Leadership Likes: Mrs Cook Remembers Dorinda Neligan

9 June is Dorinda Day – Celebrating Croydon High’s remarkable founder Dorinda Neligan 

Our first Headmistress, Dorinda Neligan was born on 9 June 1833.

So, she would have been 189 this year which even for a woman as remarkable as she undoubtedly was, would have been quite an achievement!

But Miss Dorinda Neligan was someone who reinvented the norms and challenged expectations and the anniversary of her birth is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our inspirational founder and her legacy.

I have often wondered what Dorinda would have thought about ‘her’ school, if she were somehow able to visit us today. I honestly think she would be extremely proud.

The school she founded  began in a very small way and only 88 pupils were on the roll when Croydon High School opened in September 1874. The numbers increased rapidly (an excellent Admissions and Marketing department clearly) and some six years later 230 pupils moved to purpose-built premises in Wellesley Road, Croydon.

Miss Dorinda Neligan was a formidable character. She had served with the Red Cross in France during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 where legend has it, she was left in sole charge of the wounded at Metz. I am sure she would have enjoyed sharing some of her stories with Mrs Bloxsome, whose room also feels like a field hospital sometimes! She remained Head of Croydon High for twenty seven years and after retirement, so incensed at the long delay in giving women the vote, she became a militant suffragette. On one occasion, she protested by refusing to pay her rates and on another she assaulted a policeman but escaped prison presumably because of her age! We know that this sense of justice and equality of opportunity has been passed down through the generations of Croydon High girls – although of course we always stress the importance of operating within the law!

How proud Miss Neligan would have been to witness the campaigning spirit of our Amnesty Groups throughout the years, and their passionate response to issues of equality and human rights. Croydon High was the first school in the local area to educate girls and despite the scandal it caused amongst the gentlefolk of Croydon, Miss Neligan simply would not accept that young women did not deserve the same educational opportunities as their brothers. She not only educated them but she ensured Croydon High was at the forefront of creating opportunities for girls.

In 1885, hitherto almost unheard of for girls, chemistry was introduced to the curriculum. Of course, at the beginning, no practical work was allowed – it was considered far too dangerous! But  in 1902, about a year after Miss Leahy succeeded Miss Neligan as Headmistress, a science demonstration room, forerunner of the laboratories, was built – no doubt instigated by Miss Neligan. One can only imagine her delight at the numbers of Croydon High pupils excelling in the sciences both here and at university and at the opportunities presented by Enterprise Technology and available in our Mac Suite and podcasting room. I would love the opportunity to introduce Miss Neligan to the remarkable pioneering pupils in our Junior School, who are so passionate and so committed to so many important issues, even at such a young age and who see no barriers in what they seek to achieve.

In Dorinda’s school, gender was certainly not allowed to be a barrier even when it came to sport. Although the pupils did not wear a uniform, by 1896 moderately short skirts were allowed for those girls who attended Swedish drill classes. (Even in 1918 the gym mistress was requested to wear a long raincoat over her tunic when moving around the school – I somehow doubt Ms Head and her team would comply with that regulation! )

Everything we know about Miss Neligan tells us that her principles were unwavering and that she was ready, always, to stand up for what is right. I have no doubt that if she were able to be with us today, she would be leading the charge when it comes to promoting and celebrating diversity and inclusion. She would certainly be an active supporter of the GDST’s ‘Undivided’ programme which we follow here at Croydon High and which is striving to address diversity, inclusion and real change, more widely within the education sector. To find out more, please visit the GDST’s website here.

The principles underpinning the GDST’s Undivided Charter for Action is something that all individual schools and indeed, we as individuals within the schools, acknowledge and seek to incorporate into our own lives and interactions.  We are proud to be part of such a forward thinking and reflective organisation.

On Thursday 9 June,  Mrs Pattison led a special assembly where she talked to the Senior School about how we are marking Dorinda Day this year. She reminded them of Miss Neligan’s legacy and the school’s commitment  “… to ensure our school is a place where the individual is celebrated and championed, within a community that offers a safe place to rehearse the challenges of the real world.”  In the Junior School, pupils also discussed the idea of ‘difference’ and what that means to them. To mark Dorinda Day 2022, we will be reflecting upon the journey we have made as a school community and encouraging each other to continue on this path. Each member of the school is being asked to make their own Ivy Pledge; something that will make a difference to their understanding of what it means to be ‘undivided at Croydon High’ to help us on our journey to ensure every pupil has a deep sense of belonging to their school community. Pupils will be encouraged and guided toward appropriate resources to read, listen, watch and discuss. From this, they will identify their own Ivy Pledge which will be displayed as part of our whole school commitment to Dorinda Neligan’s remarkable legacy.

For me personally, I will be considering my own Ivy Pledge of course, but I will also be looking to apply the following mantra to my daily life…WWDD. What would Dorinda do?

I think that will keep me on the right path. To find out more about Croydon High’s own interpretation of Undivided and the journey we are on together, you may like to take a look at our website here.

Happy Dorinda Day.

Mrs Cook

Director of Philanthropy and External Relations