("To the Glory of God") , established = , type = All-girls private school , religion =

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

, district = District 9 , number = 021 650 7500 , locale = Suburban , gender = Female , grades = 0–12 , head_name = Headmistress , head = Mrs Heather Goedeke , head_name2 = Exam board , head2 =

IEB IEB may refer to: * Independent Examinations Board, a South African independent assessment agency * Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, the national professional organisation of engineers in Bangladesh * Instituto Estudios Bursátiles, a Spanish ...

, city =

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, province =

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

, country =

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, pushpin_map = South Africa , coordinates = , schedule = ''08:00 - 15:00'' , language =

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, students = 927 girls , colours = Blue
Pink , lower_age = 3 , upper_age = 18 , campus = Urban Campus , campus_type = Suburban , houses = Carter, Jagger, Merriman and Rolt , mascot = Hippo, Rabbit,Lemur and Reindeer , nickname = '' Herschel '' , rival = , fees = R110,600 (boarding)
R62,550 - R127,100 (tuition) , alumni = ''Old Girls'' , feeders = , website = Herschel Girls School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, weekly boarding and

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compar ...

for girls, located in Claremont, a southern suburb of

. The school has pre-nursery through to grade 12 and is affiliated with the Anglican church, which owns the school buildings. The school, described as "one of the country's best-known schools for girls", is one of the top performing schools in South Africa, achieving the highest academic results in the country for National Senior Certificate exams in 2019. The purpose of Herschel Girls School is and always has been to provide an empowering education for girls and to be a leader in girls’ education and advocacy for women in South Africa. Herschel Girls School is one of the most expensive schools in South Africa. There are waiting lists for every grade, including pre-nursery.

History

Herschel was established in February 1922. The property belonged to VA Schonnberg, who, when he sold the main estate in 1834 to the astronomer

Sir John Herschel Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet (; 7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871) was an English polymath active as a mathematician, astronomer, chemist, inventor, experimental photographer who invented the blueprint and did botanical wor ...

, retained this portion of land and named it after his illustrious neighbour. In July 1921, the estate was bought by The English Church Schools Association, with the aid of a generous loan from John William Jagger, to provide for the needs of the many girls living in the Southern Suburbs who wished to attend a private school. The first Headmistress was Miss Morley Armitage Ralph, and the school opened on Wednesday, 1 February 1922, when the first seven boarders arrived. On the following day, Thursday, the roll call was taken and the first school day began with prayers led by Archbishop Carter. There were twenty-nine girls on the roll and seven staff members. Herschel’s first head girl was Enid Harsant. The formal opening was held two weeks later, on Thursday, 16 February 1922 and we still celebrate our Founder’s Day on the Friday closest to 16 February. The Honourable William Jagger would take delight in the proud institution that Herschel has become today. It is a school that enables its pupils to attain high academic achievement and become citizens who are able to make a difference in the society they enter. Although the school has a long tradition, it has remained innovative and relevant to changing educational needs.

Notable alumnae

Alide Dasnois Alide Dasnois (born 1950) is a South African journalist and newspaper editor. Education and career Dasnois matriculated from Herschel Girls School and completed a bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Cape Town. She obtained a mas ...

, journalist and newspaper editor * Margaret Elsworth, founder of the African Scholars' Fund and the African Scholars' Fund UK * Sue MacGregor, BBC Radio 4 broadcaster * Diana E. H. Russell, feminist scholar and activist *

Pauline Vogelpoel Pauline Vogelpoel MBE (24 April 1926 in Lourenço Marques, Portuguese East Africa – 22 December 2002 in Basle, Switzerland) was a South African arts administrator. She was educated at both Herschel Girls' School and Rustenburg Girls' School i ...

, arts administrator *Zoe Beyers, BBC Philharmonic concertmaster *

Kayla de Waal Kayla de Waal (born 11 June 2000) is a South African field hockey player for the South African national team. International career Under–18 Retief Ochse and she is South Africa as Biathle is 2017 UIPM Biathle World Championships, Relay Biat ...

, South African field hockey player

References

External links

* {{Cape Town, education Anglican schools in South Africa Boarding schools in South Africa Schools in Cape Town Private schools in the Western Cape Girls' schools in South Africa Educational institutions established in 1922 1922 establishments in South Africa

History

Notable alumnae

See also

References

External links