Wycombe High School is a girls'

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 ...

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, Buckinghamshire taking girls from the age of 11 to 18. The school became an

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 ...

in 2011, and in 2020 had 1,308 pupils.

History

The school was the first state grammar school for girls in Buckinghamshire when it opened in 1901 with eighteen pupils. In 1901, the school was housed in the Clock House in Frogmoor, High Wycombe. At that time, enrolment was 18 fee-paying pupils and three staff. Miss Mary Christie M.A. was the first headmistress. The school moved to Benjamin Road in 1906 where it remained for 50 years, except for a time during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

when it was evacuated to the old grammar school so that the Benjamin Road buildings could be used as a military hospital. By 1922 the school had 300 pupils and was rapidly expanding. The school acquired its status as a Voluntary Controlled girl's grammar school in 1944. By 1956 the number of girls wishing to attend the school was so great that the school moved again to new premises that were built at the present site on Marlow Hill. It won the BBC Radio quiz show '' Top of the Form'' in 1959. In September 2005, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) awarded the school

specialist school Specialist schools, also known as specialised schools or specialized schools, are schools which specialise in a certain area or field of curriculum. In some countries, for example New Zealand, the term is used exclusively for schools specialis ...

status in Mathematics & Computing. Over the years, buildings have been added to the school, such as Technology, Sport and Drama blocks. These were built to allow for the extra 300 pupils and staff that arrived when Lady Verney High School joined with Wycombe High in 1993. The most recent addition is a new music centre which opened in the summer term in 2015. The school houses a well-resourced library, conference facilities, and the school archive.

Curriculum

Subjects taught at Wycombe High School from Year 7 are: English, Maths, Science, Art, Spanish, History, Geography, French, Latin, Religious Studies, Physical Education, Drama and Technology (alternating between Graphics, Textiles and Food throughout the year).

Notable former pupils

* Julia Bone, tennis player * Rita Clifton CBE, advertising executive *

Gladys Colton Gladys Madge Colton FRSA (1909 – 24 April 1986), was an English schoolmistress and educationist. She was head mistress of the City of London School for Girls from 1949 to 1972 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Life The elder daughter of ...

, headmistress of

City of London School for Girls The City of London School for Girls (CLSG) is an independent school in the Barbican in the City of London. It is the partner school of the all-boys City of London School and the City of London Freemen's School. All three schools receive funding f ...

, 1949 to 1972 * Lucinda Dryzek, actress *

Monica Felton Monica Felton (1906 – March 1970) was a British writer, town planner, feminist and social activist, a member of the Labour Party. Early life Monica Glory Page (later Felton) was born in 1906, the eldest of four siblings, Una Hilary (b. 1908) ...

, writer, town planner, feminist and social activist *

Isa Guha Isa Tara Guha (born 21 May 1985) is an English cricket commentator, television and radio cricket broadcaster, and a former England cricketer who played in the 2005 World Cup and the 2009 World Cup.E. L. James Erika Mitchell (born 7 March 1963), known by her pen name E. L. James, is a British author. She wrote the best-selling erotic romance trilogy ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', '' Fifty Shades Darker'', and '' Fifty Shades Freed'', along with the compa ...

, author of ''

Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

'' * Penny Jamieson, Bishop of Dunedin, New Zealand *

Shan Morgan Dame Shan Elizabeth Morgan (born 12 March 1955) is a former British civil servant. Formerly the Deputy Permanent Representative, UK Representation to the European Union, she was the Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Government until October 2021 ...

CMG, British diplomat * Marion McQuillan (1921 – 1998), British metallurgist who specialised in the engineering uses for titanium and its alloys *

Rachel Burden Rachel Mary Ann Cecilia Burden (born 22 January 1975 in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England) is a newsreader, radio news reporter and presenter. She has presented the BBC Radio 5 Live weekday breakfast show since 2011. She is also one of the main we ...

, journalist and radio / TV presenter

References

External links

*
Department for Education Performance Tables 2011
{{authority control Girls' schools in Buckinghamshire Grammar schools in Buckinghamshire High Wycombe Educational institutions established in 1901 Academies in Buckinghamshire 1901 establishments in England