King Edward VI Handsworth
Encyclopedia
King Edward VI Handsworth School is a voluntary aided
grammar school
for girls aged 11–18 and is located in Handsworth
, Birmingham
, England
. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI
. The school was founded in 1883 as King Edwards Aston. In 2001 there were 932 girls on roll, including 248 in the Sixth Form.
The current Headmistress is Elspeth V. Insch OBE
, BSc, MPhil, DipEd, Cert Ed, FRGS, FRSA, who was made OBE for her work in education during the 1990s, and an honorary degree by Aston University
in 2006.
(Girls section), Summer Hill, and Bath Row in the King Edward VI Foundation. On the 14 September 1911 the three were merged and the Head Mistress of Aston - Miss Nimmo - became the new Head. When the school first opened, and for many years afterwards, girls were not permitted to eat in the street and had to wear gloves on the journey to and from school. In the beginning, the sixth form was very small with as little as 6 pupils in a year. Many girls transferred to King Edward VI High School for Girls
for their sixth form studies.
The new school at Handsworth cost £50,000 to build. The architect, P. B. Chatwin
designed a very modern building with a number of specialist areas which included the library and the "playroom" (a whole school common-room). As it was built on a slope, there are two ground floors, and originally the gymnasium was located in the room on the lower ground floor later used as a Music room. Since the renovation of the church (bought by the school) into a music centre, this room is now used as an ICT suite.
To celebrate the centenary of the school in 1983 a new block was built to house a meeting room and the changing rooms for the sports field. In 1997 a new Sixth Form block was built with the help of the King Edward VI Foundation fund. In 2005, the new sports hall was built, using sponsorship money from companies such as O2, and a church organ was bought by the school to be renovated and used for music studies. The school also gained specialist performing arts status.
Latin was also removed from the curriculum in 2004 and replaced with drama, which had previously been on the curriculum in the late 20th century.
, Stuart
, Tudor, Hanover
, Plantagenet, Lancaster
, York
, Normandy). In the 1970s the houses were rearranged again and given names of precious stones (Amethyst
, Coral
, Garnet
and Topaz
) because of the school's proximity to the Jewellery Quarter
. At the end of the 1990s they were renamed once more after famous women (Bronte
, Pankhurst
, Franklin
and Nightingale
), then when an extra form group was introduced in 2003, then un-introduced in 2005, a new house was created; (Curie). In September 2009 the houses were renamed, once again after famous women. (Parks
, Keller
, Astor and Cavell
)
A society for former pupils was formed called Handsworth Old Edwardians [HOES], going back to the turn of the 20th century.
Voluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...
grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for girls aged 11–18 and is located in Handsworth
Handsworth, West Midlands
Handsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI
Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI
The Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham is a charitable institution that operates two independent schools, five voluntary aided selective state schools in Birmingham, England and one academy....
. The school was founded in 1883 as King Edwards Aston. In 2001 there were 932 girls on roll, including 248 in the Sixth Form.
The current Headmistress is Elspeth V. Insch OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, BSc, MPhil, DipEd, Cert Ed, FRGS, FRSA, who was made OBE for her work in education during the 1990s, and an honorary degree by Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
in 2006.
History
The school was originally three separate schools: AstonKing Edward VI Aston
King Edward VI Aston School is a selective, all-boys' grammar school and specialist Sports College. The school, designed by Birmingham architect J.A. Chatwin, opened in 1883 and is still located on its original site, in the Aston area of Birmingham, England....
(Girls section), Summer Hill, and Bath Row in the King Edward VI Foundation. On the 14 September 1911 the three were merged and the Head Mistress of Aston - Miss Nimmo - became the new Head. When the school first opened, and for many years afterwards, girls were not permitted to eat in the street and had to wear gloves on the journey to and from school. In the beginning, the sixth form was very small with as little as 6 pupils in a year. Many girls transferred to King Edward VI High School for Girls
King Edward VI High School for Girls
King Edward VI High School for Girls is an independent secondary school in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham and occupies the same site as, and is twinned with, King Edward's School...
for their sixth form studies.
The new school at Handsworth cost £50,000 to build. The architect, P. B. Chatwin
P. B. Chatwin
P. B. Chatwin was an architect in Birmingham, England.From 1866 he worked with his father, architect J. A...
designed a very modern building with a number of specialist areas which included the library and the "playroom" (a whole school common-room). As it was built on a slope, there are two ground floors, and originally the gymnasium was located in the room on the lower ground floor later used as a Music room. Since the renovation of the church (bought by the school) into a music centre, this room is now used as an ICT suite.
To celebrate the centenary of the school in 1983 a new block was built to house a meeting room and the changing rooms for the sports field. In 1997 a new Sixth Form block was built with the help of the King Edward VI Foundation fund. In 2005, the new sports hall was built, using sponsorship money from companies such as O2, and a church organ was bought by the school to be renovated and used for music studies. The school also gained specialist performing arts status.
Latin was also removed from the curriculum in 2004 and replaced with drama, which had previously been on the curriculum in the late 20th century.
Traditions
Speech Day, an outdated tradition for the culmination of the school year, began right at the beginning of the school's existence with the celebration being held at the Midland Institute until the move took place from Aston to Handsworth. Until the 1920s all girls attended wearing white dresses with red bows. The school song, "Come, sing the song of Handsworth School" was sung until the present anthem was suggested by Miss Bamforth (Headmistress) in 1942.Houses
School Houses were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century, with each House having its own name and colour. Nightingale mauve, Kingsley green, Fry pale blue and Browning brown. By the 1930s there were awards given for winning competitions against other houses in sports. In the beginning there were House notices in the Playroom and a strict House conduct system. In 1939 four more Houses were added and they were renamed after the different royal Houses (WindsorHouse of Windsor
The House of Windsor is the royal house of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V by royal proclamation on the 17 July 1917, when he changed the name of his family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment in the United Kingdom...
, Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
, Tudor, Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, Plantagenet, Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
, York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
, Normandy). In the 1970s the houses were rearranged again and given names of precious stones (Amethyst
Amethyst
Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry. The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀ a- and μέθυστος methustos , a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness; the ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels of it in the belief...
, Coral
Coral (precious)
Precious coral or red coral is the common name given to Corallium rubrum and several related species of marine coral. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink skeleton, which is used for making jewelry.-Habitat:Red corals grow on rocky...
, Garnet
Garnet
The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
and Topaz
Topaz
Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al2SiO42. Topaz crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal and other faces.-Color and varieties:...
) because of the school's proximity to the Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
. At the end of the 1990s they were renamed once more after famous women (Bronte
Brontë
The Brontës were a nineteenth-century literary family associated with Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The sisters, Charlotte , Emily , and Anne , are well-known as poets and novelists...
, Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
, Franklin
Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Elsie Franklin was a British biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer who made critical contributions to the understanding of the fine molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite...
and Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
), then when an extra form group was introduced in 2003, then un-introduced in 2005, a new house was created; (Curie). In September 2009 the houses were renamed, once again after famous women. (Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
, Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
, Astor and Cavell
Edith Cavell
Edith Louisa Cavell was a British nurse and spy. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from all sides without distinction and in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War I, for which she was arrested...
)
Notable former pupils
- Felicity JonesFelicity JonesFelicity Jones is an English actress from Birmingham. She is best known to television audiences for her role as the school bully Ethel Hallow in the first series of The Worst Witch and its sequel Weirdsister College...
, actress - Emma BEmma BEmma Boughton , grew up in Canada and as a teenager in Birmingham, England.Better known as Emma B, she is a radio presenter in the UK. She became known as Emma B when she worked for Creation Records...
, radio presenter - Sarah MannersSarah MannersSarah Manners is an English actress best known for her work on British television. She was born in Birmingham and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.-Career:...
, actress - Elizabeth Locke, The Apprentice, series seven
A society for former pupils was formed called Handsworth Old Edwardians [HOES], going back to the turn of the 20th century.