Northampton High School
Encyclopedia
Northampton High School is a private selective
day school for girls in Hardingstone
, Northampton
, England.
road (the B526
, formerly part of the A50 road
) which separates the school from Wootton
.
), whose Board of Education appoints the majority of the governors. The school eventually became a direct grant grammar school
. However, on the abolition of the direct grant system, the school reverted to "independent of government" status.
Before moving to its current location, the school was based in Derngate, Northampton town centre. The site was sold for a housing development with the school moving to new premises at its present location in 1992.
In 2006 the school joined the Girls' Day School Trust
.
A new sixth form facility costing £150,000 was opened in 2008.
. The vast majority of girls in the junior school stay on to the senior school for their secondary education. About a third of girls leave after Year 11. Very few sixth-form girls come from other schools. Almost all Year 13 leavers proceed to higher education, either directly or following a gap year.
In 2007, on the basis of A/AS-level and equivalent results, the school achieved an average points score of 1035.8, making it the highest ranked in the county, and 93rd in the country, among the schools with 30 exam entrants or more.
Full rankings are available at the Independent Schools Directory website and from the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The latter report showed: "strengths in many aspects of its provision [...] high quality of learning, attitudes and behaviour of the girls contributes to the academic success of the school [...] high standards in the senior school. The headmistress and senior management team provide very effective leadership and management, ably supported by the governors. Very good quality and enthusiastic teaching supports girls’ attainment [...] high quality of pastoral care provided by the school contributes significantly to the personal development of the girls."
The standards of accommodation, maintenance and upkeep were: "outstanding and contribute to an excellent learning environment" and the school had no major weaknesses.
Selective school
A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems....
day school for girls in Hardingstone
Hardingstone
Hardingstone is a village in Northamptonshire, England. It is on the southern edge of Northampton, and now forms a suburb of the town within the Northampton Borough Council area. It is about from the town centre...
, Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, England.
Location
The school is about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Northampton town centre along the Newport PagnellNewport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
road (the B526
B roads in Zone 5 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 5 :-Zone 5 :...
, formerly part of the A50 road
A50 road
The A50 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Warrington to Leicester; however, it was once a much longer route.-Current route:...
) which separates the school from Wootton
Wootton, Northamptonshire
Wootton, Northamptonshire is a village about south of Northampton town centre and now part of the Northampton Borough Council area.The village is separated from Hardingstone by the Newport Pagnell Road the B526, formerly part of the A50 road...
.
History
The school was founded in 1878 by a committee of local church people. It later came under the control of the Diocese of Peterborough (Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
), whose Board of Education appoints the majority of the governors. The school eventually became a direct grant 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...
. However, on the abolition of the direct grant system, the school reverted to "independent of government" status.
Before moving to its current location, the school was based in Derngate, Northampton town centre. The site was sold for a housing development with the school moving to new premises at its present location in 1992.
In 2006 the school joined the Girls' Day School Trust
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...
.
A new sixth form facility costing £150,000 was opened in 2008.
Catchment
Girls come from a large number of maintained primary and secondary schools within a radius of about 2 miles (3 km), covering a wide area of Northamptonshire and north BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The vast majority of girls in the junior school stay on to the senior school for their secondary education. About a third of girls leave after Year 11. Very few sixth-form girls come from other schools. Almost all Year 13 leavers proceed to higher education, either directly or following a gap year.
Results
This page shows the top institutions ranked on the basis of their pupils' A/AS-level and equivalent results in 2007.In 2007, on the basis of A/AS-level and equivalent results, the school achieved an average points score of 1035.8, making it the highest ranked in the county, and 93rd in the country, among the schools with 30 exam entrants or more.
Full rankings are available at the Independent Schools Directory website and from the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The latter report showed: "strengths in many aspects of its provision [...] high quality of learning, attitudes and behaviour of the girls contributes to the academic success of the school [...] high standards in the senior school. The headmistress and senior management team provide very effective leadership and management, ably supported by the governors. Very good quality and enthusiastic teaching supports girls’ attainment [...] high quality of pastoral care provided by the school contributes significantly to the personal development of the girls."
The standards of accommodation, maintenance and upkeep were: "outstanding and contribute to an excellent learning environment" and the school had no major weaknesses.
Sport
The sporting facilities in the school are of a high standard and the school sport squads frequently participate in local and nationwide tournaments. The school netball team is extremely competitive and have often been ranked as number one in the Northamptonshire county tournaments.Notable former pupils
Prominent old girls include:- Marcia Matilda Falkender, Baroness FalkenderMarcia Falkender, Baroness FalkenderMarcia Matilda Falkender, Baroness Falkender CBE , formerly Marcia Williams , is a British Labour politician, being first the private secretary for, and then the political secretary and head of political office to, Harold Wilson.-Background and early career:Born Marcia Field, Falkender was educated...
, formerly Marcia Williams and private secretary to Prime Minister Harold WilsonHarold WilsonJames Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the... - Anne FineAnne FineAnne Fine, OBE FRSL is a British author best known for her children's books, of which she has written more than 50. She also writes for adults...
– Author of Madame DoubtfireMadame DoubtfireMadame Doubtfire, known as Alias Madame Doubtfire in the United States, is a 1987 novel for young adults, about a family with divorced parents. It was adapted into the film Mrs...
which was made into the film Mrs Doubtfire. - Eliza Manningham-Buller, Baroness Manningham-Buller, former Director General of MI5MI5The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
See also
- Northampton School for GirlsNorthampton School For GirlsNorthampton School for Girls is a girls-only comprehensive secondary school in Northampton, England.In 2004, the school gained specialist Music College status, the first school in England to do so, and as a result provides a wide range of musical opportunities for both its students and the local...
- Northampton School for BoysNorthampton School For BoysNorthampton School for Boys is a secondary school in Northampton, England.- Foundation and History :The school was originally founded in 1541 by mayor Thomas Chipsey, as the town's free boys grammar school. In 1557, the school moved to St. Gregory's church, which was adapted for its use...