What do the schools we’ve worked with say?
Watford Grammar School for Boys & Girls
“Watford Grammar has been working with Bold Voices since 2021, on the recommendation of another local school. The sessions on sexual consent which they delivered to our Year 11 in their first year working with us were powerful and insightful. We received excellent feedback from our students and staff, meaning that Bold Voices were a must to integrate within our school character curriculum for the following year and in each year since.
In each of the last three years, Bold Voices have provided sessions combining our Year 13 students here at Watford Boys with students in our sister school, Watford Girls, a short walk along the road. Bold Voices have worked collaboratively with both schools to create a bespoke and relevant programme of talks and workshops enabling our large numbers of older students and those at the girls’ school to feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and views on these particularly sensitive topics whilst in a co-ed environment. In this way students are better prepared for University life and for their futures ahead.
Bold Voices have a well-trained and friendly group of expert staff who show kindness and support in facilitating conversations amongst our students at both schools – these conversations might otherwise be difficult to get going. In the workshops their staff are always listening to and reacting to feedback from students and school staff. Student and staff feedback after the sessions has been excellent every year as Bold Voices continue to adapt their material to changing environments. We have just completed our Bold Voices workshops for the current Year 13 – the engagement, energy and enthusiasm that our students brought to their sessions was amazing and a true testament to the quality of the Bold Voices model!
We are already planning to book them for next academic year for our Year 13 in both school, and last year they launched another excellent programme in both schools with our younger students in Year 8, using our Year 12 students as ambassadors for the Year 8 training.
We would recommend Bold Voices without hesitation to other schools – particularly for the unique opportunity to enable single sex schools to combine with a school of the opposite sex and create a safe environment for students to practise talking to each other on these sensitive matters.”
assistant head pastoral, november 2024
“It’s not like PACE lessons or even just social media in general where you hear how much women are disadvantaged in different fields and how much more vulnerable they are to sexual harassment or SA, it allows both men and women to be aware of the vulnerability it takes to even converse about gender inequality and reassures particularly the men that it’s okay not to play into the harmful sides of the ‘lad’ stereotype in order to fit in with others. It also truly shows how much everything links; not every fact or statistic was extremely shocking but seeing how even the most seemingly irrelevant things linked together was eye opening. My favourite part was the pyramid because it really allowed us to explore the links and made me realise that if you think through it just slightly more, you may find that one inequality indicator could link to just about everything in the pyramid”
SIXTH FORMER, NOVEMBER 2024
Crofton Academy
“As part of our evolving personal development programme which responds to need within school we had identified, like many other schools, a need to work with the students on understanding the issues they see/hear/face regarding gender, gender inequality and how to respond effectively to this. Our aim as a school in addition to their academic qualifications, is to prepare our students for life as best we can. We wanted to do this in a way that was different from a teacher led lesson and this led us to the Bold Voices team. The sessions that were delivered were virtual for our school and we engaged our Year 8, 9 and 10 students with the three different workshops with the aim of continuing this each year so that as students progress through school, we build on and develop their understanding of the topics in an age appropriate way. Students enjoyed the sessions which were well led, with enthusiastic presenters who got our students to challenge their own thinking and consider the many misconceptions. If I was to change anything, it would be to try and include more for our students to do on the virtual sessions so they aren't sat too long listening - short tasks and discussions really help to keep focus throughout. As a school we would definitely recommend Bold Voices and have booked again for the next academic year for the 3 workshops. They are an effective way of starting a conversation about sometimes difficult topics.”
Subject Leader: Personal Development, June 2024
Saint Gabriel’s College
“The sessions were truly outstanding, offering an engaging and thought-provoking experience for all involved. Students were fully immersed, listening attentively and reflecting deeply on the topics discussed. The atmosphere was electric, with a real buzz that highlighted the sessions' impact. It was particularly gratifying to see our Year 10 students stepping up to support the younger students, demonstrating leadership and reinforcing the collaborative spirit of our school community.
I would absolutely recommend these sessions to other schools. The benefits were clear, not only in the immediate enthusiasm and engagement of the students but also in the longer-term reflections and discussions that followed. These sessions provided a valuable platform for learning and growth, fostering a supportive and inspiring environment for everyone involved.”
Subject Leader for RE & PSHCE, July 2024
The Latymer School
“I would recommend Bold Voices to any school who is looking for engaging, relevant talks with passionate facilitators who really care about what they are doing! The whole process from booking the talks to the delivery is smooth and professional, with the facilitators always prompt and prepared for the day. I have seen a range of talks delivered by Bold Voices and I have been highly impressed with how much the students can connect with the themes and content and how much these reflect our society and current issues. Students at our school only have positive things to say about the sessions they have been engaged with - particularly the enthusiasm and realness of the facilitators leading the talks! We already can't wait to work with Bold Voices again!”