Channing School is an independent day school for girls at Highgate Hill in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

. Channing School is a member of the

Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council. History The GSA can trace its history back to the Association of Headm ...

. The junior school is for pupils aged four to twelve and includes the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), in April 2015, awarded Channing School the highest possible judgements in each category inspected, saying 'The quality of the pupils' achievements and learning is exceptional'. The ''

Good Schools Guide ''The Good Schools Guide'' is a guide to British schools, both state and independent. Overview The guide is compiled by a team of editors which, according to the official website, "''comprises some 50 editors, writers, researchers and contri ...

'' called the school "A sheltered, isolated school in a beautiful setting, less pressured than many London girls' schools but still getting excellent results and producing self-assured young women."

History

Channing School, originally called Channing House, first opened in 1885 in Sutherland House under the Revd. Robert Spears and was endowed by the Misses Matilda and Emily Sharpe, the daughters of

Samuel Sharpe Samuel Sharpe, or Sharp (1801 – 23 May 1832), also known as Sam Sharpe, was an enslaved Jamaican who was the leader of the widespread 1831–32 Baptist War slave rebellion (also known as the Christmas Rebellion) in Jamaica. He was proclaim ...

, primarily for the daughters of Unitarian ministers, and named after

William Ellery Channing William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842) was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton (1786–1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. Channi ...

. Robert Spears later became the first minister of Highgate Unitarian Church. There was assistance for six pupils by private benefactions. After a year, numbers had risen to about 90 pupils and by 1925 to about 125. Ivy House, higher up the hill, was leased for dormitories and offices in 1885. In the same year the school also leased the

semi-detached A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single family duplex dwelling house that shares one common wall with the next house. The name distinguishes this style of house from detached houses, with no shared walls, and terraced house ...

West View, immediately below Sutherland House and extended the frontage of both in 1887. In 1901 West View was bought, the other half of the semi-detached property, Slingley, was bought in 1921. This was done under the authority of

Robert Mortimer Montgomery Robert Mortimer Montgomery KC (October 1869 – 31 December 1948), was a British lawyer, school administrator, legal writer, and Liberal Party politician. Early life and education Montgomery was born the son of Rev. John Knowles Montgomery, Unita ...

, who had been a Governor of the school since 1906, and became its chairman in December 1920.Walter H. Burgess, Unitarian Historical Society, ''Transactions of the Unitarian Historical Society'' (1949), Vol. 16–17, p. 154-155. The neighbouring building, Hampden House was acquired in 1925 and in 1930 the adjacent Arundel House; these two forming another pair of semi-detached houses. Fairseat, leased with two acres of land, was used from 1926. A hall was opened in 1927 and from 1931 the school became known simply as Channing School. Channing was badly damaged by a

parachute mine A parachute mine is a naval mine dropped from an aircraft by parachute. They were mostly used in the Second World War by the Luftwaffe and initially by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command. Frequently, they were dropped on land targets. Hist ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. During the War, Montgomery oversaw the temporary relocation of the school and its pupils to the West Country, his last major effort before resigning from the chairmanship in 1944. Haigh House was built in 1954 to replace the damaged and bombed out buildings. In 1943 a Junior School opened at 12 Southwood Lane which was sold in 1955 when the junior school moved to Fairseat. There were 250 girls in 1950 and 390 in 1975.

Buildings

The Junior School (also known as Faireseat) was the home of

Sir Sydney Waterlow, 1st Baronet Sir Sydney Hedley Waterlow, 1st Baronet, (1 November 1822 – 3 August 1906) was a British philanthropist and Liberal Party politician, principally remembered for donating Waterlow Park to the public as "a garden for the gardenless". Life He w ...

, who donated the park next door to the public after he died. There is a statue of him on the highest point in the park (just behind Fairseat's Tennis Courts) which shows him holding a key which is said to be the key to the park which he is offering to the public. The Senior School has four buildings: Brunner House, Haigh House, Founders Hall and a complex completed in 2015 housing a Sixth Form Centre and a Sports Hall, with Fitness Suite. Founders Hall, once the Old Hall, was re-opened in February 2008 after renovations split the hall into two floors to extend the Sixth Form Centre. In 2014 Founders' Hall was renovated again to house a Music School with soundproofed practice rooms, a studio and teaching rooms. An upper floor was added to Brunner House in 2003, and constitutes staff offices and classrooms which double as the form rooms of year groups 7 to 9. Haigh House has the Science department, Art department, Mathematics department, ICT department, and dark room. The Mathematics department takes the place of the old dormitories, as the school was once a boarding school. A performing arts centre that seats 300 was completed in 2017.

Grounds

Channing Junior School's (Fairseat) Grounds are part of Sir Sydney Waterlow's park. In 2018 a large veteran Cedar of Lebanon had to be chopped down because it was infected with a fungus. Channing also has a cottage (It is called ' the Fairseat Cottage'), chicken coop, adventure playground and tennis courts. The School also owns a large expanse of grass on Stanhope Road where summer sports are played and the Channing Fireworks are held.

Alumni

Elsie Chamberlain Elsie Dorothea Chamberlain (3 March 1910 – 10 April 1991) was a British Congregational Church minister and radio broadcaster. She was the first woman minister in the RAF and a leader of the Congregational Federation of churches that formed in 1 ...

studied here before she worked for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

History

Buildings

Grounds

Alumni

Pastoral care

References

External links