50 Years of Girls at the College

This year we celebrate 50 years since girls first joined Framlingham College. A milestone that transformed the life of the School.

Since 1976, generations of girls have shaped Framlingham’s academic, cultural and sporting life, enriching the community and redefining what it means to be a Framlinghamian. As we mark this anniversary, we celebrate the progress and achievements made over five decades, and the enduring impact of girls and women on the life and leadership of the College.

The campaign is starting at the very top, as Louise North, Principal of Framlingham College, and Kim Alexandra Dickel, President of the Society of Old Framlinghamians, give us their own personal insights into life over the years at the College.

For the first time in our history the College and the Society have two women serving concurrently, a fitting tribute to all our female OF’s of the last 50 years as well as to those who have worked at the College.  Read their Q/As below :

Louise North, Principal, Framlingham College Q&A

1) When you think about ’50 years of girls at Framlingham’, what feels like the biggest shift, and what still needs to change?

Framlingham College was the first HMC co-educational school to have a female Head. That trail was blazed by Mrs Gwen Randall in 1993. Her reputation is a formidable one and I am not surprised. She had to be formidable. Back then, HMC was a man’s world, and I believe that the work that Gwen did, to lead by example as a strong, intelligent, female educationalist and leader, was hugely influential. Girls who attended the College under her watch would have felt empowered to follow their own path regardless of what society at large may have considered the right thing for a woman to do. Today, at Framlingham, I see girls and boys living and learning together in an environment of friendship and mutual respect, where discrimination is not tolerated, inclusion is second nature and where they use kindness to build each other up.  

So, looking ahead, what is there still to do? I think schools have an urgent duty to ensure that our next generation of leaders (male and female) are, first and foremost, good human beings, equipped with integrity, resilience and the courage to embrace the uncertainty and challenge of their future adult world. 

2) What does it mean to you to be leading this organisation alongside a female Society President for the first time?

I was extremely humbled to have been appointed to this position 7 years’ ago. Having visited Framlingham as an ISI Inspector in 2015, it was then a great privilege to return as Principal of a school I already knew to be full of potential. My appointment, and that of Kim Dickel as President of the Society, are both appointments made after a rigorous selection process, based on merit and not gender. Therefore, whilst on one level our leadership could be considered as an acknowledgement of the skills and talents inherent in women to lead complex organisations, I see it moreover as a fantastic coming together of two leaders with a shared passion, loyalty and understanding of this amazing school, who just happen to be female. 

3) What do you hope todays girls at Framlingham will say about their experience when they’re alumni in 10 or 20 years time?

I hope that all our pupils, girls and boys, remember what we have taught them: to be ambitious, aspirational and courageous. To believe that they can achieve everything they set their sights on, through hard work, determination and persistence. To think for themselves, to be curious and to challenge the status quo, to be upstanding, kind and tolerant.  I want every girl who leaves this school – and every boy – to say that they were treated fairly and equitably, that they were not judged by their gender but celebrated for who they are, what they do and moreover how they do it.

4) What has been your fondest memory at Framlingham so far?

Every year I make so many new memories that it is hard to give you one. All of them however have a common theme, and that is they are centred around the children in this school. I see so many young people grow in confidence, finding out what makes them tick, discovering new talents and achieving their best in a whole variety of fields. For example, I will never forget our current Head of School, Olly, coming to see me in Year 9 to explain why the College needed bees. I shall never forget the rain-soaked smiles of our DofE expeditioners, the joy of our Phab Club pupils interacting with our Mills Meadow residents, and the brilliance of Year 13 Tommy’s EPQ which saw him build a robotic arm that played the Brandenburg concerto on the piano. Astounding! 

5) If you appeared on Desert Island Discs in addition to the complete works of Shakespeare and the Bible, what would your one song, one book and one luxury you would take with you to your imaginary Island and why?

Song: I would choose Bob Dylan’s performance of Forever Young at The Band’s goodbye concert, The Last Waltz. 

Why?  because it is an exquisite prayer which sums up what I wish for every pupil in this school.

Book: I would take Roget’s Thesaurus  

Why?  so that I could keep on learning and indulging my love of language.

Luxury: I would take a monthly jigsaw subscription for Gibsons 1000-piece jigsaws 

Why? because doing a jigsaw is a wonderfully mindful activity with which I am somewhat obsessed. 

Kim Alexandra Dickel, President, Society of Old Framlinghamians Q&A

1) When you think about ’50 years of girls at Framlingham’, what feels like the biggest shift, and what still needs to change?

From inclusion to influence – that’s the biggest shift. Fifty years ago, girls were often denied opportunity while being told equality had already been achieved. In a way that is still the case. Our work continues until the equality our girls experience at school is matched everywhere else.

2) What does it mean to you to be leading this organisation alongside a female Principal for the first time?

To be leading in a space that wasn’t designed with women in mind makes me feel grateful, proud, and very conscious of those who paved the way. It’s a privilege and a responsibility to ensure progress continues by keeping doors open for others. Working alongside Louise makes it all the more special.

3) What do you hope todays girls at Framlingham will say about their experience when they’re alumni in 10 or 20 years time?

I hope they leave with lifelong friends, a sisterhood that lifts each other up, fearless confidence, and just enough girl power to occasionally dismantle a few outdated systems along the way.

4) What has been your fondest memory at Framlingham so far?

Seeing confidence click into place. That never gets old. And of course, walking the grounds and feeling the weight and warmth of our century old history.

5) If you appeared on Desert Island Discs in addition to the complete works of Shakespeare and the Bible, what would your one song, one book and one luxury you would take with you to your imaginary Island and why?

Apologies but, the Bible & Shakespeare must step aside for a well-worn poetry collection from Goethe and Schiller. I am German after all, and a deserted island feels like the right place for some properly dramatic thinking. 

Song: “Don’t Stop Me Now”, because if you’re stranded, morale matters, and nothing says optimism like Mercury at full volume.

Book: “The Lord of the Rings”, it has everything: love, courage, friendship, adventure, darkness, resilience, hope, and enough pages to last a very long exile.

Luxury: A comfortable bed because survival is easier when you are well-rested.