Lady Eleanor Holles School
Encyclopedia
The Lady Eleanor Holles School (often abbreviated to LEH or LEHS) is an independent school
for girls in Hampton
, London
, England
. The school was founded in 1711.
and a MyDaughter
school.
, which prescribed that money from her estate should be used to set up a school. First located in St Gile's, in the Cripplegate
Ward of the City of London, its original site is marked by a plaque on one of the Barbican
walkways. The school went on to occupy other premises in the City until 1878, when it moved to Mare Street in east Hackney
.
The current premises in Hampton were purpose built, and were opened on 7 December 1937 by HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
. The building was designed in the shape of an E.
Clubs within the school include Amnesty International, Chess Club, Debating Society, Christian Union, Choirs, Orchestral and Chamber groups.
There are also several sports teams including trampolining, lacrosse, netball, tennis, gymnastics, athletics, rounders, swimming, rowing and fencing.
is a comparatively high-performing area (for London) at GCSE, but quite low at A level, not helped by the fact that there are no 11-18 schools, and only one college - Richmond upon Thames College
. There are no grammar school
s, unlike neighbouring Kingston upon Thames
. The school gets the second best A level results in the borough, for all types of school, with some of the best exam results in England.
There is very little comparison between what the school has to offer at A level and what local state schools have to offer. This is not true for other outer London boroughs, such as Sutton
.
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...
for girls in Hampton
Hampton, London
Hampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Formerly it was in the county of Middlesex, which was formerly also its postal county. The population is about 9,500...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
. The school was founded in 1711.
Admissions
The school has a Junior Department with around 190 students aged 7–11 and a Senior Department for ages 11–18 with around 700 pupils. There is an Entrance Examination to the school at the age of 11. It is a member of the Girls' Schools AssociationGirls' Schools Association
The Girls' Schools Association is the professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools in the UK and overseas and is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council .-History:...
and a MyDaughter
MyDaughter
MyDaughter is a British website set up by the Girls' Schools Association offering advice to parents of daughters on all aspects of raising and educating girls...
school.
History
The school was established in 1711, when a trust for its endowment as a Christian foundation was created under the will of Lady Eleanor Holles, daughter of John Holles, 2nd Earl of ClareJohn Holles, 2nd Earl of Clare
-Family:He was born in Haughton, Nottinghamshire, the eldest son of John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare and Anne Stanhope, and the brother of Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles....
, which prescribed that money from her estate should be used to set up a school. First located in St Gile's, in the Cripplegate
Cripplegate
Cripplegate was a city gate in the London Wall and a name for the region of the City of London outside the gate. The area was almost entirely destroyed by bombing in World War II and today is the site of the Barbican Estate and Barbican Centre...
Ward of the City of London, its original site is marked by a plaque on one of the Barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
walkways. The school went on to occupy other premises in the City until 1878, when it moved to Mare Street in east Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The 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....
.
The current premises in Hampton were purpose built, and were opened on 7 December 1937 by HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess 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...
. The building was designed in the shape of an E.
Head teachers
- Gillian Low 2004- (Headmistress from 1998-2004 of Francis Holland SchoolFrancis Holland SchoolFrancis Holland School is the name of two independent day schools for girls in central London governed by the Francis Holland Schools Trust...
), President from 2010-11 of the Girls' Schools AssociationGirls' Schools AssociationThe Girls' Schools Association is the professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools in the UK and overseas and is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council .-History:... - Elizabeth Candy 1981-2004
- Nora Nickells 1915-44
Former teachers
- Pauline Cox, Head Teacher from 1994-2010 of the Tiffin Girls' SchoolTiffin Girls' SchoolThe Tiffin Girls' School is an all girls grammar school located in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. The school lies in over nine acres on the east side of Richmond Road.-History:...
(taught Geography from 1976-7) - Dr Margaret Hustler, Headmistress from 1996-2007 of Harrogate Ladies' CollegeHarrogate Ladies' CollegeHarrogate Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 years located in North Yorkshire, England. Harrogate Ladies' College is a Church of England foundation. All the facilities are campus-based. They include an indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, and...
and from 1989-96 of St Michael's School, Limpsfield (taught from 1977-85) - Frances King, Headmistress since 2008 of Roedean SchoolRoedean School-Roedeanians in fiction:* Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward * Dawn Drummond-Clayton * Emily James...
and from 2003-7 of Heathfield School, Ascot (taught RE from 1984-5)
Reputation
According to the Good Schools Guide, Lady Eleanor Holles School is "Deservedly one of the top girls' schools in the country". It also states that the school is "Highly sought-after for its academic delivery, celebration of female success, top of the range facilities and cream of the crop intake."Facilities and extra-curricular opportunities
The school's facilities include a sports hall, swimming pool, boat house on the Thames, playing fields, tennis courts, netball courts, athletics facilities, science laboratories, modern languages laboratory, design and technology suite, music and art suites, computer rooms and a Learning Resources Centre.Clubs within the school include Amnesty International, Chess Club, Debating Society, Christian Union, Choirs, Orchestral and Chamber groups.
Sport
The school is known for success in rowing, tennis and lacrosse.There are also several sports teams including trampolining, lacrosse, netball, tennis, gymnastics, athletics, rounders, swimming, rowing and fencing.
Academic performance
The local LEA, Richmond upon ThamesLondon Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is a London borough in South West London, UK, which forms part of Outer London. It is unique because it is the only London borough situated both north and south of the River Thames.-Settlement:...
is a comparatively high-performing area (for London) at GCSE, but quite low at A level, not helped by the fact that there are no 11-18 schools, and only one college - Richmond upon Thames College
Richmond upon Thames College
Richmond upon Thames College is a further education college in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, which provides education primarily to 16-19 year olds...
. There are no grammar school
Grammar 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...
s, unlike neighbouring Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
. The school gets the second best A level results in the borough, for all types of school, with some of the best exam results in England.
There is very little comparison between what the school has to offer at A level and what local state schools have to offer. This is not true for other outer London boroughs, such as Sutton
London Borough of Sutton
The London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London...
.
Notable former pupils
- Pamela AlexanderPamela Alexander-Life:She graduated from Bates College in 1970 and from the Iowa Writers' Workshop with an M.F.A. in 1973.She teaches at Oberlin College.Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Boston Book Review, Orion, TriQuarterly, Poetry, The Journal, New Republic, American Scholar.Her papers...
, Chief Executive since 2004 of the South East England Development AgencySouth East England Development AgencySEEDA, more officially the South East England Development Agency, is one of a number of regional development agencies in England. It was set up as a non-departmental public body in 1999 to promote the region and to enable a number of more difficult regeneration projects which otherwise might not...
, and from 1997-2001 of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
) - Charlotte Attenborough, daughter of Richard AttenboroughRichard AttenboroughRichard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
- Lynn BarberLynn BarberLynn Barber is a British journalist, who writes for The Sunday Times.-Early life:Barber attended Lady Eleanor Holles School...
, journalist - her time at the school was featured in the film An EducationAn EducationAn Education is a 2009 British coming-of-age drama film, based on an autobiographical article in Granta by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David,... - Caroline BirdCaroline Bird-Life:Bird was born in 1986. She grew up in Leeds and attended the Steiner School in York and the Lady Eleanor Holles School before moving to London in 2001. She studied English Literature at Oxford University and was president of the Oxford Poetry Society...
, published poet - Aida Cable, daughter of Vince Cable (the local MP)
- Beatie EdneyBeatie EdneyBeatrice "Beatie" Edney is an English television actress.Born Beatrice Edney in London, she is the daughter of famous British actress Sylvia Syms and cousin of Nicholas Webb. Edney first came to audiences' attention as Heather MacLeod the 1986 film Highlander, the first film in the Highlander series...
, actress and daughter of Sylvia SymsSylvia SymsSylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed... - Carola Hicks, art historian
- Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive since 2004 of The Wildlife Trusts, and from 2000-4 of Wildlife and Countryside LinkWildlife and Countryside LinkWildlife and Countryside Link brings together voluntary organisations in the UK to protect and enhance wildlife, landscape and the marine environment and to further the quiet enjoyment and appreciation of the countryside...
- Jay Hunt, former Controller of BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 2008-10 - Vivien JonesVivien JonesVivien Jones was a lacrosse player who made the highest number of appearances for a women's international team.-Early life:...
, lacrosse player - Clare Lawrence MoodyClare LawrenceClare Lawrence Moody is an English television and stage actor and producer. She is the daughter of English television director Laurence Moody...
, actress and daughter of TV director Laurence MoodyLaurence MoodyLaurence Moody is an English television director who, after reading English at Cambridge University, worked as a trainee at Granada Television, at this time directing a number of episodes of their top rated ITV1 soap opera, Coronation Street.Subsequently, he has originated and worked such... - Iris LoveridgeIris LoveridgeIris Gwendolyne M. Loveridge was an English classical pianist.Born in West Ham, London, she attended the Royal College of Music, and later the Royal Academy. She specialised in British contemporary music, including piano sonatas by Arnold Bax, Gordon Jacob , E.J. Moeran and Edmund Rubbra...
, concert pianist - Juliet MorrisJuliet Morris-Early life:Morris was educated at Lady Eleanor Holles School, an independent school for girls in Hampton in West London, where she recalled the difficulties of being left-handed. At the age of eleven, she moved to a convent when her family settled in Devon...
, television presenter - Annie NightingaleAnnie NightingaleAnne "Annie" Nightingale MBE is an English radio broadcaster. She is most commonly known by the more informal name of Annie...
, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
journalist - Sue Owen CB, Director General for Welfare and Wellbeing since 2009 at the DWPDepartment for Work and PensionsThe Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
- Barbara PearseBarbara PearseBarbara Pearse is a British biological scientist and Fellow of the Royal Society. She works at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, United Kingdom....
, biological scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular BiologyLaboratory of Molecular BiologyThe Laboratory of Molecular Biology is a research institute in Cambridge, England, which was at the forefront of the revolution in molecular biology which occurred in the 1950–60s, since then it remains a major medical research laboratory with a much broader focus.-Early beginnings: 1947-61:Max... - Katie Pearson,
- Saskia ReevesSaskia ReevesSaskia Reeves is a British actress perhaps best known for her roles in the films Close My Eyes and ID , and the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune....
, actress - Pamela Schwerdt, joint head gardener at Sissinghurst Castle GardenSissinghurst Castle GardenThe garden at Sissinghurst Castle in the Weald of Kent, near Cranbrook, Goudhurst and Tenterden, is owned and maintained by the National Trust. It is among the most famous gardens in England.-History:...
, and pioneering horticulturalist - Gail TrimbleGail TrimbleGail Christiana Trimble , is a Senior Faculty Member in Classics at Trinity College, Oxford. . While a postgraduate student of Latin literature at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in 2009, she gained attention by a series of exceptional performances on the BBC television quiz programme University...
, captain of the victorious (later disqualified) Corpus Christi College, OxfordCorpus Christi College, OxfordCorpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, University ChallengeUniversity ChallengeUniversity Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
team in 2009