Wychwood School 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 ...

for girls aged 11–18, located in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, England. The school 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 ...

and is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

. The school is located on the southern corner of Bardwell Road and

Banbury Road Banbury Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England, running from St Giles' at the south end, north towards Banbury through the leafy suburb of North Oxford and Summertown, with its local shopping centre. Parallel and to the west is the ...

North Oxford North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College. Overview The le ...

. The

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

is located close by, further down Bardwell Road.

History

Wychwood School, 74 Banbury Road, Oxford (24772651155)

The school was established in 1897 at 41

with one pupil under Miss Batty and Miss Lee. It moved to 77 Banbury Road with 7 pupils in 1898. The first boarders were accepted in 1912. The school moved to 74 Banbury Road in 1918. Miss Snodgrass became the Headmistress in 1941 and introduced the Dalton System of learning. The school became an

educational trust Charitable trusts in English law are a form of express trust dedicated to charitable goals. There are a variety of advantages to charitable trust status, including exception from most forms of tax and freedom for the trustees not found in other ...

in 1952. Weekly boarding started in 1985. A

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

was installed by the

Society of Biology The Royal Society of Biology (RSB), previously called the Society of Biology, is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education, and research. Fo ...

in 2015 on the wall outside the school on Banbury Road recording that the biologist Dame

Honor Fell Dame Honor Bridget Fell, DBE, FRS (22 May 1900 – 22 April 1986) was a British scientist and zoologist. Her contributions to science included the development of experimental methods in organ culture, tissue culture, and cell biology. Early l ...

DBE, FRS (1900–1986) studied at the school.

Alumnae

The following were or are alumnae of the school: *

Joan Aiken Joan Delano Aiken (4 September 1924 – 4 January 2004) was an English writer specialising in supernatural fiction and children's alternative history novels. In 1999 she was awarded an MBE for her services to children's literature. For ''The ...

MBE (1924–2004), writer. * Margaret Casson (Lady Casson) (1913–1999), architect, designer, photographer, and wife of architect Sir

Hugh Casson Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson (23 May 1910 – 15 August 1999) was a British architect. He was also active as an interior designer, as an artist, and as a writer and broadcaster on twentieth-century design. He was the director of architecture for t ...

. * Dame

DBE, FRS (1900–1986), zoologist. * Dame Henrietta Miriam Ottoline Leyser DBE FRS (born 1965), plant biologist *

Carola Oman Carola Oman CBE (11 May 1897 – 11 June 1978) was an English historical novelist, biographer and children's writer. She was best known for her retelling of the Robin Hood legend and for a 1946 biography of Admiral Lord Nelson.Entry for Carola O ...

CBE (1897–1978), historical novelist, biographer, and children's writer. *

Rozsika Parker Rozsika Parker (27 December 1945 – 5 November 2010) was a British psychotherapist, art historian and writer and a feminist. Biography Parker was born in London and spent her early years in Oxford, studying at Wychwood School. Between the ye ...

(1945–2010), psychotherapist, art historian, writer, and feminist. *

Florence Pugh Florence Pugh ( ; born 3 January 1996) is an English actress. She made her acting debut in 2014 in the drama film '' The Falling''. Pugh gained recognition in 2016 for her leading role as a young bride in the independent drama ''Lady Macbeth' ...

(born 1996), actress. *

Nancy Sandars Nancy Katharine Sandars, (29 June 1914 – 20 November 2015) was a British archaeologist and prehistorian. As an independent scholar—she was never a university academic—she wrote a number of books and a popular translation of the ''Epic of ...

FSA, FBA (1914–2015), archaeologist and prehistorian.

References

External links

Wychwood School website
1897 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1897 Schools in Oxford Independent schools in Oxfordshire Girls' schools in Oxfordshire Boarding schools in Oxfordshire Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association {{Oxfordshire-school-stub