Her Majesty The Queen

Following the very sad news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the St Helen’s community would like, first and foremost, to offer our sincerest condolences to the Royal Family.

As well as the loss of a mother, grandmother and a truly remarkable woman, we recognise also that Her Majesty’s death leaves a profound hole in our national life and represents a moment of great historical and social import for us all. At St Helen’s we join those in the UK and across the world who will want to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s extraordinary life over the coming days, weeks and months.

  • Today we have been holding special assemblies in Prep and Senior School to remember Her Majesty’s life and example, and to share with the girls how our school community will mark this national period of mourning and remembrance.
  • Next week we will gather as a whole staff body to pay our respects and observe a minute’s silence.
  • We will hold a minute’s silence before all sports fixtures from today until the day of Her Majesty’s funeral, so that our pupils and their opponents can join together in a shared moment of respect and reflection.
  • Discussions between staff and pupils over the coming days and weeks will include a focus on issues of change, mourning and grief. We will also remember the achievements and enduring legacy of a truly remarkable monarch, and consider what we can learn from her outstanding example of service and leadership.
  • Our counselling team and pastoral staff will be particularly attentive to those most affected by this very sad news, and to any pupils or staff members for whom it is a reminder of a closer bereavement. Should any of the girls wish to discuss their feelings, they should speak to their tutor or class teacher in the first instance who will be able to direct them to the most appropriate adult. We will also be reminding the girls of where they can go in School should they wish to take some quiet time to reflect and remember The Queen. In the Senior School, this will be the Chapel, and in the Prep School this will be the Wellbeing room in Woolfson.
  • We will be in touch in due course regarding arrangements for the day of Her Majesty’s funeral once further details have been released from the Royal Household.
  • As a School we have sent a message of condolence to the Royal Family via the official book of condolences.

This is a sombre and significant moment in each of our lives and the history of our country. After the 9/11 attacks in the United States, the Queen reminded the world that “Grief is the price we pay for love”, and those words ring as true today.