![Clifton High School Staff, 1892](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Clifton_High_School_Staff%2C_1892.jpg)
Clifton High School is a
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
independent school
An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
in
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Do ...
, England. The school is the only one in the region to operate the
Diamond Edge model of education. This model means boys and girls are educated together from Nursery to Year 6, then separately in some subjects between Years 7 and 9. In Years 7 to 9 boys and girls are taught separately for English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Games. They are then taught together in all subjects from Years 10 to 13. Clifton High School was founded as an
all-girls' school in 1877 for girls aged 7–17, and the nearby
Clifton College
''The spirit nourishes within''
, established = 160 years ago
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school
, religion = Christian
, president =
, head_label = Head of College
, head ...
was then a boys' school. In 1887, a preparatory class was set-up where boys were soon admitted. It became fully coeducational in 2009. It is a member of the
Society of Heads
The Society of Heads, formerly the Society of Headmasters & Headmistresses of Independent Schools (SHHIS), or "S of H", is an association of Headmasters and Headmistresses of various types of independent schools in the United Kingdom, and was forme ...
.
History
![Ms Woods and school staff, 1880](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Ms_Woods_and_school_staff%2C_1880.jpg)
Clifton High School for Girls was founded in January 1877 (after some opposition from nearby
Bristol Grammar School
Bristol Grammar School (BGS) is a 4–18 mixed, independent day school in Bristol, England. It was founded in 1532 by Royal Charter for the teaching of 'good manners and literature', endowed by wealthy Bristol merchants Robert and Nicholas Thorn ...
) by visionaries including
John Percival (bishop)
John Percival (27 September 1834 – 3 December 1918) was the first headmaster of Clifton College, where he made his reputation as a great educator. In his 17 years at Clifton numbers rose to 680. He accepted the presidency of Trinity Colle ...
, the first Headmaster of
Clifton College
''The spirit nourishes within''
, established = 160 years ago
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school
, religion = Christian
, president =
, head_label = Head of College
, head ...
.
In 1876, LT-Col. Pears discussed the possibility of founding a day school for girls in Clifton with Dr Percival, Mr Wollaston and others interested in starting an education. Dr Percival asked some of the most prominent Bristol Men, including
George Alfred Wills
Sir George Alfred Wills, 1st Baronet of Blagdon (3 June 1854 – 11 July 1928) was a President of Imperial Tobacco and the head of an eminent Bristol family.
He was the son of Henry Overton Wills III and Alice Hopkinson and was educated at Mill ...
. The first council was started on 12 September 1877. The school officially opened its doors on 1 January 1878 with 67 students. The first student at the school was Bessie Percival, a relative to the founder
John Percival (bishop)
John Percival (27 September 1834 – 3 December 1918) was the first headmaster of Clifton College, where he made his reputation as a great educator. In his 17 years at Clifton numbers rose to 680. He accepted the presidency of Trinity Colle ...
. The first head was Ms Mary Alice Woods who was head in 1877–1891. In 1887, a preparatory class was set-up where boys were soon admitted. Boys first joined the Junior School in 1994, and the Sixth Form began accepting boys in 2008 and the school became fully coeducational the following year. Clifton High originally opened its doors in 1878 at 65 Pembroke Road. Around this time Clifton was at the height of its expansion with the Victoria Rooms, RWA, Christchurch and Whiteladies Road all recently constructed. Within a year of opening, the school needed to expand and as such moved into a large house that had recently been built on College Road. The house is now part of the school's main building.
![Opening of the new wing, Clifton High School](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Opening_of_the_new_wing%2C_Clifton_High_School.jpg)
In the sixty years following its move significant expansion took place, the original hall was built in 1889 and a new wing added to the original house in 1927 by
Sir George Oatley
Sir George Herbert Oatley (3 January 1863 – 12 May 1950) was an English architect noted for his work in Bristol, especially the gothic Wills Memorial Building. He was knighted for public service in 1925.
Early life
Oatley was born in Bristo ...
. The wing was funded by a performance preformed by students entitled 'Chaucer's England' in 1926. In the mid–1930s the tunnel under the road and gymnasium were constructed. During this time the school also expanded into the houses on School Green and into properties on Clifton Park. By 1951, the school site was largely as it is today.
![Clifton High School VI Form, 1887](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Clifton_High_School_VI_Form%2C_1887.jpg)
During the summer break of 2022, Clifton High School revamped some of its facilities and began construction of a new building for the Sixth Form. The same year, it was announced the school would be rebranding. The logo and possibly the uniform would be changed, and the school colours would be condensed into two colours—green and red. The changes are planned to be implemented in September 2023. On 1 December 2022, the first edition of the school newspaper was published. Mr Bennett, introduced the tradition of teacher's singing and dancing to Christmas songs via video, the first of which was made in 2020
The Rose Day
![The Rose Song](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/The_Rose_Song.jpg)
Clifton High School holds its annual Rose Day at the end of the school year in early July. It is held at the
Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...
, and is held to commomorate the school's history and is a celebration of its achievements.
![Ms Burns and VI form during Rose Day, 1894](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Ms_Burns_and_VI_form_during_Rose_Day%2C_1894.jpg)
One of the school's oldest traditions, Rose Day was established by Clifton High's first head teacher, Miss Woods, in the 1880s. The Rose was officially chosen by Ms Woods in 1891. In 1945, Rose day was moved from the nearby Clifton Cathedral to Bristol Cathedral.
Houses
![The 4 founders of Clifton High School](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/The_4_founders_of_Clifton_High_School.jpg)
In the 1950s and 1960s the houses were named after the school's founders and early benefactors, Budgett, Percival, Pope, Pears,
Winkworth and Wollaston. Later they were named after famous women:
Austen (pink);
Curie
In computing, a CURIE (or ''Compact URI'') defines a generic, abbreviated syntax for expressing Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). It is an abbreviated URI expressed in a compact syntax, and may be found in both XML and non-XML grammars. A CURIE ...
(yellow); and
Odette (green). The house names were then changed in academic year 2009–2010 to Holmes, Radcliffe and Redgrave; as this was the first year allowing boys throughout the entire school. The house names were changed back in academic year 2010–2011, following a competition, to the names of the school founders, Wollaston (yellow), Winkworth (red), Pears (blue) and Percival (green).
Facilities
![Clifton High School Orchestra, 1897](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Clifton_High_School_Orchestra%2C_1897.jpg)
School facilities include a sports centre, swimming pool (opened in 1967), multimedia language centre, cooking room and several
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
rooms. The Great Hall was opened in 1889 and boarding facilities were made in 1896 until the 1990s. The Rose Theatre was opened in 1967 along with the music and art department buildings, which then housed the sewing house and junior boarding house.
![Clifton High School Sixth Form, 1930](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Clifton_High_School_Sixth_Form%2C_1930.jpg)
The school owns the Coombe Dingle Sports Centre, in partnership with the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
, which has facilities including lacrosse, rugby and football pitches, and indoor and outdoor tennis courts. In 2022, Clifton High revamped a large number of facilities, including the dining hall and Arts department, as well as starting the construction of a new Sixth Form Centre. A school orchestra was made in 1893.
Heads of School
![The First Four Headmistresses of Clifton high school](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/The_First_Four_Headmistresses_of_Clifton_high_school.jpg)
Top left – Ms Woods
Top Right – Ms Burns
Bottom Left – Ms Phillips
Bottom Right – Ms Glenday
The Heads of Clifton High School, in list by chronological order:
*(1877–1891) Ms Mary Alice Woods
*(1891–1908) Ms Catherine Burns
*(1908–1933) Ms Eleanor Addison Phillips
*(1933–1962) Ms Nonita Glenday
*(1962–1964) Ms S.L. McKillop
*(1965–1985) Ms Pamela Stringer
*(1985–1996) Ms Joyce Walters
*(1996–1998) Mrs Yvonne Graham
*(1998–2011) Ms Colette Cullingam
*(2011–2020) Dr Alison Neill
*(2020–present) Mr Matthew Bennett
Alumni
![Fraulein Kruger (Head of German) in front of Clifton High, 1910](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Fraulein_Kruger_%28Head_of_German%29_in_front_of_Clifton_High%2C_1910.jpg)
Clifton High School Alumni are known as 'Clifton Rosarians' in-school. Rosarians also get to view 'The Rosarian' a magazine featuring the latest information on the school.
*
Violet Alford
Violet Alford (18 March 1881 – 16 February 1972) was an internationally recognised authority on folk dancing and its related music and folk customs. She believed that a common prehistoric root explained the similarities found across much of Euro ...
, dancer
*
Caroline Bammel
Caroline Penrose Bammel, (''née'' Hammond; 6 July 1940 – 31 October 1995), also known as Caroline Hammond Bammel, was an English ecclesiastical historian, classicist, and academic, who specialised in the history of early Christianity. She wa ...
,
religious
Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...
historian
*
Jo Durie
Joanna Mary Durie (born 27 July 1960) is a former world No. 5 tennis player from the United Kingdom. During her career, she also reached No. 9 in doubles, and won two Grand Slam titles, both in the mixed doubles with Jeremy Bates.
Born in Bris ...
, professional tennis player
*
Ruth Edwards
Ruth Rosamond Edwards (née Davis, 11 May 1984) is a British politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rushcliffe in the 2019 general election. A member of the Conservative Party, she worked in cybersecurity policy prior ...
, conservative
MP
*
Elizabeth Filkin, British public functionary
*
Elinor Goldschmied
Elinor Violet Goldschmied ( Sinnott; 15 December 1910 – 27 February 2009) was an English educationalist. Educated at the London School of Economics and qualified as a psychiatric social worker, she worked in an Italian state institution for i ...
, English educationalist
*
Margaret Irwin, novelist
*
Glynis Johns
Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...
, actress
*
Melanie Johnson
Melanie Jane Johnson (born 5 February 1955) is a Labour politician in the United Kingdom.
Early life
Johnson was born in Ipswich. She attended the Independent Clifton High School in Clifton, Bristol. Leaving Bristol for London, she studied at ...
, labour politician
*
Mary Lobel
Mary Doreen Lobel (née Rogers) (25 June 1900 – 1 December 1993) was an historian who edited several volumes of the ''Victoria County History'' and a three-volume ''British Atlas of Historic Towns''.
Biography
Lobel was born Mary Doreen Rog ...
, historian
*
Dame Eileen Mayo
Dame Eileen Rosemary Mayo (11 September 1906 – 4 January 1994) was an English artist and designer who worked in England, Australia and New Zealand in almost every available medium – drawings, woodcuts, lithographs on stone and tempera, tapes ...
, artist and designer
*
Mary Renault
Eileen Mary Challans (4 September 1905 – 13 December 1983), known by her pen name Mary Renault ("She always pronounced it 'Ren-olt', though almost everyone would come to speak of her as if she were a French car." ), was an English writer best ...
, writer
*
Jane Shepherdson, businesswoman
*
Hilary Spurling
Susan Hilary Spurling CBE FRSL ( Forrest; born 25 December 1940) is a British writer, known for her work as a journalist and biographer.
Early life and education
Born at Stockport, Cheshire, to circuit judge Gilbert Alexander Forrest (1912–197 ...
, writer
*
Kate Shortman
Kate Shortman (born 19 November 2001) is a British synchronised swimmer. She competed in the women's duet event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She also represented Great Britain at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in B ...
, artistic swimmer
*
Isabelle Thorpe, artistic swimmer
*
Helen Vanderplank, biologist
*
Mona Wilson
Mona Wilson (29 May 1872 – 26 October 1954) was a British public servant and author. After voluntary social work, seeking to improve the conditions of working women in deprived industrial areas, she joined the civil service in 1911, and became ...
, British author and public servant
Archives
Much of the schools information is found at the schools Archives and the schools history books. All of the information is out of public view.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Independent schools in Bristol
Clifton, Bristol
Diamond schools