Leeds Girls' High School
Encyclopedia
Leeds Girls' High School (LGHS) was an independent, selective, fee paying school for girls aged 3–18 located in Headingley, Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
. The school was merged with Leeds Grammar School
to form the Grammar School at Leeds
in the September 2008.
The school had three sections.
The school motto was 'Age Quod Agis', which translates as 'do what you do'. Whilst seemingly tautological at first glance, it is in fact a corruption of the Biblical exhortation, "whatsoever thy turn thy hand to, do it with all thy might". Leeds Girls' High School had many notable alumni.
The sprawling school site was located throughout the Western suburbs of Headingley
. Rose Court was located on the large Senior School site on Headingley Lane, whilst Ford House operated 1 mile down the road in a converted mansion house. The Senior School building was built in the early 1900s, and efforts are currently being made to make it a listed building. The furniture within the Senior School Assembly Hall was designed by Robert Thompson (The Mouseman) - but sold upon the school moving to Alwoodley Gates. The Assembly Hall had some of the most exquisite wood panelling of any school in the North of England- with panels detailing where LGHS Old Girls were "sent" to university on completion of their education at LGHSin fine oak.
The site currently remains vacant, with the old school buildings boarded up and disused. The Old "Ford House" building remains in use and is currently operating as GSAL'S Rose Court Pre-Prep and Nursery.
Leeds Girls' High School was one of the highest performing schools within the Leeds area, achieving top results at both GCSE and A Level.
to form the Grammar School at Leeds
Naturally there has been controversy and speculation surrounding the event, concerning the increased levels of traffic around the Alwoodley site, the new purple uniform and in some opinions, the loss of the school's heritage. The music and drama centre situated on Headingley Lane known as the Elinor Lupton Centre was also sold due to the physical merger.
medical drama Monroe
, scheduled for broadcast in 2011.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, 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 merged with Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school in Leeds established in 1552. In August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physically united in September 2008....
to form the Grammar School at Leeds
Grammar School at Leeds
The Grammar School at Leeds is an Independent school in Leeds, England, created on 4 August 2005 from the merger of Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls' High School....
in the September 2008.
The school had three sections.
- Rose court: 3 - 7 year olds
- Ford House: 7 – 11 years olds
- Senior School: 11 – 18 years olds
The school motto was 'Age Quod Agis', which translates as 'do what you do'. Whilst seemingly tautological at first glance, it is in fact a corruption of the Biblical exhortation, "whatsoever thy turn thy hand to, do it with all thy might". Leeds Girls' High School had many notable alumni.
The sprawling school site was located throughout the Western suburbs of Headingley
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
. Rose Court was located on the large Senior School site on Headingley Lane, whilst Ford House operated 1 mile down the road in a converted mansion house. The Senior School building was built in the early 1900s, and efforts are currently being made to make it a listed building. The furniture within the Senior School Assembly Hall was designed by Robert Thompson (The Mouseman) - but sold upon the school moving to Alwoodley Gates. The Assembly Hall had some of the most exquisite wood panelling of any school in the North of England- with panels detailing where LGHS Old Girls were "sent" to university on completion of their education at LGHSin fine oak.
The site currently remains vacant, with the old school buildings boarded up and disused. The Old "Ford House" building remains in use and is currently operating as GSAL'S Rose Court Pre-Prep and Nursery.
Leeds Girls' High School was one of the highest performing schools within the Leeds area, achieving top results at both GCSE and A Level.
Houses
The School was divided into four Houses, named after the four patron saints of the UK - Andrew, David, George and Patrick. Girls were placed into the Houses that their families had been in before them. There were various House competitions throughout the year, mainly sports and arts orientated, the main one being the House Music Competition, which occurs in the Spring Term.Headmistresses
In 2005 the school merged with Leeds Grammar SchoolLeeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school in Leeds established in 1552. In August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physically united in September 2008....
to form the Grammar School at Leeds
Grammar School at Leeds
The Grammar School at Leeds is an Independent school in Leeds, England, created on 4 August 2005 from the merger of Leeds Grammar School and Leeds Girls' High School....
Notable alumnae
- Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, former BBC Governor
- Valerie Pitts, Lady SoltiValerie PittsValerie Pitts, Lady Solti, is the widow of Sir Georg Solti. She was one of the BBC's original team of television presenters during the 1950s. She left the programme in 1960 to marry James Sargent who was stage manager of the Sadler's Wells Opera Company. She also worked at Granada Television.She...
, former BBC announcer and widow of musician Sir Georg SoltiGeorg SoltiSir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his... - Jennifer Ross Meiring, architect director with BDPBuilding Design PartnershipBuilding Design Partnership is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.-Foundation:The firm was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell Baines with architects Bill White and John Wilkinson, quantity surveyor Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:...
- Marilyn StoweMarilyn StoweMarilyn Stowe is an English solicitor. She has been described by The Times as "one of the most formidable and sought-after divorce lawyers in the UK", and described as "one of the country's leading divorce lawyers". She is also known for unearthing the medical evidence that freed Sally Clark, the...
, divorce lawyer and campaigner for family law reform.
Merger with Leeds Grammar School
The merged school administration took over Leeds Girls' High School in August 2005, however the schools did not physically merge until September 2008. At that time the Senior School (ages 11–18) and Junior School (ages 7–11) remained at their present Alwoodley Site. The Infant School moved to the former LGHS site at Headingley alongside a new Nursery School. The main Senior School site of Leeds Girls' High School was be sold to a private developer. Classes for girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 16 will remain segregated, but all extracurricular activities will be mixed.Naturally there has been controversy and speculation surrounding the event, concerning the increased levels of traffic around the Alwoodley site, the new purple uniform and in some opinions, the loss of the school's heritage. The music and drama centre situated on Headingley Lane known as the Elinor Lupton Centre was also sold due to the physical merger.
Further use
From September 2010, the school building is being used as a filming location for the fictional St. Matthews' Hospital in the new ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
medical drama Monroe
Monroe (TV series)
Monroe is a British medical drama television series created and written by Peter Bowker and produced by Mammoth Screen for the ITV network. The series follows a neurosurgeon named Gabriel Monroe, played by James Nesbitt. The six-part series was commissioned by ITV as one of a number of replacements...
, scheduled for broadcast in 2011.