Telling girls there is no glass ceiling 'is a lie' says top head teacher

The head teacher of leading independent girls school Francis Holland Regent’s Park has insisted that girls must choose between being a mother and having a career.  

Vivienne Durham, during an interview with Absolutely Education magazine, claimed that girls must be prepared for real life and the real choices that they have to make. She explained: “I’m sorry, I’m not a feminist. I believe there is a glass ceiling – if we tell them there isn’t one, we are telling them a lie.”

In another interview with The Telegraph, Durham went on to say that girls should not be criticised for the path they take, but they should be allowed to make an informed decision. “Young girls have massive options these days and some of them will make a decision that they don’t want to combine everything and that is as valid as making the decision that you do want to combine everything,” she said.

Durham, who was voted Tatler's Best Head Teacher of a Public School last year, advocated empathy and understanding for young women who may choose not to “have it all."