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Royal High School, Bath

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Coordinates: 51°23′52″N 2°21′55″W / 51.3977°N 2.3654°W / 51.3977; -2.3654
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For the school in Ohio, see Bath High School (Ohio).

Royal High School Bath
Front view of Royal High School
Address
Map
Lansdown Road

Bath
,
Somerset
,
BA1 5SZ

England
Coordinates51°23′52″N 2°21′55″W / 51.3977°N 2.3654°W / 51.3977; -2.3654
Information
Former names
  • The Royal School
  • Bath High School
TypePrivate school
Boarding and day school
Religious affiliation(s)Inter-denominational
Established1998 (merger)
Local authorityBath and North East Somerset
TrustGirls' Day School Trust (GDST)
Department for Education URN109348 Tables
Head teacherHeidi-Jayne Boyes[1]
Acting HeadHadrian Briggs[2][3]
GenderGirls
Age3 to 19
Enrolment607 (2024)[2]
Capacity940[2]
Houses  Du Pré
  Wollstonecraft
  Brontë
  Austen
Colour(s)     
Websitewww.royalhighbath.gdst.net Edit this at Wikidata

Royal High School Bath is a private boarding and day school for girls in Bath, Somerset, England.[4]

The school was founded in 1998 through the merger of the Royal School (established in 1864) and Bath High School. It enrols around 600 students across its Nursery, Prep, Senior, and Sixth Form, which are spread across two campuses: the Senior School/Sixth Form on Lansdown Road and the Nursery/Prep School at Cranwell House. In the Sixth Form, students can choose between the International Baccalaureate and A-Level qualifications.[5] The school is a member of the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST).

History

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Further information: Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army

Founding and merger

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The school traces its origins to the Bath and Lansdown Proprietary College, a boys' day school founded in 1856 under the patronage of the Duke of Beaufort and the Marquess of Lansdowne, with the Reverend S. H. Widdrington as chairman.[6] In 1864, it was purchased with the support of Queen Victoria to provide education for the orphaned daughters of Army officers following the Crimean War.[7] On 24 August 1865, it reopened as the Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army, modelled after the Royal Naval School for girls, a boarding school founded in 1840.[6] During the Second World War, the school relocated to the Longleat Estate for a period of eight years.[8]

The Bath High School for Girls was established in September 1875 at Portland Place in Lansdown, by the Girls Public Day School Company (later Trust), the UK's largest network of girls' independent schools. The two schools merged in 1998 to form the Royal High School Bath (RHS).[9][10] The former Royal School premises became the Senior School, while the former Bath High School became the Junior School.[11] The Royal High School is the only member of the Girls' Day School Trust with boarding facilities.[12]

Buildings

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Aerial view of Royal High School

The main building, situated atop Lansdown Road in Bath, was designed by architect James Wilson and completed in 1856, shortly after his design of the Wesleyan College (now Kingswood School).[13][14] Constructed in the Gothic Revival style, it is designated as a Grade II listed building.[15] The structure houses the Senior School and the Winfield Centre for sixth form students.

Other Grade II listed structures are the entrance arch with royal arms on Lansdown Road (c.1858, also by Wilson);[16] steps and lamp standards at the main building entrance (1858 or 1880s);[17] the former sanatorium in the grounds, now houses (1884);[18] and the school chapel (1939, designed by H.S. Goodhart-Rendel in a stripped Gothic style with Tudor detailing).[19] The Prep School is at Cranwell House, a Grade II listed Victorian mansion in Weston Park.[20]

Academics

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The school ranks near the top of league tables for Bath schools in GCSE and A-Level results and is regularly cited as one of the best independent secondary schools in the southwest of England by The Sunday Times.[21] RHS offers a diverse range of GCSE options, including STEM subjects such as the sciences, computer science, and design technology, as well as languages including French, German, Italian, Mandarin and Spanish. All students study Latin from Year 7.[22]

In the sixth form, students have the option to pursue either A Levels or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB). The A Level curriculum includes subjects such as classical civilisation, classical languages, economics, Mandarin, music, fine art, psychology, religion and philosophy, physical education.[22] In 2023, IB students at the school achieved an average score of 35, compared to the global average of 30.[23][24]

Royal High School received an 'excellent' rating in both academic achievement and personal development in the 2016 Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report,[25][26] The latest ISI routine inspection (2024) confirmed the school's compliance with all required regulations and standards.[27] In 2023, RHS was included in the list of the top 50 boarding schools in the UK.[28]

Facilities and resources

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Art and Drama

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The Art Department is housed in the Art School, which was inaugurated in November 2008 by Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, then Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chairman of the Arts Council, England.[29] It includes four dedicated studios, supporting activities such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, film, and photography.[29] The Drama Department utilises the school’s two performance venues: the Memorial Hall, a traditional space with movable seating, and the Sophie Cameron Performing Arts Centre, a versatile area in the former school chapel.[30]

Steinway Music School

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In 2020, RHS became one of only 250 schools worldwide to achieve the prestigious Steinway School status.[31] The purpose-built Music School comprises a main teaching room, eight sound-proofed practice rooms, a contemporary recital space, 10 Steinway & Sons pianos, two professional-standard recording studios[32] and a control room equipped with an Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition mixing console.[33] As part of the department's Steinway Music School status, a regular programme of masterclasses and recitals led by leading artists is offered.[34] The Music Department produces 35 concerts during the academic year.[35]

Sports and games

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The school’s sports facilities located on the Lansdown campus includes an AstroTurf pitch for hockey and football, two multi-use courts for netball and tennis, and a sports hall equipped for netball, basketball and badminton. The school also has access to the University of Bath’s Olympic-standard sports facilities, which support student training and competitions.[36]

Student Life

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Houses

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Royal High School divides its pupils into four houses: Austen, Brontë, Du Pré and Wollstonecraft. These houses compete in a range of academic and extracurricular activities throughout the year.[37]

Boarding

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Boarding options at Royal High School cater to girls aged 11 to 18, with choices between full boarding, weekday-only boarding, and flexible boarding. Students are accommodated in two boarding houses: School House, located within the main school building, and Gloucester House, designated for sixth formers, within the senior school grounds.[38]

Royal High Nursery & Prep School

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Prep School: Cranwell House

The Royal High Nursery & Prep School is located in Weston. Formerly housed in Bath High School on Lansdown Road, it moved in 2014 to Cranwell House, a Grade II listed Victorian mansion. The Nursery is in the adjacent Vine House and Orangery. Hope Hall located behind Cranwell House, includes classrooms for Years 5 and 6. The site also features a sports hall and a dance studio. The school enrolls around 130 pupils aged 3 to 11, it follows the Reggio Emilia approach to education.[11]

Notable alumnae

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The school's notable alumnae include:[39]

  • Dawn Austwick – Chief executive of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and CEO of the Big Lottery Fund (Bath High School).
  • Dame Mary Berry – Chef and TV presenter (Bath High School).
  • Emily Brooke – Trailblazing inventor and entrepreneur, Founder and Director of Beryl (formerly Blaze) Laser Lights for Bikes.
  • Molly Scott Cato – MEP for the South West of England.
  • Mary Duggan – Cricketer (Royal School).
  • Jennie Formby – Senior official in the Unite trade union and General Secretary of the Labour Party (Bath High School).
  • Helen Geake – Archaeologist and key member of Channel 4's archaeology series Time Team.
  • Sheila Gish – Actress (Royal School).
  • Bunny Guinness – Landscape architect, journalist, and radio personality, regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's Gardener's Question Time (Bath High School).
  • Nina Hamnett – Welsh artist and writer, expert on sailors' chanteys, known as the Queen of Bohemia.
  • Dawn Harper – Media doctor, presenter of 'Embarrassing Bodies,' and contributor to This Morning and other TV shows.
  • Joan Heal – Actress (Bath High School).
  • Veronica Henry – Writer of bestselling novels, TV scriptwriter, and journalist.
  • Baroness Elspeth Howe – Life-long peer and former chair of the Broadcasting Standards Commission (Bath High School).
  • Gillian Howell (1927–2000) – Architect (Royal School).
  • June Lloyd, Baroness Lloyd of Highbury – Nuffield Professor of Child Health from 1985 to 1992 at the British Postgraduate Medical Federation, Professor of Child Health from 1975 to 1985 at St George's Hospital Medical School, and President from 1988 to 1991 of the British Paediatric Association (Royal School).
  • Myrtle Maclagan – Cricketer (Royal School).
  • Sonia Melchett (née Graham) – Socialite and writer (Royal School).
  • Iris Morley – Historian (Royal School).
  • Penny Mountbatten, Lady Ivar Mountbatten – Businesswoman and philanthropist (Royal School).
  • Helen Rollason – BBC Sports Presenter.
  • Susan Strange – Economist (Royal School).
  • Dame Veronica Sutherland – Career diplomat, served as Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland.
  • Laura Toogood – managing director of private clients at Digitalis, speaker on journalism, and researcher in cybersecurity.
  • Caroline St John-Brookes – Lecturer and education writer, editor of Times Educational Supplement (1997–2000).
  • Barbara Wace – Journalist, the first female reporter to report on D-Day.
  • Cicely Williams – physician and researcher in maternal and child health, first Director of Mother and Child Health at WHO in 1948 (Bath High School).
  • Cecil Woodham-Smith – Historian and biographer (Royal School).

References

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  1. ^ "Royal High School". Royal High School. 5 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Royal High School GDST". GOV.UK. 1 January 1909. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Meet our staff". Royal High School. 21 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Royal High School raises nearly £3,000 for Bath hospital charity". Bath Echo. 15 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Sixth Form". Royal High School. 20 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b Historic England. "The Royal High School (1394466)". National Heritage List for England.
  7. ^ The Original Bath Guide: Historical and Descriptive : Containing Walks and Drives Round Bath, the Medicinal Uses of the Mineral Waters, the Geology of the Neighbourhood. Lewis & Tyte. 1885. p. 107.
  8. ^ "About". The Royal School Bath.
  9. ^ "The Royal High School Bath (GDST), Bath and North East Somerset". isbi Schools. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  10. ^ Davidson, Max (24 November 2008). "Town vs Gown: Royal High School vs Beechen Cliff School in Bath". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  11. ^ a b "Royal High Prep School, GDST: in the Muddy Stilettos Best School Guide". Royal High Prep School, GDST: in the Muddy Stilettos Best School Guide. 10 May 2022.
  12. ^ "The Royal High School Bath (GDST), Bath and North East Somerset". isbi Schools. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  13. ^ Lees-Milne, J.; Ford, D. (1982). Images of Bath. Images of London. Saint Helana Press. ISBN 978-0-906964-08-8.
  14. ^ Murray, J. (1859). A handbook for travellers in Wiltshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire. Murray. p. 168.
  15. ^ "Royal School". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  16. ^ Historic England. "Entrance archway and flanking Walls to the Royal High School (1394468)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  17. ^ Historic England. "Steps and lamp standards at the Royal High School (1394470)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  18. ^ Historic England. "Woodland Cottage, (formerly the Sanatorium) Royal High School (1405721)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  19. ^ Historic England. "Chapel of the Royal High School (1394138)". National Heritage List for England.
  20. ^ Mag, Bath (14 February 2014). "Royal High School Move to Cranwell House". The Bath Magazine. Bath. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  21. ^
  22. ^ a b "Royal High School Bath (Senior School & Sixth Form) Review". WhichSchoolAdvisor. 1 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Results and destinations". Royal High School. 22 May 2024.
  24. ^ "A* success for Royal High School Bath A-Level students". The Bath and Wiltshire Parent. 17 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Sign In to The Times & The Sunday Times". The Times & The Sunday Times.
  26. ^ "The Royal High School Bath celebrates 'Excellent' inspection report". The Bath and Wiltshire Parent. 9 February 2017.
  27. ^ "Routine Inspections 2024". Royal High School Bath GDST. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Royal High School Bath Review, Rankings, And More". Britannia UK. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Art and Design". Royal High School. 22 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Performance Facilities". Royal High School. 22 May 2024.
  31. ^ Time & (3 March 2020). "Royal High School Bath opens state-of-the-art new Steinway Music School". Time & Leisure.
  32. ^ "Royal High School Bath- Steinway & Sons". Steinway. 24 June 2021.
  33. ^ "A-Level Music Tech Offered After Music School Upgrade". Audient. 21 September 2020.
  34. ^ "Inaugural visit to Steinway Hall in London for Royal High School Bath Music Scholars". Girls' Schools Association. 5 April 2022.
  35. ^ "Music at Royal High". Royal High School. 22 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Sports Facilities". Royal High School. 24 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Your daughter's wellbeing". Royal High School. 20 May 2024.
  38. ^ "Welcome to Boarding". Royal High School. 20 May 2024.
  39. ^ "Notable alumnae". Royal High School. 24 May 2024.
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Media related to Royal High School, Bath at Wikimedia Commons

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