St Helen's School
| St Helen's School London | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Eastbury Road , HA6 3AS England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private day school |
| Motto | "In hoc vincite velut illi crescite" "Conquer by the cross and grow like the daisies" (Literal: "In this [cross] we conquer and in these [daisies] grow.") |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
| Established | 1899 |
| Founder | May Roland Brown |
| Local authority | Hillingdon |
| Department for Education URN | 102453 Tables |
| Headmistress | Alice Lucas |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 3 to 18 |
| Houses | Seacole, Kahlo, Bronte, Franklin |
| Colour(s) | Green |
| Website | http://www.sthelens.london |
St Helen's School London is a private day school for girls aged three to eighteen in Northwood, North West London. It is associated with the Merchant Taylors' Company and works in close collaboration with the local Merchant Taylors' School in a range of areas.
History
[edit]St Helen's School was founded by May Rowland Brown in 1899. Having been trained as a teacher at Cambridge Training College for Women, she began to teach at Northwood College, which at the time, refused to take in any students that were connected with trade. Whilst still at Northwood College, a group of local businessmen persuaded her to start another school, and at the age of 25, she founded Northwood High School, later named St Helen's School.
Facilities
[edit]St Helen's school occupies a twenty-two acre greenfield site. The Senior school, Junior School and Little Saints occupy separate buildings within the site with their own specialised facilities for their students. A new Junior School building opened in September 2016.
There are science laboratories, art rooms, a drama studio, a language laboratory, computer rooms, a recital hall and a library.[citation needed]
Sports Complex
[edit] |
In July 2004, phase I of the sports complex was completed and was opened by Steve Parry, Olympic bronze medalist. It consists of a 25m swimming pool and a fitness suite. Phase II was finished in summer 2006. This includes the multi-gym, dance studio, treatment rooms and observation areas. In 2005, the new swimming pool was used by the female celebrity competitors from The Games television programme for training.
In December 2006, the final phase II of the sports complex was also completed and was opened by Olympic silver medalist, Roger Black.
The Centre was opened in 2014 and provides space for drama, music and gymnastics as well as a recording studio.
House system
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2021) |
The house system was established in 1927 with three houses named Scott, Shackleton and Bruce. Two of the houses were named after Antarctic explorers – Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton, with Bruce named after the Himalayan explorer Brig. Gen. Charles Bruce. A fourth house, Bonington, also named after a Himalayan explorer, has since been added.
The houses have now been changed to Seacole (Bruce), Kahlo (Scott), Brontë (Shackleton), and Franklin (Bonington).
Each year the House Cup is awarded to the house with the most points, which can be earned through commendations, Sports Day, House Arts and other achievements.
| House | Name Origin | Motto | House Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahlo | Frieda Kahlo | "Ready Aye Ready" | Red |
| Bronte | Charlotte Bronte | "Endurance" | Blue |
| Seacole | Mary Seacole | "Altiora Peto" | Purple |
| Franklin | Rosalind Franklin | "Laboramus Ut Vincamus" | Yellow |
In 1999, to mark the centenary, Junior School adopted a new house system consisting of 3 houses. The Houses, nominated by the Junior School students, were named after pioneering women in history. Later in 2012 the fourth house was added, named after the American female pilot Amelia Earhart.[1][failed verification]
| House | Name Origin | House Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Curie | Marie Curie | Orange |
| Keller | Helen Keller | Turquoise |
| Nightingale | Florence Nightingale | Magenta |
| Earhart | Amelia Earhart | Purple |
Curriculum
[edit]Pupils in Middle School (Years 7–9) follow a broader version of the National Curriculum.[2] Upper School pupils (Years 10–11) take English Language and Literature, Mathematics, the Sciences, and at least one Modern Foreign Language and one Humanity course. Students take both GCSE and IGCSE courses, with core subjects studied at IGCSE.[3] Sixth Formers sit A Levels.[4]
St Helen's has regularly performed well in GCSE and A Levels examination league tables.[5][6] In 2009 candidates achieved a 100% pass rate, all A*-C grades.[7] In 2010 they achieved a 99% pass rate with 96% receiving all A*-B grades.[8] In 2015, the school achieved some of its best results to date with 53% of entries graded A* and 84% graded A*-A.[9] The pass rate was 99%.[10]
Notable former pupils
[edit] | This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (July 2023) |
Arts and entertainment
- Patricia Hodge, OBE, actress in BBC sitcom Miranda
- Penny Johnson, Director of the Government Art Collection
- Joan Eardley, painter[11][12]
- Helen Grace, actress
- Rachel Petladwala, actress
- Dame Ingrid Roscoe,[13] art historian
Business
- Paula Nickolds, former Managing Director of John Lewis[14]
Sport
- Jessica Gordon Brown, Commonwealth Silver Medalist for Olympic Weightlifting
Journalism and media
- Penny Marshall, journalist
- Caroline Daniel, journalist
- Magenta Devine, journalist & TV presenter
- Luisa Baldini, former BBC News correspondent
Law
- Barbara Calvert, barrister and first woman to become a Head of Chambers
- Barbara Mills, former Director of Public Prosecutions
Military
- Daphne Blundell, former Director of the Women's Royal Naval Service
References
[edit]- ^ Junior School – The Community
- ^ Curriculum – Middle School
- ^ Curriculum – Upper School
- ^ Sixth Form
- ^ "Borough schools' results soar in new exam league tables". Hillingdon & Uxbridge Times. 22 November 2011.
- ^ "GCSE results produce smiles all around". Hillingdon & Uxbridge Times. 23 August 2007.
- ^ "St Helen's girls celebrate near perfect GCSE haul". Uxbridge Gazette. 27 August 2009.
- ^ "Year 11 pupils at St Helen's School in Northwood achieve excellent GCSEs". Uxbridge Gazette. 24 August 2010.
- ^ "The Curriculum".
- ^ "Top results for St Helen's School". 22 August 2013.
- ^ Christopher Andreae (2013). Joan Eardley. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 10–. ISBN 978-1-84822-114-7.
- ^ Oliver, Cordelia (2004). "Eardley, Joan Kathleen Harding". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/40309. Retrieved 22 April 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Dame Ingrid Roscoe, 76: Swedish art expert and a first female lord-lieutenant".
- ^ Butler, Sarah (25 October 2016). "John Lewis appoints Paula Nickolds as first female managing director". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
External links
[edit]- School Website
- ISI Inspection Reports
- Profile on the ISC website
- Profile on the Good Schools Guide