The High School for Girls is 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...

 on Denmark Road, Gloucester

Gloucester

Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....

. It is one of only three girls' grammar schools in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....

, and consistently ranks in league tables as one of the best schools in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and one of the Top 50 Selective Schools in the UK.

Admission

As a grammar school, the school has a selective admissions procedure. Girls must achieve an exceptionally high mark in the 11+ exam for admission to the Lower School, or be expected to do well at GCSE to be admitted to the Sixth Form. Boys and girls from other schools may attend in the Sixth Form, after an interview process and proof of academic prowess after GCSE result publication.

Students attend from all around the county, Cheltenham

Cheltenham

Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...

, Gloucester, Stroud

Stroud

Stroud a town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England.Stroud may also refer to:*Stroud, New South Wales, Australia*Stroud, Ontario, Canada*Stroud , Gloucestershire, UK*Stroud...

, Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...

, Cirencester

Cirencester

Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...

 and the Forest of Dean

Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...

 being the most prominent areas.

Exam Results

The school consistently achieves among the best GCSE and A-level results in the country, with 99.2% of girls passing 5 A*-C grades at GCSE in 2010, 70.3% of all grades being A*/A. At A-level, the pass rate was 99.5% with 73.1% of all grades being A/B, and the average points score per candidate was 435.3 using the UCAS tariff. Ninety-eight percent of pupils continue to university, with a substantial proportion attending Top 10 Institutions, several each year to Oxford and Cambridge University. Such academic excellence consequently leads to the school being oversubscribed each year.

Uniform

The uniform for lower school girls is a navy and white striped blouse, school tie (red, blue and green striped), navy blazer bearing the school emblem and navy skirt. Optional is the navy V-necked jumper. Shoes must be black and have less than 4cm heels. In Sixth Form, the uniform is a grey or navy coloured suit and white shirt.

Houses

There are five houses, which girls are sorted into when they join the school. It is possible to provide a preference for a house if a family member currently attends or attended the school. These are: Barwell (green); Bearland (red); Hartland (yellow); Kyneburga (white) and Mynd (blue). The Houses compete in various sports throughout the year such as dance, tennis, athletics and netball. These events are usually split into events for upper and lower years. Sports Day normally occurs at some point after the Easter holidays and sees all years competing together to hopefully win the trophy.
There are also several other occasions during the year which house compete in which are not sports related. Notably House Music, a day set aside for the Houses to compete in a music event, involving a choir incorporating the entire House, and House Drama, another day that promotes theatre throughout the school. The difference between these events is that House Music is compulsory for all students in all houses, but House Drama is not and as with most dramatics auditions are held. House Drama and House Music happen in alternate years.

School Folklore

Upon entry to the school in the first year, girls are often made aware of two stories from High School folklore. The first is of the tapestry which hangs at the top of the south wing staircase in the main school; it is said if a girl strokes the dress of the White Lady in the middle of the tapestry, and then runs down the stairs at full pelt, if she trips on the penultimate step, depending on where her house is positioned in relation to the Lady, she is more or less likely to perish. Another version is that she will likely break her leg.

The second story is that of the influence of the High School air vent on the very top of the main school. Legend has it that the writer for the original series of Doctor Who

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...

 lived nearby in Gloucester, and the air vent provided the inspiration for the Daleks. Whilst this is unconfirmed, the resemblance to the Daleks is such that girls continue to fondly believe such a tale.

Links with other schools

It entertains a strong link with the local boys' grammar, Sir Thomas Rich's School

Sir Thomas Rich's School

Sir Thomas Rich's School is a grammar school for boys and girls in Longlevens, Gloucester, England, locally known as "Tommies"...

. The two schools provide discos for the younger pupils (Years 7 and 8), and this promotion of communication leads to close friendship between High School girls and 'Tommies' boys. In the Sixth Form, many girls choose to attend the boys' school, and vice versa, as a result of the differing academic strengths of each school.

Notable former pupils

Hayley Palmer

Hayley Palmer

Hayley Gloria Palmer is an Olympian and National Record holding swimmer from New Zealand. She swam for NZ at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.-Early life:Palmer was born in Cheltenham, England...

- Swimmer for the New Zealand national team (2003-2007)

The School site

The current site of the school at Denmark Road is not the original; the school relocated to the present location some 26 years after it was first established in Bearland House, closer to the city centre. In January 2009, the school celebrated its 100th anniversary at the site in Denmark Road.