Redmaids' High School is an independent school for girls in

Westbury-on-Trym Westbury on Trym is a suburb and council ward in the north of the City of Bristol, near the suburbs of Stoke Bishop, Westbury Park, Henleaze, Southmead and Henbury, in the southwest of England. With a village atmosphere, the place is partly ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, 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 the Head is a member of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the Unite ...

(HMC). The school was established under its present name in September 2017, following a merger between

Redland High School for Girls Redland High School for Girls was a selective and independent, non-denominational girls' school in the suburb of Redland, Bristol, England. The school merged with The Red Maids' School in May 2016, with the new merged school named Redmaids' H ...

(founded 1882) and The Red Maids' School (founded 1634).

History

Red Maids' school was founded in 1634 from the bequest of

John Whitson John Whitson (c. 1558 – 1629) was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1605 and 1626. He also founded Redmaids School for girls. Later it became Redmaids High School for Girls when it join ...

, Mayor of and MP for

, making it the oldest surviving girls' school in

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 ...

. His original Red Maids' Hospital, on Denmark Street in the centre of Bristol, was founded to provide a secure home for the orphaned or destitute daughters of freemen or burgesses of the City of Bristol, where they were taught to read and sew. The site was irreparably damaged and had to be completely rebuilt in the 1840s. The new school building was designed in 1844 by the architect James Foster. The entrance lodge of the existing site in Westbury-on-Trym dates from 1830 and has been designated by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

as a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Red Maids' School was moved to

Manor House A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

, which is now part of the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, while the school buildings in Westbury were used as a Red Cross hospital. Redland High School was founded in 1882. The senior school was housed in an old manor-house known as Redland Court which dates from 1732 to 1735. It was built by John Strachan for John Cossins and has been designated by

as a grade II*

, which has undergone many extensions. In October 2006, a building previously belonging to the Junior School was converted into the Music School, expanding the senior school once again. Governors of Redland's school included Agnes Beddoe, Elizabeth and

Emily Sturge Emily Sturge (20 April 1847 – 3 June 1892) was a British campaigner for women's education. She was secretary of the west of England branch of the National Society for Women's Suffrage. Life Sturge was born in 1847 in Cotham, Bristol. She was t ...

, who were leading suffragists and campaigners for women's higher education in Victorian times. There are blue plaques to remind students of their achievements. In September 2020, Paul Dwyer took over as Headteacher on the retirement of Isabel Tobias.

Founders' Commemoration Day

Redmaids' High School Founders' Commemoration Day is the annual celebration of the life and vision of the founder, John Whitson, and also a day to remember the founders of Redland High School for Girls, Reverend Rose and Urijah Thomas. The event is timed to commemorate the attempted murder of Whitson on 7 November 1626, when Christopher Callowhill stabbed him in the face with a dagger. Whitson survived for two years after this attack before dying after falling from a horse. On Founders' Commemoration Day all the girls march through Bristol City centre accompanied by police and a rolling road closure, from Welsh Back to the cathedral, where a service takes place. The girls are then allowed the afternoon off.

Facilities and campus

The Junior School and Senior School are separate, but located close together, allowing the junior school full use of the secondary school's facilities. The senior school, set in extensive grounds, consists of three main buildings: Burfield House, the 300 Building (opened in 1934) and Redland Hall — a high-spec performance space — which was opened in September 2017. There is also a music block, which houses a Mac suite, and a sports hall which contains a dance studio and large indoor sports space. Attached to Redland Hall is the Sixth Form Centre, which has recently undergone refurbishment. There are also three computer laboratories in the school and extensive textiles and artwork facilities. The junior school site is a house on Grange Court Road. It was extended in 2015 and again in 2017 which included the creation of a brand new adventure playground. There is an artificial turf (AstroTurf), opened in 2005, an indoor sports hall and two additional netball/tennis courts. Within the grounds of the Senior School there are two former air raid shelters used during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

which attract visits from local schools as part of their history studies. In 2017 it was announced that the school had purchased a new sports site: The Lawns at Cribbs Causeway. The site is less than 10 minutes' drive from the School. The plot includes four full-size grass football pitches, four tennis courts, a 3G all-weather AstroTurf pitch, a large carpark, together with extensive changing and social facilities. The school will be investing in further development to the site over the coming years.

School life

The school is divided into three sections: the junior school (7–11), the senior school (11–16), and the sixth form (16–18).

Houses

The school has a house system with competitions in activities such as dance, music, hockey, netball and drama. The four houses are named after four of John Whitson's major ships: * Speedwell (Blue) * Maryflowre (Red) * Discoverer (Yellow) * Seabrake (Green)

Ethos

Each year the school hosts a careers conference for girls from across the south-west of the UK and beyond. In 2017 the theme was #WomenInMedicine and for 2018 the theme was #WomenInSTEM.

Uniform

The core uniform consists of a red and green checked kilt and red jumper with green piping, with a white blouse. In the Senior School, girls also wear a red blazer. In the Junior School, the girls wear a red showerproof coat. In the summer, the juniors wear a red and white summer dress. In the Sixth Form, the students wear their own clothes within a published dress code that encourages them to dress for a modern work place in smart, work-ready attire.

International Baccalaureate

From 2009 Red Maids' sixth formers could study for

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 ...

or the

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 D ...

(IB) Diploma in the Sixth Form. The School was the first independent school in Bristol to offer the IB.

Notable former pupils

Janet Arnold Janet Arnold (6 October 1932 – 2 November 1998) was a British clothing historian, costume designer, teacher, conservator, and author. She is best known for her series of works called ''Patterns of Fashion'', which included accurate scale sewi ...

(1932–1998), clothing historian, costume designer and author * Brenda Clarke (born 1926), novelist – writer of medieval historical whodunnits *

Nana Kagga Nana Hill Kagga Macpherson (also known as Nana Kagga-Hill or as Nana Hill or Nana Hill Kagga) is a Ugandan actress, filmmaker, content creator, scriptwriter, petroleum engineer and motivational speaker. She wrote and directed the 2012 film '' ...

(born 1979), Ugandan actress, producer, director and petroleum engineer *

Belinda Kirk Belinda Kirk (born ) is a British explorer and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Explorers Connect, a social enterprise that connects people to opportunities for adventures and expeditions. In 2010, she captained the first all-female rowing t ...

(born 1974/1975), explorer and entrepreneur *

Susan Lewis Fictional character Susan Lewis, M.D. is a character from the medical drama series ''ER'', portrayed by American actress Sherry Stringfield. Having appeared as a primary character since the pilot episode, Stringfield left the show part way thr ...

(born 1956), novelist *

Anita Mason Anita Frances Mason (1942-2020) was an English novelist, best known as a former Booker Prize nominee. She is the author of eight novels, including ''The Illusionist'' (1983), ''The Racket'' (1990), and ''The Right Hand of the Sun'' (2008). Bac ...

(1942-2020), writer * Tammy Miller (born 1967), hockey player * Katherine Press (born 1988), actress * Alwynne Pritchard (born 1968), performer, composer and artist *

Alice Roberts Alice May Roberts (born 19 May 1973) is an English biological anthropologist, biologist, television presenter and author. Since 2012 she has been Professor of the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. She was President ...

(born 1973), anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist, humanist, TV presenter and author *

Audrey Stuckes Audrey Doris Jones ( ; 15 September 192326 September 2006) was an English material scientist and a senior lecturer in the department of applied acoustics at the University of Salford. She made important contributions to the theory of the John ...

(1923–2006), material scientist *

Emily Webley-Smith Emily Webley-Smith (born 14 July 1984) is a British professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 240, achieved on 7 November 2011. She also has a best WTA doubles ranking of No. 113, set on 2 November 2015. Web ...

(born 1984), tennis player

References

External links

*
Red Maids School

Red Maids' Society

{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Maids School Educational institutions established in the 1630s Independent schools in Bristol International Baccalaureate schools in England Grade II listed buildings in Bristol Girls' schools in Bristol 1634 establishments in England Westbury-on-Trym Grade II* listed educational buildings