The Society of Heads, formerly the Society of Headmasters & Headmistresses of Independent Schools (SHHIS), or "S of H", is an association of Headmasters and Headmistresses of various types of

independent schools 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 ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and was formed in 1961. Members include heads of single-sex and

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 ...

day and boarding

secondary schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, specialist

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, and

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

schools, and

special school Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

s for children with learning difficulties. The association's headquarters are in

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the admi ...

, in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Members of the Society usually have membership of the

Association of School and College Leaders The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), formerly the Secondary Heads Association (SHA), is a UK professional association for leaders of schools and colleges. History The Association of Head Mistresses (AHM) was founded in 1874. The ...

, with their schools usually having membership of the

Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools The Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS) is the supporting and advisory organisation for governing bodies of independent schools in the UK, and is a member of the Independent Schools Council. History The Association of Go ...

. Some member girls' schools are also members 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 ...

. The Society itself is a constituent of the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 schools in the United Kingdom's independent education sector. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the busin ...

Members

Abbotsholme School Abbotsholme School is a co-educational independent boarding and day school. The school is situated on a 140-acre campus on the banks of the River Dove in Derbyshire, England near the county border and the village of Rocester in Staffordshire ...

Austin Friars Austin Friars is a coeducational independent day school located in Carlisle, England. The Senior School provides secondary education for 350 boys and girls aged 11–18. There are 150 children aged 4–11 in the Junior School and the Nursery ha ...

Battle Abbey School Battle Abbey School is an independent coeducational day and boarding school in the small town of Battle, East Sussex, England. The senior school occupies part of the town's ruined abbey complex, and it is from here that the school derives its ...

Bedales School Bedales School is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of conventio ...

Beechwood Sacred Heart School Beechwood School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school for children aged 3 – 18, which comprises a Nursery, Preparatory School and Senior School, with boarding for children aged 11 – 18. Beechwood is situated on a 23-acre ...

Bournemouth Collegiate School Bournemouth Collegiate School is a coeducational independent day and boarding school based on two sites in Poole and Bournemouth, Dorset on the southern coast of England. The prep school (ages 2–11) is located in Poole and the senior school (a ...

* Clifton High School *

Cokethorpe School Cokethorpe School is an independent day school in Hardwick, West Oxfordshire, about south of Witney. It was founded in 1957 by Francis Brown. It is a member of HMC, IAPS, and The Society of Heads (formerly known as SHMIS). The school has ap ...

Dover College , motto_translation = I cannot refuse the task , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , headmaster = Simon Fisher , r_head_label = , r_head ...

Kent College ) , established = 1885 , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding school , religious_affiliation = Methodist , president = , head_label = , head ...

Kingham Hill School Kingham Hill School is a Christian co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day and boarding school for children aged 11–18, located near the village of Kingham in Oxfordshire. It was founded by local landowner Charles Yo ...

Lincoln Minster School Lincoln Minster School (Known locally as "LMS" or "The Minster") is an independent co-educational day and boarding school in Lincoln, England. It comprises three schools: the nursery and pre-preparatory, preparatory, and senior school. While the ...

Longridge Towers School Longridge Towers School is a non-selective co-educational independent day and boarding school in the parish of Horncliffe (formerly Longridge) near Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England, for children between the ages of three and eightee ...

Milton Abbey School Milton Abbey school is an independent school for day and boarding pupils in the village of Milton Abbas, near Blandford Forum in Dorset, in South West England. It has 224 pupils , in five houses: Athelstan, Damer, Hambro, Hodgkinson and Tregonw ...

Newcastle School for Boys Newcastle School for Boys, or NSB, is an independent school for boys aged 3–18 in Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. It has approximately 400 students.ISI Report, November 2007 History NSB was formed in 2005 with the merger of Ascham Ho ...

North Cestrian Grammar School North Cestrian School, formerly North Cestrian Grammar School, is a free school in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England, for pupils aged between 11 and 16. North Cestrian is part of the Hamblin Educational Trust. History The school was o ...

Oswestry School Oswestry School is an ancient public school (English independent day and boarding school), located in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was founded in 1407 as a 'free' school, being independent of the church. This gives it the distinction of b ...

* Our Lady's Abingdon *

Purcell School The Purcell School for Young Musicians is a specialist music school for children, located in the town of Bushey, south Hertfordshire, England, and is the oldest specialist music school in the UK. The school was awarded the UNESCO Mozart Medal i ...

* St Augustine's Priory *

St Christopher School St Christopher School is a boarding and day co-educational independent school in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, England. Established in 1915, shortly after Ebenezer Howard founded Letchworth Garden City, the school is a long-time prop ...

* St David's College * St Edward's School *

Saint Felix School Saint Felix School is a 2–18 mixed, independent, day and boarding school in Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk, England. The school was founded in 1897 as a school for girls but is now co-educational. History The school was founded in 1897 as a girl ...

St George's School St George's School or Saint George's School may refer to: Brunei * St. George's School, Brunei Canada * St. George's School of Montreal, Quebec * St. George's School (Vancouver), British Columbia Germany * St. George's The British Internation ...

St James Independent Schools St James' Independent Schools in London (UK) are three fee-paying schools for children aged 4 to 18. The Junior and Senior Girls' Schools are in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and the Senior Boys' School in Ashford, Surrey. In 2 ...

St John's College, Cardiff St John's College is an independent co-educational day school in the village of Old St Mellons in Cardiff, Wales. It is the choir school of Wales' national Catholic cathedral, Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral. History of St John's College De ...

St John's College, Portsmouth St John's College was a former independent day and boarding school located in Southsea, Hampshire, England. On 16 May 2022, the Governors of St John's College announced that the school would not re-open in September 2022 due to declining stude ...

* St Joseph's College *

Scarborough College Scarborough College is an independent coeducational day and boarding school aged 3–18 years in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1898 and opened in 1901. The school has been an International Baccalaureate (IB) World ...

Shebbear College Shebbear College is an independent day and boarding school for girls and boys aged 4 – 18 situated in Shebbear, Devon, England. The school's 85-acre rural campus is situated in the Devon countryside. It was founded by the Bible Christian Soci ...

Shiplake College ("The Example Teaches") , established = 1959 , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religious_affiliation = Church of England , head_label = Headmaster , head ...

Stafford Grammar School Stafford Grammar School is a mixed independent day school at Burton Manor, located on the outskirts of Stafford, the county town of Staffordshire. Founded in 1982, the school inhabits a building built by the Victorian architect Augustus Pugin. H ...

Tettenhall College Tettenhall College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school located in the Wolverhampton suburb of Tettenhall in England. History The college was founded in 1863 by a group of prominent local businessmen and industrialists, most ...

* The National Mathematics and Science College *

Thetford Grammar School Thetford Grammar School is an independent co-educational school in Thetford, Norfolk, England. The school might date back to the 7th century, which would make it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom. History The school website conject ...

Windermere School Windermere School is an independent, coeducational boarding and day school in the English Lake District. Founded in 1863, it has approximately 360 pupils between the ages of 3 and 18, around a third of whom are boarders. The School is split acro ...

References

External links

The Society of Heads
Education in Leicestershire Education-related professional associations Market Harborough Organisations based in Leicestershire Organizations established in 1961 Private and independent school organisations in the United Kingdom

Heads A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...

1961 establishments in England 1961 in education Teacher associations based in the United Kingdom {{prof-assoc-stub

Members

See also

References

External links