Wakefield Girls' High School (WGHS) is a

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 ...

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

, England, established in 1878 in Wentworth House. The initial enrolment of 59 pupils has since increased to 665.

Community

The school is part of the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, comprising Wakefield Girls' High School Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and Wakefield Grammar Pre-Preparatory School.

Education

In 2021, 29% of students earnt A* grades at A Level. 63% of students achieved straight A* and A grades awarded in three or more subjects and 85% of students achieved grades A* to B. Also in 2021, over 75% of all GCSE entries were awarded 9 – 7 grades with one-third being awarded grade 9.

Notable alumnae

* Dame Barbara Hepworth, artist * Dame Anne Mueller, British civil servant and academic. Second Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office from 1984 to 1987 and then at HM Treasury from 1987 to 1990. She was Chancellor of De Montfort University from 1991 until 1995. *

Monica Edwards Monica Edwards (née Monica le Doux Newton; 8 November 1912 – 18 January 1998) was an English children's writer of the mid-twentieth century best known for her Romney Marsh and Punchbowl Farm series of children's novels. Early life She was ...

, children's authorWGHS Archives housed at West Yorkshire Archive Service – attended from September 1920 to July 1921 *

Helen Fielding Helen Fielding (born 19 February 1958) is a British journalist, novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones. Fielding’s first novel was set in a refugee camp in East Africa and she started wr ...

, author of ''

Bridget Jones's Diary ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Fielding, which was itself a loose ...

'' *

Joanne Harris Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris (born 3 July 1964) is a British author, best known for her 1999 novel '' Chocolat'', which was adapted into a film of the same name. Her work has received multiple awards and is published in over 50 countries. ...

, author of '' Chocolat'' * Katherine Kelly, actress *

Baroness Prashar Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, ...

, member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

* Honey Watson, writer and Mandarin–English translator * Dame Elsie Marjorie Williamson DBE, British academic, educator, physicist and Principal of

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a member institution of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departmen ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

Nichi Hodgson Nichi Hodgson (born 9 September 1983) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and author. She was one of the first British journalists to court-report via Twitter, covering the 2012 obscenity trial, '' R v Peacock''. Early life and education H ...

, British journalist, broadcaster, and author. *

Heidi Allen Heidi Suzanne Allen (; born 18 January 1975) is a British businesswoman and former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Cambridgeshire from 2015 to 2019. Initially elected as a Conservative, she resigned from the par ...

, British former politician, served as Member of Parliament South Cambridgeshire 2015 – 2019, February 2019 resigned, leader of

Change UK Change UK, founded as The Independent Group (TIG) and later The Independent Group for Change, was a British centrist, pro–European Union political party, which lasted for ten months in 2019. Established in February and formally recognised ...

Coat of arms

References

External links

Official Website

Profile
on 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 ...

website
Wakefield Grammar School Foundation website
{{authority control Girls' schools in West Yorkshire Private schools in the City of Wakefield Educational institutions established in 1878 1878 establishments in England Schools in Wakefield Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association