Westcliff High School for Girls, also known by its initialism WHSG, is a selective

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

and

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

for girls in

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

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 ...

and surrounding areas. It teaches students from the age of 11 through to 18 years old, and admission to the school is dependent upon their performance in selective 11+ tests set by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).

Admissions

It caters for those between the ages of 11 and 18. It is next to

Westcliff High School for Boys Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) is an 11–18 selective academy grammar school for boys in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England. In September 2001 the school was awarded ‘Beacon’ status for its breadth of achievements and quality of work. T ...

, with the two schools sharing a canteen, and is opposite St Thomas More High School for Boys. In Ofsted's 2010 report, it stated that there were 1,046 students on roll, 286 of which were in the

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

. It also stated that "the large majority of students are of

White British White British is an ethnicity classification used for the native white population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population ...

heritage. Many other ethnic groups are represented and the proportion of students from minority ethnic groups is similar to that found nationally. The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is below that found nationally and all speak English fluently. Eligibility for free school meals is much lower than average. The number of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities is lower than average."

History

The school was founded in 1920 and moved to its current premises in 1931. It gained

specialist status Specialist schools in the United Kingdom (sometimes branded as specialist colleges in England and Northern Ireland) are schools with an emphasis or focus in a specific specialised subject area, which is called a specialism, or alternatively in t ...

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

and

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

in 2003. The new English block was completed late 2009 and opened to pupils in the spring term of 2010. The new building has three floors and caters for English, Law, Psychology and other subjects. The school converted to academy status in 2011. In January 2014, Westcliff High School for Girls achieved second highest GCSE results in the whole of the UK.

Academic performance

Westcliff is a very strong school academically, with 2014 GCSE results placing 2nd in the country. In 2006, the school achieved the 14th best

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 au ...

in the country as well. Westcliff High School for Girls has been recognised by Ofsted as 'outstanding' (October 2010 inspection). In 2011, 100% of GCSE students achieved 5 or more A*–C grades in English and Maths.

Houses

Students at Westcliff High School for Girls are split into four houses; Bohun, Mandeville, Bouchier, and Devereux, modelled upon a traditional house system. Competitiveness is actively encouraged between houses as the students contend to win House Championships. Students compete in sports, music, drama and other fields to establish the victor.

Notable former pupils

* Catherine Bishop, silver medalist,

coxless pair A coxless pair is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars. The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each having one oar, one on the stroke side (rower's right ...

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

* Alison Childs, Olympic diver,

1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Nathalie Emmanuel Nathalie Joanne Emmanuel (born 2 March 1989) is an English actress. Emmanuel began her acting career appearing in theatre in the late 1990s, acquiring roles in various West End productions such as the musical ''The Lion King''. In 2006, she be ...

, actress * Pam Hobbs, author * Judith Kingston, paediatric oncologist * Jack Monroe, journalist and campaigner *

Annabel Port Annabel Port (born 12 March 1975, Southend-on-Sea) is a British radio presenter. She was the co-presenter of Geoff Lloyd with Annabel Port on Absolute Radio from 2008 until the show ended on 12 April 2017. Previously, she has worked on The Geo ...

, radio broadcaster * Jane Root, Controller from 1999-2004 of BBC Two (its first female controller), responsible for commissioning ''

The Naked Chef ''The Naked Chef'' is a BBC Two television cooking programme starring Jamie Oliver. It originally ran for three series plus three Christmas specials, and was produced by Optomen Television for the BBC. The show was Oliver's television debut, an ...

'' with

Jamie Oliver James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants. Oliver reac ...

References

External links

School website

EduBase
{{authority control Girls' schools in Essex Grammar schools in Southend-on-Sea Educational institutions established in 1920 Academies in Southend-on-Sea 1920 establishments in England Specialist science colleges in England Specialist engineering colleges in England