Cheltenham Ladies' College is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to provide "a sound academic education for girls". It is also a member of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the United ...

. The school badge depicts two pigeons, taken from the Cheltenham town coat of arms, above three stars, which are in turn above a daisy, a school symbol. In 2020, Cheltenham Ladies' College was named Southwest Independent School of the Decade by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

and

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

''.

History

The school was founded in 1853 after six individuals, including the Principal and Vice-Principal of Cheltenham College for Boys and four other men, decided to create a girls' school that would be similar to Cheltenham College for Boys. On 13 February 1854, the first 82 pupils began attending the school, with Annie Procter serving as the school's Principal. In 1858, upon Procter resigning from her position, the Principal's post was taken by

Dorothea Beale Dorothea Beale LL.D. (21 March 1831 – 9 November 1906) was a suffragist, educational reformer and author. As Principal of Cheltenham Ladies' College, she became the founder of St Hilda's College, Oxford. Early and family life Dorothea Beale w ...

, a prominent

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

educator. who later founded

St Hilda's College, Oxford St Hilda's College is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college is named after the Anglo-Saxon Saint, Hilda of Whitby and was founded in 1893 as a hall for women; it ...

. She was commemorated by a Cheltenham Civic Society

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

in 2017.

Structure and academic results

The school is divided into three divisions, Lower College ( KS3), Upper College ( KS4) and Sixth Form College ( KS5). The school gives pupils a choice in what they study. A range of subject combinations is available to Upper College girls at

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

, and for Sixth Form girls at

A-level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

International Baccalaureate (IB) The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educationa ...

. Tutors are full-time academic members of staff and advise girls on matters relating to their academic work and progress, while the Professional Guidance Centre gives advice on career options and university applications. Most pupils go on to continue higher education. The school's academic results are high, both compared to the national average and within the independent sector. From 2014 to 2017, the school reported that over two thirds of A-level results and approximately 90% of GCSE results were A* or A grades. Since 2015, the school has been the top girls boarding school in the country for IB results for three consecutive years. In 2019, 71% of students scored A*/A for their A-level examinations awhile 90% scored A*/A for GCSE. Members of an alumnae association of over 9,000 former pupils, across 80 different countries, keep in contact and offer work placements and careers advice. According to Vicky Tuck, the school's Principal in 2011, the school's pupils succeed in "

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, economics and

maths Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Houses

The school is made up of around 80% boarders and 20% day girls. Whether boarders or day girls, pupils are part of a junior or senior house and are supervised by a Housemistress and a team of House Staff. Girls who board live in one of eleven boarding houses. There are six junior houses for 11- to 16-year-olds, and five senior houses for sixth form girls. The junior houses are Farnley Lodge, Glenlee, Sidney Lodge, St. Austin's, St. Helen's, and St. Margaret's. At Sixth Form, all girls move to a senior house. The senior houses are Beale, Cambray, Elizabeth, Roderic and St. Hilda's. Each house is run by a housemistress and several resident staff. The housemistresses have a lighter teaching load with a full-time commitment supervising their boarders. Junior day girls have their own base in Eversleigh, where the three junior houses, Bellairs, Glengar and St Clare, are located. The senior day girl house, Bayshill, is situated in the main college site.

Co-curriculars

Over 160 co-curricular activities are available.

Music and Drama

The Music and Drama departments offer productions and concerts each year involving all age groups. Over 1,000 individual instrumental lessons take place each week. In October 2009, Sir Richard Eyre opened the school's new drama building, The Parabola Arts Centre (PAC). The building was built by Foster Wilson Architects and cost over £12.5 million, funded by donations. The school is a major sponsor of the Cheltenham Music, Literature, Jazz and Science Festivals and events are hosted at the centre annually. The PAC building was awarded the RIBA award. In 2010, Sharman Macdonald (Keira Knightley's mother) was commissioned to write the college's play. In 2016, the school also invested in a new recording studio.

Sports

In 2018, the school opened a new Health and Fitness Centre. Sports facilities include a 25-metre six-lane swimming-pool, netball courts, tennis courts, squash courts, AstroTurf fields, lacrosse pitches, a spin studio, two dance studios and two sports halls. Over 30 sports are offered, and students are encouraged to maintain their fitness and wellbeing through physical exercise. The main sports are Netball, Lacrosse and Hockey in the winter, and Tennis, Swimming and Athletics in the Summer. The school also has a well-established Rowing Club, and Equestrian and Ski teams.

Admissions

The school is one of the hardest UK private schools to get into, with competition for places at sixth form being "fierce". Entry to Cheltenham Ladies' College is by examination for girls aged 11+, 13+ and 16+ (Sixth Form), as well as occasionally at 12+ and 14+ where only a few students are admitted.

Inspections

The school was last inspected by the

Independent Schools Inspectorate The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect independent schools in England. These schools are members of associations, w ...

in October 2014. It achieved the grade "Excellent" in all areas. In the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

secondary school ranking, Cheltenham Ladies College was placed at no. 14 in 2010 and no. 34 in 2011. The college was the top girls boarding school and 6th overall in UK rankings for the International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2017. The ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

School Guide 2018'' notes that "confident, resilient, clever girls flourish" at the college. 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 ...

'' described the school as "a top flight school with strong traditional values and a clear sense of purpose. For the bright and energetic all rounder this school offers an exceptional education that is both broad and deep, with endless opportunities for fun and enrichment along the way." In 2020, Cheltenham Ladies' College was named South West Independent Secondary School of the Decade by ''

and

''. The awards, published in the "Parent Power" schools guide, commend schools that have achieved academic excellence and provided an outstanding education over the previous decade.

In popular culture

As one of the oldest and most prestigious all-girls' boarding schools in the UK, the school has often been referred to as "the girls'

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

". However, the school has worked hard to play down this reputation.

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

made a three-part documentary series titled ''My New Best Friend'' to emphasize the importance and nature of friendship among children. The first episode tracked the journey of four young girls starting at Cheltenham Ladies' College. Cheltenham Ladies' College is mentioned in the film ''

St Trinian's ''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquents ...

'' (2007) as the previous school of the main character.

List of Principals

* Annie Proctor, 1854–1858 *

, 1858–1906 *

Lilian Faithfull Lilian Mary Faithfull CBE (12 March 1865 – 2 May 1952) was an English teacher, headmistress, women's rights advocate, magistrate, social worker, and humanitarian. She was one of the "Steamboat ladies" who were part of the struggle for wo ...

, 1906–1922 * Beatrice Sparks, 1922–1937 * Margaret Popham, 1937–1953 * Joan Tredgold, 1953–1964 *

Margaret Hampshire Grace Margaret Hampshire (9 July 1918 – 6 June 2004) was a British educator and civil servant who served as principal of Cheltenham Ladies' College from 1964 to 1979. She began her career in the Civil Service as a member of the Board of Trad ...

, 1964–1979 * Joan Sadler, 1979–1987 * Enid Castle, 1987–1996 * Vicky Tuck, 1996–2011 * Gwen Byrom, 2011 (Acting) *

Eve Jardine-Young Eve Jardine-Young DL is the Principal of the Cheltenham Ladies' College. Early life She lived in Malawi, Central Africa, and was educated there at Saint Andrews International High School until 1989, when she accepted a scholarship to the Chelten ...

, 2011–present

Notable staff

* Winifred Lily Boys-Smith (1865–1939) *

U. A. Fanthorpe Ursula Askham Fanthorpe, Commander of the British Empire, CBE, Royal Society of Literature, FRSL (22 July 1929 – 28 April 2009) was an English poet, who published as U. A. Fanthorpe. Her poetry comments mainly on social issues. Life and work ...

(1929–2009), poet * Charlotte Laurie (1856–1933), botanist *

Eleanor Mary Reid Eleanor Mary Reid (born Eleanor Mary Wynne Edwards) (1860–1953) was a British palaeobotanist. Throughout her life she worked closely with her husband, Clement Reid, a trained botanist and geologist, and later worked alongside Marjorie Chandle ...

(1860–1953), palaeobotanist * Mary Watson (1856–1933), chemist *

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

(1874–1934), composer *

Agnes Tschetschulin Agnes Tschetschulin (24 February 1859 – 23 April 1942) was a Finnish composer and violinist who toured internationally. Tschetschulin was born in Helsinki to Feodor and Hilda Eckstein Tschetschulin. She had three sisters: Maria, Melanie, and E ...

(1859-1942), composer and violinist

Notable pupils

Guild is the association of College's former pupils.

The arts

Florence Farr Florence Beatrice Emery ('' née'' Farr; 7 July 1860 – 29 April 1917) was a British West End leading actress, composer and director. She was also a women's rights activist, journalist, educator, singer, novelist, and leader of the occult ...

, actress and mistress of

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

Bridget Riley Bridget Louise Riley (born 24 April 1931) is an English painter known for her op art paintings. She lives and works in London, Cornwall and the Vaucluse in France. Early life and education Riley was born on 24 April 1931 in West Norwood, No ...

, artist *

Sophie Solomon Sophie Solomon (born 6 June 1978) is a British violinist, songwriter and composer who fuses many different musical influences into her music. She was Artistic Director of the Jewish Music Institute, SOAS (University of London) from 2012 to 201 ...

, violinist *Dame

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Award and Laurence Olivier Award, Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best ...

, actress *

Serena Scott Thomas Serena Harriet Scott Thomas (born 21 September 1961) is an English actress and documentary producer. Her television roles include Diana, Princess of Wales in '' Diana: Her True Story'' in 1993. Her film appearances include ''The World Is Not Eno ...

, actress *

Katharine Hamnett Katharine E. Hamnett (born 16 August 1947, in Gravesend, Kent) is an English fashion designer best known for her political T-shirts. Early life Hamnett was born on 16 August 1947, the daughter of James Appleton, a group captain. She attende ...

, fashion designer *

Damaris Hayman Damaris Hayman (16 June 1929 – 3 June 2021) was an English actress, often cast in upper class or eccentric roles. She made numerous performance in films and television series from the 1950s onwards. Biography Hayman was born in Kensington, Lo ...

, actress *

Cherry Healey Cherry Kathleen Healey (born 1980 as Cherry Kathleen Chadwyck-Healey) is a British television presenter, frequently featuring in self-titled lifestyle documentaries on the BBC. Early life Healey is the daughter of Nicholas Gerald Chadwyck-Healey ...

, television presenter *

Judith Ledeboer Judith Geertruid Ledeboer OBE (8 September 1901 – 24 December 1990) was a Dutch-born English architect. She was most active in London and Oxford, where she designed a variety of schools, university buildings and public housing projects. Ear ...

, architect and housing reformer * Leyly Matine-Daftary, modernist painter *

Charlotte Reather Charlotte Reather is an English comedy writer, performer and journalist. Personal life Educated at The Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Reather went on to study English literature at Kingston University. She is married to Edward Moorhouse, a Royal ...

, comedy writer and actress *

Talulah Riley Talulah Jane Riley-Milburn''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005''; Ancestry.com. Retrieved 3 November 2015. (born 26 September 1985) is an English actress and writer. She has appeared in films, including ''Pride & Pre ...

, actress * Amanda Wakeley, fashion designer

Politics, law and civil service

* Violet Brooke-Hunt, community organizer and volunteer in

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

Elizabeth Gass, Lady Gass Dame Elizabeth Periam Gass, Lady Gass, ( ''née'' Acland-Hood; born 2 March 1940) was Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset from 1998 to 2015. Early life and education She is the eldest daughter and co-heiress of the Honorable John Acland-Hood, a barrist ...

Lord Lieutenant of Somerset This is an incomplete list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Somerset. Since 1714, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Somerset. Lord Lieutenants of Somerset *John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford 1552–1555 * Willia ...

since 1998 *Dame

Cheryl Gillan Dame Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan (; 21 April 1952 – 4 April 2021) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chesham and Amersham from 1992 until her death in 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, she served a ...

, Conservative Member of Parliament and former

Secretary of State for Wales The secretary of state for Wales ( cy, ysgrifennydd gwladol Cymru), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a member ...

Sally Keeble Sally Curtis Keeble (born 13 October 1951) is a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Northampton North from the 1997 to 2010 general elections, when she lost her seat to the Conservative Party candidate ...

, Labour Member of Parliament *

Lizzy Lind af Hageby Emilie Augusta Louise "Lizzy" Lind af Hageby (20 September 1878 – 26 December 1963) was a Swedish-British feminist and animal rights advocate who became a prominent anti-vivisection activist in England in the early 20th century. Born to ...

, speaker and writer antivivisection and feminism *

Rachel Lomax Janis Rachel Lomax (born 15 July 1945) is a British economist, banker, and former government official who served as Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, sitting on the Monetary Policy Committee from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2008. Early life Lom ...

, the first woman Deputy Governor of the Bank of England *

Fiona Mactaggart Fiona Margaret Mactaggart (born 12 September 1953) is a British politician and former primary school teacher who has been chair of the Fawcett Society since 2018. A member of the Labour Party, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Slough from 1 ...

, Labour Member of Parliament *

Cicely Mayhew Cicely Elizabeth Mayhew, Baroness Mayhew (''née'' Ludlam; 16 February 1924 – 8 July 2016) was a British diplomat. She was the second woman to work for the British Foreign Office, and its first female diplomat. Early life She was born on 16 Fe ...

, UK's first female diplomat *

Gareth Peirce Gareth Peirce (born Jean Margaret Webb; March 1940) is a British solicitor and human rights activist. She has worked on a number of high-profile cases involving allegations of human rights injustices. Her work with Gerry Conlon and the Guildfo ...

, defence lawyer *

Amber Rudd Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British former politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye, fi ...

, former

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

Catherine Williamson Catherine Ellis Williamson (née Goodbody; 1 May 1896 – 25 April 1977) was an Irish politician. Born in Dublin to lawyer Lewis Goodbody and his wife Edith (née Pim), Williamson studied at Cheltenham Ladies College and in St Germain-en-Laye ...

, Canterbury's first woman mayor & Irish politician

Sciences, technology, engineering

Mary Archer Mary Doreen Archer, Baroness Archer of Weston-super-Mare ( Weeden; born 22 December 1944) is a British scientist specialising in solar power conversion. She is married to Jeffrey Archer, a former chairman of the Conservative Party. Early life ...

, scientist and chair of the trustees of the

Science Museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in mu ...

Group * Prue Barron, surgeon *

Louisa Aldrich-Blake Dame Louisa Brandreth Aldrich-Blake (15 August 1865 – 28 December 1925) was a pioneering surgeon and one of the first British women to enter the world of modern medicine. Born in Chingford, Essex, she was the eldest daughter of a curate. ...

, first female Master of Surgery * Mary Collins, immunologist *

Maud Cunnington Maud Edith Cunnington (''née'' Pegge; 24 September 1869 – 28 February 1951) was a Welsh archaeologist, best known for her pioneering work on the some of the most important prehistoric sites of Salisbury Plain. Early life, education, and m ...

, archaeologist * Miriam Violet Griffith, electrical engineer, technical author and pioneer of ground source heat pumps *

Lillias Hamilton Lillias Anna Hamilton (7 February 1858 – 6 January 1925) was a British doctor and author. She was born at Tomabil Station, New South Wales to Hugh Hamilton (1822– 1900) and his wife Margaret Clunes (née Innes). After attending school in Ay ...

, doctor and author *

Constance Leathart Constance Ruth Leathart (7 December 1903 – 4 November 1993) was a British female pilot who flew Royal Air Force aircraft on transit flights in World War Two in the Air Transport Auxiliary. Early life Constance Ruth Leathart was born on 7 D ...

Air Transport Auxiliary The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factori ...

pilot in Second World War, first woman in Britain to design and fly a glider *

Margaret Lowenfeld Margaret Frances Jane Lowenfeld (4 February 1890 – 2 February 1973) was a British pioneer of child psychology and play therapy, a medical researcher in paediatric medicine, and an author of several publications and academic papers on the study ...

, paediatrician and child psychotherapist *Dame

Clare Marx Dame Clare Lucy Marx (15 March 1954 – 27 November 2022) was a British surgeon who was president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England from July 2014 to July 2017, the first woman to hold the position, and former chair of the Faculty of ...

, first female President of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

(2014-2017), Chair of the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...

(January 2019) * Helen Mackay, first female Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians *

Liz Miller Elizabeth Sinclair Miller (born 27 February 1957) is a British physician, surgeon, campaigner and writer noted for her outspoken stance on mental health, and bipolar disorder (manic depression) in particular. Although she has a long history of t ...

, former neurosurgeon and mental health campaigner *

Jennie Pryce Professor Jennie Elizabeth Pryce (born 1972) is a quantitative geneticist based in Melbourne, Australia. Jennie is thDairyBioanimal program leader in conjunction with her role as principal research scientist foAgriculture Victoriaand Professor of ...

, quantitative geneticist *

Frances Ritchie Frances Dominica Ritchie (born 21 December 1942) OBE, DL, FRCN is a British nurse and Anglican religious sister, specializing in palliative care. She founded Helen & Douglas House, two hospices ("respices") for seriously ill young people. Ear ...

, nurse *

Lucy Wills Lucy Wills, LRCP (10 May 1888 – 26 April 1964) was an English haematologist and physician researcher. She conducted research in India in the late 1920s and early 1930s on macrocytic anaemia of pregnancy, a disease which is characterized by ...

, haematologist *

Helena Rosa Wright Helena Rosa Wright (17 September 1887 – 21 March 1982) was an English pioneer and influential figure in birth control and family planning both in Britain and internationally. With her husband she undertook missionary work in China for five yea ...

(née Lowenfeld), doctor and pioneer of family planning * Nur Amalina Che Bakri, Doctor

Journalism and authors

Hilary Andersson Hilary Harper Andersson (born 23 September 1967) is an American journalist presently working for the BBC. She has been a correspondent for ''Panorama'' since 2006. Born in Austin, Texas, she grew up in Belgium, West Germany, South Africa and S ...

, journalist and presenter *

Phyllis Bentley Phyllis Eleanor Bentley (19 November 1894 – 27 June 1977) was an English novelist. Biography The youngest child of a mill owner, she grew up in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire and was educated at Halifax High School for Girls and C ...

, novelist and authority on the

Brontë family The Brontës () were a nineteenth-century literary family, born in the village of Thornton and later associated with the village of Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The sisters, Charlotte (1816–1855), Emily (1818–1848) ...

Theodora Bosanquet Theodora Bosanquet MBE (3 October 1880 – 1 June 1961) was a writer, reviewer, editor, secretary, and amanuensis to Henry James. She worked as Executive Secretary of the International Federation of University Women, as well as being a contributo ...

, writer, reviewer, editor, amanuensis to Henry James, director and literary editor of

Time and Tide (magazine) ''Time and Tide'' was a British weekly (and later monthly) political and literary review magazine founded by Margaret, Lady Rhondda, in 1920. It started out as a supporter of left wing and feminist causes and the mouthpiece of the feminist Six ...

. *

Rosie Boycott Rosel Marie "Rosie" Boycott, Baroness Boycott (born 13 May 1951) is a British journalist and Feminism, feminist. Early life The daughter of Major Charles Boycott and Betty Le Sueur Boycott, Rosel Marie "Rosie" Boycott was born in Saint Helier, ...

, journalist and former editor of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' and the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' *

D. K. Broster Dorothy Kathleen Broster (2 September 1877 – 7 February 1950), usually known as D. K. Broster, was an English novelist and short-story writer. Her fiction consists mainly of historical romances set in the 18th or early 19th centuries. Her best k ...

, novelist *

Katharine Burdekin Katharine Burdekin (23 July 1896 – 10 August 1963) (born Katharine Penelope Cade) was a British novelist who wrote speculative fiction concerned with social and spiritual matters.John Clute, "Burdekin, Katherine P(enelope)" in The Encyclopedi ...

, author *

Amy Key Clarke Amy Key Clarke (21 December 1892 – 20 June 1980)Obituary, The ''Times'', 23 June 1980 was an English mystical poet and writer, and a teacher at The Cheltenham Ladies' College. Early life and education Clarke was born at 121 Elgin Crescent, ...

, mystical poet, author and senior teacher at the school, also wrote histories of the school *

Janet E. Courtney Janet Elizabeth Courtney (born Barton-upon-Humber, 27 November 1865; died London, 24 September 1954) was an English scholar, writer and feminist. Early life She was a daughter of the Revd George Hogarth and Jane Elizabeth Uppleby; sister of the ...

, writer *

Tatiana Hambro Tatiana Katherine Hambro (born 15 October 1989) is an English writer and fashion editor. She worked at ''British Vogue'' before joining Moda Operandi as editorial director. Early life and family Hambro was born on 15 October 1989 in Westmins ...

, fashion writer and editor for

Moda Operandi Founded in 2010 by Lauren Santo Domingo and Áslaug Magnúsdóttir, Moda Operandi is an online luxury fashion retailer that allows customers to preorder looks directly from designers, immediately after their runway show. The concept, which was con ...

Beatrice Harraden Beatrice Harraden (1864–1936) was a British writer and suffragette. Life Born in Hampstead, London on 24 January 1864, to parents Samuel Harraden and Rosalie Lindstedt Harraden, Beatrice Harraden grew up to become an influential feminist wri ...

, writer and suffragette *

Phoebe Hesketh Phoebe Hesketh (29 January 1909 – 25 February 2005) was an English poet from Lancashire notable for her poems depicting nature. Life and writing Phoebe Hesketh was born in Preston, Lancashire. Her father was the pioneer radiologist Arthur E. ...

, poet *

Lisa Jardine Lisa Anne Jardine (née Bronowski; 12 April 1944 – 25 October 2015) was a British historian of the early modern period. From 1990 to 2011, she was Centenary Professor of Renaissance Studies and Director of the Centre for Editing Lives and ...

, historian, author and broadcaster *

Margaret Kennedy Margaret Moore Kennedy (23 April 1896 – 31 July 1967) was an English novelist and playwright. Her most successful work, as a novel and as a play, was '' The Constant Nymph''. She was a productive writer and several of her works were filmed. T ...

, novelist *

Sue Lloyd-Roberts Susan Ann Lloyd-Roberts CBE (27 October 1950 – 13 October 2015) was a British television journalist who contributed reports to BBC programmes and, earlier in her career, worked for ITN. Early life Born in London in 1950, she was the daughter ...

, television journalist *

Kate Reardon Kate Reardon (born 1968 in New York City, US) is a British journalist and author who was the editor of ''Tatler'' magazine from 2011 until resigning in December 2017. Early life Reardon was born in New York to architect Patrick Reardon. She att ...

, journalist * Betty Ridley, journalist *

Mira Sethi Mira Sethi (born January 12, 1987) is a Pakistani actress and writer. The daughter of journalists Najam Sethi and Jugnu Mohsin, she attended Lahore Grammar School and Cheltenham Ladies' College then graduated from Wellesley College in 2010; she ...

, journalist *

May Sinclair May Sinclair was the pseudonym of Mary Amelia St. Clair (24 August 1863 – 14 November 1946), a popular British writer who wrote about two dozen novels, short stories and poetry. She was an active suffragist, and member of the Woman Writers' S ...

, writer *

Caroline Spurgeon Caroline Frances Eleanor Spurgeon (24 October 1869, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous ...

, literary critic *

Robin Stevens Robin Gordon Stevens (born 30 January 1960) is an English puppeteer, actor, director and writer for children's TV for nearly 30 years, and has done many successful programmes. These include ''Pob's Programme'', '' Corners'', ''Teletubbies'', ...

, children's author *

Jenny Uglow Jennifer Sheila Uglow (, (accessed 5 February 2008).
(accessed 19 August 2022). born 1947) is an English biographer, hi ...

, biographer * Margaret Winifred Vowles, author * Sarah Wardle, poet *

Grace Wyndham Goldie Grace Wyndham Goldie (née Grace Murrell Nisbet; 26 March 1900 – 3 June 1986) was a British producer and executive in television for twenty years, particularly in the fields of politics and current affairs. During her career at the BBC, she was ...

, first Head of

BBC #REDIRECT 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 ex ...

News & Current Affairs

Sports

Nina Clarkin Nina Clarkin is a British polo player. Early life Carina Vestey was born circa 1983. Her father, Mark Vestey, (b. 1943, d. 2016) was a former polo player.Serena AllottPolo player Nina Clarkin: a life on horseback ''The Daily Telegraph'', 21 Ma ...

, World number one female polo player *

Poppy Cooksey Poppy, Lady Cooksey OBE DL, previously Janet Wardell-Yerburgh, née Janet Clouston Bewley Cathie (born 15 February 1940) is a British fencer whose later career was in picture restoration. She married firstly the Olympic oarsman Hugh Wardell- ...

, Olympic fencer *

Mary Eyre Margaret Mary Eyre MBE (1923 – 7 November 2013) was a British sportswoman and administrator. Eyre played hockey for England 16 times from 1945 to 1951, scoring 17 goals. She competed in the Wimbledon Ladies' Doubles nine times between 1949 a ...

, England hockey player and

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

umpire *

Muriel Robb Muriel Evelyn Robb (13 May 1878 – 12 February 1907) was an English female tennis player. She is best remembered for her ladies' singles title at the 1902 Wimbledon Championships. She also won the Irish and Scottish singles titles in 1901 and ...

Champion and only person to win all national UK tennis singles titles * Jean Westwood, world champion ice dancerInterview With Jean Westwood
Skate Guard, 7 February 2015

Other

Annette Bear-Crawford Annette Bear-Crawford (1853 – 7 June 1899) was a women's suffragist and federationist in Victoria. Early life Bear-Crawford was born in East Melbourne, her family was wealthy and she spent her childhood in Australia and England. She had t ...

, suffragette *

Tamara Beckwith Tamara Jane Beckwith (born 17 April 1970) is an English socialite and television personality. In the 1990s, she was regarded as one of the "It girls" of the London social scene. Early life The daughter of property developer Peter Beckwith, Bec ...

, socialite *

Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford Mary Du Caurroy Russell, Duchess of Bedford, (née Tribe; 13/26 September 1865 – ca. 22 March 1937) was a British aviator and ornithologist. She was honoured for her work in founding hospitals and working in them during the First World War. ...

, 11th Duchess of Bedford *

Mary Boyce Nora Elisabeth Mary Boyce (2 August 1920 – 4 April 2006) was a British scholar of Iranian languages, and an authority on Zoroastrianism. She was Professor of Iranian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the Un ...

, scholar of

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion and one of the world's History of religion, oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian peoples, Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a Dualism in cosmology, du ...

* Victoria Davies Randle, a socialite of Victorian

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

, who served as

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

's goddaughter * Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, Commandant of the

Women's Royal Air Force The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force. It existed in two separate incarnations: the Women's Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1920 and the Women's Royal Air Force from 1949 to 1994. On 1 February 1949, the ...

and Chief Controller of the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

* Dorothy Christian Hare, medical director of the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

Jane Ellen Harrison Jane Ellen Harrison (9 September 1850 – 15 April 1928) was a British classics, classical scholar and linguistics, linguist. Harrison is one of the founders, with Karl Kerenyi and Walter Burkert, of modern studies in Ancient Greek religio ...

, classical scholar *

Hermione Hobhouse Mary Hermione Hobhouse (2 February 1934 – 17 October 2014) was a British architectural historian and prominent preservation campaigner. Family and early life Hobhouse was born on 2 February 1934 to Sir Arthur Hobhouse and Konradin Huth Ja ...

, historian *

Nicola Horlick Nicola Karina Christina Horlick (''née'' Gayford; born 28 December 1960) is a British investment fund manager, dubbed City 'superwoman' in the British media. She has publicly supported the Labour Party and latterly, the Liberal Democrats. Early ...

, investment fund manager (ran away) *

Beatrice Irwin Beatrice Irwin (July 16, 1877, Dagshai, India - March 20, 1953, San Diego, California,) was an actress, poet, designer and promoter of the Baháʼí Faith. Born Alice Beatrice Simpson, she took Beatrice Irwin as her stage name and later adopted i ...

(aka Alice Beatrice Simpson), actress, poet and illumination designer entrepreneur *

, Principal of Cheltenham Ladies' College *

Raja Zarith Sofiah Raja Zarith Sofiah binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Iskandar Al-Mutawakkil Alallahi Shah Afifullah (born 14 August 1959) is the Permaisuri ( Queen consort) of Johor. She was born as a member of the Perak Royal Family. While still attending Somervill ...

, consort of the King of Johor, Malaysia * Agnes Royden, preacher and suffragette *

Anne Willan Anne Willan (born 26 January 1938 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England) is the founder of the École de Cuisine La Varenne, which operated in Paris and Burgundy France, from 1975 until 2007. La Varenne classes continued in Santa Monica, California, thr ...

, Founder of École de Cuisine La Varenne (Paris, Burgundy & Los Angeles)

References

External links

Cheltenham Ladies' College
Official website.
Profile
on the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 schools in the United Kingdom's independent education sector. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the busin ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheltenham Ladies' College Educational institutions established in 1853 Girls' schools in Gloucestershire Independent schools in Gloucestershire Schools in Cheltenham International Baccalaureate schools in England 1853 establishments in England Boarding schools in Gloucestershire Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association