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Wycombe High School is a girls' grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire taking girls from the age of 11 to 18. The school became an academy in 2011,[2] and in 2020 had 1,308 pupils.[3]
| Wycombe High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Marlow Road , , HP11 1TB England | |
| Coordinates | 51°37′11″N 0°45′45″W / 51.6196°N 0.7626°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy Grammar school |
| Motto | Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter (Courageously, Faithfully, Joyfully) |
| Established | 1901 |
| Specialist | Mathematics and Computing College |
| Department for Education URN | 136723 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | Nicola Renyard[1] |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1348[1] |
| Houses |
|
| Colour(s) | Blue and Burgundy |
| Website | Official website  |
History
editThe school was the first state grammar school for girls in Buckinghamshire when it opened in 1901 with eighteen pupils.[4]
In 1901, the school was housed in the Clock House in Frogmoor, High Wycombe. At that time, enrolment was 18 fee-paying pupils and three staff. Miss Mary Christie M.A. was the first headmistress.
The school moved to Benjamin Road in 1906 where it remained for 50 years, except for a time during the First World War when it was evacuated to the old grammar school so that the Benjamin Road buildings could be used as a military hospital. By 1922 the school had 300 pupils and was rapidly expanding. The school acquired its status as a Voluntary Controlled girl's grammar school in 1944. By 1956 the number of girls wishing to attend the school was so great that the school moved again to new premises that were built at the present site on Marlow Hill.
It won the BBC Radio quiz show Top of the Form in 1958 and 1980.[5]
In September 2005, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) awarded the school specialist school status in Mathematics & Computing.[6]
Over the years, buildings have been added to the school, such as Technology, Sport and Drama blocks. These were built to allow for the extra 300 pupils and staff that arrived when Lady Verney High School joined with Wycombe High in 1993. The most recent addition is a new music centre which opened in the summer term in 2015. The school houses a well-resourced library, conference facilities, and the school archive.[7]
Curriculum
editSubjects taught at Wycombe High School from Year 7 are: English, Maths, Science, Art, Spanish, History, Geography, French, Latin, Religious Studies, Physical Education, Drama and Technology (alternating between Graphics, Textiles and Food throughout the year).
Notable former pupils
edit- Julia Bone, tennis player[8]
- Rita Clifton CBE, advertising executive
- Gladys Colton, headmistress of City of London School for Girls, 1949 to 1972[9]
- Monica Felton, writer, town planner, feminist and social activist
- Isa Guha, England cricketer
- E. L. James, author of Fifty Shades of Grey
- Penny Jamieson, Bishop of Dunedin, New Zealand[10]
- Shan Morgan CMG, British diplomat
- Marion McQuillan (1921 – 1998), British metallurgist who specialised in the engineering uses for titanium and its alloys
- Rachel Burden, journalist and radio / TV presenter[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Wycombe High School". Get information about schools. GOV.UK. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Open academies map and schools submitting applications". Department for Education. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- ^ "Wycombe High School". GOV.UK. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Project: The Wycombe High School Centre for the History of Girl's State Education". Grants Database. Heritage Lottery Fund. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ Kington Times, 10 January 1958, p. 1; Buckinghamshire Advertiser, 28 March 1958, p. 2; Daily Telegraph, 17 February 1981, p. 14.
- ^ "Specialist Schools Home". DfES. July 2006. Archived from the original on 3 August 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2006.
- ^ "About the School". Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ Slade, Joe (25 June 2005). "Bone has dream Wimbledon date". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ "COLTON, Gladys M.", in Who Was Who 1981–1990 (London: A. & C. Black, 1991, ISBN 0-7136-3336-0); online edition by Oxford University Press, December 2007
- ^ "JAMIESON, Rt Rev. Penelope Ann Bansall". Who's Who 2008. A & C Black; online ed., Oxford University Press. 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
- ^ Wareham, Stephanie (15 June 2015). "Radio 5 live presenter to return to former school to speak to pupils". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 17 August 2020.