Ipswich High School is a

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 ...

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

for day and boarding pupils between the ages of 3 and 19 at Woolverstone Hall near

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, England. Formerly a private school for girls, it was converted to co-education in 2018.

History

Ipswich High School was opened as a school for girls in the Assembly Rooms in Northgate Street, Ipswich, on 30 April 1878 with 43 pupils. The first headmistress, Sophie Youngman, held the position for 21 years. She was succeeded by Miss Kennett. In 1905 the Council of the Trust purchased a large private house and grounds in Westerfield Road, Ipswich and the school moved there. Another house, Woodview House, was purchased in 1913. Owing to the continued expansion of the school and the demands of the modern curriculum, the decision was taken in 1992 to rehouse the school at Woolverstone Hall, a Grade 1

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

set in of parkland on the banks of the River Orwell, the former premises of Woolverstone Hall School for boys (1951 to 1990). Transition to

Mixed-sex education 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 ...

took place in September 2018. The change to co-education received mixed responses from parents and alumnae. the school serves a wide area of

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

and north

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, taking girls and boys aged 3–18 years and providing both primary, secondary school and sixth form education, where pupils take A-Levels.

Governance

Following acquisition of the school by London and Oxford Group (LOG) in 2017, the principal and the chair of governors remained in their positions,Stott, Matt.
Ipswich High School for Girls changes name to Ipswich High School and will accept boys from 2018
. '' East Anglian Daily Times'', 11–12 September 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017 reporting to the ownership subsidiary Ipswich Education Limited (IEL). Dan Browning started as head in January 2023.

Notable former pupils

* Ruth Ainsworth, writer * June Brown, actress * Enid Blyton, author * Jade Holland Cooper, fashion designer * Frances Hardinge, author * Susan le Jeune d'Allegeershecque, diplomat * Sandy Lister, hockey player * Tracey MacLeod, journalist * Helen Oxenbury, illustrator * Kate Riley, television presenter and journalist * Margaret Tempest, illustrator

Notable staff

* Sandy Lister, hockey player * Adnan Zakir, hockey player

References

External links