Head's Blog - Ten Tors and the Art of Endurance

On 9-10 May, while many of the school community were in school to celebrate our new Middle School offer with prospective parents or competing in sports fixtures before relaxing into a quieter Sunday, two all‑female teams from Royal High School Bath, GDST were striding across Dartmoor, navigating tors, blisters and fatigue. So, on Monday morning, when I saw them with big smiles on their faces, I knew they had achieved something remarkable; just like teams before them, and teams that will follow in their footsteps. 

Two teams, ages 15-17 carrying 15kg plus kit bags completed the 35‑mile and 45‑mile Ten Tors routes with grit, calm determination and an impressive refusal to be fazed. Ten Tors is not simply a physical challenge and, in my opinion, it is not about bravado. It’s about resilience and stoicism: keeping going when your legs hurt, when your waterproof isn’t quite waterproof anymore, and the next tor feels an age away. This kind of situation - for anyone who has faced such a challenge - calls for grit, sisterhood and leadership that is practical, calm and rooted in responsibility rather than recognition is a must. These 12 young women - Bea, Ruby, Martha, Verity, Maddie, Larissa, Phoebe, Elizabeth, Omi, Violet, Deia and Megan - are both strong and genuinely intrepid. They navigated the whole challenge by encouraging, adapting, supporting, stepping forward when it counted and stepping back when someone else needed the space to shine. 

There is something profoundly powerful about girls leading together like this. As in girls’ schools, leadership looks different — it manifests quietly but effectively — through collaboration, careful listening and mutual respect. It is this style of  leadership that values collective success over individual acclaim and at Royal High School Bath, this is the leadership we actively cultivate. Not the idea that you must be the loudest or the boldest, but that one should demonstrate resilience, self-reflection and responsibility.  

In our environment strength is not a surprise. Ambition is not something to apologise for. Students are encouraged to test themselves and to discover what they are capable of when things are hard. Completing Ten Tors was not simply about reaching the finish line in the fastest time, it was about learning to endure difficulty, to trust one’s own capability and to lead with integrity. These are lessons that matter deeply, both now and in the future. 

As part of the Girls’ Day School Trust, Royal High School Bath stands within a network that believes unapologetically in girls’ potential. Across the GDST, young women are trusted with responsibility, encouraged to take risks and supported to aim high. Ten Tors reflects this ethos in action. It shows what can be achieved when girls are given space to lead, the confidence to decide and the support to persevere. As one parent shared, ‘in a world which often discriminates against young girls it was an absolute pleasure to witness the Ten Tors journey with the many practice weekends and then support our girls (along with thousands of other girls and young teenagers of different physical and mental abilities) at the weekend in Dartmoor’. Of course, none of this is ever possible without the support of committed staff that provide such opportunities.  

I could not be prouder of our Ten Tors teams (and staff) and I want to shout this from the school’s tower - I am so impressed by their spirit and sisterhood! They represented themselves, their school and the GDST with integrity, courage and confidence. As I have watched the girls this week – back in school, tired but on time, continuing to demonstrate leadership and sisterhood – I genuinely feel reassured about our future; these young people are our changemakers and leaders of tomorrow, and we’re in great hands. Dartmoor may now be behind them, but what they demonstrated will stay with them for life. And if you ask me, that is the real achievement! 

Heidi-Jayne Boyes

Head of Royal High Bath, GDST