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Nottingham Girls' High School is an independent selective day school for girls aged 4-18, situated just north of Nottingham city centre. The school was founded in 1875 and forms part of the Girls' Day School Trust.

History

Nottingham Girls' High School was founded on 14 September 1875 by the Girls' Public Day School Company (now the Girls' Day School Trust). It was among the first schools opened by the GDST outside London.

Before the 1870s, education for girls in Nottingham was fixed by social class, with limited opportunities for working class girls to receive any post primary schooling. The forming of girls’ education was largely due to the work of feminist reformers. Nottingham Girls' High School was originally on Oxford Street, with Mrs Bolton as Headmistress, before relocating to its current location on Arboretum Street, in a building formerly a lace manufacturer’s house. When the school first opened, it had just 34 pupils, but by the time of its relocation it had expanded to 146.

The outbreak of WWII in 1939 resulted in NGHS moving to two separate locations: Ramsdale Park and Daybrook, in order to accommodate the South Notts Hussars who were stationed in the Arboretum Street buildings. However, by 1944/5 the school was able to move back. Just 10 years later, the number of pupils reached 800 and NGHS celebrated its 80th birthday.

The 1970s saw significant building expansion at the school and in 1975 NGHS celebrated its Centenary. On 18 May 1973, the Milford Building was officially opened by HRH the Duchess of Gloucester and in 1978, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh opened the Edinburgh Library.

In 1995, the House system was introduced and named after the first four Headmistresses of NGHS: Bolton, Hastings, Luxton and Skeel. The Bowering Sports Hall was opened by Richard Bacon in 1998 and eleven years later, in May 2009, the new Sixth Form Centre opened.

A huge addition to the school came in 2016 when the Old Dining Hall building was demolished and replaced with an incredible, state-of-the-art performing arts centre know as 'The Space' named after esteemed alumna Dame Rosemary Squire (The Squire Performing Arts Centre).

Over its 140 year history, the school has been overseen by 13 Headmistresses and one acting Headmistress. Today the school is run by Head, Julie Keller.

Facilities

Originally based in a group of Victorian houses, the school has since expanded considerably. The campus now boasts a state-of-the art performing arts centre called 'The Space' located where the Old Dining Hall and Uniform Shop used to be. The Space is used for music and drama productions at the school and can also be hired by external bodies for conferences, meetings and performances. It is also a great source of education for those girls interested in all aspects of the performing arts and theatre production work, from music to lighting.

There is also a Sixth Form Centre adjoining The Space, with bright, modern classrooms, its own kitchen area and tuck shop, and outside garden and decking area. Sixth Form girls are encouraged to be independent and love to have their own space within the school. There are two libraries - one in the Senior School and one in the Junior School; a lecture theatre, drama studio, music building, a modern dining hall, and common rooms for the lower and upper school. The Infant and Junior School are on the same site but based in the buildings on Balmoral Road and provide a brilliant, vibrant and colourful environment in which our youngest girls thrive.

In recent years, the school has invested heavily in IT provision and training; for example, all girls from Year 4 upwards are issued with a personal iPad while the younger girls share iPad facilities. Classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards and there is digital equipment for use across all areas of the curriculum such as cameras and microscopes. DT and food rooms have also been recently refurbished to the highest standards to include a 3D printer among other high tech equipment.

The school grounds also include large all-weather courts, grass pitches, a gymnasium, sports hall and fitness suite. The fantastic outdoor learning area is an incredible space comprising a climbing wall, and Upnah Wood, which boasts a whole manner of outdoor learning equipment such as low ropes, a fire pit and even a pizza oven, with more exiting additions on the horizon. There is an additional sports ground at Grassington Road in Aspley, due for substantial reinvestment and redevelopment in the future..

Houses

The four school houses are named after the four first headmistresses of the school; Bolton, Hastings, Luxton and Skeel. In recent years, the Junior School has also adopted the House system so that girls can be in the same House as their siblings further up the school. The House system builds unity and team spirit and the girls love to cheer on their team-mates in all sorts of House competitions from Sports Day to Choral Speaking.

Academic Excellence

The school can accommodate around 900 girls overall, aged from 4 to 18. The Sixth Form represents nearly 30% of the Senior School and is overseen by the Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Erin Skelton. There are usually around 280 girls in the Junior School, which has its own Head, currently Mrs Laura Fowler; the Head of whole school is Miss Julie Keller. As one of the largest of the 23 schools and 2 academies in the Girls' Day School Trust, Nottingham Girls' High School is proud to be part of an organisation which, since its foundation in 1872, has promoted and specialised in the education of girls.

Student executive

The Sixth Form elects a group of 16 girls, including Head Girl and two Deputy Head Girls, who organise social events, and there is also a senior prefect team that aid the Head Girl in her duties. Three House Captains are also appointed per House to run house events and cheer on participants.

Notable former pupils

• Gina Birch, bass player with The Raincoats
• Helen Cooper, literary scholar
• Helen Cresswell, children's author
• Janice Elliott, novelist, journalist and children's writer
• Helen Karagounis, née Thieme, Olympic athlete
• Sudha Kheterpal, percussionist
• Clare Hammond, concert pianist
• Julie Myerson, author, and writer in the Financial Times
• Stella Rimington, former Director-General of MI5
• Indhu Rubasingham, theatre director
• Molly Whittington-Egan, writer
• Rosemary Squire, theatre owner and entrepreneur

References

1. Meller, Helen Elizabeth (1971). Nottingham in the eighteen eighties: a study in social change. University of Nottingham. p. 43.
2. Carter, James (2002). Talking Books: Children's Authors Talk About the Craft, Creativity and Process of Writing, Volume 2. Routledge. pp. 114–29. ISBN 9780203025178.
3. ""Notable GDST Alumnae", Annual Review 2011 – More than an education" (PDF). Girls' Day School Trust (courtesty of Times Educational Supplement).

External links

• School Website
• Profile on the ISC website
• Profile on the GDST website
• Profile at MyDaughter

• Girls' schools in Nottinghamshire
• Educational institutions established in 1875
• Schools of the Girls' Day School Trust
• Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association
• Independent schools in Nottingham
• 1875 establishments in England
• People educated at Nottingham Girls' High School