Dartford Grammar School for Girls is a
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
for girls in
Dartford, Kent, England. Formerly known as Dartford County School, the school opened in 1904. It is the sister school of
Dartford Grammar School for Boys.
History
Early history
The Dartford County School opened unofficially on 3 October 1904 at a building on Essex Road. The school aimed to provide post-elementary education and to produce additional teachers to teach in new schools. The 75 students were girls aged 8–18; those under 13 were charged six
guineas
The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
per term, while those 13 and older paid eight guineas per term. The official opening took place on 31 October 1904. During the first term, Amy Brett served as headmistress, overseeing two full-time staff and part-time visiting masters for Art and Singing.
By 1906 enrolment had increased to 113, and two hutted classrooms were built to accommodate the increasing numbers. The faculty had grown to five full-time staff, who taught English language and English literature, Latin, drawing and science, and physical education. In September 1906 the first hockey team was formed. In 1909, the first school magazine was written.
In 1910 there were eight forms and 11 staff. Because of the rapid expansion of the school, school trustees purchased of land on Shepherds Lane and built a new structure, which cost £8,335. Rather than use the more popular and less expensive red brick favoured by many schools of the time, the school chose to clad the building in
Kentish ragstone. The building included an assembly hall (now the canteen), a library, science laboratories, a dining room, and accommodation for the staff. It opened on 31 October 1912.
On 27 June 1913, the school participated in the annual inter-county school sports events for the first time. The following year a compulsory uniform was introduced for students, consisting of a red, green and white tie, cream blouses with
Peter Pan collar
A Peter Pan collar is a style of clothing collar, flat in design with rounded corners. It is named after the collar of Maude Adams's costume in her 1905 role as Peter Pan, although similar styles had been worn before this date.
Style
The Peter ...
s and for summer a lighter cotton tunic. Hair had to be drawn back and tied with a black ribbon at the top of the head. Blue overalls were worn for science, and white for cookery.
By 1924 the school's student numbers had increased to 300. The building was expanded, adding five classrooms, a botany laboratory, a geography room, and a cloakroom. The assembly hall was enlarged and temporary huts were placed in the school grounds as dining facilities, which remained until 1937.
A scholarship endowment fund was established in 1925 to assist students continuing into higher education. By 1926 the school was listed as one of the top three secondary schools for girls in Kent, along with
Bromley High School
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
and
Chatham Grammar School. By 1930 the number of pupils had risen to 400. Four years later,
Erith Grammar School became an all-boys school and their 73 female students were sent to Dartford County School. Construction began in January 1937 for a new wing. New classrooms were completed by September 1937, and the new hall was finished the following year to replace the huts which had served as canteen and kitchen, though it was not officially opened until 1939.
In the late 1930s 50% of the students were fee-paying, while the others attended for free. The cost at this time was £4 per term. School legend states that during the
Second World War
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 opposi ...
teachers would sit on the top of the school buildings to watch for enemy aircraft. If something were spotted then the girls would go to the air raid shelter where lessons were taken and meals were eaten. Between 1939 and 1947, three bombs fell on the school, and between 1940 and 1942 40 girls and two teachers were evacuated to a small village near
Exeter.
Butler Act
In 1944 the school was shaken by one of the first
Doodlebugs, leading to the school examinations being cancelled. In the same year, the
Butler Education Act
The Education Act 1944 (7 and 8 Geo 6 c. 31) made major changes in the provision and governance of secondary schools in England and Wales. It is also known as the "Butler Act" after the President of the Board of Education, R. A. Butler. Historians ...
abolished fees and introduced new admission agreements. The school was renamed in this year as Dartford County Grammar School for Girls.
In 1951 all staff were female and the number of pupils was to 730. In 1956, the school became the only school in the North West division that was legally entitled to bear a coat of arms. During 1958–1959, two additional classrooms and a craft room were added. The uniform was also adjusted to require all girls to change into indoor shoes upon arrival, wear a
beret
A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre.
Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret rema ...
, and the wearing of 60-
denier lisle stockings.
In 1972 construction began on Dartford West Secondary Girls School. The new school was built on the playing fields of the old one, leaving Dartford County with only one hockey pitch. Male staff were re-introduced in the 1970s. During that decade, the wearing of hats was abolished, as well as the requirement to change into indoor shoes. The uniform was also changed to its current bottle green colour. An open-air swimming pool was built in 1975.
A new headmistress, J. Hadman, took office in 1986. She renamed the houses and class groups, and introduced a new uniform. By 1989 the school had control of its own budget.
Grant-maintained status and foundation school
In 1991, the school ceased to be part of
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
Local Education Authority (LEA), and the following year became a
grant-maintained school
Grant-maintained schools or GM schools were state schools in England and Wales between 1988 and 1998 that had opted out of local government control, being funded directly by a grant from central government. Some of these schools had selective ad ...
. In 1994, a new technology block opened and a two-storey temporary mobile was purchased to house the humanities department. In 1995, students at the school were among the first students nationwide to sit
GCSEs covering the whole range of the UK's first National Curriculum. A 1997
OFSTED report described the school's curriculum as "unique" and the school environment as "stimulating and exciting". In 1998 another extension was completed, adding two science blocks, an IT/graphics room, an English suite, and two general classrooms. In 1999, the school was awarded "investor in people status".
In January 2001 a new headteacher, Jane Wheatley, was appointed. The school was awarded
Beacon school status in September 2001 and the school achievement award in April. In 2003, the school became the first specialist science school in Kent. In 2004, the school's centenary year, it was awarded the
Artsmark Gold award.
In September 2008 the school was re-accredited as a science specialist school. It was recognised as a high achieving school and awarded a second specialism in mathematics and computing.
In 2009, Wheatley was appointed Executive Headteacher of both DGGS and
Wilmington Enterprise College, and Sharon Pritchard was made responsible for the daily running of the school. On 31 August 2011, Wheatley stepped down and Pritchard took over as Headteacher.
Academy
In June 2017 Dartford Grammar School for Girls converted to
academy status. The school is now sponsored by The Areté Trust.
Headteachers
*Amy Acworth (née Brett): 1904–1928
*Edith M Freyer: began 1928
*Miss Janes (Miss James taught Botany) 1949–1971
*M. Waite: 1971–1986
*J. Hadman: 1986–1998
*C. Unsted: 1998–2000
*Jane Wheatley: 2001–2011
*Sharon Pritchard: 2011– present
Curriculum
In September 2003, the school adopted a two-year
Key Stage 3 programme, under which students can follow a more flexible curriculum over three years. The school is a specialist science school and has a second specialism in Maths and Computing. The school also received the ArtsMark Gold Award recognising its expertise in arts subjects. The school day consists of five one-hour lessons each day.
DGGS is one of Dartford's top performing
state schools. In 2009 all students achieved A*-C grades in their
GCSEs and the school was placed 11th in the county for
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 au ...
results.
In 2021, the school was ranked 5th in the country by The Telegraph in its list of top 100 schools based on GCSE examinations sat in 2019.
Extra-curricular activities
The school organises study visits and exchanges to countries including Cambodia, China, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
There are also several extra-curricular clubs available for students, categorised as creativity, action, and service.
* Creativity includes dance clubs, an art club, a drama club, an origami club, school plays and concerts, and a school magazine committee, as well as musical groups such as a gospel choir and ukulele club.
* Action includes sports team practices, inter-house matches, swimming, trampolining, netball, and tennis, as well as the
Duke of Edinburgh Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...
.
* Service includes a Christian Union, the yearbook committee, and the School Council.
Notable former pupils
*
Claire Clancy, chief executive of the
National Assembly for Wales
The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Go ...
since 2007 (1969–76)
*
Grace Clements Commonwealth Games medal winner
*
Lynne Frostick, President of the
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows.
Fe ...
*
Laura Hamilton
Laura Jane Hamilton (born 24 April 1982) is an English television presenter, property expert and entrepreneur. She began her career on children's television, presenting shows such as '' Fun Song Factory'' and on Nickelodeon. She participated in ...
TV Presenter (1998–2000)
*
Sheila Hancock CBE, actress (1944–51)
*
Anne Hudson FBA, Professor Emerita of Medieval English at the University of Oxford
*
Tess Kingham, Labour MP for
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
1997–2001 (1974–81)
*
Margaret Pereira CBE, Controller of the Home Office
Forensic Science Service
The Forensic Science Service (FSS) was a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provided forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of England and Wales, as well as other countries.
The UK Government a ...
from 1982–8 (1939–46)
*
Diana Quick
Diana Marilyn Quick (born 23 November 1946) is an English actress.
Early life and family background
Quick was born on 23 November 1946 in London, England. She grew up in Dartford, Kent, the third of four children. Her father was Leonard Qui ...
, actress
*
Carolyn Quinn,
Radio 4 presenter (1972–79)
* Dame
Helen Reeves, Chief executive of the National Association of
Victim Support
Victim Support is an independent charity in England and Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime.
Activities
;Support for victims of crime: Trained volunteers and employees offer free and ...
Schemes from 1980 to 2005 (1956–63)
*
Sarah Thewlis, Chief executive of the
Royal College of General Practitioners
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general (medical) practitioners (GPs/ Family Physicians/ Primary Care Physicians) in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including ...
1994–2002, and Chief executive and Registrar of the
Nursing and Midwifery Council
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK. The NMC maintains a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses and nursing associates eligible to pra ...
(NMC) from 2002 to 2008 (1969–76)
References
External links
Official websiteEduBase
{{Authority control
Educational institutions established in 1904
Girls' schools in Kent
Dartford
Grammar schools in Kent
1904 establishments in England
*
Academies in Kent