Ely High School for Girls was a secondary school for girls which opened in 1905 at Bedford House, St.Mary's Street,

Ely, Cambridgeshire Ely ( ) is a cathedral city in the East Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about north-northeast of Cambridge and from London. Ely is built on a Kimmeridge Clay island which, at , is the highest land in the Fens. It was d ...

. Bedford House was purchased for the school by the Isle of Ely County Council.

History

The school opened in May 1905 with thirty girl students under the supervision of the first Headmistress, Miss E.E.Fletcher. It was recognised formally as a public secondary school by the Board of Education in 1907. The school was based in Bedford House in St. Mary's Street in Ely. In 1957 the school was moved to a purpose built new building in Downham Road, Ely Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England, Cambridgeshire, Yale University Press, 2002, p.380 where the school operated until it was merged with Soham Grammar School Sixth Form to form the new City of Ely Sixth Form College in 1972. The new site provided for a two-form entry secondary girls'

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 300 students aged 11–16 years and 60 sixth formers. Students travelled to the school from across the

Isle of Ely The Isle of Ely () is a historic region around the city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an administrative county. Etymology Its name has been said to mean "island of eels", a reference to the creatures that ...

following selection through the

Eleven plus exam The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic ...

. Boys went to Soham Grammar School. See http://ely.ccan.co.uk/content/catalogue_item/the-opening-of-the-new-ely-high-school-for-girls-3 records in the Cambridgeshire Community Archive.

School motto and song

Motto: Fortiter ad Fastigium (Bravely to the Top) Song: 'O God, whose light glows in the golden sunshine'

Headteachers

There were four Headmistresses of Ely High School. Miss E.E. Fletcher 1905-1929, Miss E.M.Verini, M.A. 1929-1936, Miss. B. Tilly, M.A., Ph.D. 1936- 1966 ( see Miss Tilly's recollections on retirement http://www.elyhighschoolforgirls.org.uk/TillyB-recollections-1936-66-6566mag.htm), Miss E.Moody, B.A. 1966-1972

School houses

In March 1928 school houses were introduced with House Mistresses in charge of each one. The four houses were Knut, Hereward, Etheldreda and Alan named after local historical figures:

Canute the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...

Hereward the Wake Hereward the Wake (Traditional pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/, modern pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɪ.wəd/) (1035 – 1072) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resista ...

, Aethelthryth (Saint Etheldreda) and

Alan of Walsingham Alan of Walsingham (died c. 1364), also known as Alan de Walsingham, was an English architect, first heard of in 1314 as a junior monk at Ely, distinguished by his skill in goldsmith's work, and for his acquaintance with the principles of mechan ...

. House activities included sport, drama and music.

Closure

Ely High School became part of

Ely Community College Ely College is a secondary academy school located in Ely, Cambridgeshire. History In 1957 Ely High School for Girls moved out of the centre of Ely to an extensive site on Downham Road. St Audrey's Infant School was built nearby on the site ...

in September 1972 and the Downham Road building became the City of Ely Sixth Form Centre. A centenary celebration was held in the Lady Chapel of

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...

on 7 May 2005.

References

External links

* Ely High School websit

{{authority control Defunct schools in Cambridgeshire Defunct grammar schools in England Educational institutions established in 1905 1905 establishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 1972 1972 disestablishments in England