, location =
, province =
Mashonaland East
, country =
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
, coordinates =
, type =
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
,
boarding,
high school
, denomination =
Anglican
, patron =
Saint Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupat ...
, founded =1987
, sister_school =
Peterhouse Boys
, oversight =
Peterhouse Group of Schools
, headmistress = Claire Hough
, grades_label =
Forms
Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens.
Form also refers to:
*Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data
* ...
, grades = I—VI
, gender = Girls
, lower_age = 12
, upper_age = 18
, pupils = 430 (2016)
, system =
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 ...
, houses = ''Boarding'':5
''Competitive'':4
, colours = Royal blue and White
, nickname = Peterhouse Queens
, tuition =
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
3,540.00
, feeder_schools =
Springvale House
Springvale House Preparatory School (commonly known as Springvale or Springvale House) is an independent, preparatory, boarding and day school in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe that was established in 1952. The school shares facilities with Pete ...
, affiliations =
, alumni = Petreans
, website =
, footnotes =
Peterhouse Girls (or Peterhouse) is an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
,
boarding,
high school for girls, aged 12–18 in
Mashonaland East,
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
. The school is located on the Springvale Estate of approximately alongside
Springvale House
Springvale House Preparatory School (commonly known as Springvale or Springvale House) is an independent, preparatory, boarding and day school in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe that was established in 1952. The school shares facilities with Pete ...
and
Gosho Park.
Peterhouse Girls is one of the schools owned the
Peterhouse Group of Schools, which also consists of
Peterhouse Boys,
Springvale House
Springvale House Preparatory School (commonly known as Springvale or Springvale House) is an independent, preparatory, boarding and day school in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe that was established in 1952. The school shares facilities with Pete ...
and Peterhouse Nursery School.
Peterhouse Girls is a member of the
Association of Trust Schools (ATS) and the Headmistress is a member of the
Conference of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe (CHISZ).
History
When Peterhouse was founded, as a boys only secondary school, by Fred Snell in 1955, there was no intention of it becoming the Peterhouse Group of Schools (a boys' school, a girls' school and a preparatory school). In the early 1980s, however, it became apparent that there was a demand for the re-opening of Springvale School (under the name Springvale House) and the establishment of a secondary girls’ school.
Springvale House was opened in 1985 and Peterhouse Girls two years later.
Peterhouse Girls admitted 28 pupils in its first year who were accommodated at Springvale House while the girls dormitories were being made ready. At the end of that first year the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
of
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
at the time, Hon.
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...
stated “I am particularly pleased that you are expanding into the field of girls’ education…. For too long we have tended to think that the education of girls is an expensive luxury”.
The first Headmaster at Peterhouse Girls was Michael Hammond. He set about the task of establishing the new school. By the end of 1993, when he retired, Peterhouse Girls was well established and the first seven cottages on Williams Field had been built.
O and
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 ...
exams were being sat and largely passed and fixtures in a wide range of sporting disciplines were being played and largely won.
In 1994, Jon Calderwood (formerly the head of Springvale House) succeeded Michael Hammond as Headmaster.Three more cottages were built on Williams Field; a user-friendly boarding house was built to accommodate the girls of B Block (Form 3); all weather courts were laid down; the Chapel and the Art room were extended and in 2001; as a fitting finale to Jon Calderwood’s tenure of office, a new Library was opened. He introduced a tutor system, as was counselling, and courses in the bush and in the mountains were organized – induction courses, adventure courses and leadership courses.
In 2002, when Jon Calderwood was appointed Rector of Peterhouse Boys, he was replaced by Mrs Sue Davidson, the school's first Headmistress. Academic, sporting and cultural success were maintained, even improved; and two laboratories and a striking new Music School were built.
At the beginning of 2010, John Bradshaw was appointed Headmaster following Sue Davidson's retirement. The Board took the opportunity to respond to the increasing demand for places and initiated the expansion programme which is now well under way. To date, three new modern boarding houses have been built and named in honour of the wives of past Rectors and Headmasters associated with Peterhouse and Springvale School; Kathleen House, in memory of Kathleen Grinham, wife of Canon Robert Grinham, founder of Springvale School; Margaret House, in memory of Margaret Snell, wife of Fred Snell, founder of Peterhouse; Elizabeth House, in honour of Elizabeth Megahey, wife of Alan Megahey, who established the Peterhouse Group of Schools. In addition to the expanded accommodation new sporting and teaching facilities have also been built.
In 2015, Tracy Blignaut was appointed Headmistress of the school.
Coat of arms
On 19 April 1956, Peterhouse was given its name. Then as Fred Snell recorded, much thought and discussion was put into the choice and design of the "Coat of Arms" for the new school. Its name linked it with Michaelhouse, but its symbols the cock, the cross and the crown honoured St. Peter.
The cocks are shown crowing, as they did to signal Peter's so human denial of his Master. They stand as a reminder of our no less guilty denials of our duty and allegiance to the same Lord.
The cross is there as a symbol of the patient and courageous self-sacrifice by which Peter, like his Lord, was called to share in the costly process of redemption. For us too, the cross is a reminder of the costliness of our calling. The type of cross used on the Peterhouse badge is a different heraldic device from that used by
Ruzawi, Springvale and Bishopslea, but it reminds us of our fellowship with these schools.
The crown is of the design known in heraldry as the martyr's (or celestial) crown. Thus to the symbols of sin and redemption is added one of joy and triumph. This crown is also depicted on the school flag.
The badge is completed by its motto: "Conditur in Petra", meaning "it is founded on the Rock". The motto derives from the words in
St. Matthew's gospel describing the house which was "built on rock". This is particularly appropriate to a school created from granite mined from the estate, but the motto also includes a play on the words of Matthew 16: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock (petra) I will build my church."
The rock is the rock of faith, and as Fred Snell declared, "building on faith", must be something continued always in the present, and not a tombstone of the past.
Houses
Peterhouse Girls has 4 competitive houses and 6 boarding houses.
Boarding Houses
Peterhouse Girls has a horizontal boarding structure and each girl is also placed in one of four competitive houses, not to be confused with the boarding houses.
The boarding houses are:
*Tatanga accommodates girls in D Block (Form 1).
*Kathleen House was named after Kathleen Grinham, wife of Canon Robert Grinham, founder of Springvale School and accommodates the C Block (Form 2) girls.
*Margaret House was named after Margaret Snell, wife of Fred Snell, founder of Peterhouse and accommodates the B Block (Form 3) girls.
*Elizabeth House was named after Elizabeth Megahey, wife of Alan Megahey, who established the Peterhouse Group of Schools and accommodates the A Block (Form 4) girls.
*Williams Field - The senior girls (that is, the Vth Form and VIth Form) move into Vth Form cottages and VIth Form cottages each accommodating 8-16 girls living either in pairs or single room accommodation. The senior accommodation is run by the Senior Housemistresses and several tutors.
Competitive Houses
Peterhouse Girls has four competitive houses that compete in areas such as academics, cultural and sporting activities.
The houses are
*Eland,
*Impala,
*Kudu and
*Sable.
The competitive houses are named after some of the first animals that were found in Gosho Park. Each House has a Proctor and a Head of House and staff are allocated duties. There are competitions held throughout the year and house points are awarded.
Sports
The sports on offer at Peterhouse Girls include
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
,
cross country,
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
,
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
,
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...
,
squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
,
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
,
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
,
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
, and
water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
.
Cultural activities
Clubs on offer include
Art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
, Bridge,
Conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...
, Debate Society,
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
, Music,
Interact Club
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...
, ITC,
Leo Club
Leo clubs are a youth organization of Lions Clubs International.
Leo clubs encourage youths to develop leadership qualities by participating in social service activities. They are dependent on a Lions club to sponsor and initiate a Leo club. Le ...
,
Scripture Union
Scripture Union (SU) is an international, interdenominational, evangelical Christian organization. It was founded in 1867, and works in partnership with individuals and churches across the world. The organization's stated aim is to use the Bible t ...
, Shona Club and
Toastmasters
Toastmasters International (TI) is a US-headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of promoting communication, public speaking, and leadership.
History
The organization grew out of a single c ...
.
Peterhouse Girls offers the
Duke of Edinburgh's International Award to girls in C Block (Form 2) upwards.
Environmental Parks
The school, for educational and recreational purposes uses
Gosho Park, a conservation area named after Patrick Gosho that is owned by the Peterhouse Group which is also situated on the Springvale Estate (being adjacent to the school).
Geography field trips, Biology research projects and leadership courses are some of the activities that take place in Gosho Park.
Chapel of St Francis
The Chapel was built in the early 1950s and is dedicated to the Saint who so inspired Springvale School’s first headmaster, Canon Robert Grinham. It is built of brick, rough plastered and white painted; its internal pillars are gum poles, as are the beams which support the thatched roof.
When the Peterhouse Girls moved into the buildings of Springvale School, which had been forced to close in 1979, it soon became apparent that the Chapel would have to be extended. Under the guidance of Jon Calderwood, who had already seen to the installation of a new organ, the extension was planned and executed: two transepts were added, in structure and furnishing identical to the style of the original. In addition, a new altar was built using teak discarded by the boys’ school laboratories; which has been referred as "a rare fusion of the spiritual with the scientific".
Relationship with Peterhouse Boys
Peterhouse Boys is the
sister school
A sister school is usually a pair of schools, usually single-sex school, one with female students and the other with male students. This relationship is seen to benefit both schools. For instance, when Harvard University was a male-only school, Rad ...
of Peterhouse Girls. The schools, both owned by the Peterhouse Group, interact in various cultural activities and to a lesser extent in sports. The Sixth Form is co-educational, with pupils from Peterhouse Girls' having lessons at the boys' school.
List of Heads at Peterhouse Girls
Petrean Society
A Petrean is any pupil who has been a member of the school, normally for a minimum period of two years; any person who has been a member of the staff of the school for at least three years; or any person who has been a member of the Executive Committee of the school for at least three years.
Notable Petreans
*
Micheen Thornycroft - Zimbabwe Olympic rower
See also
*
Peterhouse Boys
*
Springvale House
Springvale House Preparatory School (commonly known as Springvale or Springvale House) is an independent, preparatory, boarding and day school in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe that was established in 1952. The school shares facilities with Pete ...
*
Peterhouse Group of Schools
*
List of boarding schools
*
List of schools in Zimbabwe
This list of schools in the African country of Zimbabwe includes the country's primary and secondary schools. Zimbabwe's tertiary schools are listed on a separate sub-list at List of universities in Zimbabwe.
Schools 'highfied' are listed alp ...
References
External links
Peterhouse Girls websiteThe Petreans SocietyPeterhouse Group (@PeterhouseGroup) on TwitterPeterhouse Group on YouTube
{{Authority control
G
Anglican schools in Zimbabwe
Private schools in Zimbabwe
Girls' schools in Zimbabwe
Girls' high schools in Zimbabwe
Boarding schools in Zimbabwe
High schools in Zimbabwe
Cambridge schools in Zimbabwe
Educational institutions established in 1987
1987 establishments in Zimbabwe
Member schools of the Association of Trust Schools