Plymouth High School for Girls
Encyclopedia
Plymouth High School for Girls (PHSG) is a girls' grammar school
founded in 1874. It is located on St Lawrence Road in Plymouth
, Devon
, England
close to Mutley Plain
and Plymouth city centre. PHSG is both a Technology and Languages College, a Training School and an IB World School.
North Hill house was demolished in 1939 for the construction of a new wing.
By the 1960s the school was using rooms in the large building next door, known as 'The Annexe'. This had previously been The South Devon and Cornwall Blind Institute, built in 1876. The Annexe is believed to be located roughly where a fort stood during the siege of Plymouth in the Civil War
of the 17th century, and before that to have been the location of The Maudlyn, a leper house. In around 1976 the school took over the whole building.
Plymouth High was once a fee-paying school, at least up until the 1940s.
During World War II
an 'Emergency High School' was set up amalgamating Plymouth High School for Girls, Devonport High School for Girls
and the now defunct Stoke Damerel High School for Girls with the PHSG Head Mistress, Miss Violet Turner, as its headmistress. The school was also one of the 19 food centres open in Plymouth by April 1941. The school was one of the three of these centres which served a two course meal between noon and 2:30pm and again between 5:30pm and 7:30pm for the price of 9d (nine old pence).
In recent times PHS has seen the building of the Newman Hall, the Science and PE blocks, the Metcalf building and a sixth Form
centre.
The school's motto is "Non scholae sed vitae discimus", a quotation from Seneca which translates as 'For life not school we learn', and forms the refrain of the old school song.
The School's crest which features on the uniform is made up of four symbols, which are displayed equally on a shield and include:
grammar schools.
The aim of the school is to "promote, achieve and celebrate the highest possible standards in all forms of achievement, throughout the school, and particularly in the specialist subjects: Mathematics, Science, Design Technology and Information Communication Technology". The school is also has Training School
status.
Ms Utton became Headmistress in January 2008 after the departure of Mrs. Martin, the Head Teacher from 1999 to 2007, who in turn was preceded by Mrs Stogall. During the interim periods the school was led by Mr Holden, the Deputy Head Teacher (now retired). The school's 6th Form has been led by Mr Callaghan since April 2008 after the retirement of the previous Head of 6th Form Mrs Caroline Enock who had taught at the school for 25 years.
In 2011 Ofsted graded the school as 'Good' with many outstanding features..
.
In 2009 Plymouth High School was chosen as the first state school in the city to offer the International Baccalaureate, an alternative to A Level awards.
club for pupils.
of a navy blue skirt. Recently however, a trouser suit consisting of navy trousers and a navy blazer with the school logo was introduced as an alternative to the skirt. Girls are only permitted to wear the trousers if they are wearing the blazer, although the blazer may be worn with a skirt in the place of a school jumper. All girls wear a white v-neck blouse with or without the blue and white striped school tie. There are various other restrictions in relation to coats, shoes, make-up and jewellery. In the past the uniform used to feature a hat; an example of which can be seen in the Plymouth Museum.
Each house elects a house captain from the sixth form. The school houses play a large part in school life, for instance they compete in many annual house events:
Junior house captains assist the house captains.
Plymouth High School for Girls has an Old Girls association with around 260 members. The association meets for a dinner in the spring and again at the school in the autumn for a buffet and AGM. The member of staff designated as the PHS link to the Old Girls is Mr Neve.
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...
founded in 1874. It is located on St Lawrence Road in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, 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...
close to Mutley Plain
Mutley Plain
Mutley Plain is a street in Plymouth, Devon, England. Although Mutley Plain is the main street of the dense suburb called Mutley, the term is often applied to the whole area. The road is a busy dual-carriageway, the B3250, with eight sets of traffic lights/pelican crossings...
and Plymouth city centre. PHSG is both a Technology and Languages College, a Training School and an IB World School.
History
In February 1874 the Devon and Cornwall Girls' School Company was formed, opening a school for girls in Sherwell House, North Hill (only a few hundred metres from the school's current location), on September 14 of that same year. It was intended that the school should move to other premises and for this purpose a fund had been set up to purchase a suitable site. Land surrounding a detached property known as 'North Hill' was chosen and the first part of these new premises were opened by the Bishop of Exeter, Doctor Frederick Temple, on January 21, 1878. North Hill house became the home of the headmistress, Miss Kendall. A new building was designed by a Mr Paull and erected by Messrs Blatchford of Tavistock. £3,000 was expended on the purchase of the site and a further £10,000 on the buildings.North Hill house was demolished in 1939 for the construction of a new wing.
By the 1960s the school was using rooms in the large building next door, known as 'The Annexe'. This had previously been The South Devon and Cornwall Blind Institute, built in 1876. The Annexe is believed to be located roughly where a fort stood during the siege of Plymouth in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
of the 17th century, and before that to have been the location of The Maudlyn, a leper house. In around 1976 the school took over the whole building.
Plymouth High was once a fee-paying school, at least up until the 1940s.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
an 'Emergency High School' was set up amalgamating Plymouth High School for Girls, Devonport High School for Girls
Devonport High School for Girls
Devonport High School for Girls is a traditional state selective girls' secondary school in Plymouth, England.-History:In September 1908 Devonport High School for Girls was the first school in Plymouth to be recognised as a girls secondary school...
and the now defunct Stoke Damerel High School for Girls with the PHSG Head Mistress, Miss Violet Turner, as its headmistress. The school was also one of the 19 food centres open in Plymouth by April 1941. The school was one of the three of these centres which served a two course meal between noon and 2:30pm and again between 5:30pm and 7:30pm for the price of 9d (nine old pence).
In recent times PHS has seen the building of the Newman Hall, the Science and PE blocks, the Metcalf building and a 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,...
centre.
The school's motto is "Non scholae sed vitae discimus", a quotation from Seneca which translates as 'For life not school we learn', and forms the refrain of the old school song.
The School's crest which features on the uniform is made up of four symbols, which are displayed equally on a shield and include:
- An owl representing wisdom.
- A beehive representing a busy and productive community.
- An emblem of the school's initials PHS.
- The coat of Arms of the City of Plymouth since 1931, which depicts four towers (the old Plymouth Castle) in a cross of St Andrew (the dedication of the mother church of Plymouth) .
Present day
Catering for pupils from year 7 (age 11) up to year 13 (age 18) PHSG is a single sex grammar school (from ages 11-16) requiring pupils to pass the eleven plus exam in order to gain entry. Post 16 the school is co-ed with an increasing number of boys on roll from 2010. The school draws its pupils mainly from the city of Plymouth but about a third come from outlying areas of Devon and Cornwall. Although pupils’ attainment on entry is high, the school takes pupils from a wider range of ability than many othergrammar schools.
The aim of the school is to "promote, achieve and celebrate the highest possible standards in all forms of achievement, throughout the school, and particularly in the specialist subjects: Mathematics, Science, Design Technology and Information Communication Technology". The school is also has Training School
Training school
For a juvenile correctional facility, see youth detention center-----A training school is an official designation, awarded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, to schools in England that provide exceptional facilities for in-service and work experience training of teachers...
status.
Ms Utton became Headmistress in January 2008 after the departure of Mrs. Martin, the Head Teacher from 1999 to 2007, who in turn was preceded by Mrs Stogall. During the interim periods the school was led by Mr Holden, the Deputy Head Teacher (now retired). The school's 6th Form has been led by Mr Callaghan since April 2008 after the retirement of the previous Head of 6th Form Mrs Caroline Enock who had taught at the school for 25 years.
In 2011 Ofsted graded the school as 'Good' with many outstanding features..
Curriculum
Girls can choose from a wide range of subjects at GCSE level and generally take 11 or 12 subjects. In some subjects, especially able girls can choose to skip the GCSE and move straight to the AS levelGCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
.
In 2009 Plymouth High School was chosen as the first state school in the city to offer the International Baccalaureate, an alternative to A Level awards.
International links
Plymouth High School gained the full International Schools Award in October 2006. This is a prestigious award given to schools that have shown a commitment to international activities across the curriculum and have developed strong partnership with schools in other countries. PHSG has links with schools in Ghana (particularly Ahantaman Secondary School) as well as New Zealand, Germany, France, China and Russia. The school also runs an Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
club for pupils.
Uniform
The majority of girls wear the original school uniformSchool uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
of a navy blue skirt. Recently however, a trouser suit consisting of navy trousers and a navy blazer with the school logo was introduced as an alternative to the skirt. Girls are only permitted to wear the trousers if they are wearing the blazer, although the blazer may be worn with a skirt in the place of a school jumper. All girls wear a white v-neck blouse with or without the blue and white striped school tie. There are various other restrictions in relation to coats, shoes, make-up and jewellery. In the past the uniform used to feature a hat; an example of which can be seen in the Plymouth Museum.
School houses
The school has 4 houses:| House | Colour | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony | Green | Named after Alice Anthony, the school's first pupil |
| Kendall | Blue | Named after the school's first head mistress |
| Latimer | Yellow | Named after the architect who designed the main building |
| Temple | Red | Named after the Bishop who opened the school |
Each house elects a house captain from the sixth form. The school houses play a large part in school life, for instance they compete in many annual house events:
- Sports day (usually taking place in the summer)
- Swimming gala (also usually occurring in the summer term)
- Music festival
- Science festival
- Drama festival
- Gym and dance festival (usually taking place in the winter term)
- Interhouse netball, tennis, science and hockey competitions
Junior house captains assist the house captains.
Academic standards
Plymouth High School consistently ranks as one of the top performing schools in Plymouth (and ranks well amongst schools in the rest of Devon and Cornwall) in terms of examination results. In 2011 98% of pupils achieved 5 or more A*-C grade GCSEs, including English and Mathematics and 56% of pupils obtained 5+A*/A grades. The Plymouth LEA average is 44.1% and the national average is 46.7%.Notable former pupils
- Notable alumnae include Rebecca LenkiewiczRebecca LenkiewiczRebecca Lenkiewicz is a British playwright. She attended Plymouth High School for Girls, then progressed to a BA in Film and English at the University of Kent from 1985 to 1989 and then to a BA Acting Course at the Central School of Speech and Drama from 1996 to 1999.-Career:As a writer, her plays...
, the first female playwright to ever have her play performed on the main stage of the National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and step daughter of the painter Robert LenkiewiczRobert LenkiewiczRobert Oscar Lenkiewicz was one of the South West England's most celebrated artists of modern times. Perennially unfashionable in high art circles, his work was nevertheless popular with the public...
.
Plymouth High School for Girls has an Old Girls association with around 260 members. The association meets for a dinner in the spring and again at the school in the autumn for a buffet and AGM. The member of staff designated as the PHS link to the Old Girls is Mr Neve.