Grammar school axes ‘head boy and head girl’ titles

A GRAMMAR school has abolished the positions of head boy and girl in favour of gender-neutral labels to ensure it appoints the ‘best people for the job’.

Rather than pupils potentially being picked partly because of their gender, the two roles at The Grammar School in Guernsey are handed out based purely on merit.

The change has led to the two positions being held by boys this year – but teachers said they were not concerned by the imbalance as the pair were simply the best candidates.

The school is the latest to discard traditional gender labels over concerns they are harmful to youngsters.

Some schools have brought in gender-neutral uniforms, and others mixed-sex toilets, to help transgender pupils.

Liz Coffey, head at The Grammar School, said the head boy and girl roles had been

replaced by a chair and vicechairperson, who lead a committee of five others called the Student Voice Leadership Team.

This year two boys took chair and vice-chairperson, with three girls sitting on the council.

Mrs Coffey said she would ensure there was equal representation on the committee – and hoped to use the new system to destroy stereotypes such as men being better suited to leadership positions.

She added: ‘It would maybe make us look at why there weren’t a proportionate number of candidates coming forward.

‘Just like I am not a headmistress, I am a head teacher. It is important because of job credibility. People will still draw a nurse as a woman when asked … this is another way to try and ensure stereotypes disappear.’

It comes amid a Government drive to encourage more women into traditionally male professions and vice versa.

‘Help destroy stereotypes’