Top London school bans pupils from using ‘sir’ or ‘miss’ over ‘cultural misogyny’

A top London state school has introduced a ban on pupils using the titles “sir” or “miss” to address headteachers, arguing the terms are “deeply unequal”.

James Handscombe, executive principal at Harris Westminster Sixth Form and Harris Clapham Sixth Form, said the school would require students to call teachers by their names to avoid “cultural misogyny”.

In an assembly given to students shared on his Twitter account, Mr Handscombe said the decision showed the school’s “continued commitment to a better and more equal world”.

He said the term “sir” was associated with powerful men while “miss” was “how you refer to a small girl, or an Edwardian shop assistant”.

Both feed into “a view of the world that diminishes women”, he added.

“Men get to be fearless leaders and alpha types, get credited for hustling whilst behind the backs of women it’s asked whether they deserve it, whether their career comes from good ideas or good looks, power moves or diversity lists.”

Teacher can be used by pupils as long as staff agree under the new rules.

Mr Handscombe said of the decision: “It’s one of those things that is obviously wrong but nobody’s fault (particularly not students, who I think use the two terms as equal forms of respect) and difficult to shift. We’ll see how we get on.”

In 2021, Mr Handscombe urged his pupils to be “socially scrupulous” and call out their friends over sexual harassment in the light of the “Everyone’s Invited” campaign exposing rape culture in elite schools.

Addressing a school assembly at the time, he said: “We need to stand up to our friends. We need to call them out. We need to say that there are some behaviours that are incompatible with our friendship.”

He has previously admitted to using the lyrics of Taylor Swift in his assemblies, including an assembly about ambition, and praised the popstar as a great philosopher.

He also said he draws inspiration for assemblies from Shakespeare, Yeats, Donne and Samuel Beckett.

Harris Westminster opened in 2014 with the help of neighbouring Westminster School, which is independent.

It takes high numbers of bright pupils from poor backgrounds and, last year, 49 pupils received offers from Oxbridge.