The Mount School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

day and boarding school for girls ages 3–18, and a co-ed Junior School, located in

York, England York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a minster, castle and city walls, all of which are G ...

. The school was founded in 1785, and the current Head is Anna Wilby. The Mount School is one of seven

Quaker schools in England Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

. In 2020, it became the first girls' school in the North of England to become an All-Steinway School. The school is also a member of the

Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a membership association for the heads of independent and state girls' schools in the United Kingdom. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), and works with the Association ...

and the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 private schools in the United Kingdom. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the business interests of its ...

History

The school, under the name Trinity Lane (or York) Quaker Girls' School, was founded in 1785 by Yorkshire Quaker, Esther Tuke, wife of

William Tuke William Tuke (24 March 1732 – 6 December 1822), an English tradesman, philanthropist and Quakers, Quaker, earned fame for promoting more humane custody and care for people with mental disorders, using what he called gentler methods that cam ...

. In 1831, Esther and William's grandson Samuel Tuke, along with William Alexander, Thomas Backhouse and Joseph Rowntree, moved the school to Castlegate House with Hannah Brady registered as the superintendent (1831–42). She was followed by Elizabeth Brady (1842–47), Eliza Stringer (1847–1853), and Rachel Tregelles (1853–1862), who oversaw the move of the school to its current premises, The Mount, in 1856. In 1866, Lydia Rous returned from her work with the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

to become the new superintendent, eventually retiring in 1879. From 1890 to 1902, Lucy Harrison was identified as the headmistress of The Mount; Harrison endeavoured to bring many of the conventions of the school in line with contemporary norms at the time, particularly those surrounding health and wellbeing. From 1946 to 1966, Margery Willoughby was the head teacher.

Traditions

The Mount School has many long-standing traditions, including a game event called ''Games in the Dark'' which takes place on Bonfire Night. Year 11 students arrange a treasure hunt challenge for the younger students to take part in and it often involves many pranks. College-aged pupils traditionally present two events to the school, one at the end of each term, respectively, the ''College I Pantomime'' and the ''Leavers' Play'', at which previous head girls are presented with gifts by their successors.

Curriculum

In 2012, the school introduced the PeaceJam Ambassadors programme into the school curriculum. The school has "pillars of excellence" in the subject areas of sciences, math, history, music, sports, art, drama and foreign languages.

Sports

The Mount has yearly activities in orienteering and fencing, netball, hockey and swimming in the winter, rounders, tennis and athletics in the summer. College girls are able to choose the sports, lacrosse and whether or not to use a fitness suite.

Creative arts

The Mount is an All Steinway School Extracurricular creative art groups include both Senior and Junior Orchestra, Senior and Junior Choir, a Wind group and a Swing Band for woodwind and brass instruments. The school follows the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

(LAMDA) syllabus and there is usually a school and college play performed every year.

Accolades

In ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' League Table, the school is ranked 2nd by A-level results in the York area. In the ''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'', the school was ranked in the A-level results table for Yorkshire in 2012.

Notable alumnae

Isobel Barnett Isobel, Lady Barnett (born Isobel Morag Marshall; 30 June 1918 – 20 October 1980), was a Scottish radio and television personality, who had her highest profile during the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Isobel Barnett was born Isobel Morag Mar ...

, Scottish radio and television personality * Virginia Beardshaw CBE, Founder Fellow of the King's Fund Institute * Dame

Jocelyn Bell Burnell Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell (; Bell; born 15 July 1943) is a Northern Irish physicist who, as a doctoral student, discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967. This discovery later earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1974, but she was not ...

, astrophysicist *

Kate Bellingham Katherine Bellingham, (born 1963)Royal Society of Chemistry
� ...

, BBC technology presenter and engineer * Laura Busson,

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

Commissioning Executive * Dame

A. S. Byatt Dame Antonia Susan Duffy (; 24 August 1936 – 16 November 2023), known professionally by her former married name, A.S. Byatt ( ), was an English critic, novelist, poet and short-story writer. Her books have been translated into more than thirt ...

, author *

Ruth Cadbury Ruth Margaret Cadbury (born 14 May 1959) is a British politician and planner who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentford and Isleworth since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, she was a Member of Hounslow Council from 1986 to ...

, politician *

Margaret Crosfield Margaret Chorley Crosfield (7 September 1859 – 13 October 1952) was a British paleontologist and geologist. Biography Crosfield became an active member of the Geologists' Association in 1892, later becoming a council member in 1918. In 1894 sh ...

, palaeontologist, one of the first 13 female fellows of the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe, with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

in 1919. * Dame

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...

, actress * Dame

Margaret Drabble Dame Margaret Drabble, Lady Holroyd, (born 5 June 1939) is an English biographer, novelist and short story writer. Drabble's books include '' The Millstone'' (1965), which won the following year's John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, and '' Je ...

, author * Audrey Evans, paediatric oncologist, co-founder of the

Ronald McDonald House Charities Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of ...

* Professor Ruth Finnegan, social anthropologist *

Mary Sturge Gretton Mary Gertrude Sturge Gretton born May Gertrude Sturge later Mary Gertrude Henderson (1 May 1871 – 15 August 1961) was a British historian and magistrate. Life Gretton was born in Gloucester on 1 May 1871 when her first name was May. Her father ...

, historian and magistrate * Jean Henderson, lawyer and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician *

Rachel Howard Rachel Howard (born 1969) is a British contemporary artist and painter, who has exhibited nationally and internationally and whose works are held in several private and public collections. Early life and career Rachel Howard grew up on a farm ...

, artist * Noni Jabavu, South African writer and journalist * Dame

Elaine Kellett-Bowman Dame Mary Elaine Kellett-Bowman, DBE (née Kay; 8 July 1923 – 4 March 2014) was a British Conservative Party politician, serving as Member of Parliament ( MP) for the constituency of Lancaster for 27 years from 1970 to 1997. Life and caree ...

, former Conservative MP * Rose Neill, BBC Broadcaster *

Nuzo Onoh Nuzo Onoh (born 22 September 1962) is a Nigerian-British writer. She grew up the third of eight children of the late Chief Mrs Caroline Onoh, a former headteacher. Her father was Chief Dr. C.C Onoh, the wealthy landowner, lawyer, politician, and ...

, British-Nigerian writer *

Helen Osborne Helen Osborne (11 March 1939 – 12 January 2004) was a British journalist and critic, and the fifth wife of the playwright John Osborne. She was born Helen Dawson, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and educated at The Mount School, York, and Durham Uni ...

, journalist and critic * Tessa Rowntree, aid worker in Czechoslovakia * Winifred Sargent, mathematician *

Anna Southall Anna Catherine Southall (born 9 June 1948) served as Director of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales from 1998 to 2002. She was educated at The Mount School, York and the University of East Anglia (BA, 1970).‘SOUTHALL, Anna Catherine’ ...

, director of the

National Museums and Galleries of Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Nicola Spence Nicola Jane Spence (born 22 February 1961) is the Chief Plant Health Officer and Deputy Director for plant and bee health at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Early life and education Spence was educated at The Mount S ...

, biologist *

Cheryl Taylor Cheryl Francis Taylor (born March 1964) is the Controller of CBBC in Salford. Early life She was brought up in Liverpool in a family of Quakers. She went to the independent boarding school The Mount School, York, where she became Head Girl. York ...

, controller of CBBC *

Kathleen Mary Tillotson Kathleen Mary Tillotson Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE, Fellow of the British Academy, FBA, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, FRSL (3 April 1906 – 3 June 2001) was a British academic and literary critic, professor o ...

, literary scholar *

Mary Ure Eileen Mary Ure (18 February 1933 – 3 April 1975) was a British actress. She was the second Scottish-born actress (after Deborah Kerr) to be nominated for an Academy Award, for her role in the 1960 film '' Sons and Lovers''. Early life Born i ...

, actress *

Elfrida Vipont Elfrida Vipont Brown (3 July 1902 – 14 March 1992) was an English writer of children's literature. She was born in Manchester into a family of Quakers. As a children's writer, she initially published under a man's name, Charles Vipont, which wa ...

, children's author *

Hilary Wainwright Hilary Wainwright (born 1949) is a British sociologist, political activist and socialist feminist, best known for being a co-editor of '' Red Pepper'' magazine. Early life and education Wainwright's father was the Liberal MP Richard Wain ...

, feminist and ''Guardian'' writer * Anna Walker, BBC ''

Tomorrow's World ''Tomorrow's World'' is a British television series about contemporary developments in science and technology. First broadcast on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The ''Tomorrow's World' ...

'' and

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

presenter * Frances Wilson, English author, academic and critic

References

External links

The Mount School Official Site

The Mount Junior School Official Site

Profile
on the

ISC ISC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Imperial Space Command, a fictional organization in the books by Catherine Asaro * Indian Society of Cinematographers, a non-profit cultural and educational organisation * International Sculpture Center, ...

website
Profile
at

MyDaughter MyDaughter was a British website set up by the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) offering advice to parents of daughters on all aspects of raising and educating girls. Advice was provided by headteachers from the member schools of the Girls' Scho ...

Mount Old Scholars Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount School, The Boarding schools in North Yorkshire Quaker schools in England Girls' schools in North Yorkshire Private schools in York Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association 1831 establishments in England