Tiffin Girls' School
Encyclopedia
The Tiffin Girls' School is an all girls grammar school
located in Kingston upon Thames
, south-west London
, England
. The school lies in over nine acre
s on the east side of Richmond Road.
By 1869, when the charity schools had closed and the money was no longer needed by the Public Elementary School, the Trustees proposed to dedicate the Tiffin money exclusively to Kingston Grammar School
. The row that ensued went on until 1872 when it was ruled that the Grammar School should not receive more than a quarter of the income from charities. In 1874, plans were drawn up for two new schools, a Tiffins' School for boys and one for girls, each to take 150 pupils. The Tiffin Girl's School was originally called The Tiffin's Girl's School but was changed as it caused some problems.
The single building by "The Fairfield" (now recreational cricket ovals), which housed both schools, was completed in 1879 but opened in 1880. Miss Rhoda Ward Fysh was appointed as the girls' school's first headmistress. After fifty years in a previous building in Richmond Road, the school moved to its present site, also in Richmond Road, in 1987.
In 1999 the school benefited from a £500,000 Sport England
Lottery Fund Grant. This, combined with fund raising from the school, greatly enhanced the sports facilities for both school and community use. Improvements included a floodlit all-weather astro turf for hockey, floodlit netball/tennis courts and refurbished changing facilities as well as a community sports development programme for after school, weekends and holidays.
In December 2003, a fire burned down a huge portion of the main building's wing causing much chaos to the school. Thanks to the Tiffin Fire Appeal, there has been a significant amount of money raised to rebuild it.
The new part of the school was completed in 2006. The new wing was named the Holdsworth Wing after the retired Chair of Governors, Sandra Holdsworth. The construction of a new drama studio, with state-of-the-art equipment, was completed in 2007. The school raised money for a new music studio, which was opened in September 2009.
A-level %A*-B: 91.5
GCSE %A*-A: 91.1 (58.9% at A*)
There are two choirs for pupils to join, and a number of instrumental ensembles including the Symphony Orchestra, the Tiffin Girls’ Sinfonia, the Concert Band and the Indian Orchestra. Students can also audition for the Thames Youth Orchestra which is a joint venture involving performers from both Tiffin schools. Repertoire has included Borodin’s Second Symphony, Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, Sibelius’s Karelia Suite and music by Copland, Roy Harris, Resphigi, Schumann and Britten. An annual concert is given in a central London venue.
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 Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, south-west London
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...
, 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...
. The school lies in over nine acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s on the east side of Richmond Road.
History
The Tiffin name is borrowed from Thomas and John Tiffin, prosperous brewers in the early seventeenth century, who left money in their wills for the education of the poor. The money was first used for 'scholarships' for one or two boys to attend an existing private school but, due to wise investment and donations from other local benefactors, nearly 100 children were benefiting from the charitable fund by the 1820s.By 1869, when the charity schools had closed and the money was no longer needed by the Public Elementary School, the Trustees proposed to dedicate the Tiffin money exclusively to Kingston Grammar School
Kingston Grammar School
Kingston Grammar School is an independent co-educational school in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century. It is a registered charity under English law....
. The row that ensued went on until 1872 when it was ruled that the Grammar School should not receive more than a quarter of the income from charities. In 1874, plans were drawn up for two new schools, a Tiffins' School for boys and one for girls, each to take 150 pupils. The Tiffin Girl's School was originally called The Tiffin's Girl's School but was changed as it caused some problems.
The single building by "The Fairfield" (now recreational cricket ovals), which housed both schools, was completed in 1879 but opened in 1880. Miss Rhoda Ward Fysh was appointed as the girls' school's first headmistress. After fifty years in a previous building in Richmond Road, the school moved to its present site, also in Richmond Road, in 1987.
In 1999 the school benefited from a £500,000 Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
Lottery Fund Grant. This, combined with fund raising from the school, greatly enhanced the sports facilities for both school and community use. Improvements included a floodlit all-weather astro turf for hockey, floodlit netball/tennis courts and refurbished changing facilities as well as a community sports development programme for after school, weekends and holidays.
In December 2003, a fire burned down a huge portion of the main building's wing causing much chaos to the school. Thanks to the Tiffin Fire Appeal, there has been a significant amount of money raised to rebuild it.
The new part of the school was completed in 2006. The new wing was named the Holdsworth Wing after the retired Chair of Governors, Sandra Holdsworth. The construction of a new drama studio, with state-of-the-art equipment, was completed in 2007. The school raised money for a new music studio, which was opened in September 2009.
Present Day
There are approximately 1000 pupils aged between 11 and 18, including 280 in the sixth form. They are split into four houses - Bebbington (Red), Flavell (Yellow), Schofield (Blue) and Watson (Green). These are all named after former headmistresses of the school. Pupils earn points towards the house competition in events such as the school birthday (in February of each year) and sports day. The house competition used to run throughout one academic year, but in 2008 was changed to run from Easter to Easter in order to allow the current House Officers to enjoy their victory. The house with the most points wins the Belitha trophy (which was donated by Edward Belitha).Ofsted Report
The Ofsted Report in 2009 stated that “ the Tiffin Girls’ School continues to provide an outstanding quality of education and students consistently attain exceptionally high results in GCSE and A-Level examinations. The school constantly strives for and achieves excellence.” The school was rated ‘outstanding’ in every area.Academic Record
The school has an outstanding level of academic achievement. The 2011 examination results for the school are:A-level %A*-B: 91.5
GCSE %A*-A: 91.1 (58.9% at A*)
Admissions
Entry into the school is by academic selection, using both a verbal reasoning test and a non-verbal reasoning test. 120 girls are admitted in year 7 each year. Applications to the sixth from are also welcomed.Music
Each academic year, apart from the normal classroom activity, the school puts on around ten concerts. These include four major orchestral concerts, two in December one in November and one in April. In addition there is a Year 8/9 concert and an A level recital concert. The summer term ends with a vocal concert and a shorter orchestral concert. The first event of the school year is the Year 7 Concert, which is held in early October.There are two choirs for pupils to join, and a number of instrumental ensembles including the Symphony Orchestra, the Tiffin Girls’ Sinfonia, the Concert Band and the Indian Orchestra. Students can also audition for the Thames Youth Orchestra which is a joint venture involving performers from both Tiffin schools. Repertoire has included Borodin’s Second Symphony, Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, Sibelius’s Karelia Suite and music by Copland, Roy Harris, Resphigi, Schumann and Britten. An annual concert is given in a central London venue.
Drama
Drama is popular at the Tiffin Girls’ School, with an annual school production taking place in the Autumn Term and a lower school production in the Summer. Recent productions have included Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Twits and Oliver!Sport
Physical Education is an integral and busy part of school life. Tiffin girls are encouraged to fully participate in curriculum, interhouse, lunch time and extra curricular sport. The school prides itself on the amount of opportunities that it can provide for its students. This would range from participating in a training session with an expert coach to competing in Borough, County and National competitions.Notable former pupils
- Elspeth AttwoollElspeth AttwoollElspeth Attwooll is a retired Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. She is a former Member of the European Parliament for Scotland....
, Lib Dem MEPMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for ScotlandScotland (European Parliament constituency)Scotland constitutes a single constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :... - Lisa FaulknerLisa FaulknerLisa Tamsin Faulkner is an English actress and television personality.-Early life:Faulkner was educated at Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston upon Thames.When Faulkner was 16, her mother, Julie, died of cancer...
, actress - Barbara C. FreemanBarbara C. FreemanBarbara Constance Freeman was an English writer and illustrator of books for children and young adults.-Biography:Barbara Constance Freeman was born on 29 November 1906 in Ealing, near London...
, author and illustrator - Jill Gascoigne, actress
- Phyllis Ginger, artist (1919-26)
- Chloe HaywardChloe Hayward- Early life and education :Chloe has attended Tiffin Girls' School and she achieved three A-grades in her A-levels.- Breakthrough :Chloe Hayward was discovered after being spotted by Sarah Leon, an agent of Next Model Management. Since then, she has appeared on the covers of such publications as...
, fashion model - Mary McAnally, Managing Director of Meridian BroadcastingMeridian BroadcastingMeridian Broadcasting is the holder of the ITV franchise for the South and South East of England. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting Limited....
from 1996-2002 (1956-63) - Ruth O'KeeffeRuth O'KeeffeChristina Ruth O'Keeffe is a British local government councillor in East Sussex, England. She is the Independent County Councillor for the Lewes Division of East Sussex County Council, and is also a member of Lewes District and Town Councils for Lewes Priory Ward.She was educated at Tiffin Girls'...
, politician - Ingrid OliverIngrid OliverIngrid Oliver is a British actress and comedian, and one half of comedic double act Watson and Oliver.-Career:In September 2005, Ingrid Oliver and Lorna Watson performed their first show together at The Canal Cafe Theatre in London...
, actress - Katherine ParkinsonKatherine ParkinsonLaura Katherine Parkinson is an English actress and comedian who is known for playing the part of Jen Barber in the Channel 4 comedy series The IT Crowd...
, actress - Lynne TrussLynne TrussLynne Truss is an English writer and journalist, best known for her popular book Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.-Early life:...
, author - Sarah WincklessSarah WincklessSarah Winckless is a former British rower. She won a bronze medal in Double sculls with her partner Elise Laverick at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and was twice world champion, in 2005 and 2006....
, Olympic bronze medal winner at Athens in women’s double sculls"Newsletter of the Old Tiffinians’ Association", No. 221, September 2004 - Michaela StrachanMichaela StrachanMichaela Evelyn Ann Strachan is an English television presenter.-Personal life:Strachan attended Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, a Christian Science school. Later, while at college, she briefly held jobs as an Avon lady and as a kissogram...
, presenter - Lorna Watson, actress