Alumnae News

Some of our students have suggested that they link up with members of our alumnae community who find themselves alone during this period. They would love to write to you via email and share their experiences of South Hampstead. 

Last term, we were thrilled to welcome back alumna and BBC journalist Katya Adler as our latest guest, who shared fascinating insights into her life and career, live from Brussels. Read a summary here and view her talk below. 

In December, South Hampstead said goodbye to one of its longest standing teachers: Amanda Johnson has taught Philosophy & Religion for almost 30 years.

We would like to match all students interviewing for university places with a suitable alumna. Thank you to all our alumnae who helped with mock interviews for those applying for medicine, veterinary school and economics at Oxbridge. If you would like to help next year, please let us know.  

Our steering group includes staff, pupils and alumnae. They have discussed the evolution of our History curriculum; plans for a more inclusive bursary programme; and training and research initiatives. 

We were delighted to welcome former bursary pupil and renowned musician Mathilde Milwidsky to play in the first of a series of concerts, as we launched our bursary campaign. 

Thank you to alumna Jean Crossley (class of 1945) who told us her memories of South Hampstead during the war: from sharing classrooms with the London Fire Service and a 'buzz bomb' landing on John Barnes, to having tea with BBC radio presenter Nicholas Parsons. 

Thank you Jilli Crosby (class of 2012) and Ziba Sarikhani (class of 2007) for sharing their career stories in our Motivational Monday series on our website and LinkedIn alumnae page. If you would like to feature, please let us know. 

Congratulations to our alumnae who continue to achieve career success across all sectors, including alumna Lydia Goldblatt, whose image 'Eden' came second in this year’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Awards 2020. 

Thanks to the passion of our pupils and the generosity of our community, we are making great strides as we seek to reduce our environmental impact. 

Thank you to our alumnae who spoke to students this term: PhD student Ana Hallgarten (class of 2012) led a GDST Limitless Learning session on medical law and ethics; Karen Pollock, CBE (class of 1993) and CEO of the Holocaust Educational Trust spoke to the Jewish Society; Laura Marks, OBE (class of 1978) and founder of Mitzvah Day spoke to pupils about social action. 

In October, we mailed 3000 alumnae our annual magazine, packed with stories: our lockdown pen pal scheme, profiles of alumnae eco warriors and former bursary pupils reflecting on their experiences.

The Minerva Circle recognises those who choose to remember South Hampstead and the GDST in their will. Our most recent member, Elaine Willis (class of 1970), talks about her reasons for joining and how she hopes to influence future generations. 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our initiatives via the Philanthropy Review. Your support has already helped us increase the number of means-tested bursary places and extend our eco, speaker and partnership initiatives. Watch Mrs Bingham speak about our plans here. 

We are delighted so many alumnae have joined the SHHS LinkedIn Page and the GDST Life alumnae network. Both networks are a great way to connect with your old school and the wider GDST community, access to online resources, careers discussions and networking groups. Find out more here.

Child psychologist and South Hampstead alumna Professor Abi Gewirtz joins the GDST Talks series for parents on Thursday 14th January, talking about her new book, When the World Feels Like A Scary Place. 

The reunion lunch on Sunday 9th May is open to all alumnae and former staff. This year, we are organising specific reunions for the classes of 1961, 1971,1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011. If you would like to be a year group rep to encourage your friends to join, let us know.