How Kindness as the Children’s Word of the Year Nurtures Human Interaction

At a time when the digital world is increasingly shaping the way young people interact, Streatham & Clapham High School (SCHS) is championing the newly announced UK Children’s Word of the Year, Kindness, as a powerful reminder of the enduring importance of compassion, empathy, and human connection. According to research conducted by Oxford University Press and highlighted by BBC Newsround, kindness emerged as the word that resonated most deeply with young people in the UK in 2024.

SCHS has long championed a culture of kindness, integrating this value into everything from its Girls First vision to its co-curricular and partnership ethos. The school actively promotes initiatives that encourage students to step away from their screens, build real-world connections, and engage meaningfully with their local and global communities.

As AI, smartphones, and other technologies continue to revolutionise our daily lives, SCHS recognises the urgent need to counterbalance these advancements with a focus on emotional intelligence and ethical responsibility. With increased screen time and reduced in-person interactions becoming the norm for many young people, schools like SCHS are leading the charge to instil the value of human connection.

“In an increasingly automated and digitised world, we encourage our students at SCHS to connect with one another at a deeply human level. Bots and AI can achieve all sorts of useful tasks and even converse courteously with us online, but it is the human intent of kindness and connection that makes a smiley welcome, a helping hand, or a handwritten note so powerful. 

The power of kindness is in its reciprocity. When we are kind, others are more likely to treat us with kindness. When people are kind to us, we feel more kindly towards others. Our culture of kindness means that our pupils are the kinetic energy of kindness: they initiate acts of kindness that ripple through our community and create a powerful sense of connectedness and belonging. In a era when technology often isolates rather than connects, kindness is more than a word; it’s a choice we make every day.”

As kindness takes centre stage in the national conversation, SCHS calls on parents, educators, and policymakers to join the movement to empower the next generation with not only the skills to succeed but also the compassion to care.

About Streatham & Clapham High School GDST:
Streatham & Clapham High School is an all-through independent school for girls aged 3-18, committed to fostering confidence, compassion, and creativity in every pupil. With a strong focus on academic achievement and personal development, SCHS prepares its students to thrive in an increasingly complex and connected world. For more information, visit https://schs.gdst.net/.