Oxford High School
Encyclopedia
Oxford High School is a private girls' school based at Belbroughton Road
, Oxford
, England, made up of around nine hundred pupils aged three to eighteen.
. Pupils were given a holiday when the Assize Judge
visited. The school moved to 38 St Giles' in 1879 and then to 21 Banbury Road
at the start of 1881, in a building designed by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson
, just south of the location of another Jackson building, the Acland Nursing Home. Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) taught logic to girls at the school in the late 19th century.
Rapid expansion led to the ultimate removal of the school to Belbroughton Road in 1957. It became independent in 1976.
The Junior Department at Belbroughton Road was opened in 1989, with 100 pupils aged 9–11, and closed in 1999 following the 1997 merger between OHS, Greycotes and the Squirrel School.
(GDST), an association of 29 private girls' secondary schools in the UK. It is led by headmistress Judith Carlisle and the two deputy heads; the pastoral Deputy head Olwen Curry (MA, MSc Oxon — Biology) and the academic Deputy head Dr Peter Secker (BSc PhD Birmingham — Mathematics).
In 2001, Oxford High School was threatened with a lawsuit by the Freud family, who accused the school of excluding their daughter because her academic results were not of a high enough standard, when the junior school refused her admittance to the Senior Department.
The school takes great pride in its sixth form where they offer a wide variety of A-level subjects including Italian (that is learned in 2 years), economics, philosophy, politics and psychology.
In 2006, Oxford High School announced that it was taking the unusual step of making Mandarin Chinese a compulsory subject for pupils in their first year. These pupils will then have to take either French or Mandarin until at least the end of year 9. Until recently French was compulsory for all students until they reached sixth form. However now the school has changed its policy allowing girls to drop French providing that they take another modern foreign language at GCSE. The school is also in the process of opening a twin school in Shanghai.
Belbroughton Road
Belbroughton Road is a residential road in the suburb of North Oxford, England. The road runs east from Banbury Road. At the other end is Oxford High School, a girls' school. South from the road about half way along is Northmoor Road, where J.R.R. Tolkien lived for a while in the 1930s. At the...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England, made up of around nine hundred pupils aged three to eighteen.
History
The school began life on 3 November 1875, with twenty-nine girls and three teachers under headmistress Ada Benson, at the Judge's Lodgings (St Giles' House) at 16 St Giles', central Oxford. It was the 9th school opened by the Girls' Public Day School CompanyGirls' Day School Trust
The Girls' Day School Trust is a group of 26 independent schools - 24 schools and two Academies - in England and Wales, catering for pupils aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each year...
. Pupils were given a holiday when the Assize Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
visited. The school moved to 38 St Giles' in 1879 and then to 21 Banbury Road
Banbury Road
Banbury Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England, running from St Giles' at the south end, north towards Banbury through the leafy suburb of North Oxford and Summertown, with its local shopping centre. Parallel and to the west is the Woodstock Road, which it meets at the junction with St...
at the start of 1881, in a building designed by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson
Thomas Graham Jackson
Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, 1st Baronet RA was one of the most distinguished English architects of his generation...
, just south of the location of another Jackson building, the Acland Nursing Home. Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) taught logic to girls at the school in the late 19th century.
Rapid expansion led to the ultimate removal of the school to Belbroughton Road in 1957. It became independent in 1976.
The Junior Department at Belbroughton Road was opened in 1989, with 100 pupils aged 9–11, and closed in 1999 following the 1997 merger between OHS, Greycotes and the Squirrel School.
Present day
Current fees are £3,240 per term. Its Junior Department is composed of Greycotes and The Squirrel, both on separate campuses; the Squirrel pre-prep department also educates boys between the ages of three and seven. It is a member of the Girls' Day School TrustGirls' Day School Trust
The Girls' Day School Trust is a group of 26 independent schools - 24 schools and two Academies - in England and Wales, catering for pupils aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each year...
(GDST), an association of 29 private girls' secondary schools in the UK. It is led by headmistress Judith Carlisle and the two deputy heads; the pastoral Deputy head Olwen Curry (MA, MSc Oxon — Biology) and the academic Deputy head Dr Peter Secker (BSc PhD Birmingham — Mathematics).
Academics
The school consistently occupies a high place in national league tables, although it does operate a selective admissions procedure and it has been often accused by some of putting these results ahead of education and welfare. The school appears to suffer on the national league tables in GCSE results, purportedly because the IGCSE in Mathematics that students sit is not recognised in the majority of league tables. The subjects OHS offer are predominantly academic although Music, Drama, Art, DT, Textiles and IT can also be taken.In 2001, Oxford High School was threatened with a lawsuit by the Freud family, who accused the school of excluding their daughter because her academic results were not of a high enough standard, when the junior school refused her admittance to the Senior Department.
The school takes great pride in its sixth form where they offer a wide variety of A-level subjects including Italian (that is learned in 2 years), economics, philosophy, politics and psychology.
In 2006, Oxford High School announced that it was taking the unusual step of making Mandarin Chinese a compulsory subject for pupils in their first year. These pupils will then have to take either French or Mandarin until at least the end of year 9. Until recently French was compulsory for all students until they reached sixth form. However now the school has changed its policy allowing girls to drop French providing that they take another modern foreign language at GCSE. The school is also in the process of opening a twin school in Shanghai.
Languages
Oxford High School has variety of different languages available to all students, along with plenty of extra-curricular activities. It is compulsory in Year 7 to take both Mandarin Chinese and French, then to continue with one of these in Year 8 along with Latin. In year 9, you also gain another language from the choice of Russian, Ancient Greek, Spanish and German. For GCSE it is compulsory to take at least one foreign modern language. In Sixth form (Years 12 and 13) there is also the choice of learning Italian.Headmistresses
- Ada Benson 1875–1879
- Matilda Ellen BishopMatilda Ellen BishopMatilda Ellen Bishop was the first Principal of Royal Holloway College, University of London. Her father was a scholarly Church of England clergyman.-Early life:...
1879–1887 - Lucy Helen Soulsby 1887–1897
- Edith Marion Leahy 1898–1902
- Rosalind Mabel Brown 1902–1932
- Margaret Gale 1932–1936
- Violet Evelyn Stack 1937–1959
- M.E. Ann Hancock 1959–1966
- Mary WarnockMary Warnock, Baroness WarnockHelen Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, DBE, FBA is a British philosopher of morality, education and mind, and writer on existentialism.-Early life:...
1966–1972 - Elaine Kaye 1972–1981
- Joan Townsend 1981–1996
- Felicity Lusk 1997–2010
- Judith Carlisle 2011–
Houses
The girls in the senior department are divided into four houses, each named after an Ancient Greek deity:- ZeusZeusIn the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
(green) - AresAresAres is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
(blue) - AthenaAthenaIn Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
(yellow) - PoseidonPoseidonPoseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
(red)
Notable former pupils
- Dame Josephine BarnesJosephine BarnesDame Alice Josephine Mary Taylor Barnes, DBE , known professionally as Dr. Josephine Barnes, was a leading obstetrician and gynaecologist....
(1912-1999), first woman President British Medical Association (BMA) - Emma BridgewaterEmma BridgewaterEmma Bridgewater is a British ceramics manufacturer founded in 1985, owned and run by Emma Rice née Bridgewater and Matthew Rice. Noted for their polka dot design among others, Emma Bridgewater specialises in pottery with motifs drawing on expertise and traditional techniques stretching back over...
, potter - Jacintha BuddicomJacintha BuddicomJacintha Buddicom was a poet and a childhood friend of George Orwell .Buddicom was born at Plymouth but moved with her family to Shiplake, Berkshire. There she first met Eric Blair in the summer of 1914 when he was standing on his head in a field at the bottom of the Buddicoms' garden...
, poet and childhood friend of George Orwell - Cressida DickCressida DickAssistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, QPM is a senior officer in London's Metropolitan Police. Before 2005 she attracted little media attention, but became well-known as having been the officer in command of the operation which led to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes...
(b. 1960), Commander of Metropolitan Police - Sian EdwardsSian EdwardsSian Edwards is an English conductor, best known as music director of English National Opera in the 1990s.Edwards was born in West Chiltington, West Sussex. She studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and later with the conductors Sir Charles Groves, Ilya Musin and Neeme Järvi...
, conductor - Martha Lane FoxMartha Lane FoxMartha Lane Fox is an English businesswoman and charity trustee, who has been engaged as a public servant chairperson on various e-commerce projects and investigations...
, entrepreneur lastminute.com - Mel GiedroycMel GiedroycMel Giedroyc is an English television presenter, actress, and writer.-Mel and Sue:Giedroyc is best known for presenting comedy items alongside Sue Perkins. The two women met whilst students at Cambridge and both were members of the famous Footlights comedy club.As Mel and Sue, the duo were...
, actress/comedienne - Lucy GordonLucy Gordon (actress)Lucy Gordon was a British actress and model. She became a face of CoverGirl in 1997 before starting an acting career. Her first film was Perfume in 2001 before going on to have small roles in Spider-Man 3, Serendipity and The Four Feathers...
, actress/model - Sophie GrigsonSophie GrigsonHester Sophia Frances Grigson is an English cookery writer and celebrity chef known as Sophie Grigson. She has followed the same path and career as her mother, Jane Grigson. Her father was the poet and writer Geoffrey Grigson.-Life:...
, cookery TV/writer - Margaret HodgeMargaret HodgeMargaret Hodge MBE MP, also known as Lady Hodge by virtue of her husband's knighthood, is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Barking since 1994. She was the first Minister for Children in 2003 and was Minister of State for Culture and Tourism at the Department...
, Labour MP and minister - Harriet HuntHarriet HuntHarriet Vaughan Hunt is an English chess player and four times British Ladies' champion.-Biography:A high profile player from an early age, she won five British Junior Girls titles between 1989 and 1991...
, chess International Master - Elizabeth JenningsElizabeth JenningsElizabeth Jennings was an English poet.-Life and career:Jennings was born in Boston, Lincolnshire. When she was six, her family moved to Oxford, where she remained for the rest of her life. Couzyn, Jeni Contemporary Women Poets. Bloodaxe, pp. 98-100. There she later attended St Anne's College...
(1926-2001), poet - Elizabeth IrvingElizabeth IrvingDorothea Elizabeth Irving OBE, JP was a British actress, the daughter of actors H. B. Irving and Dorothea Baird, and the grand-daughter of Victorian era stage star Henry Irving. Her older brother was the Hollywood set designer and art director Laurence Irving...
, actress and founder of the Keep Britain TidyKeep Britain TidyKeep Britain Tidy is a British campaign run by the Keep Britain Tidy environmental charity, which is part funded by the UK government. The majority of their campaigning is around the issue of litter. They have been using "Keep Britain Tidy" as their slogan for almost fifty years...
Campaign - Frances KirwanFrances KirwanFrances Clare Kirwan, FRS is a British mathematician, currently a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.Educated at Oxford High School, she studied at the University of Cambridge. She took a D.Phil at Oxford in 1984, supervised by Michael Atiyah...
, academic - Dame Rose Macaulay, novelist
- Miriam MargolyesMiriam MargolyesMiriam Margolyes, OBE is an English actress and voice artist. Her earliest roles were in theatre and after several supporting roles in film and television she won a BAFTA Award for her role in The Age of Innocence .-Early life:...
, (b.1941), actress - Charlotte MendelsonCharlotte Mendelson-Biography:Her maternal grandparents were, in her words, "Hungarian-speaking-Czech, Ruthenian for about 10 minutes, Carpathian mountain-y, impossible to describe", who left Prague in 1939.She was born in 1972 in west London, in a flat on the Queensway...
(b.1972), novelist - Teresa MorganTeresa MorganThe Reverend Dr Teresa Morgan is an English academic and cleric, best known as the author of Literate Education in the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds....
, academic - Eleanor OldroydEleanor OldroydEleanor Oldroyd is an English sports broadcaster with BBC Radio.Eleanor Oldroyd was educated at Oxford High School. She was married to fellow BBC sports presenter Nick Mullins and has two children. She started her career at BBC Radio Shropshire before moving to London in 1988...
, BBC Radio Sport presenter - Ann Pasternak SlaterAnn Pasternak SlaterAnn Pasternak Slater is a literary scholar and translator who was formerly a Fellow and Tutor at St. Anne's College, Oxford.She has written and lectured on her uncle Boris Pasternak's translations into Russian of Shakespeare plays...
, academic - Eileen PowerEileen PowerEileen Edna LePoer Power was an important British economic historian and medievalist. Eileen Power was the eldest daughter of a stockbroker and was born at Altrincham in 1889. She was a sister of Rhoda Power, the children's writer and broadcaster...
(1889-1940), economic historian and medievalist - Rhoda PowerRhoda PowerRhoda Dolores le Poer Power , was a broadcaster and children's writer.-Life and career:...
(1890–1957), broadcaster and children's writer - Dame Maggie Smith, actress
- Anna WalkerAnna WalkerAngela Walker is an English television presenter who has presented such programmes as, Wish You Were Here...?, Big Strong Boys, Holidaymaker, Garden Challenge, Garden Invaders and Tomorrow's World....
, British civil servant
External links
- School website
- Headmistress's letters on the school website.
- Article on the Freud legal action from The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspaper