International Women’s Day celebrations

Mulberry Schools Trust celebrated International Women’s Day through a series of inspiring events focused on female role models, confidence and leadership.

At Mulberry Canon Barnett Primary, a small group of Global Girl Leaders delivered an assembly presentation that allowed students to explore the women who inspire them and what it means to be a role model for others. In a reflective workshop, Year 5 students wrote a “letter to my future self”, sharing their ambitions, values and the kind of leaders they hope to become.

As part of our monthly Global Girl Leading Seminar series, we were delighted to welcome former Mulberry School for Girls student Rothna Akhtar, now a successful businesswoman and current contestant on BBC’s The Apprentice, to our Global Girl Leading International Women’s Day event. Rothna spoke about the importance of strong values in business, reflected on lessons from her time at Mulberry, and highlighted the importance of representation – encouraging Muslim girls to pursue leadership and celebrating the visibility of Muslim women in business and on television. 

Students also took part in a powerful workshop, led by Josh and Yasmin from Amnesty International UK, exploring what women need to stop apologising for. Through discussion and role play, students practised “flipping the script” – recognising that the qualities women are often taught to apologise for can in fact be their greatest strengths and superpowers.

Mulberry Schools Trust was proud to see its Global Girl Leaders invited by Her Majesty Queen Camilla to attend a special Women of the World (WOW) Foundation reception at St James’s Palace to mark International Women’s Day.

The reception celebrated WOW’s year-round work to accelerate progress towards eradicating gender-based violence. Mulberry is proud to be a founding partner of WOW, and it was a powerful moment for our students to see this work recognised at such a significant gathering. Our students were outstanding ambassadors for their schools and communities, and they were truly inspired by the opportunity to meet Her Majesty and so many influential women who are leading change around the world.

Thank you to Her Majesty, Jude Kelly CBE, and the WOW team for the invitation and for continuing to champion girls’ leadership and gender equality.