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 a private 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]

Headmistresses

Associated People

Notable former pupils

Notable former teachers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surbiton High School</span> Private day school in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England

Surbiton High School is a private day school in Surbiton in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England. It has seven buildings overall including the Boys’ Preparatory School, Girls’ Preparatory School, the Senior School and the Sixth Form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girls' Day School Trust</span> British charitable organisation

The Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) is a group of 25 independent schools, including two academies, in England and Wales, catering for girls aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each year. It was formed in 1872 to provide affordable day-school (non-boarding) education for girls as The Girls' Public Day School Company (1872–1905), then The Girls' Public Day School Trust (1906–1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangi Ruru Girls' School</span> School

Rangi Ruru Girls' School is a New Zealand private girls' day and boarding secondary school located in Merivale, an inner suburb of Christchurch. The school is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and serves approximately 704 girls from Years 7 to 13.

Rutherford College is a co-educational state secondary school on the Te Atatū Peninsula, Auckland, New Zealand. It is named after New Zealand-born nuclear physicist and chemist Ernest Rutherford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Hampstead High School</span> Private day school in South Hampstead, Greater London, England

South Hampstead High School is a private day school in Hampstead, north-west London, England, which was founded by the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST). It is for girls aged 4–18 with selective entry at ages 4+, 7+, 11+ and 16+.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton High School, London</span> Private, gdst school in Sutton, Greater , England

Sutton High School is a private day school for girls aged 3–18 in Sutton, Greater London. It is run by the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal High School, Bath</span> Girls public school in Bath, Somerset, England

Royal High School Bath is a private boarding and day school for girls in Bath, Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notting Hill and Ealing High School</span> Private day school in Ealing, London, England

Notting Hill and Ealing High School is a private day school for girls aged 4 – 18 in Ealing, London. Founded in 1873, it is one of the 26 schools that make up the Girls' Day School Trust. It has a Junior Department of 310 girls and a Senior Department of 600 girls. The current Headmaster is Mr Matthew Shoults. Ms Bevan is Head of the Junior School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Putney High School</span> All girls school in London

Putney High School, GDST is an independent girls' day school in Putney, London. Often referred to as simply Putney, the school admits students from the ages 4–18. Founded in 1893 it is a member of the Girls' Day School Trust, a union of 26 schools with 19,500 students and 3,500 staff. The school uniform is purple and has always been since a uniform was put in place. On average, in the junior school, there are 48 children in a year, 2 classes in a year and 24 in each class. In the senior school, there are about 25–27 in a class and each year has an intake of about 110, so 4 classes a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howell's School, Llandaff</span> Independent day school in Cardiff, Wales

Howell's School is a private day school for girls in Llandaff, a district in northern Cardiff, Wales. It consists of a nursery, infants, junior, senior school and a sixth form. The sixth form became coeducational in September 2005 and was renamed Howell's Co-ed College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield High School, South Yorkshire</span> Private day school in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Sheffield High School (SHS) is a private girls' day school in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, part of the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich High School for Girls</span> Private school day school in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom

Norwich High School for Girls is a private day school for girls aged 3 to 18 in Norwich, England. The school was founded in 1875 by the Girls’ Public Day School Company, which aimed to establish schools for girls of all classes by providing a high standard of academic, moral and religious education. The school is a member of the Girls’ Schools Association and the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference. The school consistently has one of the best academic results in East Anglia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Girls High School</span> School in Australia

Sydney Girls High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school located at Moore Park, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Schools' Regatta</span> Rowing regatta for junior rowers in Great Britain

National Schools' Regatta is the largest rowing regatta for junior rowers in Great Britain. Held annually in May, the three day regatta offers events for junior rowers between the categories J14 and J18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birkenhead High School Academy</span> Academy in Oxton, Wirral, England

Birkenhead High School Academy is an all-ability state funded girls' Academy in Birkenhead, Wirral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillian Lindsay</span> Scottish rower (born 1973)

Gillian Lindsay is a former Team GB Scottish rower. She won silver in the quadruple sculls at the 2000 Summer Olympics silver medalist, and two-time medal winner in the World Championships, taking silver in the double sculls in 1997 and gold in 1998. Since her retirement in 2001, she has focused on coaching and commentating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Twigg</span> New Zealand rower (born 1987)

Emma Kimberley Twigg is a New Zealand rower. A single sculler, she was the 2014 world champion and won gold in her fourth Olympics in Tokyo in July 2021. Previous Olympic appearances were in 2008, 2012, and 2016. She has retired from rowing twice, first for master-level studies in Europe in 2015 and then after the 2016 Olympics, disappointed at having narrowly missed an Olympic medal for the second time. After two years off the water, she started training again in 2018 and won silver at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. Since her marriage in 2020, she has become an outspoken advocate for LGBT athletes. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Twigg won gold in the woman's single scull. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Twigg won Silver in the same event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heathfield School, Pinner</span> Private day school in Pinner, Middlesex, England

Heathfield School was a private day school for girls in Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. It merged with Northwood College in 2014 and the site was taken over by Pinner High School.

Ethel Gavin was a British educationist and headmistress. She led several schools including Wimbledon High School and Notting Hill High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Klugman</span> British tennis player (born 2009)

Hannah Klugman is a British professional tennis player. She has a career high singles ranking of 527 achieved on 1 July 2024.

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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.