Wimbledon High School

Last updated

Wimbledon High School
Address
Wimbledon High School
Mansel Road

London
,
SW19 4AB

England
Coordinates 51°25′21″N0°12′39″W / 51.4226°N 0.2107°W / 51.4226; -0.2107
Information
Type Private day school
MottoesEx Humilibus Excelsa
("From humble beginnings, greatness")
Stepping in, Striding out
Established1880
Local authority Merton
Department for Education URN 102692 Tables
HeadmistressFionnuala Kennedy [1]
GenderGirls
Age4to 18
Enrolment900~
Houses4
Colour(s)  Green
Website http://www.wimbledonhigh.gdst.net/

Wimbledon High School is an independent girls' day school in Wimbledon, South West London. It is a Girls' Day School Trust school and is a member of the Girls' Schools Association.

Contents

History

Wimbledon High School was founded by the Girls' Public Day School Trust (now known as the Girls' Day School Trust or GDST). It opened on 9 November 1880 at No. 74 (now No. 78) Wimbledon Hill Road with 12 students and Miss Edith Hastings as Headmistress, aged just 29. Over the next decade, the school roll grew to over 200 girls. The first lesson taught was on the subject of the apple. Soon after, the fruit was used as the emblem of the school. Every year on the school's birthday in November, pupils and staff eat apple-green cupcakes in memory of this.

Ethel Gavin became the head in 1908. During World War I, the school endured a difficult time, the head was in Germany at the time and was detained for some weeks. [2] The timetable was suspended for older students as girls and teachers joined the war effort and made respirators for the troops. A fire broke out in 1917 and gutted the main building. The head, Ethel Gavin, who organised the recovery died in early 1918 from cancer. [2] The girls were moved to a temporary location to resume their activities.

The new building was formally opened by old girl, the Duchess of Atholl, in October 1920 and it included a gymnasium and two new laboratories. The facilities have now been much expanded upon.

The school's currents sports fields, at Nursery Road (off Worple Road) were until 1922 the site of the All England Club, before it moved the Wimbledon Tennis Championship to its present location on Church Road. [3] The acquisition of the playing fields was made possible by a successful fundraising campaign that raised £6000 from parents and alumnae.

The school was greatly affected by the Second World War. Pupil numbers fell as London was bombarded during the Battle of Britain. Under the Education Act 1944, the school applied for and was granted "direct grant" status. It chose to become private when the scheme was abolished during the 1970s.

A new junior school building was opened in 2000. New buildings were added such as a design and technology centre, new science labs and the Rutherford Centre for the Performing Arts, named after the actress Margaret Rutherford, an alumna of the school. [4]

In 2022 a 3-year building project completed, known as Project Ex-Humilibus, from the school motto. [5] [6] The development included:


Academic Results

Wimbledon High School is highly academic. It usually achieves excellent results in A-level and GCSE exams [8] and it's regularly listed extremely high in the league tables. [9] The school is the recipient of several Times Educational Supplement (TES) independent school awards [10] (known as the Oscars of Education [11] ) and nominations, including ones for Best Use of Technology, Inclusive School of the Year [11] and Senior School of the Year. [12]

Sports

Wimbledon High School has a longstanding relationship with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the organisers of the Wimbledon Tennis Championship. [13] The school's present sporting grounds at the nearby Nursery Road were the original home of the Wimbledon Championship and the site of the 1908 London Olympics tennis matches. Each year, multiple Wimbledon High School students are selected as ballgirls at the Championship. [14]

Tennis

In 2023 student Hannah Klugman was the youngest ever player to qualify for a W100 tennis event at age 15 years 1 month and 22 days. [15]

Rowing

Rowing is a very popular sport at Wimbledon High School. The school's Boat Club (WHSBC) is headed by British world champion and Olympic silver medalist Gillan Lindsay. [16] They can boast of numerous trophies and prestigious placements, including winning the National Schools' Regatta and qualifying for the Henley Royal Regatta. [17] [18]

House System

Originally there was no house system, but now girls are placed in one of the four houses upon entry. There are inter-house competitions and activities held throughout the year notably: The Big Draw, House Music, Junior Drama, Inter-house sports, Sports Day, Off-Timetable Day, House University Challenge, and House Debating.

Junior School

The junior houses were named after famous women.

HouseColour
Austen  
Garrett-Anderson  
Hepworth  
Somerville 

Senior School

The houses were named after four of the twelve first students to attend Wimbledon High School: May and Margaret Arnold, Mildred Hastings, Violet Scott-Moncrieff and Sophie Meredith. Each house has its own house committee consisting of a house captain and deputy house captain chosen by staff after an application process, and then Music, Art, Sports and Drama captains and a secretary selected by the house captain. House points are awarded for victory in house competitions and also by teachers in recognition for academic excellence and good conduct, following the PBS system.

HouseColour
Arnold 
Scott 
Meredith 
Hastings 

Headmistresses

Associated People

Notable former pupils

Notable former teachers

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References

  1. 1 2 Parent, Independent School (29 September 2020). "The New Normal 2.0". Independent School Parent. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sayers, Jane E. (2004). "Gavin, Ethel (1866–1918), educationist and headmistress" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/55584 . Retrieved 13 October 2020.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ↑ "History - 1920s". www.wimbledon.com. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  4. ↑ "History". Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "StackPath". www.wimbledonhigh.gdst.net. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Home". www.exhumilibus.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Masterplan Case Study: Wimbledon High School". IID Architects. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  8. ↑ "A Levels 2023 — Another outstanding year for Wimbledon High School". Girls' Day School Trust. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "Wimbledon High School Review". whichschooladvisor.com. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Tes Schools Awards 2023: GDST finalists announced". Girls' Day School Trust. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Tes Schools Awards 2023 finalists announced | Tes". www.tes.com. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  12. ↑ "Wimbledon school is 'truly world class' after awards nomination". Wimbledon Times. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  13. ↑ "Celebrating a special tennis centenary | News | Wimbledon High School". www.wimbledonhigh.gdst.net. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  14. ↑ "Sports | Wimbledon High School". www.wimbledonhigh.gdst.net. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  15. ↑ "Hannah Klugman is one to watch in British tennis". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  16. ↑ "World Rowing - Gillian LINDSAY". World Rowing. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  17. ↑ "Golds and Silvers at the Rowing Nationals | News | Wimbledon High School". www.wimbledonhigh.gdst.net. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  18. ↑ "National Schools' Regatta | Time-Team". regatta.time-team.nl. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  19. ↑ Kamm, Josephine (2013). Indicative Past: A Hundred Years of the Girls' Public Day School Trust. Routledge. p. 106. ISBN   9781134531677. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
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