King Edward VI High School for Girls
Encyclopedia
King Edward VI High School for Girls (KEHS) 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
(KES; boys school). Sarah Evans has been the headmistress since 1996.
,_(the_old_liberal_club),_congreve_street,_birmingham.jpg)
KEHS was founded in 1883 and occupied part of the 1838 (Charles Barry
, architect) New Street
boys' school. In 1887, when the adjacent Hen & Chickens Hotel was known to be closing the governors considered acquiring it. In 1888, KEHS moved to the recently vacated, and almost brand new (1885), Liberal Club in Congreve Street (a site now covered by the lending section of the Birmingham Central Library
) under a short lease. Meanwhile plans for a new school on the Hen and Chickens site were being drawn up by the foundation's architect, J. A. Chatwin
. In 1892, land behind the hotel was bought with the intention of building the girls' school off the main road, hidden behind new commercial premises on New Street to shelter it from street noise. The New Street school opened in 1896. It moved, along with the boys' school, to its present location opposite the University
in 1940 to new buildings designed by Holland W. Hobbiss
. At this time a new, green uniform was introduced. The New Street site was bought by the Prudential Assurance Company and leased for the Odeon
cinema.
Over one of the entrances is the motto Trouthe Schal Delyvere from a poem Truth by Geoffrey Chaucer
.
The school has consistently been ranked top of the national league tables for both A level and GCSE which has resulted in the school receiving such recent accolades as "Independent School of the Year" from The Times
.
There are places for approximately 560 girls, 80 in a year ( four forms) with entrance exams taking place in late January. The school encourages independent learning and fostering creativity. Students are offered a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. The school also places great emphasis on community service and each year forms elect a charity to support.
During the course of the year there are several plays in which both schools participate. There are generally two separate plays for the junior and senior members of the school. In recent years the two schools have cooperated on productions such has Little Shop of Horrors
, Romeo and Juliet
and Peter Pan
.
Towards the end of the year, Upper Sixth-Formers from both schools organise and rehearse a Syndicate play, which is usually performed on the last week of term. Previous productions have included Rent
and The Lion King
.
In December, the school holds two Christmas Concerts, usually in the Adrian Boult Hall
(part of Birmingham Conservatoire). In March every year there is an Orchestral and Choral concert in the Adrian Boult Hall, and then a Summer Concert, usually in Symphony Hall, to which all the 'new' girls for the following September are invited with their families.
The school year finishes with the Syndicate Concert, planned, rehearsed and performed by students about to leave the two King Edward's Schools. This is a Summer Evening's music-making with strawberries and wine in the garden during the interval.
Throughout the year there are six Lunchtime Concerts, held on Thursdays in the Concert Hall of King Edward's School. These concerts give the musicians, both girls and boys, the opportunity to perform in front of a smaller audience.
There will soon be a new performing arts centre which will be used by students from both schools. The new centre will use the latest technology to allow music, drama and dance at KEHS and KES to develop even more richly.
Activities are run during the lunch hour but some may also take place after school when both training and matches take place. As well as staff within the Department organising teams, the school also has a number of external coaches who help to provide expertise in a number of activities and enable the school to offer more to the girls. The department offers a varied range of sporting activities catering for the needs of everyone; the school promotes excellence and a number of girls gain representative honours at a national level.
The school also attaches particular importance to the role of outdoor pursuits. KEHS runs a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme where girls can gain Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. It now runs a residential activities week for all of the first years at Cleobury Mortimer
. Each year the school plans to offer students in year 8 the opportunity to take part in Voyager expeditions whilst in year 9 students will be able to take part in First Challenge expeditions.
Activities on offer during the course of the year are:
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, 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. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham
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....
and occupies the same site as, and is twinned with, King Edward's School
King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
(KES; boys school). Sarah Evans has been the headmistress since 1996.
History
Charles Barry
Sir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.- Background and training :Born on 23 May 1795 in Bridge Street, Westminster...
, architect) New Street
New Street, Birmingham
New Street is a street in central Birmingham, England . It is one of the city's principal thoroughfares and shopping streets. Named after it is Birmingham New Street Station, although that does not have an entrance on New Street except through the Pallasades Shopping Centre.-History:New Street is...
boys' school. In 1887, when the adjacent Hen & Chickens Hotel was known to be closing the governors considered acquiring it. In 1888, KEHS moved to the recently vacated, and almost brand new (1885), Liberal Club in Congreve Street (a site now covered by the lending section of the Birmingham Central Library
Birmingham Central Library
Birmingham Central Library is the main public library in Birmingham, England, and the largest non-national library in Europe. It is managed by Birmingham City Council...
) under a short lease. Meanwhile plans for a new school on the Hen and Chickens site were being drawn up by the foundation's architect, J. A. Chatwin
J. A. Chatwin
J. A. Chatwin FRIBA, RBS, FSAScot , was a designer of buildings and the most prolific architect involved with the building and modification of churches in Birmingham, England, building or altering many of the parish churches in the city. He used both the Gothic and Classical styles...
. In 1892, land behind the hotel was bought with the intention of building the girls' school off the main road, hidden behind new commercial premises on New Street to shelter it from street noise. The New Street school opened in 1896. It moved, along with the boys' school, to its present location opposite the University
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in 1940 to new buildings designed by Holland W. Hobbiss
Holland W. Hobbiss
Holland W. Hobbiss was an architect in the Birmingham area of England. He also traded under the name Holland W. Hobbiss and Partners, and Holland W. Hobbiss and M. A. H. Hobbiss...
. At this time a new, green uniform was introduced. The New Street site was bought by the Prudential Assurance Company and leased for the Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
cinema.
Over one of the entrances is the motto Trouthe Schal Delyvere from a poem Truth by Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
.
Ethos of the school
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
There are places for approximately 560 girls, 80 in a year ( four forms) with entrance exams taking place in late January. The school encourages independent learning and fostering creativity. Students are offered a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. The school also places great emphasis on community service and each year forms elect a charity to support.
Music and drama
The school works in partnership with the adjoining boys' school in many orchestras, choirs, and drama productions.During the course of the year there are several plays in which both schools participate. There are generally two separate plays for the junior and senior members of the school. In recent years the two schools have cooperated on productions such has Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
, Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
and Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
.
Towards the end of the year, Upper Sixth-Formers from both schools organise and rehearse a Syndicate play, which is usually performed on the last week of term. Previous productions have included Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
and The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.
In December, the school holds two Christmas Concerts, usually in the Adrian Boult Hall
Adrian Boult Hall
The Adrian Boult Hall is the main concert hall of the Birmingham Conservatoire in central Birmingham, England. It is named after the conductor Adrian Boult....
(part of Birmingham Conservatoire). In March every year there is an Orchestral and Choral concert in the Adrian Boult Hall, and then a Summer Concert, usually in Symphony Hall, to which all the 'new' girls for the following September are invited with their families.
Throughout the year there are six Lunchtime Concerts, held on Thursdays in the Concert Hall of King Edward's School. These concerts give the musicians, both girls and boys, the opportunity to perform in front of a smaller audience.
There will soon be a new performing arts centre which will be used by students from both schools. The new centre will use the latest technology to allow music, drama and dance at KEHS and KES to develop even more richly.
Sport and outdoor pursuits
Sport at KEHS is a very important part of the school's extra-curricular programme. The school provides a wide range of activities in which all girls have the opportunity to participate. Girls take part in activities on a recreational basis or they can choose to follow to a more competitive standard. The school hopes that the range of activities on offer inspires girls to pursue lifelong involvement in sport.Activities are run during the lunch hour but some may also take place after school when both training and matches take place. As well as staff within the Department organising teams, the school also has a number of external coaches who help to provide expertise in a number of activities and enable the school to offer more to the girls. The department offers a varied range of sporting activities catering for the needs of everyone; the school promotes excellence and a number of girls gain representative honours at a national level.
The school also attaches particular importance to the role of outdoor pursuits. KEHS runs a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme where girls can gain Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. It now runs a residential activities week for all of the first years at Cleobury Mortimer
Cleobury Mortimer
Cleobury Mortimer is a small rural market town in Shropshire, England. The town's parish has a population of 1,962 according to the 2001 census. Although sometimes regarded as a village, it is in fact the second smallest town in Shropshire , having been granted a town charter in 1253.Several...
. Each year the school plans to offer students in year 8 the opportunity to take part in Voyager expeditions whilst in year 9 students will be able to take part in First Challenge expeditions.
Activities on offer during the course of the year are:
- ArcheryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
- AthleticsAthletics (track and field)Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
- Eton FivesEton FivesEton Fives, one derivative of the British game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, played as doubles in a three-sided court. The object is to force the other team to fail to hit the ball 'up' off the front wall, using any variety of wall or ledge combinations as long as the ball...
- GymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
- HockeyHockeyHockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
- BadmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- LifesavingRoyal Life Saving Society UKThe Royal Lifesaving Society UK, also known as Lifesavers, is the governing body for lifesaving and lifeguarding in the United Kingdom. The Royal Lifesaving Society also exists in the Republic of Ireland under the title RLSS Ireland.-History:...
- CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
- NetballNetballNetball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
- DanceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
- RoundersRoundersRounders is a game played between two teams of either gender. The game originated in England where it was played in Tudor times. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a round wooden, plastic or metal bat. The players score by...
- FencingFencingFencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- FootballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
Notable former pupils
- Janet Ruth BaconJanet Ruth BaconJanet Ruth Bacon was the daughter of a barrister and was Principal of Royal Holloway College, University of London from 1935-44. She was unmarried.-Education:...
, Principal, Royal Holloway College, University of London 1935-44 - Reeta ChakrabartiReeta ChakrabartiReeta Chakrabarti is currently education correspondent for BBC News.-Early life:Chakrabarti was born in London to an Indian Bengali family and was raised in Birmingham, also having spent time in India as a teenager as a student at the Calcutta International School in Kolkata...
, BBC political correspondent - Lindsay DuncanLindsay DuncanLindsay Vere Duncan, CBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actress. On stage she won two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her performance in Les Liaisons dangereuses and Private Lives , and she starred in several plays by Harold Pinter. Her most famous roles on television include:...
, actress - Anita HardingAnita HardingAnita Harding was a British neurologist. She was born in Birmingham and educated at the King Edward VI High School for Girls and the Royal Free Hospital Medical School, where she qualified in 1975. She married neurology professor P.K...
, neurologist - Sally JonesSally JonesSally Jones is a British television news and sports presenter, later writing freelance on education and sport for newspapers and magazines including the Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph.- Education :...
, TV presenter - Olga KevelosOlga KevelosOlga Kevelos was a British Motorcycle trials and enduro rider who was the only woman to win two gold medals at the International Six-Day Trial....
, Motorbike trials rider - Dorothy Jordan LloydDorothy Jordan LloydDorothy Jordan Lloyd was an early protein scientist who studied the interactions of water with proteins, particularly gelatin. She was also Director of the British Leather Manufacturers' Research Association...
, protein scientist - Dame Hilda LloydHilda LloydDame Hilda Nora Lloyd, DBE , née Shufflebotham, was a British physician and surgeon. She was the first woman to be elected as president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists....
, first woman professor at Birmingham University and first female president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and GynaecologistsRoyal College of Obstetricians and GynaecologistsThe Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is a professional association based in the UK. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is, pregnancy, childbirth, and female sexual and reproductive health... - Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of AlvechurchMary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of AlvechurchMary Elizabeth Henderson Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, née Birkinshaw, JP was a British politician and educator...
, politician - Georgina LeeGeorgina LeeGeorgina Lee is a former British Olympic swimmer.Lee won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. She was also a bronze medallist at the European SC Championships in 2001....
, Olympic swimmer
Sources
- King Edward VI High School Birmingham 1883-1983, Waterhouse, RachelRachel WaterhouseDame Rachel Waterhouse, DBE is a local historian of Birmingham and the West Midlands of England, consumer affairs activist and writer....
, 1983.
Further reading
- King Edward VI High School Birmingham, Winifred I Candler, Ailsa M Jacques, Beatrice Marion Willmott Dobbie, Birmingham Girls' Old Edwardian Club, Publisher: Benn, London, 1971,
ISBN printed in book 0-510-76250-3 [sic] , ISBN 0-510-26250-3