Ipswich 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 at

Woolverstone Hall Woolverstone Hall is a large country house, now in use as a school and available at times as a function venue, located south of the centre of Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It is set in on the banks of the River Orwell. Built in 1776 for William ...

near

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

, England. Formerly an exclusive school for girls, it was converted to co-education in 2018 following acquisition by the China-oriented investment banker London & Oxford Group.

History

Ipswich High School was opened as a school for girls in the

Assembly Rooms In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th century Britain, 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes. At that time most entertaining was done ...

in Northgate Street, Ipswich, on 30 April 1878 with 43 pupils. The first headmistress, Miss Sophie Youngman, held the position for 21 years and the school flourished and expanded under her leadership. She was succeeded by Miss Kennett and, in 1905, the Council of the Trust purchased a large private house and grounds in Westerfield Road, Ipswich. The move provided a more modern classroom standard, science laboratories and a playing field. Another house, Woodview House, was purchased in 1913. Owing to the continued expansion of the school and the demands of the modern curriculum, the decision was taken in 1992 to rehouse the school at

, a Grade 1

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

set in of parkland on the banks of the

River Orwell The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England from Ipswich to Felixstowe. Above Ipswich, the river is known as the River Gipping, but its name changes to the Orwell at Stoke Bridge, where the river becomes tidal. It broadens in ...

, the former premises of

Woolverstone Hall School In the early 1950s the London County Council obtained use of Woolverstone Hall near Ipswich, Suffolk, and some of adjoining land for the purpose of establishing a secondary grammar boarding school for London boys. The premises were previously o ...

for boys (1951 to 1990). Transition to the

was commenced in 2018, with induction of the first boys scheduled for the new school year beginning in September. The change from a single-sex to co-educational system received mixed responses from parents and alumnae. the school serves a wide area of Suffolk and north

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, taking girls and boys aged 3–18 years and providing both primary, secondary school and sixth form education, where pupils take traditional A Levels in subjects such as Latin, History and Mathematics.

Governance

Following acquisition of the school by London and Oxford Group (LOG) in 2017, the principal and the chair of governors remained in their positions,Stott, Matt.
Ipswich High School for Girls changes name to Ipswich High School and will accept boys from 2018
. ''

East Anglian Daily Times The ''East Anglian Daily Times'' is a British local newspaper for Suffolk and Essex, based in Ipswich. History The newspaper began publication on 13 October 1874, incorporating the ''Ipswich Express'', which had been published since 13 August ...

'', 11–12 September 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017 reporting to the ownership subsidiary Ipswich Education Limited (IEL). Members of the Senior Leadership Team are identified on the school's official website. On 11th March 2022 Mr Mark Howe resigned from his position as head. Mr Ian Davies was appointed interim Head from September to December 2022. Mr Dan Browning is the Head Designate and will join Ipswich High School in January 2023, having previously been Head at

Wymondham College Wymondham College is a coeducational day and boarding school in Morley, near Wymondham, Norfolk, England with academy status. A former grammar school, it is one of 36 state boarding schools in England and the largest of its type in the country ...

Facilities

Facilities include an AstroTurf playing field, indoor swimming pool, large theatre and sports hall. Extensive formal gardens remain from the historic estate. The grounds extend to the

, which is viewable from classrooms. In addition to the heritage Hall, there are buildings for the Senior Department and Junior Department. Students dine in the Orangery, situated in the main building, which also houses two libraries and the Sixth Form Centre. The Art Department is located adjacent to the stables and Prep School.

Curricula

The school offers numerous subjects before GCSE, which include five different languages; along with ICT, the humanities, the arts, and the sciences. English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (as Combined Science) must be taken at GCSE. At GCSE, pupils can study three optional subjects (excluding English Literature, English Language, Maths and Combined Science). At A Level, pupils can study three or four subjects with an 'enrichment course' (Astronomy, Cooking, Sports Leaders or Critical Thinking), with the option of taking an EPQ at A2. Pupils can study English Literature, Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Physical Education, Three-Dimensional Design, Fine Art, Economics, Music, Philosophy, Geography, Dance, Drama & Theatre Studies, Religion, Philosophy & Ethics, History, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Computer Science, Classical Civilization, Economics and Business Studies at

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 ...

. Academically, the school has featured in the top 100 Independent Schools list for many years. The school achieved the top GCSE results in Suffolk for 2017. An achieved the top GCSE and A Level Results in Suffolk for 2021. To receive entry into the Senior School, the pupils must take three exams similar to the 11+ and then must maintain their academic expectations throughout the school, especially at GCSE level. Sixth Form students are admitted on the basis of their GCSE results. Academic support is available for pupils and tutors work closely to monitor their achievements.

Notable former pupils

June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the '' ...

, actress *

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have b ...

, author *

Jade Holland Cooper Jade Abigail Holland Cooper (born 1986) is a British fashion designer. Early life Her father, Oliver Cooper, is a farmer in Suffolk, and her mother, Miranda (''née'' Holland), worked in London and Paris as a designer, making clothes for Elton J ...

, fashion designer *

Frances Hardinge Frances Hardinge (born 1973) is a British children's writer. Her debut novel, '' Fly By Night'', won the 2006 Branford Boase Award and was listed as one of the ''School Library Journal'' Best Books. Her 2015 novel '' The Lie Tree'' won the 201 ...

, author *

Tracey MacLeod Tracey MacLeod (born 30 October 1960 in Ipswich, Suffolk) is an English journalist and broadcaster. She has presented arts and music programming, including '' The Late Show'' (1989–95) and its musical offshoots ''New West'' and ''Words and ...

, journalist *

Helen Oxenbury Helen Gillian Oxenbury (born 1938) is an English illustrator and writer of children's picture books. She lives in North London. She has twice won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal, the British librarians' award for illustration and been runner-up ...

, illustrator

References

External links

Official website

Ipswich High School
at Independent Schools Council website {{Authority control Independent schools in Suffolk Educational institutions established in 1878 1878 establishments in England * Diamond schools Woolverstone