North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is an

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

with a

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 in England. Founded in

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

, it is now located in

Edgware Edgware () is a suburban town in northern Greater London, mostly in the London Borough of Barnet but with small parts falling in the London Borough of Harrow and in the London Borough of Brent. Edgware is centred north-northwest of Charing Cros ...

, in the

London Borough of Harrow The London Borough of Harrow () is a London borough in northwest London, England; it forms part of Outer London. It borders four other London boroughs Barnet to the east of ancient Watling Street (now the A5 road), Brent to the southeast, Ea ...

. Associate schools are located in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, Jeju Island,

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

; all are coeducational day and boarding schools offering the British curriculum. It is a member of the

Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council. History The GSA can trace its history back to the Association of Headm ...

Location

North London Collegiate School is located at the western edge of Edgware near the

Canons Park Canons Park is a public park and the name of its surrounding residential area, in the Stanmore district of the London Borough of Harrow, north west London. Canons Park was a country estate which partially survives today as a public park. St. La ...

. It is accessed by car through Canons Drive from Edgware's High Street. However both

Stanmore tube station Stanmore is a London Underground station in Stanmore. It is the northern terminus of the Jubilee line and the next station towards south is Canons Park. The station is on the south side of London Road, part of the A410 and is in Travelcard Zo ...

and Canons Park tube station are walking distance.

History

The North London Collegiate School was founded by

Frances Buss Frances Mary Buss (16 August 1827 – 24 December 1894) was a British headmistress and a pioneer of girls' education. Life The daughter of Robert William Buss, a painter and etcher, and his wife, Frances Fleetwood, Buss was one of six of thei ...

, a pioneer in girls' education. It is generally recognised as the first girls' school in the United Kingdom to offer girls the same educational opportunities as boys, and Miss Buss was the first person to use the term 'Headmistress'. The small school opened in 1850 at No.46 (later renumbered No.12) Camden Street, London. Buss believed in the importance of home life and it remained a day school. In 1929, the school bought Canons, a modest villa built by William Hallett Esq, on the site of a palatial residence originally built in the early 18th century by the

Duke of Chandos The Dukedom of Chandos is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. First created as a barony by Edward III in 1337, its second creation in 1554 was due to the Brydges family's service to Mary I during Wyatt's rebellion, wh ...

, and relocated to the property (designed by

Sir Albert Richardson Sir Albert Edward Richardson (London, 19 May 1880 – 3 February 1964) was a leading English architect, teacher and writer about architecture during the first half of the 20th century. He was Professor of Architecture at University College Lond ...

) in 1940. Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw, mother to

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

was a director of music at the school, followed in 1908 by Lilian Manson, J.B. Manson's wife. Her ambitious revival of

Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest Eng ...

's ''

Dido and Aeneas ''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncertain. It was co ...

'' in 1910 gained coverage in ''The Times''.Buckman, David (1973), ''James Bolivar Manson'', p. 9, Maltzahn Gallery Ltd, London. The school introduced a house system in 2014, with the houses being named after noted past pupils. The houses have colours, and each house has two house captains amongst the pupils (a year 9 and a year 11), and a staff head of house. Today the school caters to girls from ages 4 to 18. It comprises a Junior School (Reception to Year 6) and Senior School (Year 7–13). Former pupils are known as ONLs, short for ''Old North Londoners''. The uniform of North London Collegiate School is light blue and dark brown in colour, however uniform is not compulsory in sixth form. The co-ed boarding North London Collegiate School Jeju opened in

Seogwipo Seogwipo () is the second-largest city on Jeju Island, settled on a rocky volcanic coastline in the southern part of Jeju Province, South Korea. In July 2006, Seogwipo's boundaries were expanded to include the entire southern half of Jeju island. ...

, South Korea in 2011. The school opened another international school in

in August 2020.

Curriculum

North London Collegiate is one of the most academically successful schools in England, having been placed in the top two in the ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'' exam league tables every year for over a decade. It has been an

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

World School since October 2003 . Girls may choose to take the traditional

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 ...

or the Pre-U or the IB curriculum. The girls are also encouraged to participate in non-academic pursuits. 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 ...

scheme is available similarly to all independent schools. They may also take part in activities such as

World Challenge Expeditions World Challenge is a for-profit UK provider of overseas adventure travel programs targeted at schools. The company was founded when a young army captain took a team of soldiers on a training mission to the snow-capped Hindu Kush mountain range in P ...

Young Enterprise Young Enterprise is a national charity who specialise in Enterprise Education and Financial Education. Young Enterprise works directly with young people, teachers, volunteers and influencers to build a successful and sustainable future for all you ...

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

and various community service projects.

Alleged malpractice in deciding teacher-assessed grades

In December 2022 the Guardian revealed that the school is the subject of investigations by A-level examination boards into the teacher-assessed grades given to pupils in 2021. These replaced the formal exams that were cancelled due to Covid. In 2021 90% of its A-level entries got A* grades - the highest in the country - whereas in 2019 the figure was only 34%. North London Collegiate School is not the only private school under investigation. In 2021, the percentage of A* grades from English private schools was 39.5%, but only 16.1% in 2019. Dr Jo Saxton, Ofqual’s chief regulator, confirmed in October 2022 that private schools were being investigated when she appeared before the education select committee.

Headmistresses

Frances_Mary_Buss_and_Sophie_Bryant_in_1900.html" ;"title="Sophie_Bryant.html" ;"title="Frances Mary Buss and Sophie Bryant">Frances Mary Buss and Sophie Bryant in 1900">Sophie_Bryant.html" ;"title="Frances Mary Buss and Sophie Bryant">Frances Mary Buss and Sophie Bryant in 1900 *Frances Mary Buss (1850 – December 1894) *Sophie Bryant (1895–1918)The book entitled ''The North London Collegiate School 1850 – 1950'' contains references in the index to this person and a black-and-white photographic plate with printed signature- See Bibliography for further detail of book *Isabella Drummond (1918–1940, previously Head of Camden School) *Eileen Harold (1941–1944)The book entitled ''The North London Collegiate School 1850 – 1950'' contains references in the index to this person. *Dame Kitty Anderson DBE (1945–1965) *Madeline McLauchlan (1965 – December 1985, previously at

Henrietta Barnett School The Henrietta Barnett School is a grammar school with academy status primarily for girls in Hampstead Garden Suburb in London. The ''Good Schools Guide'' called the school 'One of the best academic state schools in the country, providing a gent ...

) *Joan Clanchy (1986–1997) previously Head of

St George's School, Edinburgh St George's School is an independent girls' school situated in the Ravelston district of Edinburgh, Scotland, which was rated 'Excellent' by Education Scotland in its most recent inspection. In 2018 the school celebrated the 130th anniversary o ...

*Bernice McCabe OBE (1997–2017, previously at Chelmsford County High School) *Sarah Clark (2018–2022, previously at Queen's School, Chester)

Notable former pupils

Notable former staff

Edith Aitken Edith Aitken (16 June 1861 – 2 November 1940) was a British headmistress. She was the founding head at Pretoria High School for Girls. Life Aitken was born in Bishophill, York in 1861. She was the daughter of Henry Martin Aitken, a surgical ins ...

(founding head of Pretoria High School for Girls) *

Peggy Angus Margaret MacGregor Angus (9 November 1904 – 28 October 1993) was a British painter, designer and teacher. Born in Chile, she spent her career in Britain. Biography Early life Angus was born in Chile on 9 November 1904, in a railway station, t ...

(artist, tile and wallpaper designer), teacher 1947-70 *

Edward Aveling Edward Bibbins Aveling (29 November 1849 – 2 August 1898) was an English comparative anatomist and popular spokesman for Darwinian evolution, atheism and socialism. He was also a playwright and actor. Aveling was the author of numer ...

, teacher of elementary physics and botany (1872-1876)

Bibliography

* ''The North London Collegiate School 1850–1950: A Hundred Years of Girls' Education'' Includes 'Essays in honour of the Frances Mary Buss Foundation' together with an appendix section that includes Royal Patrons, The School Prospectus, Prize Day List, Links to

Girton College Girton College is one of the Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1 ...

and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, and regulations concerning Prefects and Monitors. Published by OUP (

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

) in 1950 with 231 pages, including the index. (No author or Editor)Detail obtained from a copy of ''The North London Collegiate School 1850–1950'' *"And Their Works Do Follow Them" by Watson, Nigel London, James & James, 2000 *

References

External links

*
Profile
on

The Good Schools Guide ''The Good Schools Guide'' is a guide to British schools, both state and independent. Overview The guide is compiled by a team of editors which, according to the official website, "''comprises some 50 editors, writers, researchers and contri ...

* ISI Inspectio
ReportsProfile
on

MyDaughter MyDaughter was a British website set up by the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) offering advice to parents of daughters on all aspects of raising and educating girls. Advice was provided by headteachers from the member schools of the Girls' Scho ...

NLCS International Ltd.
{{authority control Independent girls' schools in London Independent schools in the London Borough of Harrow Educational institutions established in 1850 International Baccalaureate schools in England Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association 1850 establishments in England Edgware