Camden School for Girls
Encyclopedia
The Camden School for Girls (CSG) is a comprehensive
secondary school
for girls, with a co-educational sixth form
, in the London Borough of Camden
in North London
. It has about one thousand students of ages eleven to eighteen, and specialist-school status as a Music College
. The school has long been associated with the advancement of women's education
.
Frances Mary Buss, who also founded North London Collegiate School
, the Camden School for Girls was one of the first girls' schools in England. A grammar school
for much of the 20th century, it became comprehensive in 1976, although only year by year. It was not fully comprehensive until 1981. The school was damaged in the war but rebuilt in 1957, the architect being John Eastwick-Field OBE
.
(Ofsted) report called it "a unique and very effective school in many ways." Another, written in March 2005, said it was an "outstanding school with excellent features," and the most recent report said that it "rightly deserves the outstanding
reputation it has among parents and in the community." Its GCSE
results are excellent, and its A-level
results are the best in the Camden
LEA
outside the private sector.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
for girls, with a co-educational sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
, in the London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
in North London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It has about one thousand students of ages eleven to eighteen, and specialist-school status as a Music College
Music College
Music Colleges were introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in England. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, music. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Music Colleges will receive extra...
. The school has long been associated with the advancement of women's education
Female education
Female education is a catch-all term for a complex of issues and debates surrounding education for females. It includes areas of gender equality and access to education, and its connection to the alleviation of poverty...
.
History
Founded in 1871 by the suffragetteSuffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
Frances Mary Buss, who also founded North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School is an independent day school for girls founded in 1850 in Camden Town, and now in the London Borough of Harrow.The Good Schools Guide called the school an "Academically stunning outer London school in a glorious setting which, in 2003, demonstrated its refusal to rest...
, the Camden School for Girls was one of the first girls' schools in England. A grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for much of the 20th century, it became comprehensive in 1976, although only year by year. It was not fully comprehensive until 1981. The school was damaged in the war but rebuilt in 1957, the architect being John Eastwick-Field OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
Notable teachers
- Geoffrey Fallows, headmaster 1989–2000, President of the Joint Association of Classical TeachersJoint Association of Classical TeachersJACT is the abbreviation of Joint Association of Classical Teachers, a UK organisation. They undertake to encourage and preserve the teaching of classics in schools and universities.-Purpose:...
from 2003–5 - Carol Handley, headmistress 1971–85, President of the Classical AssociationClassical AssociationThe Classical Association is a British learned society in the field of classics, and a registered charity.The association was founded on 19 December 1903, and its objects are defined in its constitution as:...
from 1996-7 - Margot HeinemannMargot HeinemannMargot Claire Heinemann was a British Marxist writer, drama scholar, and leading member of the Communist Party of Great Britain ....
, teacher 1959–66, Marxist writer who heavily influenced Eric HobsbawmEric HobsbawmEric John Ernest Hobsbawm , CH, FBA, is a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author...
Academic performance
A 1999 Office for Standards in EducationOffice for Standards in Education
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
(Ofsted) report called it "a unique and very effective school in many ways." Another, written in March 2005, said it was an "outstanding school with excellent features," and the most recent report said that it "rightly deserves the outstanding
reputation it has among parents and in the community." Its GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
results are excellent, and its A-level
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
results are the best in the Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
outside the private sector.
Camden old girls and boys
The following people were educated at the Camden School for Girls. Some of them went only to the sixth form.- Sara Burstall (1859–1939), second headmistress of the Manchester High School for GirlsManchester High School for GirlsManchester High School for Girls is an independent daytime school for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom...
from 1898–1924 - Lilian LindsayLilian LindsayDr. Lilian Lindsay, C.B.E., LL.D., M.D.S., F.D.S. R.C.S., H.D.D., F.S.A. was a dentist, dental historian, librarian and author...
(1871–1960), the first woman with a British qualification in dentistryDentistryDentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
, having graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons of EdinburghRoyal College of Surgeons of EdinburghThe Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
on 3 May 1895 - E. G. R. TaylorEva Germaine Rimington TaylorEva Germaine Rimington Taylor was an English geographer and historian of science, the first woman to hold an academic chair of geography in the United Kingdom....
(1871–1966), geographer and historian - Marianne StoneMarianne StoneMarianne Stone was a British character actress. She appeared in many films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s...
(1922–2009), actress, notably in Carry On films - Joan ThirskJoan ThirskIrene Joan Watkins Thirsk, MA , PhD, FBA, FRHistS is a British economic and social historian, specialized in the History of agriculture. She is one of the leading economic and social historians of the 20th century, having greatly influenced the methodology and direction of research...
(born 1922), economic historian, President of the British Agricultural History Society from 1983–6 and 1995–8 - Natalie RothsteinNatalie RothsteinNatalie Rothstein was a curator and academic. She held the post of curator of silks at the Victoria and Albert Museum, having worked there for 38 years. She also wrote and edited numerous works on textiles including 400 Years of Fashion .-References:...
(1930–2010), museum curator - Janet Silver OBE (1933–2007), optometristOptometryOptometry is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans. Optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry, are state licensed medical professionals trained to prescribe and fit lenses to improve vision,...
- Ruth Seifert (1943–2009), psychiatrist
- Sara KestelmanSara KestelmanSara Kestelman is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Lady Frances Brandon, Lady Jane Grey's mother, in Lady Jane.-Biography:...
(born 1944), actress - Julia DonaldsonJulia DonaldsonJulia Catherine Donaldson MBE is an English writer and playwright, best known as author of The Gruffalo and other children's books, many illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Of her 157 published works, 56 are widely available in bookshops...
(born 1948), children's writer, The GruffaloThe GruffaloThe Gruffalo is a children's book by writer and playwright Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, that tells the story of a mouse's walk in the woods... - Deborah MoggachDeborah MoggachDeborah Moggach is an English writer. She has written sixteen novels to date, including The Ex-Wives, Tulip Fever, and, most recently, These Foolish Things. She has adapted many of her novels as TV dramas and has also written several film scripts, including the BAFTA-nominated screenplay for Pride...
(born 1948), writer - Sally PotterSally PotterCharlotte Sally Potter is an English film director and screenwriter.-Career:Having left school at sixteen to become a filmmaker, Potter joined the London Film-Makers' Co-op and started making experimental short films, including Jerk and Play...
(born 1949), film director and screenwriter - Julia EccleshareJulia EccleshareJulia Eccleshare is a leading British journalist and writer on the subject of children's books.- Life and career :Eccleshare was born in Cambridge and grew up in North London, the third of four children of Colin Eccleshare, a publisher with Cambridge University Press, and Liz, a history...
(born 1951), broadcaster and editor of children's books - Dame Julia CleverdonJulia CleverdonDame Julia Charity Cleverdon, DCVO, CBE is a British charity worker who served for 16 years as Chief Executive of Business in the Community, one of the Prince's Charities of Charles, Prince of Wales.-Biography:...
(born 1952), charity worker - Frances CrookFrances CrookFrances Crook OBE is the Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, the oldest penal reform charity in the United Kingdom.-University and Beyond:...
(born 1952), Director of the Howard League for Penal ReformHoward League for Penal ReformThe Howard League for Penal Reform is a London-based registered charity in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, named after John Howard. Founded in 1866 as the Howard Association, a merger with the Penal Reform League in 1921 created the Howard League for... - Jane LushJane LushJane Lush left the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2006, after a career spanning over 35 years. Having started at the age of 18 as a trainee secretary, she worked her way up the company, with jobs including heading the BBC's daytime department and later becoming the Entertainment commissioner...
(born 1952), former BBC executive, Managing Director of Splash Media - Jane WymarkJane WymarkJane Wymark is an English actress. The daughter of well-known actor Patrick Wymark , she is best known for playing Morwenna Chynoweth Whitworth in the 1970s BBC television period drama Poldark , and more recently Joyce Barnaby in the hugely popular ITV detective series Midsomer Murders, a role...
(born 1952), actress and daughter of actor Patrick WymarkPatrick WymarkPatrick Wymark , was a British, stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Born Patrick Carl Cheeseman in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England... - Prof Athene DonaldAthene DonaldDame Athene Margaret Donald, DBE, FRS is a distinguished British physicist. She is Professor of Experimental Physics in the University of Cambridge's Department of Physics, and a member of the ....
(born 1953), Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally... - Sally BeamishSally BeamishSally Beamish is a British composer of chamber, vocal, choral and orchestral music. She has also worked in the field of music theatre, film and television, as well as composing for children and for her local community....
(born 1956), composer - Nina TempleNina TempleNina Claire Temple was the last Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain, and was formerly a think-tank director in the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
(born 1956), last General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great BritainCommunist Party of Great BritainThe Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:... - Anna Bradley (born 1957), Director of the National Consumer CouncilConsumer FocusConsumer Focus is a statutory consumer organisation in England, Wales, Scotland, and, for postal services, Northern Ireland, formed in 2008 by the merging Postwatch, Energywatch and the Welsh, Scottish and National Consumer Councils...
from 1999–2002 - Arabella WeirArabella WeirArabella Weir is a British comedian, actress and writer.The daughter of former British ambassador Sir Michael Weir, she is best known for her roles in The Fast Show and for writing several books including the international best seller Does My Bum Look Big In This? Arabella Weir (born 6 December...
(born 1957), actress, comedian and author - Fiona MillarFiona MillarFiona Millar is a British journalist and campaigner on education and parenting issues. She was a former adviser to Cherie Blair. She writes a blog, The Truth About Our Schools, on education issues.-Early life:...
(born 1958), education campaigner, journalist and partner of Alastair CampbellAlastair CampbellAlastair John Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known for his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair between 1997 and 2003, having first started working for Blair in 1994... - Lucy KellawayLucy KellawayLucy Kellaway is the management columnist at the Financial Times . Her column is syndicated in The Irish Times. In addition she has worked as energy correspondent, Brussels correspondent, a Lex writer, and interviewer of business people and celebrities, all with the FT...
(born 1959), writer and journalist for The Financial Times - Emma Sergeant (born 1959), artist
- Emma ThompsonEmma ThompsonEmma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
(born 1959), actress - Katharine RogersKatharine RogersKatharine Rogers is a British television actress.Rogers was born in London. Her first major television role was that of firefighter Josie Ingham in two series of London's Burning. She has since appeared in numerous well-known British television shows, including EastEnders, Doctors, Casualty,...
(born 1960), actress - Beeban KidronBeeban KidronBeeban Kidron is an English Film Director known for her much-lauded adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's autobiographical novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and for directing Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason...
(born 1961), film director who directed Bridget Jones: The Edge of ReasonBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film)# Will Young - "Your Love Is King"# Jamelia - "Stop"# Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"# Joss Stone - "Super Duper Love Pt. 1"# Mary J... - Sophie ThompsonSophie ThompsonSophie Thompson is an award-winning English actress, best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders.-Early life:...
(born 1962), actress, sister of Emma Thompson - Sarah BrownSarah Brown (spouse)Sarah Brown is the wife of Gordon Brown, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She is also the founding partner of Hobsbawm Macaulay Communications, a public relations company.-Early life:...
(born 1963), wife of Gordon BrownGordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
and PRPublic relationsPublic relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
consultant - Julia Hobsbawn-Bamping (born 1964), Chief Executive of Editorial Intelligence
- Lowri TurnerLowri TurnerLowri Gwyneth Turner is a British television presenter, journalist, nutritional therapist and hypnotherapist.-Personal life:...
(born 1964), television presenter and frequent panelist on The Wright StuffThe Wright StuffThe Wright Stuff is a British television chat show, hosted by Matthew Wright, and currently airing on Channel 5 each weekday morning from 9:15 to 11:10am.... - Catherine Wearing (1966–2007), television producer
- Tamsin GreigTamsin GreigTamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
(born 1967), actress - Charlotte ColemanCharlotte ColemanCharlotte Ninon Coleman was an English actress best known for playing Scarlett in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral , Jess in the television drama Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, and her childhood roles of Sue in Worzel Gummidge and the character Marmalade Atkins...
(1968–2001), actress, Oranges Are Not the Only FruitOranges Are Not the Only Fruit (TV serial)Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit was a critically acclaimed 1990 BBC television drama, directed by Beeban Kidron. Jeanette Winterson wrote the screenplay, adapting her semi-autobiographical first novel of the same name . The BBC produced and screened three episodes, running to a total of 2 hours and...
, expelled at age 16 - Sarah GavronSarah GavronSarah Gavron is a British film director. She graduated from the University of York with a BA in English in 1992 and an MA in film studies from Edinburgh University and then worked for the BBC for three years...
(born 1970), film director - Geri HalliwellGeri HalliwellGeraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
(born 1972), member of the Spice GirlsSpice GirlsThe Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30... - Jodhi MayJodhi MayJodhi May is an English actress.-Early life:Born in Camden Town, London, May first acted at the age of 12 in 1988's A World Apart. The role earned her a Best Actress award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, shared with her co-stars Barbara Hershey and Linda Mvusi...
(born 1975), actress - Johnny BorrellJohnny BorrellJohnny Borrell is an English guitarist and singer, currently the frontman of the band Razorlight.-Early life and career:...
(born 1980), lead singer of RazorlightRazorlightRazorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
and actor - Tom HurndallTom HurndallThomas "Tom" Hurndall was a British photography student, a volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement , and an activist against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. On 11 April 2003, he was shot in the head in the Gaza Strip by an Israel Defense Forces sniper, Taysir Hayb...
(1981–2004), photographer - John HassallJohn Hassall (musician)John Hassall is an English musician and bassist for The Libertines. He now performs with his own band, Yeti. He has been described by Dirty Pretty Things bassist Didz Hammond as "...a fucking class bass player. Top grade...
(born 1981), member of The LibertinesThe LibertinesThe Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
and YetiYeti (band)Yeti are an English rock band, founded in 2004 by John Hassall, of The Libertines. Hassall met Brendan Kersey, Andrew Deian and Mark Underwood through mutual friends, and the line-up was completed when drummer Graham Blacow responded to a classified advertisement... - Joel DefriesJoel DefriesJoel Defries is a British-born presenter, who worked on the BBC1 children's programme Blue Peter from 2008-10. He previously worked on the New Zealand television station, C4.-Education:...
(born 1985), Blue PeterBlue PeterBlue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
presenter - Yasmin Kerr (born 1985), actress and daughter of Jim KerrJim KerrJames "Jim" Kerr is a Scottish musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Simple Minds who achieved five UK #1 albums and a #1 single "Ballad of the Streets EP". He released his first solo album, Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr, on the 27 May 2010.- Simple Minds :Kerr attended...
and Chrissie HyndeChrissie HyndeChristine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time... - Lily DonaldsonLily Donaldson-Career:Donaldson was born in London, and educated at the Camden School for Girls, living in Kentish Town with her parents.Since being scouted by Select Model Management in 2003 at the age of 16 while shopping in Camden, Donaldson has landed campaigns for fashion houses such as Dior, Jil Sander,...
(born 1987), model - Anna Shaffer (born 1992), actress who played Romilda Vane in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron...
- Daughters of politicians Paul BoatengPaul BoatengPaul Yaw Boateng, Baron Boateng is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Brent South from 1987 to 2005, becoming the UK's first black Cabinet Minister in May 2002, when he was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury...
, Patricia HewittPatricia HewittPatricia Hope Hewitt is an Australian-born British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Leicester West from 1997 until 2010. She served in the Cabinet until 2007, most recently as Health Secretary....
, Baroness SymonsElizabeth Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanElizabeth Conway Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, PC is a British life peer and former General Secretary of the FDA Trade Union and a Minister of State...
, Lord FalconerCharles Falconer, Baron Falconer of ThorotonCharles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC is a British Labour politician, who became the Lord Chancellor and the first Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs in 2003...
, Phillip GouldPhilip Gould, Baron Gould of BrookwoodPhilip Gould, Baron Gould of Brookwood was a British political consultant, and former advertising executive, closely linked to the Labour Party. Appointed by Director of Communications Peter Mandelson, he was strategy and polling adviser to the Labour Party in the general elections of 1987, 1992,...
, Giles RadiceGiles Radice, Baron RadiceGiles Heneage Radice, Baron Radice PC is a Labour member of the House of Lords.Radice contested the Chippenham constituency unsuccessfully for Labour at the 1966 general election....
and Bill RodgersWilliam Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry BankWilliam Thomas Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank, PC , usually known as William Rodgers but also often known as Bill Rodgers, was one of the "Gang of Four" of senior British Labour Party politicians who defected to form the Social Democratic Party... - Prudence Harbinger, fictional character in The Sunday Telegraph, created by Laurence Marks and Maurice GranMaurice GranMaurice Bernard Gran is one half of writing duo Marks & Gran. He co-wrote popular sitcoms The New Statesman, Birds of a Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart with Laurence Marks. He is also the co-author of Prudence at Number 10, a fictional diary supposedly written by Gordon Brown's P.A.-External links:...
See also
- Haverstock School
- Maria Fidelis RC Convent School
- South Camden Community School