDST girls:

  • Pursue a wider range of subjects, including STEM options
  • Take on leadership roles
  • Participate more actively in lessons and challenge others’ views
  • Work in active collaboration with peers.

 

“I have never personally thought that I couldn’t pursue a certain subject because of my gender, not once.” – GDST Student
“Being a school ambassador has prepared me for the outside world. I can empathise with other people while being able to act in a leadership role for them. All that has made me a confident person.” – GDST Sixth Former
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GDST resilience

We prepare girls for the future, helping them build a reservoir of resilience and self-belief. GDST girls:

  • At age 9 are as confident as boys when it comes to taking risks
  • Compared to their non-GDST peers, report greater belief that they can achieve their goals in school and life
  • Are not held back by gender stereotypes or the pressures of conformity that are felt in mixed-sex classrooms.

 

“It is significant that girls in our national survey were much less convinced than boys that their schools provide equal opportunities. Gender equality cannot be assumed as a given in mixed-sex schools.” – Dr Kevin Stannard, Director of Innovation and Learning at GDST
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GDST opportunities

A GDST girl receives opportunities like no other:

  • Drama at Shakespeare’s Globe, bespoke to GDST girls
  • Science at The Royal Institution
  • Mathematics at The University of Oxford
  • Music with our annual GDST Sing events
  • GDST LEAD, a partnership with the London School of Economics, equipping our students to become future leaders and entrepreneurs
  • The Space Technology Diploma, our pioneering partnership with NASA.

Further research and publications The Girls' Futures Report
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