Devonport High School for Girls
Encyclopedia
Devonport High School for Girls is a traditional state selective girls' secondary school
(ages 11–18) in Plymouth
, England
.
It was established approximately 15 years after its sibling Devonport High School for Boys
. The school moved to its current location which overlooks the Plymouth Argyle
football ground, Home Park
, on September 10, 1937, from its original location on Paradise Road.
The school was divided into four houses- St.Joan, St.Margaret, St.Monica and St.Ursula. Today the house system still exists but are now named-Falcon, Kestrel, Hawk and Eagle.
During World War II
the girls were evacuated to Tiverton grammar school, whilst the DHSG building was initially used by the fire service who were drafted in from across England to fight fires created by the aerial bombardment. It was also used as a machine shop for the dockyard during this period.
The building suffered bomb damage during the war. The tennis and netball courts added in 1952 can now be seen at a lower level than the playing field due to a crater an exploded mine had left.
Honour boards which hang at the back of the main hall were paid for by the money each of the pupils received to mark the Coronation
.
In 1971 DHSG started to accept girls from all areas of Plymouth and by the 1980s girls were coming from outside of Plymouth. In 2005 DHSG acquired Specialist Language College status bringing with it funding to provide better facilities, not just in building updating and expansion but in technology also. The new Learning Centre constructed in 2005 housed a modern library, new language laboratories and two fully equipped computer rooms.
, catering for students purported to be at the top end of the academic ability range. These students are selected by means of the 11-plus entrance exam, which test potential students on verbal reasoning and mathematics. In 2010 it was ranked 158 of 164 grammar schools. Governors have now voted not to release examination results to the press .
In 2006 it has some 820 pupils, of whom around 200 were sixth form
students. The school has now obtained Specialist Language College
status, and has introduced Chinese into the curriculum from Sept 2006
Each school year from 7-11 is split into four tutor groups. These tutor groups originally formed the school 'houses'. The forms the students are put in in year 7 are the forms they will stay in until year 11 .
DHSG is a specialist language school and has this year(2011) acquired Academy Trust Status
allowing it to operate as a company and have better control over its funding.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
(ages 11–18) in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, 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...
.
History
In September 1908 Devonport High School for Girls was the first school in Plymouth to be recognised as a girls secondary school. It was originally located at Paradise Road, Stoke in Plymouth, and known as Devonport Municipal Secondary School for Girls.It was established approximately 15 years after its sibling Devonport High School for Boys
Devonport High School for Boys
Devonport High School for Boys is a Grammar School and Type 2 Academy, for boys aged 11 to 18, in Plymouth, Devon, England. It has around 1100 pupils. Its catchment area includes southwest Devon and southeast Cornwall as well as Plymouth...
. The school moved to its current location which overlooks the Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
football ground, Home Park
Home Park
Home Park is an all-seater football stadium in the Central Park area of Plymouth, England, and is the home of Football League Two club Plymouth Argyle. The ground, given the nickname the Theatre of Greens by the club's supporters, has been Argyle's permanent residence since 1901...
, on September 10, 1937, from its original location on Paradise Road.
The school was divided into four houses- St.Joan, St.Margaret, St.Monica and St.Ursula. Today the house system still exists but are now named-Falcon, Kestrel, Hawk and Eagle.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the girls were evacuated to Tiverton grammar school, whilst the DHSG building was initially used by the fire service who were drafted in from across England to fight fires created by the aerial bombardment. It was also used as a machine shop for the dockyard during this period.
The building suffered bomb damage during the war. The tennis and netball courts added in 1952 can now be seen at a lower level than the playing field due to a crater an exploded mine had left.
Honour boards which hang at the back of the main hall were paid for by the money each of the pupils received to mark the Coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
.
In 1971 DHSG started to accept girls from all areas of Plymouth and by the 1980s girls were coming from outside of Plymouth. In 2005 DHSG acquired Specialist Language College status bringing with it funding to provide better facilities, not just in building updating and expansion but in technology also. The new Learning Centre constructed in 2005 housed a modern library, new language laboratories and two fully equipped computer rooms.
Academics
DHSG is a grammar schoolGrammar 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...
, catering for students purported to be at the top end of the academic ability range. These students are selected by means of the 11-plus entrance exam, which test potential students on verbal reasoning and mathematics. In 2010 it was ranked 158 of 164 grammar schools. Governors have now voted not to release examination results to the press .
In 2006 it has some 820 pupils, of whom around 200 were sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
students. The school has now obtained Specialist Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
status, and has introduced Chinese into the curriculum from Sept 2006
Each school year from 7-11 is split into four tutor groups. These tutor groups originally formed the school 'houses'. The forms the students are put in in year 7 are the forms they will stay in until year 11 .
DHSG is a specialist language school and has this year(2011) acquired Academy Trust Status
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is an independent, not-for-profit, membership organisation with headquarters in the United Kingdom, dedicated to raising standards and achievement in secondary schools in England and internationally...
allowing it to operate as a company and have better control over its funding.