St. Helen's School
Encyclopedia
St. Helen's School, founded in 1899, is a selective independent day school in Northwood, North West London
for girls aged three to eighteen. It is also the sister school
of Merchant Taylors' School
. It previously accepted boarders but as of Autumn 2009 the school is no longer a boarding school, and now only takes day students.
and Little Saints are on separate sites with their own specialised facilities for their students. The swimming pool is an important facility as many people come for lessons and tutoring after school hours or in the holidays.
The Science
Block, containing fourteen laboratories, supports all scientific disciplines. The June-Leader building consists of three Art
rooms, three Design and Technology Labs as well as a fully equipped Drama
Studio. The school has recently installed a Virtuoso Language Laboratory in addition to the old one. The Music
Block, "Fitzwalter" or "Fitz", possesses sixteen practice rooms, where the school offers lessons for most musical instrument
s. The Sutherland library
, run by a chartered librarian, holds a vast number of books, periodicals, newspapers and computing
facilities. There is also a separate career
s library containing prospectus
es and career information.
St. Helen's School possesses grounds for many sporting activities. With seven tennis
courts, two lacrosse
pitches, squash
court, swimming pool
, gym
nasium and fitness suite, the school has been able to offer an intensive physical education
curriculum.
and has become their "UK Centre of Excellence in Mobile Education". IT
is an integral part of school life, with wireless
connection covering nearly all the sites.
, Olympic
Bronze Medalist. It consists of a 25m swimming pool
and a "State of the Art" fitness suite. Phase II was finished in summer 2006. This includes the multi gym
, dance studio
, treatment rooms and observation areas. In 2005, the new swimming pool
was used by the female celebrity competitors from The Games television programme for training.
In December 2006, the final phase II of the sports complex was also completed and was opened by Olympic
Silver Medalist, Roger Black
.
n Initiative, working towards raising money and resources for children in Malawi
and Uganda
. Annually, St. Helen's also has a Calendar Sale at Christmas and Summer Extravaganza which raises
money for charities
supported by the different houses. Phab Week is also an important event at St. Helen's, with select students from St. Helen's and Merchant Taylors' School
helping disabled
children enjoy a carefree week. In 2010, an Earthquake hit Haiti and St Helens raised over one thousand pounds!
s to the most academically able students in each year and bursaries
for those in a position of financial need.
, a school which, at the time, refused to take in any students that were connected with trade. Whilst still at Northwood College, a group of local businessmen persuaded her to start another school, and so she did. At the age of 25, in January 1899, she founded Northwood High School, later named St. Helen’s School. In 1999, St. Helen's School celebrated their first centenary.
, Shackleton
and Bruce. Two of the houses were named after Antarctic explorers - Captain Robert Falcon Scott
and Sir Ernest Shackleton
, with Bruce named after the Himalayan explorer Brig. Gen. Charles Bruce
. A fourth house, Bonington
, also named after a Himalayan explorer, has since been added.
House events are an integral part of school life, notably Sports Day and House Arts. Each girl is given a house badge on entering year 7. New to 2006, St. Helen's is offering house T-shirts with the crest in the corresponding house colour.
Each year the House Cup is awarded to the house with the most points, which can be earned through commendations, Sports Day, House Arts and other achievements.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for girls aged three to eighteen. It is also the sister school
Sister school
The term sister school has several meanings:*a definite financial commerce between two colleges or universities*two schools that have a strong historical connection...
of Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
. It previously accepted boarders but as of Autumn 2009 the school is no longer a boarding school, and now only takes day students.
Facilities
St. Helen's school occupies a twenty two acre greenfield site. The Senior School, Junior SchoolJunior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
and Little Saints are on separate sites with their own specialised facilities for their students. The swimming pool is an important facility as many people come for lessons and tutoring after school hours or in the holidays.
The Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
Block, containing fourteen laboratories, supports all scientific disciplines. The June-Leader building consists of three Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
rooms, three Design and Technology Labs as well as a fully equipped Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
Studio. The school has recently installed a Virtuoso Language Laboratory in addition to the old one. The Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
Block, "Fitzwalter" or "Fitz", possesses sixteen practice rooms, where the school offers lessons for most musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s. The Sutherland library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, run by a chartered librarian, holds a vast number of books, periodicals, newspapers and computing
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
facilities. There is also a separate career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
s library containing prospectus
Prospectus (university)
A university or school prospectus is a document sent to potential students to attract them to apply for admissions. It usually contains information about the institution and the available courses, including advice on how to apply and the benefits of accepting a place. Many universities have...
es and career information.
St. Helen's School possesses grounds for many sporting activities. With seven tennis
Tennis
Tennis 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...
courts, two lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse 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...
pitches, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
court, swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium and fitness suite, the school has been able to offer an intensive physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
curriculum.
Information and Communication Technology
St. Helen’s School has a unique partnership with ToshibaToshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
and has become their "UK Centre of Excellence in Mobile Education". IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
is an integral part of school life, with wireless
Wireless LAN
A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
connection covering nearly all the sites.
Sports Complex
In July 2004, phase I of the sports complex was completed and was opened by Steve ParryStephen Parry (swimmer)
Stephen Benjamin Parry is a former British butterfly swimmer. He competed internationally in 100-metre and 200-metre butterfly distances....
, Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Bronze Medalist. It consists of a 25m swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and a "State of the Art" fitness suite. Phase II was finished in summer 2006. This includes the multi gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, dance studio
Dance studio
A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose....
, treatment rooms and observation areas. In 2005, the new swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
was used by the female celebrity competitors from The Games television programme for training.
In December 2006, the final phase II of the sports complex was also completed and was opened by Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Silver Medalist, Roger Black
Roger Black
Roger Anthony Black MBE is a retired British athlete. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4x400 metres relay gold medals at both the...
.
Charity
In the 2005 academic year, St. Helen's has been focusing on its AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n Initiative, working towards raising money and resources for children in Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. Annually, St. Helen's also has a Calendar Sale at Christmas and Summer Extravaganza which raises
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
money for charities
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
supported by the different houses. Phab Week is also an important event at St. Helen's, with select students from St. Helen's and Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
helping disabled
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
children enjoy a carefree week. In 2010, an Earthquake hit Haiti and St Helens raised over one thousand pounds!
Scholarships
With basic tuition fees of £11,385, or £21,114 for full-time boarding, per annum as of 2007, St. Helen's awards scholarshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s to the most academically able students in each year and bursaries
Bursary
A bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The...
for those in a position of financial need.
- Outstanding GCSE Scholarships
- Sixth Form Entry Scholarships
- Senior Entry Academic Scholarships
- Junior Entry Academic Scholarships
- Music Scholarships
- Art Scholarships
- Drama Scholarships
- Sport Scholarships
- Bursaries
History
St. Helen’s School was set up by Miss May Rowland Brown in 1899. Having been trained as a teacher at Cambridge Training College, she began to teach at Northwood CollegeNorthwood College
Northwood College is an independent day school for girls aged 3 to 18. The school was founded in 1878 and is located in Northwood, London, England. It is the sister school of The John Lyon School.-History:...
, a school which, at the time, refused to take in any students that were connected with trade. Whilst still at Northwood College, a group of local businessmen persuaded her to start another school, and so she did. At the age of 25, in January 1899, she founded Northwood High School, later named St. Helen’s School. In 1999, St. Helen's School celebrated their first centenary.
House system
The house system was established in 1927 with three houses named ScottRobert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
, Shackleton
Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
and Bruce. Two of the houses were named after Antarctic explorers - Captain Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
and Sir Ernest Shackleton
Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
, with Bruce named after the Himalayan explorer Brig. Gen. Charles Bruce
Charles Granville Bruce
Brigadier-General Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO was a Himalayan veteran and leader of the second and third British expeditions to Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924.-Background and early life:...
. A fourth house, Bonington
Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
, also named after a Himalayan explorer, has since been added.
House events are an integral part of school life, notably Sports Day and House Arts. Each girl is given a house badge on entering year 7. New to 2006, St. Helen's is offering house T-shirts with the crest in the corresponding house colour.
Each year the House Cup is awarded to the house with the most points, which can be earned through commendations, Sports Day, House Arts and other achievements.
| House | Name Origin | Motto | House Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott | Sir Robert Falcon Scott Robert Falcon Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13... |
"Ready Aye Ready" | Red |
| Shackleton | Sir Ernest Shackleton Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration... |
"Endurance" | Blue |
| Bruce | Brig. Gen. Charles Bruce Charles Granville Bruce Brigadier-General Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO was a Himalayan veteran and leader of the second and third British expeditions to Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924.-Background and early life:... |
"Altiora Peto" | Purple |
| Bonington | Sir Chris Bonington Chris Bonington Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in... |
"Laboramus Ut Vincamus" | Yellow |
Junior School House System
In 1999, to mark the centenary, Junior School adopted a new house system consisting of 3 houses. The Houses, nominated by the Junior School students, were named after pioneering women in history.| House | Name Origin | House Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Curie | Marie Curie Marie Curie Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry... |
Orange |
| Keller | Helen 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.... |
Turquoise |
| Nightingale | Florence 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... |
Magenta |
Notable former pupils
- Rachel Petladwala, Actress (M.I. High)
- Luisa BaldiniLuisa BaldiniLuisa Baldini is Anglo-Italian news reporter and presenter, presently working for BBC News.-Biography:Born in Tanzania to an Italian father and English mother, she first came to the UK when the family moved to North London. She attended St. Helen's School and then Haileybury College, Hertford...
, News reader - Josephine Buchan, TV presenter
- Caroline DanielCaroline DanielCaroline Daniel is currently Editor of the Weekend FT and was appointed in June 2010 after running the FT's oped pages. She is a British journalist and political commentator. Educated at St. Helen's School in London and at Cambridge University she was formerly a panelist for The McLaughlin Group...
, Journalist - Helen GraceHelen GraceHelen Grace is an English actress who trained at the Drama Centre London, now part of the University of the Arts, London. She grew up as an only child in Northwood, attended St...
, Actress - Patricia HodgePatricia HodgePatricia Ann Hodge is an English actor.-Early life:The daughter of the Royal Hotel owner/manager Eric and his wife Marion , Hodge attended Wintringham Girls' Grammar School on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby and then St...
, Actress - Penny MarshallPenny MarshallPenny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
External links
- St. Helen’s School Official Website
- Independent School Inspectorate Inspection Report for St. Helen's School in 2006
- Overview of St. Helen's School by the DfES
- Summary of St. Helen’s School academic performance by the BBC
- St. Helen’s School on Good Schools Guide
- St. Helen’s School on ISBI
- St. Helen’s School on Featured Schools
- St. Helen's School on Boarding Schools
- The International Baccalaureate at St. Helen’s School