Madonna King L Platers

Thank you to our P&F Association for hosting Madonna King last week who shared insights with parents from her new book ‘L Platers’. She provided valuable advice on how to support our 16 – 18 year old girls on the road to adulthood.

Paulina Skerman and a number of our students were interviewed by Madonna for the book. When asked what advice she would give to her 16 year old self, Paulina is quoted as saying, ‘Don’t underestimate what you can achieve. I never imagined the life I’m living for myself. I came from a very different place. Take every opportunity and don’t underestimate your capacity, and everything will be okay. Trust yourself and just do it.”

The world is a very different place from two years ago. And the impact on our 16, 17 and 18 year old girls is huge.

At one of the most critical times in their development – an age when they’re ready to spread their wings and look to the future – they have had to deal with enormous disruption and dislocation, and come to terms with living life from their bedrooms. The long stints of remote learning and the anxiety of at-home exams has compounded with the ever-present pressure of the ATAR and worries around friendships and relationships, who they want to be, gender identity, alcohol, vaping, and sex, body image and mental health. Self-harm and eating disorders have risen dramatically. For school-leavers, the uncertainty around university study and the jobs market only adds to the heavy toll.