Nonsuch High School
Encyclopedia
Nonsuch High School is an all-girls' grammar school
located in Cheam
, South London
, England
, standing in 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) of grounds on the edge of Nonsuch Park
. The school holds Specialist Science College
and Specialist language status.
, Nonsuch provides the ball girls
for the Queen's Club Championships
in addition to providing ballgirls for the ATP tournament last year.
, girls are required to take the 11+ exam, which used to be a shared selection test with Wallington High School for Girls
,but was made separate in 2009. to get into year 7. However there are sometimes occasional places in other year groups, and these are based on tests in English, Mathematics and Science. There is another intake for the sixth form
, which is based on GCSE results. An average of 50 points are needed for this.
The Nonsuch catchment area is defined by two circles. The first is a circle of 5.25 km radius whose centre is mid-way between the main front doors of Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls. This is known as Circle A. The second catchment area is a circle of 5 km radius whose centre is the main front door of Nonsuch High School for Girls, excluding the area in Circle A. This is known as Circle B.
50 places are awarded each year to those with the highest scores in the Entrance Test, whether they live inside or outside the catchment area.
Those who pass the test and live within the circle on the cut-off date as defined by the Pan-London Co-ordinated Admissions System are ranked according to the score they achieve. Places are initially allocated according to the ranked order. If however, two or more girls have the same score and fewer places are available, the place or places will be offered to the girl or girls who live nearer to the school. Up to 80% of the places allocated on this criterion are chosen from the girls who live within Circle A, and the rest are allocated from within Circle B.
The Year 7 selection test consists of two papers, verbal reasoning and non- verbal reasoning, with a short break between them. Not all girls who pass the test are guaranteed a place because normally more girls pass the test than the number of places available. The papers are standardised according to ages in years and months so that younger students (i.e. summer birthdays) are not penalised. The pass mark for admission to Year 7 in 2010 was 202.
Between Years 7 and 9, girls must wear school coats. Years 10 and 11 are allowed to wear their own, provided they are black in colour and meet certain requirements.
The majority of pupils continue their studies in the large Sixth Form for which external candidates may apply although there is a required standard of grades required in the GCSE exam to pass into the sixth form
.This current year an sum of around 50 people left the school for another sixth form. Courses may be chosen from 27 subjects. Core studies and seminar work lead to an additional A level in Critical Thinking.In 2008 the mode Grade for this a- level was a C. Candidates are prepared for Oxbridge entries where appropriate, and most students proceed to higher education or professional training.
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...
located in Cheam
Cheam
Cheam is a large suburban village close to Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton, England, and is located close to the southern boundary between Greater London and Surrey. It is divided into two main areas: North Cheam and Cheam Village. North Cheam includes more retail shops and supermarkets,...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, 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...
, standing in 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) of grounds on the edge of Nonsuch Park
Nonsuch Park
Nonsuch Park is a public park between Stoneleigh, North Cheam, Cheam, and Ewell and the last surviving part of the Little Park of Nonsuch, a deer hunting park established by Henry VIII of England surrounding the former Nonsuch Palace...
. The school holds Specialist Science College
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...
and Specialist language status.
Awards
The school has achieved various awards such as Beacon status, Sportsmark Award, Schools Achievement Award and Education Extra - Distinction. It also gained specialist science college status in July 2004 and more recently a language school status.This means extra funding is provided. Every year, along with St Philomena's Catholic High School for GirlsSt Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls
St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls is a school for girls in Carshalton, South London, England. Ofsted praised the school as 'outstanding' and the Archdiocese of Southwark found the establishment to be 'a very strong school'. , the chair of governors is Dr. Mary Howard, and the current...
, Nonsuch provides the ball girls
Ball Boy
Ball Boy is a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano and also the name of the main character. It first appeared in issue 1735, dated 18 October 1975. It features a five-a-side football team that includes:* Ball Boy - the captain of the team, Ball Boy bears resemblances to The Dandy's Owen Goal...
for the Queen's Club Championships
Queen's Club Championships
The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male tennis players, held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington, London. Between 1970 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit. The event is now an ATP World Tour 250 series tournament on the Association of...
in addition to providing ballgirls for the ATP tournament last year.
Selection
As Nonsuch is a selective schoolSelective school
A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems....
, girls are required to take the 11+ exam, which used to be a shared selection test with Wallington High School for Girls
Wallington High School for Girls
Wallington High School for Girls is an all girls educational institution located just south of Wallington, in the London Borough of Sutton, England.-Admissions:...
,but was made separate in 2009. to get into year 7. However there are sometimes occasional places in other year groups, and these are based on tests in English, Mathematics and Science. There is another intake for the sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
, which is based on GCSE results. An average of 50 points are needed for this.
The Nonsuch catchment area is defined by two circles. The first is a circle of 5.25 km radius whose centre is mid-way between the main front doors of Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls. This is known as Circle A. The second catchment area is a circle of 5 km radius whose centre is the main front door of Nonsuch High School for Girls, excluding the area in Circle A. This is known as Circle B.
50 places are awarded each year to those with the highest scores in the Entrance Test, whether they live inside or outside the catchment area.
Those who pass the test and live within the circle on the cut-off date as defined by the Pan-London Co-ordinated Admissions System are ranked according to the score they achieve. Places are initially allocated according to the ranked order. If however, two or more girls have the same score and fewer places are available, the place or places will be offered to the girl or girls who live nearer to the school. Up to 80% of the places allocated on this criterion are chosen from the girls who live within Circle A, and the rest are allocated from within Circle B.
The Year 7 selection test consists of two papers, verbal reasoning and non- verbal reasoning, with a short break between them. Not all girls who pass the test are guaranteed a place because normally more girls pass the test than the number of places available. The papers are standardised according to ages in years and months so that younger students (i.e. summer birthdays) are not penalised. The pass mark for admission to Year 7 in 2010 was 202.
Rules
The school has strict rules for behaviour and dress. Rules include: No make up, hair of one natural colour, appropriate footwear, no patterned tights, no ankle socks, have to wear blue or black gloves, hats, scarves with teachers checking at the entrance.Between Years 7 and 9, girls must wear school coats. Years 10 and 11 are allowed to wear their own, provided they are black in colour and meet certain requirements.
Lessons
On entry, all pupils follow the national curriculum with an additional foreign language (German, French, Latin or Spanish) chosen after one year, although this has changed, and the new years from 2006 onwards are given the opportunity to take both languages in Year 7 rather than picking up another one in the next year. The range of subjects taken for GCSE is broadened by the opportunity to continue with a second language, to study the separate sciences and to choose appropriate Technology courses.Music has recently become very popular with pupils, for example in GCSE. Initially, pupils are taught in forms, with smaller groups for practical subjects. Later, setting allows for the different rates of progress of individual pupils. The pupils are sometimes mixed with different forms for particular subjects such as Design & Technology allowing them to socialise with other people outside their form. In Nonsuch there are 6 forms in each year group each consisting of an average of 30 pupils. The houses are named after planets and are: Mercury, Pluto, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn.The majority of pupils continue their studies in the large Sixth Form for which external candidates may apply although there is a required standard of grades required in the GCSE exam to pass into the sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
.This current year an sum of around 50 people left the school for another sixth form. Courses may be chosen from 27 subjects. Core studies and seminar work lead to an additional A level in Critical Thinking.In 2008 the mode Grade for this a- level was a C. Candidates are prepared for Oxbridge entries where appropriate, and most students proceed to higher education or professional training.
Astronomy
The school has an observatory on the roof where the astronomy society meet frequently. The school has one teacher for this GCSE. In 2008 all 5 students achieved either an A or A* grade.Notable former pupils
- Elizabeth KayElizabeth KayElizabeth Kay, born July 9, 1949 in London, is an English writer. She is the author of The Divide trilogy, a series of children's fantasy novels, originally published by Chicken House Press, then picked up by Scholastic Books-Biography:...
, author of books such as: The Divide trilogyThe Divide trilogyThe Divide trilogy is a fantasy young adult novel trilogy by Elizabeth Kay, which takes place in an alternate universe. The three books are The Divide , Back to The Divide , and Jinx on The Divide...
(1960–67) - Katie MeluaKatie MeluaKetevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003...
, singer-songwriter - Joanna RowsellJoanna RowsellJoanna Rowsell is a cyclist on the Great Britain Cycling Team who competes on track and road. She first came to national prominence as a winner of junior national competitions in 2005/2006, while her biggest successes to date are the gold medals won in the women's team pursuit at the 2008 and 2009...
, cyclist (2000–2007) - Melanie SouthMelanie SouthMelanie Jayne South is an English tennis player. She is currently the British number 7 and ranked 310 in the world...
, tennis player