Birkenhead High School
Encyclopedia
Birkenhead High School Academy is an all-ability state funded girls' Academy in Birkenhead
, Wirral
.
, a national educational charity based in London. Its predecessor school was Birkenhead High School, which was an independent selective school. In 2009 this closed and was replaced by an Academy, which abandoned academic selection. Birkenhead High School Academy is not fee-paying and is essentially state funded.
It is situated on Devonshire Place just north of Trinity with Palm Grove Church. The school lies within the parish of Christ Church, Birkenhead although the tennis courts are in the parish of St Saviour's, and the playing fields are in the parish of St. James, Birkenhead.
, Birkenhead
. In 1901 it was purchased by the Girls' Public Day School Company
(GPDSC). The school moved into 86 Devonshire Place in September 1905. In 1918 the school acquired 31 Devonshire Place to be the home of the junior school. During World War Two the girls were evacuated to Shrewsbury High School
.
As part of the state-funded system the Academy no longer charges fees. Fair banding
is used to ensure a comprehensive intake of the full range of academic ability. Sixth Form admission is six GCSE passes at Grade B or above, including English and mathematics. The school's particular specialisms are Music and Mathematics.
Recently the local authority suggested a collaboration or merger with Prenton High School for Girls
, a local 11-16 comprehensive, due to a significant surplus of school places for girls on the Wirral and the significant duplication between the two schools. However, any form of collaboration between the two schools would require the co-operation of the GDST, the governing bodies of both schools and the Local Authority.
became fully co-educational in September 2008, stating that it had "the desire to play our role in providing a selective and independent choice for all children on Wirral, whether boys or girls". Subsequently it has completed a £2m investment to support its co-educational future and deal with increased numbers.
Currently around 23% of its pupils are female, with its initial intake primarily refugees from Birkenhead High School Academy.
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, Wirral
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
.
Admissions
It is a member of the Girls' Day School TrustGirls' Day School Trust
The Girls' Day School Trust is a group of 26 independent schools - 24 schools and two Academies - in England and Wales, catering for pupils aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each year...
, a national educational charity based in London. Its predecessor school was Birkenhead High School, which was an independent selective school. In 2009 this closed and was replaced by an Academy, which abandoned academic selection. Birkenhead High School Academy is not fee-paying and is essentially state funded.
It is situated on Devonshire Place just north of Trinity with Palm Grove Church. The school lies within the parish of Christ Church, Birkenhead although the tennis courts are in the parish of St Saviour's, and the playing fields are in the parish of St. James, Birkenhead.
History
The High Schools Company opened Birkenhead High School for Girls in 1884 in a building on Village Road in OxtonOxton, Merseyside
Oxton is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Originally a village in its own right, it became part of the Municipal Borough of Birkenhead upon its creation in 1877...
, Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. In 1901 it was purchased by the Girls' Public Day School Company
Girls' Day School Trust
The Girls' Day School Trust is a group of 26 independent schools - 24 schools and two Academies - in England and Wales, catering for pupils aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each year...
(GPDSC). The school moved into 86 Devonshire Place in September 1905. In 1918 the school acquired 31 Devonshire Place to be the home of the junior school. During World War Two the girls were evacuated to Shrewsbury High School
Shrewsbury High School
Shrewsbury High School is a school for girls in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Founded in 1885, Shrewsbury High is one of the smaller schools in the Girls' Day School Trust, having roughly 750 pupils aged 3 to 18....
.
Headmistresses
- 1917-1923 Edith Mabel Lucy Lees, (1878–1956).
- 1923-1930 Jessie Margaret Hunter McCaig (d. 1965).
- 1930-1952 H N Stephen, (1891–1984).
- 1952-1963 Phyllis Edith Winter.
- 1964-1970 Irene Hindmarsh, later to be Principal of St Aidan's CollegeSt Aidan's CollegeSt Aidan's College is a college of the University of Durham in England. Founded in 1947 as St Aidan's Society, but able to trace its roots back to the end of the 19th century, the college is named for St Aidan of Lindisfarne.-History:...
, Durham UniversityDurham UniversityThe University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
from 1970–1988. - 1971-1986 Freda Kellett.
Predecessor School Closure and Replacement by All-Ability Academy
Parents of pupils at the school were informed in September 2007 that the school was to be replaced by a state-funded all-ability girls' 3-19 Academy, with the GDST as the founding sponsor.As part of the state-funded system the Academy no longer charges fees. Fair banding
Ability grouping
Ability grouping is the educational practice of grouping students by academic potential or past achievement.Ability groups are usually small, informal groups formed within a single classroom. Assignment to an ability group is often short-term , and varies by subject...
is used to ensure a comprehensive intake of the full range of academic ability. Sixth Form admission is six GCSE passes at Grade B or above, including English and mathematics. The school's particular specialisms are Music and Mathematics.
Recently the local authority suggested a collaboration or merger with Prenton High School for Girls
Prenton High School for Girls
Prenton High School for Girls is a Comprehensive school for girls between the ages of 11 and 16 in Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, Wirral, England.-Overview:...
, a local 11-16 comprehensive, due to a significant surplus of school places for girls on the Wirral and the significant duplication between the two schools. However, any form of collaboration between the two schools would require the co-operation of the GDST, the governing bodies of both schools and the Local Authority.
Local response to Academy decision
In response to the school's decision to become a state-funded all-ability Academy, and the consequent abandonment of the planned merger between the schools which had been actually initiated by Birkenhead High School, the neighbouring Birkenhead SchoolBirkenhead School
Birkenhead School is an independent, selective, co-educational school located on the Wirral Peninsula in the northwest of England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.-Overview:The school is subdivided into...
became fully co-educational in September 2008, stating that it had "the desire to play our role in providing a selective and independent choice for all children on Wirral, whether boys or girls". Subsequently it has completed a £2m investment to support its co-educational future and deal with increased numbers.
Currently around 23% of its pupils are female, with its initial intake primarily refugees from Birkenhead High School Academy.
Academic Performance and the Impact of Academy Status
In 2009, the last year of Birkenhead High School before its demise, it achieved the best A level results in Wirral, measured as points per entry, together with Birkenhead School, a co-educational independent selective school.. Published results for subsequent years show a steady, material and ongoing decline, as feared and predicted by the Academy refuseniks.Birkenhead High School for Girls (predecessor school)
- Ann BellAnn BellAnn Bell is a British actress, best known for playing war internee Marion Jefferson in the BBC World War II drama series Tenko during the early 1980s. She was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, daughter of John Forrest Bell and Marjorie Bell, and educated at Birkenhead High School...
, actress - Sybil Crouch, Director since 1990 of the Taliesin Arts CentreTaliesin Arts CentreThe Taliesin Arts Centre is owned and managed by the University of Wales, Swansea and is located on the university campus. The venue hosts a broad programme of events including cinema screenings, an average of ten visiting exhibitions per year, and a variety of live performances, from dance and...
- Dame May Curwen CBE, administrator, president of the British Council for Aid to RefugeesRefugee CouncilThe Refugee Council is the United Kingdom's leading organisation working with refugees and asylum seekers. The organisation provides support and advice to refugees and asylum seekers, as well as support for other refugee and asylum seeker organisations...
and National General Secretary of the YWCA of Great BritainWorld YWCAThe World YWCA is the umbrella organization of the global network of the YWCA, a movement of women working for social and economic change around the world. It advocates for young women’s leadership, peace, justice, human rights and sustainable development, both on a grassroots and global scale...
from 1930–49 - Nicola HorlickNicola HorlickNicola Karina Christina Horlick, is a British investment fund manager.-Early life:...
, fund manager - Penny HughesPenny HughesPenny Hughes CBE is a British businesswoman.Hughes was educated at Birkenhead High School. While at the school she represented the county at hockey and lacrosse. She was awarded a first-class degree in chemistry from Sheffield University. She joined Procter & Gamble, as a technologist, then moved...
, businesswoman - Marian LinesMarian LinesMarian Alice Lines is a British writer and actress. The majority of Lines' works are libretti for musical productions, and many are for performance by children.-Biography:...
, actress and writer - Dame Mary MarshMary MarshDame Mary Elizabeth Marsh, FRSA was the Chief Executive of the UK National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children from 2000 to 2008.Marsh is a daughter of George Donald Falconer, by his wife, Lesley Mary née Wilson...
, Chief Executive from 2000-8 of the NSPCC - Dr Vivienne Nathanson, Director of Professional Activities since 1996 at the British Medical AssociationBritish Medical AssociationThe British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
(BMA), and Professor at the Durham University School of Medicine and HealthDurham University School of Medicine and HealthThe School of Medicine and Health at the University of Durham was founded in 2001 as a partner with the University of Newcastle Medical School to educate medical students in the first phase of their medical education... - Jane Platt, chief executive, National Savings and Investments.
- Patricia RoutledgePatricia RoutledgeKatherine Patricia Routledge, CBE is an English character comedy actress and singer. She is best known for her role as character Hyacinth Bucket in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances and Hetty Wainthropp in the British television series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates...
CBE, actress. - Dr Sheila Shribman, doctor, national clinical director for children.
- Dr Dorothy Thompson, papyrologistPapyrologyPapyrology is the study of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., as preserved in manuscripts written on papyrus, the most common form of writing material in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome...
, President from 2001-6 of the Association Internationale de Papyrologues, and wife of Michael Crawford (historian)Michael Crawford (historian)Michael Hewson Crawford is a British ancient historian and numismatist.-Biography:Michael Crawford was born in Twickenham on 7 December 1939.He was educated at St Paul's School and Oriel College, Oxford , and the British School at Rome.... - Charlotte Voake, children's author and illustrator
- Dame Frances YatesFrances YatesDame Frances Amelia Yates DBE was a British historian. She taught at the Warburg Institute of the University of London for many years.She wrote extensively on the occult or Neoplatonic philosophies of the Renaissance...
OBE, historian.