Henrietta Barnett School
Encyclopedia
The Henrietta Barnett School is a voluntary-aided grammar school for girls in Hampstead Garden Suburb
in London
The Good Schools Guide called the school "One of the best academic state schools in the country, providing a gentle, inspiring education in a wonderful setting for very clever girls."
Originally known as 'The Institute', the school was initially intended to enclose the North-East side of Central Square, according to Sir Edwin Lutyens
' masterplan for the area, and the north wing was completed in 1911. John Soutar
, the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust's architect supervised construction of the south wing in 1923, while Lutyens designed the elevations for Crewe Hall, the central block. The building offered concerts, evening classes and debates until its conversion to the Henrietta Barnett School for Girls in the 1930s.
The school was recently awarded Music Specialist Status due to its outstanding music department, and now is officially a Music Specialist Status College with English.
In 2009 the school's science wing was completely refurbished to provide 8 modern labs. In September 2010 two new wings were built - one for Music and Drama, and one for Art and Design & Technology. Sports facilities have also been improved.
The school was judged by The Times
newspaper to rank 1st and 2nd best achieving state school according to GCSE and A Level results, respectively. With GCSEs and A Levels combined, the school is ranked as the best state secondary school in the country.
In 2011 they received over 9 million pounds to build state of the art facilities at the school
In addition, the two new buildings either side of the Main Building are now open to pupils and staff providing state of the art music facilities, peripatetic practice rooms and a new cafe.
Notable speakers include:
Hampstead Garden Suburb
-Notable Residents :*Theo Adams*Martin Bell*Sir Victor Blank*Katie Boyle*Constantine, the last King of Greece*Greg Davies*Richard & Judy Finnigan*David Matthews*Michael Ridpath*Claudia Roden*Jonathan Ross*Sir Donald Sinden*Marc Sinden...
in 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...
The Good Schools Guide called the school "One of the best academic state schools in the country, providing a gentle, inspiring education in a wonderful setting for very clever girls."
History
It was founded in 1911 by Dame Henrietta Barnett for the education of girls. She wished to improve girls' education, which in her time, was at a low level. She believed in a society where poor girls had access to the same levels of education as those girls in more privileged sections of society. Indeed when the school was founded, the now affluent Hampstead Garden Suburb was being developed for poor families to live in, and it was Barnett's wish to educate girls based on their natural ability, not their financial background.Originally known as 'The Institute', the school was initially intended to enclose the North-East side of Central Square, according to Sir Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
' masterplan for the area, and the north wing was completed in 1911. John Soutar
John Soutar
John Carrick Stuart Soutar was a Scottish-born architect, and is particularly associated with the design of buildings in Hampstead Garden Suburb in north London....
, the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust's architect supervised construction of the south wing in 1923, while Lutyens designed the elevations for Crewe Hall, the central block. The building offered concerts, evening classes and debates until its conversion to the Henrietta Barnett School for Girls in the 1930s.
Present day
In September 2007, the school opened a new multi-gym containing a variety of different exercise machines as well as a dance studio. In addition, the Southway hut was converted into the Acorn Cafe and a new PSHE hut was placed.The school was recently awarded Music Specialist Status due to its outstanding music department, and now is officially a Music Specialist Status College with English.
In 2009 the school's science wing was completely refurbished to provide 8 modern labs. In September 2010 two new wings were built - one for Music and Drama, and one for Art and Design & Technology. Sports facilities have also been improved.
The school was judged by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper to rank 1st and 2nd best achieving state school according to GCSE and A Level results, respectively. With GCSEs and A Levels combined, the school is ranked as the best state secondary school in the country.
In 2011 they received over 9 million pounds to build state of the art facilities at the school
Structure
From Years Seven to Eleven, there are ninety-three girls in each year. The school has two buildings: Bigwood House and the Main Building. Bigwood is the home of Key Stage Three. The Main Building is the base for the rest of the school (Key Stages Four and Five).In addition, the two new buildings either side of the Main Building are now open to pupils and staff providing state of the art music facilities, peripatetic practice rooms and a new cafe.
Speakers
The school is fortunate to be able to attract well known speakers to talk to the students about a range of issues.Notable speakers include:
- Robert WinstonRobert WinstonRobert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston is a British professor, medical doctor, scientist, television presenter and politician.-Early life and education :...
- 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...
- Tracy ChevalierTracy ChevalierTracy Chevalier is a bestselling historical novelist. She lives in London with her husband and son.Chevalier was raised in Washington, D.C and graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland. After receiving her B.A...
- Doris LessingDoris LessingDoris May Lessing CH is a British writer. Her novels include The Grass is Singing, The Golden Notebook, and five novels collectively known as Canopus in Argos....
- Kazuo IshiguroKazuo IshiguroKazuo Ishiguro OBE or ; born 8 November 1954) is a Japanese–English novelist. He was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and his family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing...
- Jon Sopel
- Michael AttenboroughMichael AttenboroughThe Hon. Michael John Attenborough is a successful English theatre director. His parents are the actors Richard Attenborough, Baron Attenborough and Sheila Sim, Lady Attenborough...
- Sir Michael Parkinson
- Richard DawkinsRichard DawkinsClinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
- Kevin WarwickKevin WarwickKevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom...
- Ruth PadelRuth PadelRuth Sophia Padel is a British poet, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Zoological Society of London. She also writes non-fiction and more recently fiction, broadcasts on wildlife, poetry and literature for BBC Radio 3 and 4, and is Writer in Residence at The Environment Institute,...
- Lembit ÖpikLembit ÖpikLembit Öpik is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Montgomeryshire in Wales from 1997 until he lost his seat in the 2010 General Election...
- Will SelfWill SelfWilliam Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
- Nick HornbyNick HornbyNick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
- Martin BellMartin BellMartin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
- Tim BowlerTim BowlerTim Bowler is the author of twenty books for children, teenagers and young adults. He has won 15 awards, including the Carnegie Medal, the pre-eminent UK award for children's literature, for his novel River Boy....
- Jamila GavinJamila GavinJamila Gavin is a British writer born in Mussoorie, India in the foothills of the Himalayas.Her father was Indian and her mother English...
- Jane DuranJane Duran-Background:Duran was born to an American mother and a Spanish father who had fought with the Republican army in the Spanish Civil war. He fled Spain after Franco's victory but would never talk about his experiences. The themes of silences, loss and exile haunt much of her work...
Notable former pupils
- Jo AnkierJo AnkierJoanna Ankier is a current television and radio broadcaster and a former British track athlete whose main event was the 3000 metres Steeplechase...
, professional athlete - Ros AltmannRos AltmannDr Ros Altmann, born 1956, is a UK pensions expert and campaigner. She led a long campaign on behalf of 140,000 Allied Steel and Wire employees and their families whose company pensions were jeopardised when the company went into receivership. She has also supported a campaign for people whose...
, political advisor - Michelle BrunnerMichelle BrunnerMichelle Brunner was a British bridge player, writer and teacher. She was a member of the British team that won the 1985 Venice Cup, the biennial world championship for women national teams. She also once finished second and twice third in the women's event at the World Team Olympiad...
, professional bridge player, World Bridge Federation Life Champion, English Bridge Union Grand Master - Helena CroninHelena CroninDr. Helena Cronin is a noted Darwinian philosopher and rationalist. She is the co-director of the CPNSS and the Darwin Centre at the London School of Economics...
, philosopher - Patricia FinneyPatricia FinneyPatricia Finney is an English author and journalist. She is a graduate of Oxford University with a degree in History. She has written under the pen names "P. F...
, author - Anya LahiriAnya LahiriAnya Lahiri is a British actress, model and singer of Indian and Finnish origin.-Biography:...
. singer and actress - Lucie SkeapingLucie SkeapingLucie Skeaping is a British singer, instrumentalist and broadcaster, founder of the early music group the City Waites, pioneering klezmer band The Burning Bush and presenter of BBC Radio 3's Early Music Show, a programme dedicated to the early music repertoire...
, singer - Debbie WisemanDebbie WisemanDebbie Wiseman MBE is a composer for film and television. She studied at Trinity College of Music Junior Department, and then piano and composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama....
, composer