Oxford High School is an independent day school for girls in Oxford, England. It was founded by the

Girls' Day School Trust The Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) is a group of 25 independent schools, including two academies, in England and Wales, catering for girls aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each ye ...

in 1875, making it the city's oldest girls' school.

History

Oxford University Computing Services, Banbury Road, Oxford - geograph

Oxford High School was opened on 3 November 1875, with twenty-nine girls and three teachers under headmistress

Ada Benson Ada Benson or Ada McDowall (27 November 1840 – 11 October 1882) was a British headmistress and educationist. She is known for her leadership at Oxford High School, Norwich High School for Girls and Bedford High School for Girls. Life Benson wa ...

, at the Judge's Lodgings (St Giles' House) at 16 St Giles', central Oxford.St Giles' House (Judge's Lodgings), 16 St Giles' Street, Oxford
(where OHS was founded). It was the 9th school opened by the Girls' Public Day School Company. Pupils were given a holiday when the Assize Judge visited. The school moved to 38 St Giles' in 1879 and then to 21 Banbury Road at the start of 1881, in a building designed by Sir

Thomas Graham Jackson Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, 1st Baronet (21 December 1835 – 7 November 1924) was one of the most distinguished British architects of his generation. He is best remembered for his work at Oxford, including the Oxford Military College at Cowl ...

, just south of the location of another Jackson building, the

Acland Nursing Home The Acland Hospital (also previously known as the Acland Nursing Home, Acland Home and the Sarah Acland Home for Nurses) was a private nursing home and hospital in central North Oxford, England, located in a prominent position at the southern en ...

. By this time, the headmistress was Matilda Ellen Bishop. Rapid expansion led to the ultimate removal of the school to Belbroughton Road in 1957. It became a

direct grant grammar school A direct grant grammar school was a type of selective secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed between 1945 and 1976. One quarter of the places in these schools were directly funded by central government, while the remainder attracted ...

in 1945 under the

Education Act 1944 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 ...

and chose to become independent in 1976 after the scheme was abolished. The junior section was opened in 1989 and further expanded in the 1990s to meet the growing demand. It absorbed two preparatory schools, Greycotes and The Squirrel, which meant girls could now be educated at Oxford High School from age 3 to Sixth Form.

Academics

Oxford High School regularly ranks as one of the country's highest achieving independent schools in terms of examination results. The school was ranked first in the

South East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

in a ''

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 ...

'' survey based on exam results and "value for money". In the 2011 examinations it was ranked amongst the top 20 independent schools nationwide for

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 ...

results and the best performing girls' school in the

A Levels 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 ...

. In 2006, the school became the first in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

to make

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

a compulsory subject. Pupils will study it for at least a year accompanying French and can choose to either continue Mandarin or continue French.

Houses

The girls in the senior school are divided into four houses, each named after an Ancient Greek deity: * Zeus (green) *

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...

(blue) * Athena (yellow) * Poseidon (red)

Headteachers

1875–1879 * Matilda Ellen Bishop 1879–1887 *

Lucy Helen Soulsby Lucy Helen Muriel Soulsby (18 July 1856 – 19 May 1927) was a British headmistress of Oxford High School for Girls. She notably opposed women's suffrage. Life Soulsby was born in London in 1856. Her parents were Susan Sybilla (born Thompson) and ...

1887–1897 * Edith Marion Leahy 1898–1902 * Rosalind Mabel Brown 1902–1932 *Margaret Gale 1932–1936 *

Violet Evelyn Stack Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

1937–1959 * M.E. Ann Hancock 1959–1966 *

Mary Warnock Helen Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, (née Wilson; 14 April 1924 – 20 March 2019) was an English philosopher of morality, education, and mind, and a writer on existentialism. She is best known for chairing an inquiry whose report formed the ...

1966–1972 *

Elaine Kaye Elaine may refer to: * Elaine (legend), name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend, especially: ** Elaine of Astolat ** Elaine of Corbenic * "Elaine" (short story), 1945 short story by J. D. Salinger * Elaine (singe ...

1972–1981 *

Joan Townsend Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

1981–1996 * Felicity Lusk 1997–2010 * Judith Carlisle 2011–2016 *

Philip Hills Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

2017–2019

Notable former pupils

Josephine Barnes Dame Alice Josephine Mary Taylor Barnes, (18 August 1912 – 28 December 1999), known professionally as Dr Josephine Barnes, was a leading English obstetrician and gynaecologist. She was the first female president of the British Medical Associ ...

(1912–1999), first woman President British Medical Association (BMA) *

Ursula Bethell Mary Ursula Bethell (pseudonym, Evelyn Hayes; 6 October 1874 – 15 January 1945), was a New Zealand social worker and poet. She settled at the age of 50 at Rise Cottage on the Cashmere, New Zealand, Cashmere Hills near Christchurch, with her co ...

(1874–1945), New Zealand poet and social worker *

Emma Bridgewater Emma Bridgewater is a British ceramics manufacturing company founded in 1985 which is named after Emma Rice (''née'' Bridgewater). It is run by her and her husband Matthew Rice. Noted for their polka dot design among others, the company "Emma B ...

, potter *

Jacintha Buddicom Jacintha Laura May Buddicom (10 May 1901 – 4 November 1993) was an English poet and a childhood friend of George Orwell (Eric Blair). She met Blair in 1914 and they developed a shared interest in poetry, but she lost touch with him after he d ...

, poet and childhood friend of George Orwell *

Nancy Cadogan Nancy Guinness (born 1979) is a British figurative painter. Her work ranges from still life to landscape and portrait. She was named one of 'Top 20 New British Art Talents' by Tatler magazine in 2008, describing her as "the new Paula Rego". Bas ...

, artist *

Catherine Conybeare Catherine Mary Conybeare (born 1966) is an academic and philologist and an authority on Augustine of Hippo. She is currently Leslie Clark Professor in the Humanities at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.Charithra Chandran, actress * Dame Cressida Dick (b. 1960), former

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

of the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

Sian Edwards Sian Edwards (born 27 August 1959) is an English conductor, best known as music director of English National Opera in the 1990s. Early life Sian Edwards was born in West Chiltington, West Sussex. She studied at the Royal Northern College of Music ...

, conductor * Martha Lane Fox, entrepreneur lastminute.com *

Mel Giedroyc Melanie Clare Sophie Giedroyc (; , born 5 June 1968) is a British actress, comedian and television presenter. With Sue Perkins, she has co-hosted series including ''Light Lunch'' for Channel 4, ''The Great British Bake Off'' for the BBC and cha ...

, actress/comedian * Lucy Gordon, actress/model *

Emily Gowers Emily Joanna Gowers, ( Thomas; born 27 September 1963) is a British classical scholar. She is Professor of Latin Literature at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge. She is an expert on Horace, Augustan lite ...

, Professor of Latin literature at the University of Cambridge * Sophie Grigson, cookery TV/writer *

Ethel Hatch Ethel Charlotte Chase Hatch (17 May 1869 – 3 April 1975) was a British artist known for her floral scenes and for her association with Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, more commonly known as Lewis Carroll. She was a society figure, belonging to the ...

, British painter *

Dame Margaret Hodge Dame Margaret Eve Hodge, Lady Hodge, (née Oppenheimer, formerly Watson; born 8 September 1944) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Barking since 1994. A member of the Labour Party, she previously served as ...

, Labour MP and minister * Florence Pugh, actress * Verena Winifred Holmes, engineer *

Harriet Hunt Harriet Vaughan Hunt (born 4 February 1978 in Oxford) is an English chess player and five-time British Women's Chess Champion (which she most recently won in October 2021, 22 years after her fourth win). Having trained as a plant scientist a ...

, chess International Master * Elizabeth Irving, actress and founder of the

Keep Britain Tidy Keep Britain Tidy is a UK-based independent environmental charity. The organisation campaigns to reduce litter, improve local places and prevent waste. It has offices in Wigan and London. History Keep Britain Tidy was originally set up by a conf ...

Campaign * Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001), poet *

Ludmilla Jordanova Ludmilla Jane Jordanova (born 10 October 1949) is a British historian and academic. She is Professor of Visual Culture in the Department of History at Durham University. Jordanova was born to a Bulgarian father and English mother. Educated at ...

, Professor of Modern History at the

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

Frances Kirwan Dame Frances Clare Kirwan, (born 21 August 1959) is a British mathematician, currently Savilian Professor of Geometry at the University of Oxford. Her fields of specialisation are algebraic and symplectic geometry. Education Kirwan was educ ...

mathematician *

Susan Lea Professor Susan Lea is a chartered psychologist and academic, and was Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hull from 2017 to 2022. Previously she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Greenwich. Education Lea attended the Un ...

Professor at the University of Oxford * Anna Lapwood, Director of Music at

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

and television/radio presenter * Dame Rose Macaulay, novelist *

Serena Mackesy Serena Mackesy ( pen name, Alex Marwood; born c. 1960s) is a British novelist and journalist who lives in London. Life and education Serena Mackesy is the daughter of the Scots-born Oxford military historian Piers Mackesy. She is also the grandda ...

, journalist and author * Miriam Margolyes, (b. 1941), actress * Ghislaine Maxwell, (junior section, left age 9), socialite and convicted child sex trafficker *

Charlotte Mendelson Charlotte Jane Mendelson (born 1 November 1972) is an English novelist and editor. She was placed 60th on the Independent on Sunday ''Pink List 2007''. Biography Charlotte Mendelson was born on 1 November 1972 in London, the daughter of a barrist ...

(b. 1972), novelist *

Anne Mills Dame Anne Jane Mills, (born 26 January 1951) is a British authority on health economics. She is Deputy Director and Provost and Professor of Health Economics and Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Early life and educ ...

health economist Health economics is a branch of economics concerned with issues related to efficiency, effectiveness, value and behavior in the production and consumption of health and healthcare. Health economics is important in determining how to improv ...

Teresa Morgan Teresa Morgan is an English academic and cleric, best known as the author of ''Literate Education in the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds'' and ''Roman Faith and Christian Faith''. Early life and education Teresa Morgan was born on May 30, 1968. She ...

, academic *

Eleanor Oldroyd Eleanor Oldroyd (born in Bury, Lancashire, 2 June 1962) is a British sports broadcaster with BBC Radio. Early life Oldroyd was educated at Oxford High School and Girton College at Cambridge University. Broadcasting career Beginning her career i ...

, BBC Radio Sport presenter *

Ann Pasternak Slater Dr Ann Pasternak Slater (born 3 August 1944) is a literary scholar and translator who was formerly a Fellow and Tutor at St Anne's College, Oxford. Ann Pasternak Slater is the daughter of Lydia Pasternak Slater (1902–1989), chemist, translator a ...

, academic * Eileen Power (1889–1940), economic historian and medievalist *

Rhoda Power Rhoda Dolores Le Poer Power (29 May 1890 in Altrincham, Cheshire – 9 March 1957 in London), was a pioneer English broadcaster and children's writer. The highly regarded set of stories that make up ''Redcap Runs Away'' (1952) are set in the Midd ...

(1890–1957), broadcaster and children's writer * Dame Maggie Smith, double Oscar-winning actress, seven times BAFTA Film Awards winner, Triple Crown of Acting * Barbara Strachey (1912–1999), broadcaster and writer *

Catherine Tucker Catherine Tucker (born May 16, 1977) is the Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management at MIT Sloan, where she is also chair of the PhD program. She is known for her research into the consequences of digital data for electronic privacy, algorit ...

, American economist *

Ayesha Vardag Ayesha Mary Barbara Vardag (born March 1968) is an English solicitor and divorce lawyer. Early life Vardag was raised in Oxfordshire, England and studied English law, Law at Queens' College, Cambridge, Queens' College, University of Cambridge ...

, Founder & President of Vardags, divorce lawyer * Anna Walker, British civil servant

References

External links

School Website

on the school website.
Profile
on the ISC website {{Coord, 51, 46, 24, N, 1, 15, 34, W, type:edu_region:GB, display=title Girls' schools in Oxfordshire Educational institutions established in 1875 Schools in Oxford Independent schools in Oxfordshire Schools of the Girls' Day School Trust 1875 establishments in England Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association