Redmaids' High School is a private

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

for girls in Westbury-on-Trym,

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England. The school is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and the Head is a member of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools ...

(HMC). The school was established under its present name in September 2017, following a merger between Redland High School for Girls (founded 1882) and the Red Maids' School (founded 1634). On 2 September 2024 it was announced that the school had joined the Girls Day School Trust.

History

Red Maids' school was founded in 1634 from the bequest of John Whitson, Mayor of Bristol 1603–4 and 1615–16 and in November 1605 he was returned to parliament for Bristol at a by-election, subsequently representing the town in the assemblies of 1614, 1621, 1625, and 1626, making it the oldest surviving girls' school in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. 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, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

as a Grade II

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 ...

. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Red Maids' School was moved to Manor House, which is now part of the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

, 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, who were leading suffragists and campaigners for women's higher education in Victorian times. There are

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

s 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 Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

(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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 ...

or the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...

(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 sew ...

(1932–1998), clothing historian, costume designer and author * Brenda Clarke (1926–2022), novelist – writer of medieval historical whodunnits * Nana Kagga (born 1979), Ugandan actress, producer, director and petroleum engineer * Belinda Kirk (born 1974/1975), explorer and entrepreneur * Susan Lewis (born 1956), novelist * Anita Mason (1942–2020), writer * Tammy Miller (born 1967), hockey player * Katherine Press (born 1988), actress * Alwynne Pritchard (born 1968), performer, composer and artist * Alice Roberts (born 1973), anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist, humanist, TV presenter and author * Audrey Stuckes (1923–2006), material scientist * Emily Webley-Smith (born 1984), tennis player

References

External links

*
Red Maids' Society
* Independent Schools Council Profiles �
Junior School
an
Senior School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Maids School Educational institutions established in the 1630s Private 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 Schools of the Girls' Day School Trust