Girls' Day School Trust
Encyclopedia
The Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) is a group of 26 independent school
s - 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. 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).
The GDST is a registered charity
in the United Kingdom. In 2006–7 it had a gross income of £177million, making it one of the 20 largest charities in the UK.
The challenge to provide education for girls aged over ten was tackled by Maria Grey
and her sister Emily Shirreff
, who had previously published
Thoughts on Self Culture, which pointed out the shortage of education for women in England. In November 1871 the sisters launched the "National Union for improvement of the Education of Women of All Classes", later the Women's Education Union. The Union aimed to establish good and cheap day schools for all classes of girls above the level of elementary education and was the leading force behind the formation of the Teachers’ Training and Registration Society and the Girls' Public Day School Company. The Union was supported by many major figures of the time, notably Lady Henrietta Maria Stanley of Alderley, Mary Gurney, and HRH Princess Louise
, who became the President of the Union.
in June 1872. The new company was registered as the Girls’ Public Day School Company (GPDSC) with a nominal share capital of £12,000. Many of the figures involved in the Women's Education Union also were key figures in the creation the GPDSC including Maria Grey, Emily Shireff, Mary Gurney and Lady Stanley. HRH Princess Louise became the patron of the GPDSC. Members of the founding council included David Graham Drummond Ogilvy, fifth Earl of Airlie, GPDSC's first president; Henrietta Powell; Sir George Bartley; Douglas Strutt Galton
; Sir Walter James, second baronet; Joseph Payne
; James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth
; Charles Savile Roundell; and the Marquess of Lorne.
, its first school outside London. By 1905 the GPDSC owned 37 school across the country, including 19 schools in the London area.
Each school was to have three departments, (preparatory, Junior and senior), under a headmistress with a staff of trained teachers. Schools were to be tested by regular inspections and examinations. Girls were prepared to take Oxford and Cambridge Local Examinations or examinations administered by the College of Preceptors. A class of student ‘pupil teachers’ were attached to each school.
Initially the schools provided in-house training for pupils who intended to go on to teaching after graduation through the ‘Pupil teachers’ system. From 1903 some of the larger school also developed teacher training departments, recognised by the Board of Education
, where post-graduate students training to become secondary, kindergarten, or art teachers. The largest was housed at Belvedere School in Liverpool. Clapham Training College, founded in 1900, also had a domestic science department. In 1938 it moved and became the Clapham and Streatham Hill Training College, transferring to the London County Council in 1949 to become the Phillipa Fawcett Teacher Training College.
From 1875–1901 the GPDSC amended its constitution so it could be recognised as a charity to receive grants from the Science and Art Department
(and the Board of Education from 1899), who only wanted to give public grants to non-profit organisations. Due to the financial needs of the trust there were many years in which the dividends were not paid to shareholders. By 1900 the GPDSC educated over 7000 pupils in 33 schools. In 1899 the new Board of Education became responsible for issuing government grants under much stricter regulations and the GPDSC agreed for their schools to be inspected by school inspectors to continue to qualify for grants.
determined that secondary education should be accessible to as many children as possible which had financial complications for the GPDSC as it had to provide more free places and cater for increasing numbers of pupils. In 1902 the GPDSC was warned that it would not longer receive grants from the Board of Education after 1903 because it was a dividend-paying company.
This date was later extended to 1905 and the GPDSC was reconstituted as the Girls’ Public Day School Trust Limited (GPDST), a limited company with charitable status, in Jan 1906. The new constitution required that the GPDST would have to be wound up by 1 January 1956 if it failed to make an acceptable offer to buy the GPDSC's share capital.
To prevent the closure of the GPDST 100 new shares were created in 1911, held as trustee shares of nominal value, which carried large voting rights to enable the GPDST's Council to buy the existing share capital before 1956.
From 1912 no dividends were paid to shareholders and, along with the financial burdens caused by World War I and the proceeding economic depression (see Great Depression
), some shareholders became restive due to the lack of dividends.
World War II plunged the GPDST into more financial trouble and the 1944 Education Act
presented them with new challenges as they had to extend the schools to cater for increasing numbers of pupils. The GPDST was increasingly unable to purchase the remaining share capital from the shareholders and was quickly approaching the 1956 deadline.
In 1944 the GPDST joined the Government's new Direct Grant Scheme to help keep the school fees low during the financial difficulties. This scheme used grants to support independent academically-selective schools outside the non-selective public education system of the time. The scheme insisted that a third of the members of the Governing Bodies had to be representatives of the local education authority and 25% of pupils admitted had to come directly from elementary schools.
After the war the GPDST relied on funding from the Ministry of Education
and any profits received from school fees were used to refurbish the schools. The Council worked on a reconstruction scheme which would satisfy the shareholders and for the trust to be recognised as an educational charity before the 1956 deadline. The scheme, led by William Cash, was presented in March 1950 and confirmed in May 1950, saving the GPDST from liquidation. 'Limited' was dropped from the name of the Trust and it became The Girls' Public Day School Trust. The GPDST still had to make the repayments of £75,000 to shareholders and extended its mortgages and set up an endowment fund to pay off the debt.
When the direct grant scheme was abolished in 1976, the GPDST schools converted to full independence to remain academically selective. In the same year the GPDST instituted the Girls' Public Day Trust Bursaries Fund, a separate charity, to cater for the loss of the Government funding. The fund provided bursaries for girls who otherwise could not afford to go to the schools.
In 1980 the GPDST applied for the Government's Assisted Places Scheme
for all schools and registered as a private company under the Companies Act 1980. The GPDST was a part of the scheme until the scheme's closure in 1997.
In 2005 some GDST schools began to be co-educational, such as Howell's School, Llandaff, which taught sixth-form boys. Hilden Grange, a co-educational preparatory school, joined the GDST in 2005. In 2007 the GDST administered 29 day schools, offering education from the ages of three to 18.
The GDST is at the forefront of the independent-led arm of the Labour Government's Academy programme and has begun to convert schools back into the maintained sector, with The Belvedere School, Liverpool, in September 2007 and Birkenhead High School
in September 2009. These schools lose their right to select pupils on the basis of academic ability, but retain some independence from the Government with the GDST maintaining a majority on the governing body. The Junior Department of The Belvedere School, which had been retained as an independent preparatory school by the GDST, as the renamed The Hamlets, was subsequently sold in 2010, renamed Belevdere Preparatory School and is going co-educational.
Archives:
The full catalogue can be found on the archives' on-line catalogue. The records of individual schools are held by the schools or in the relevant local authority archives.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
s - 24 schools and two Academies - in England and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, 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. 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).
The GDST is a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
in the United Kingdom. In 2006–7 it had a gross income of £177million, making it one of the 20 largest charities in the UK.
Origins
The origins of the GDST can be traced back to the Schools Enquiry Commission set up in 1864 to survey the field of male and female secondary schools, which concluded that there was a "general deficiency" in the provision of secondary education for girls.The challenge to provide education for girls aged over ten was tackled by Maria Grey
Maria Georgina Grey
Maria Georgina Grey , was an educationist and writer in the United Kingdom who promoted women’s education and was one of the founders of the organisation that became Girls' Day School Trust. Grey was often referred to during her career as Mrs William Grey, using the name of her husband.-Family...
and her sister Emily Shirreff
Emily Anne Eliza Shirreff
Emily Anne Eliza Shirreff was a pioneer in the movement for the higher education of women and the development of the Froebelian principles in England.-Family:...
, who had previously published
Thoughts on Self Culture, which pointed out the shortage of education for women in England. In November 1871 the sisters launched the "National Union for improvement of the Education of Women of All Classes", later the Women's Education Union. The Union aimed to establish good and cheap day schools for all classes of girls above the level of elementary education and was the leading force behind the formation of the Teachers’ Training and Registration Society and the Girls' Public Day School Company. The Union was supported by many major figures of the time, notably Lady Henrietta Maria Stanley of Alderley, Mary Gurney, and HRH Princess Louise
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
, who became the President of the Union.
Foundation
The Union planned to create a limited liability company to raise revenue to achieve their aims and presented the proposed scheme at a public meeting at the Royal Albert HallRoyal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in June 1872. The new company was registered as the Girls’ Public Day School Company (GPDSC) with a nominal share capital of £12,000. Many of the figures involved in the Women's Education Union also were key figures in the creation the GPDSC including Maria Grey, Emily Shireff, Mary Gurney and Lady Stanley. HRH Princess Louise became the patron of the GPDSC. Members of the founding council included David Graham Drummond Ogilvy, fifth Earl of Airlie, GPDSC's first president; Henrietta Powell; Sir George Bartley; Douglas Strutt Galton
Douglas Strutt Galton
Sir Douglas Strutt Galton KCB, GCB, F.R.S., MStJ, Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, DCL, LLD was a British engineer.-Education and early life:...
; Sir Walter James, second baronet; Joseph Payne
Joseph Payne
Joseph Payne was an English educationalist and the first Professor of Education at the College of Preceptors in London.-Biography:He was born in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk...
; James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth
James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth
Sir James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baronet was a British politician and educationalist.-Early life:He was born James Kay at Rochdale, Lancashire, the son of Robert Kay...
; Charles Savile Roundell; and the Marquess of Lorne.
Girls’ Public Day School Company (1872–1905)
The GPDSC's aim was to establish academic high schools for girls of all classes which provided a high standard of academic education, together with moral and religious education. School fees were kept low and schools were expected to become self-supporting as soon as possible, though the GPDSC council retained overall control of the schools. The policy of the Council, the executive body of the GPDSC, was to only found new schools were they were most needed, funded by shares taken up by local people. The first school opened at Durham House, Chelsea in January 1873 (later transferred to Kensington). In February 1875 the GPDSC opened Norwich High School for GirlsNorwich High School for Girls
Norwich High School for Girls is an independent fee-charging school with selective entry in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It was founded in 1875 and is now one of the twenty-nine schools of the Girls' Day School Trust. The school has one of the best academic records in Norfolk...
, its first school outside London. By 1905 the GPDSC owned 37 school across the country, including 19 schools in the London area.
Each school was to have three departments, (preparatory, Junior and senior), under a headmistress with a staff of trained teachers. Schools were to be tested by regular inspections and examinations. Girls were prepared to take Oxford and Cambridge Local Examinations or examinations administered by the College of Preceptors. A class of student ‘pupil teachers’ were attached to each school.
Initially the schools provided in-house training for pupils who intended to go on to teaching after graduation through the ‘Pupil teachers’ system. From 1903 some of the larger school also developed teacher training departments, recognised by the Board of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, where post-graduate students training to become secondary, kindergarten, or art teachers. The largest was housed at Belvedere School in Liverpool. Clapham Training College, founded in 1900, also had a domestic science department. In 1938 it moved and became the Clapham and Streatham Hill Training College, transferring to the London County Council in 1949 to become the Phillipa Fawcett Teacher Training College.
From 1875–1901 the GPDSC amended its constitution so it could be recognised as a charity to receive grants from the Science and Art Department
Science and Art Department
The Science and Art Department was a British government body which functioned from 1853 to 1899, promoting education in art, science, technology and design in Britain and Ireland....
(and the Board of Education from 1899), who only wanted to give public grants to non-profit organisations. Due to the financial needs of the trust there were many years in which the dividends were not paid to shareholders. By 1900 the GPDSC educated over 7000 pupils in 33 schools. In 1899 the new Board of Education became responsible for issuing government grants under much stricter regulations and the GPDSC agreed for their schools to be inspected by school inspectors to continue to qualify for grants.
Girls' Public Day School Trust Limited (1905–1950)
The Education Act of 1902Education Act 1902
The Education Act 1902 , also known as Balfour's Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting education in England and Wales. At the time of passage of the Act, the Conservative Party was in power...
determined that secondary education should be accessible to as many children as possible which had financial complications for the GPDSC as it had to provide more free places and cater for increasing numbers of pupils. In 1902 the GPDSC was warned that it would not longer receive grants from the Board of Education after 1903 because it was a dividend-paying company.
This date was later extended to 1905 and the GPDSC was reconstituted as the Girls’ Public Day School Trust Limited (GPDST), a limited company with charitable status, in Jan 1906. The new constitution required that the GPDST would have to be wound up by 1 January 1956 if it failed to make an acceptable offer to buy the GPDSC's share capital.
To prevent the closure of the GPDST 100 new shares were created in 1911, held as trustee shares of nominal value, which carried large voting rights to enable the GPDST's Council to buy the existing share capital before 1956.
From 1912 no dividends were paid to shareholders and, along with the financial burdens caused by World War I and the proceeding economic depression (see Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
), some shareholders became restive due to the lack of dividends.
World War II plunged the GPDST into more financial trouble and the 1944 Education Act
Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
presented them with new challenges as they had to extend the schools to cater for increasing numbers of pupils. The GPDST was increasingly unable to purchase the remaining share capital from the shareholders and was quickly approaching the 1956 deadline.
In 1944 the GPDST joined the Government's new Direct Grant Scheme to help keep the school fees low during the financial difficulties. This scheme used grants to support independent academically-selective schools outside the non-selective public education system of the time. The scheme insisted that a third of the members of the Governing Bodies had to be representatives of the local education authority and 25% of pupils admitted had to come directly from elementary schools.
After the war the GPDST relied on funding from the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (United Kingdom)
The administration of education policy in the United Kingdom began in the 19th century. Official mandation of education began with the Elementary Education Act 1870 for England and Wales, and the Education Act 1872 for Scotland...
and any profits received from school fees were used to refurbish the schools. The Council worked on a reconstruction scheme which would satisfy the shareholders and for the trust to be recognised as an educational charity before the 1956 deadline. The scheme, led by William Cash, was presented in March 1950 and confirmed in May 1950, saving the GPDST from liquidation. 'Limited' was dropped from the name of the Trust and it became The Girls' Public Day School Trust. The GPDST still had to make the repayments of £75,000 to shareholders and extended its mortgages and set up an endowment fund to pay off the debt.
Girls' Public Day School Trust (1950–1998)
After the debts were repaid the GPDST set up The Friends of the Girls' Public Day School Trust in March 1951. The Friends published an annual newsletter and also awarded scholarships and gift to schools. The Friends also created schemes to raise money to refurbish the schools.When the direct grant scheme was abolished in 1976, the GPDST schools converted to full independence to remain academically selective. In the same year the GPDST instituted the Girls' Public Day Trust Bursaries Fund, a separate charity, to cater for the loss of the Government funding. The fund provided bursaries for girls who otherwise could not afford to go to the schools.
In 1980 the GPDST applied for the Government's Assisted Places Scheme
Assisted Places Scheme
The Assisted Places Scheme was established in the UK by the Conservative government in 1980. Children who could not afford to go to fee-paying independent schools were provided with free or subsidised places - if they were able to score within the top 10-15% of applicants in the school's entrance...
for all schools and registered as a private company under the Companies Act 1980. The GPDST was a part of the scheme until the scheme's closure in 1997.
Girls' Day School Trust (since 1998)
In 1998 the organisation became the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST).In 2005 some GDST schools began to be co-educational, such as Howell's School, Llandaff, which taught sixth-form boys. Hilden Grange, a co-educational preparatory school, joined the GDST in 2005. In 2007 the GDST administered 29 day schools, offering education from the ages of three to 18.
The GDST is at the forefront of the independent-led arm of the Labour Government's Academy programme and has begun to convert schools back into the maintained sector, with The Belvedere School, Liverpool, in September 2007 and Birkenhead High School
Birkenhead High School
Birkenhead High School Academy is an all-ability state funded girls' Academy in Birkenhead, Wirral.-Admissions:It is a member of the Girls' Day School Trust, a national educational charity based in London. Its predecessor school was Birkenhead High School, which was an independent selective school...
in September 2009. These schools lose their right to select pupils on the basis of academic ability, but retain some independence from the Government with the GDST maintaining a majority on the governing body. The Junior Department of The Belvedere School, which had been retained as an independent preparatory school by the GDST, as the renamed The Hamlets, was subsequently sold in 2010, renamed Belevdere Preparatory School and is going co-educational.
Schools for 3–18 year olds
- Birkenhead High School Academy. (Opened 1901).
- Blackheath High SchoolBlackheath High SchoolBlackheath High School is situated near Blackheath Village in southeast London, England. It was founded in 1880 as part of the Girls' Day School Trust. The Senior Department is located in Vanbrugh Park after moving from Blackheath in 1993/4. The school in Blackheath village then became the Junior...
. (Opened 1880). - Brighton and Hove High SchoolBrighton and Hove High SchoolBrighton & Hove High School is an independent day school for girls aged 3 – 18 in the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England.Founded in 1876, the school has expanded from being a very small school for less than twenty pupils to its present size of taking some 700 students...
. (Opened 1876). - Bromley High SchoolBromley High SchoolBromley High School is a girls' independent school located in Bickley, Greater London. The school is part of The Girls' Day School Trust and was founded in 1883...
. (Opened 1883). - Central Newcastle High SchoolCentral Newcastle High SchoolCentral Newcastle High School is an independent all-girls school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.-History:Central Newcastle High School was officially opened in 1895 and moved into its current home around 1899 with the foundation stone for the current building being laid by Earl Grey on the 13th of...
. (Opened 1895). - Croydon High SchoolCroydon High SchoolCroydon High School for Girls GDST is a leading non-denominational independent school for girls, located near Croydon, Greater London, England. It is one of the schools in the Girls' Day School Trust....
. (Opened 1874). - Heathfield School, Pinner. (Opened 1900. Joined the GDST in 1987).
- Howell's School, LlandaffHowell's School LlandaffHowell’s School Llandaff is an independent school in Llandaff, Cardiff. The school teaches girls from the age of 3 years up to 18, and contains a nursery, junior, senior school and a sixth form college...
. (Joined the GDST in 1980). - Ipswich High SchoolIpswich High SchoolIpswich High School is a girls' independent school located at Woolverstone, near the town of Ipswich, England. It was founded in 1872 and is one of the schools of the Girls' Day School Trust.-History:...
. (Opened 1878). - Northampton High SchoolNorthampton High SchoolNorthampton High School is a private selective day school for girls in Hardingstone, Northampton, England.- Location :The school is about from Northampton town centre along the Newport Pagnell road which separates the school from Wootton.- History :The school was founded in 1878 by a committee of...
. (Joined the GDST in 2006). - Norwich High School for GirlsNorwich High School for GirlsNorwich High School for Girls is an independent fee-charging school with selective entry in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It was founded in 1875 and is now one of the twenty-nine schools of the Girls' Day School Trust. The school has one of the best academic records in Norfolk...
. (Opened 1875) - Nottingham High School for GirlsNottingham High School for GirlsNottingham Girls' High School is an independent fee-paying girls' private school, part of the Girls' Day School Trust, founded in 1875, situated just north of Nottingham city centre.-Facilities:...
. (Opened 1875). - Notting Hill & Ealing High SchoolNotting Hill & Ealing High SchoolNotting Hill and Ealing High School is an independent school for girls aged 4 - 18, located in West Ealing, a suburb of London. Founded in 1873 it is one of the 26 schools that make up the Girls' Day School Trust...
. (Opened 1873). - Oxford High School. (Opened 1875)
- Portsmouth High School. (Opened 1882).
- Putney High SchoolPutney High SchoolPutney High School is an independent all-girls school in Putney, London. It is run by the Girls' Day School Trust, a union of 26 schools with 19,500 students and 3,500 staff.-Location and information:...
. (Opened 1893). - Royal High School, BathRoyal High School, BathThe Royal High School is an independent day and boarding school for girls in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, catering for approximately 1,000 pupils.-Admissions:The school is located on Lansdown Hill just outside Bath city centre...
. (Opened 1875). - Sheffield High School. (Opened 1878).
- Shrewsbury High School. (Opened 1885).
- South Hampstead High SchoolSouth Hampstead High SchoolSouth Hampstead High School is an all-girls independent day school situated in Hampstead, north-west London. The school was founded and is still supported by The Girls' Day School Trust . The school operates over two sites, the Senior school and Junior school which are run as a single unit with...
. (Opened 1876). - Streatham & Clapham High SchoolStreatham and Clapham High SchoolStreatham and Clapham High School is a successful independent day school for girls aged 3 to 18, situated in Streatham Hill, south London. The school was founded in 1887 by the Girls' Public Day School Company, which aimed to establish schools for girls of all classes by providing a high standard...
. (Opened 1887). - Sutton High School (Opened 1884)
- Sydenham High School. (Opened 1887).
- Wimbledon High SchoolWimbledon High School.Wimbledon High School is an independent girls' school in Wimbledon, South West London. It is run by the Girls' Day School Trust and celebrated its 130th birthday on November 9 2010, having been founded by Edith Hastings in 1880. WHS educates girls between the ages of 4 and 18.The motto is "Ex...
. (Opened 1880).
School for 11–18 year olds
- The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool. (Opened 1880 as Liverpool High School, later The Belvedere School).
Former GDST schools
The following schools were once opened or administered by the GDST. The dates relate to when the school was connected to the Trust. Unless otherwise stated the later date signifies the date of the closure of each school.- CarlisleCity of CarlisleThe City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
High School, 1884–1904. Transferred to the Cumberland County CouncilCumberland County CouncilCumberland County Council was the county council of Cumberland in the North West of England, an elected local government body responsible for most local services in the county. It was established in 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888. Carlisle was initially within its area but became...
. Later became St Aidan's County High School and Specialist Sports and Science College, now Richard Rose Central Academy. - Charters-Ancaster School, 1988–1995. Merged with Battle Abbey SchoolBattle AbbeyBattle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St...
. - ClaphamClaphamClapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
Middle School, 1875–1904. Merged with Clapham High School. - ClaphamClaphamClapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
High School, 1882–1938. Merged with Streatham Hill and Brixton High SchoolStreatham and Clapham High SchoolStreatham and Clapham High School is a successful independent day school for girls aged 3 to 18, situated in Streatham Hill, south London. The school was founded in 1887 by the Girls' Public Day School Company, which aimed to establish schools for girls of all classes by providing a high standard...
. - ClaptonUpper ClaptonUpper Clapton is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is bounded by the Hackney districts of Stamford Hill to the west, Lower Clapton and Lea Bridge to the south and the Haringey district of South Tottenham to the north...
and HackneyLondon Borough of HackneyThe London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
High School, 1875–1899. Originally Hackney High School. - DoverDoverDover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
High School, 1888–1908. - DulwichDulwichDulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
High School, 1878–1913. Transferred to Church Schools' Company. Closed in 1938. - GatesheadGatesheadGateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
High School, 1876–1907. Merged with Central Newcastle High SchoolCentral Newcastle High SchoolCentral Newcastle High School is an independent all-girls school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.-History:Central Newcastle High School was officially opened in 1895 and moved into its current home around 1899 with the foundation stone for the current building being laid by Earl Grey on the 13th of...
. - Greycotes School, Oxford c1990s, Merged with the Squirrel School to form the preparatory department of Oxford High School.
- HighburyHighbury- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
and IslingtonIslingtonIslington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
High School, 1878–1911. - Hilden Grange SchoolHilden Grange SchoolHilden Grange is a coeducational preparatory school in Tonbridge, Kent, England. It caters for children from Nursery to Year 8. It has academic records at common entrance and scholarship levels. It is unusual for pupils who leave in Year 8 not to secure a place at their first place secondary...
, 2005–2010. Ownership of the school was transferred to Alpha Plus Group from September 2010. - KensingtonKensingtonKensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
High School, 1873–1948. The junior school continued to function as Kensington Preparatory School. - East LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
High School, 1891–1921. Merged with Liverpool High School. - Newton AbbotNewton AbbotNewton Abbot is a market town and civil parish in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 23,580....
High School, 1881–1888. School transferred to Miss Ridley. - PaddingtonPaddingtonPaddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
and Maida ValeMaida ValeMaida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
High School, 1878–1912. Originally Maida Vale High School. Transferred to London County Council in 1912. - The Squirrel School, OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, 1996–1997. Merged with Greycotes School to form preparatory department of Oxford High School. - SwanseaSwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
High School, 1888–1895. - The Hamlets School, Liverpool., 1912–2010. Opened 1912 as junior section of The Belvedere School. Joined the GDST as a separate school in 2006. Sold in 2010
- Tunbridge Wells High School, 1883–1945.
- Weymouth High School, 1880–1894.
- YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
High School, 1880–1907. Transferred to Church Schools' Company and became York College for Girls.
Patrons of the Girls' Day School Trust
- Princess Louise, Duchess of ArgyllPrincess Louise, Duchess of ArgyllThe Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
1872–1939 - Princess Alice, Duchess of GloucesterPrincess Alice, Duchess of GloucesterPrincess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife and then widow of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of George V and Queen Mary.The daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry, Scotland’s largest landowner, her brothers Walter and...
Primary sources
The Archives of the GDST are held by the Institute of EducationInstitute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
Archives:
The full catalogue can be found on the archives' on-line catalogue. The records of individual schools are held by the schools or in the relevant local authority archives.