South Hampstead High School
| South Hampstead High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
, , NW3 5SS England | |
| Coordinates | 51°32′46″N 0°10′38″W / 51.5462°N 0.1773°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private day school |
| Motto | More Light (German: Mehr Licht) |
| Established | 1876 as St. Johns Wood High School[1] |
| Local authority | London Borough of Camden |
| Department for Education URN | 100076 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Head teacher | Anna Paul |
| Staff | circa 160 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 4 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 965 |
| Houses | Walker, Potter, Bodington, Benton, |
| Colours | Gold and Navy |
| Publication | The Penguin (student magazine) |
| Website | www |
South Hampstead High School is a private day school in Hampstead, north-west London, England, which was founded by the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST). It is for girls aged 4–18 with selective entry at ages 4+, 7+, 11+ and 16+ (Sixth Form).
History
[edit]Founded in 1876, the ninth school established by the GDST (then known as St John's Wood High School) with 27 pupils, until 1886, the school was led by Rebecca Allen-Olney; she left to found another school nearby with her sister Sarah Allen-Olney who was assistant head.[2] The cross-dressing Mary Benton who had previously taught at this school returned as headmistress when morale was low; the "Brigadier-General" built up the school until in the 1920s it was claimed that half of the school's students then at university were studying scientific subjects.[1]
From 1946 until the late 1970s, it was a girls' direct grant grammar school, with around half the intake paid for by the local council.[3]
In January 2015, alumna Helena Bonham Carter, opened a new 7-storey building for the Senior School, designed by Hopkins Architects.[4] In January 2020, the school unveiled a new state-of-the-art performance space, Waterlow Hall.[5]
Staff
[edit]Headmistresses
[edit]- Anna Paul (2023–present)
- Victoria Bingham (2017–2023)
- Helen Pike (2013–2016)
- Jenny Stephen (2005–2013)
- Vivien Ainley (2001–2004)
- Jean Scott (1993–2001)
- Averil Burgess (1975–1993)
- Sheila Wiltshire (1969–1974)
- Prunella Bodington (1954–1969)
- Muriel Potter (1927–1953 )
- Dorothy Walker (1918–1926) (Miss McGonigle 1926 one term)
- Mary Benton (1886–1918)[1]
- Miss Allen-Olney (1876–1886)
Former teachers
[edit]- Edith Allen, mother of food writer Raymond Postgate and Dame Margaret Cole (who married G. D. H. Cole), and wife of classicist John Percival Postgate
- Rosalind Goodfellow, who taught history[6]
- Marianne Lutz, Headmistress from 1959–83 of Sheffield High School for Girls taught history from 1947–59.
- Margaret Nevinson, suffragette, and mother of the painter C. R. W. Nevinson (taught classics in the 1880s)
- Marie Orliac, who taught French in 1907–1910, founder of the University des Lettres Francaises (1910, Marble Arch, West London) that would become in 1913 the Institut Francais du Royaume-Uni.
School motto
[edit]- "Mehr Licht" – More Light (German)—the reputed last words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Notable former pupils
[edit]- Katya Adler, journalist[7]
- Julia Briggs, academic, literary critic and biographer[8]
- Ella Bright, actress[9]
- Helena Bonham Carter, actress
- Janet Cohen, Baroness Cohen of Pimlico, lawyer and crime fiction writer
- Lilah Fear, figure skater[10]
- Lynne Featherstone, Baroness Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP from 2005 to 2015 for Hornsey and Wood Green
- Naomi Ishiguro, author
- Glynis Johns, actress
- Diana Kennedy, food writer and expert on Mexican food[11]
- Dame Angela Lansbury, actress and author
- Daisy Lowe, model
- Joanna MacGregor, pianist
- Julia Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger, rabbi
- Sarah Patterson, actress
- Margaret Quass, educationalist and activist[12]
- Devika Rani, Bollywood actress[13]
- Netta Rheinberg, cricketer[14]
- Sarah Sackman, Labour MP and Solicitor-General
- Jordan Scott, filmmaker and photographer[15]
- Rachel Sylvester, political journalist
- Fay Weldon, novelist
- Olivia Williams, actress
- Christina Larner, Historian, Author
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004). "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. ref:odnb/48672. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/48672. Retrieved 25 February 2023. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Olney, Sarah Allen (1842–1915), headmistress". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/52261. Retrieved 1 August 2020. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Mr. K. Lindsay; Miss Wilkinson (31 May 1946). "Grammar Schools (Direct grant status)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 423. House of Commons. col. 233–236. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ Blake, Imogen (30 January 2015). "Belsize Park actress Helena Bonham Carter reminisces about Hampstead schooldays". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ Boniface, Michael (29 January 2020). "Royal guests: Crown stars Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Colman open South Hampstead school's arts hall". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ Rosalind Goodfellow
- ^ "Culture List for Lockdown". 19 May 2020.
- ^ Light, Alison (30 August 2007). "Obituary: Julia Briggs". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
- ^ "GDST student stars in Malory Towers". GDST Girls' Day School Trust. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Corbett, Charlie (15 December 2016). "Ice dance sisters are set to take on the world". Camden New Journal. Archived from the original on 24 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ^ Jaine, Tom (27 July 2022). "Diana Kennedy obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ Lipscomb, John L (24 December 2003). "Margaret Quass: An internationalist in education". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Bose, Mihir (2006). Bollywood – A History. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. p. 106. ISBN 0-7524-2835-7.
- ^ "Netta Rheinberg". The Daily Telegraph. 7 June 2006. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ Standard, The (10 April 2012). "A reel life: Jordan Scott". The Standard. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
