Manchester High School for Girls is an independent daytime
schoolA school , is an institution designed to allow and encourage students to learn, under the supervision of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in
FallowfieldFallowfield is an area of the city of Manchester, England. It lies roughly south of Manchester city centre and is bisected north–south by Wilmslow Road and east–west by the former Fallowfield Loop railway line, now a cycle path....
,
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
,
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. The school is regarded as one of the UK's leading independent day schools based on A-level results.
The school currently enrols over 930 students and is under the direction of Head Mistress Claire Hewitt: Mrs Hewitt took up the position in January 2009 and is the 10th Head Mistress in the school's history.
The School was founded in 1874 by nine men and women who were prominent citizens of Manchester: it was first established in Chorlton on Medlock (a new school was built in 1881 in Dover Street: the building still exists and is occupied by the University's School of Social Sciences).
Manchester High School for Girls is an independent daytime
schoolA school , is an institution designed to allow and encourage students to learn, under the supervision of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in
FallowfieldFallowfield is an area of the city of Manchester, England. It lies roughly south of Manchester city centre and is bisected north–south by Wilmslow Road and east–west by the former Fallowfield Loop railway line, now a cycle path....
,
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
,
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. The school is regarded as one of the UK's leading independent day schools based on A-level results.
The school currently enrols over 930 students and is under the direction of Head Mistress Claire Hewitt: Mrs Hewitt took up the position in January 2009 and is the 10th Head Mistress in the school's history.
History
The School was founded in 1874 by nine men and women who were prominent citizens of Manchester: it was first established in Chorlton on Medlock (a new school was built in 1881 in Dover Street: the building still exists and is occupied by the University's School of Social Sciences). The founding group included Prof A. S. Wilkins, Harriet and Robert Dukinfield Darbyshire and Edward Donner (afterwards Sir Edward Donner, Bart.) The first headmistress was Sara Burstall who had been educated at the
North London Collegiate SchoolNorth London Collegiate School is an independent day school for girls founded in 1850 in Camden Town, and now in the London Borough of Harrow....
.
In September 1939 the school was evacuated to
Cheadle HulmeCheadle Hulme is a suburban area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Stockport and southeast of the city of Manchester. It lies in the Ladybrook Valley on the Cheshire Plain, and the drift consists mostly of boulder clay, sands and gravels...
and by 1940 a new school building was under construction at Fallowfield. However the new buildings at the
Grangethorpe Road site (still unfinished) were destroyed by bombing on December 20, 1940. In 1941 the school moved temporarily to Didsbury and by 1949 a new building at Grangethorpe Road began to be occupied. The move into the new school was complete by 1952. The Grangethorpe site had been from 1882 to 1936 occupied by a large private house and gardens which were in use from 1917 to 1929 as a military hospital.
The school archive, under archivist Dr Christine Joy, is one of the most extensive in the country, attracting a grant from the
Heritage Lottery FundThe Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
and contains material from the mid-19th century onwards.
Preparatory department
MHSG has a Preparatory Department for girls aged 4 to 11 and many progress into the Senior School. Prep pupils benefit from a close community which includes a purpose-built
infantAn infant or baby is the term used to refer to the very young offspring of humans and other primates.-Infant:The term infant derives from the Latin word infans, meaning "unable to speak."...
section, two assembly halls and a fully-equipped playground and gardens. There are also specially designated areas for
MathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
and
ScienceScience is in its broadest sense to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome...
, a music room,
libraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
and two computer-suites providing multi-media facilities. In 2006, the school introduced the teaching of Mandarin to girls in Years 3 and 4.
The Senior School
MHSG's curriculum includes traditional disciplines such as
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
and use of
ICTInformation and communication technologies is an umbrella term that covers all technical means for processing and communicating information. The term has gained popularity partially due to the convergence of information technology and telecom technology...
resources. Pupils are also tutored in areas such as
MathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
,
ScienceScience is in its broadest sense to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome...
s and
ArtArt is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture, and paintings...
and
Design TechnologyDesign and Technology is a school subject offered at all levels of primary and secondary school. In some countries such as England it is a part of the National Curriculum. It is offered in many countries around the world such as Brunei, Bermuda, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and...
. MHSG is a multi-cultural school embracing many faiths. Assemblies are organised by Sixth Form students and include
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
,
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
and
SikhSikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit term , meaning "disciple, learner" or , meaning "instruction"....
,
HumanistHumanism is a perspective common to a wide range of ethical stances that attaches importance to human dignity, concerns, and capabilities, particularly rationality. Although the word has many senses, its meaning comes into focus when contrasted to the supernatural or to appeals to authority...
, Jewish,
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
and Secular themes.
A purpose-built Music House has 12 practice rooms and several classrooms, including one with space for
orchestraAn orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
rehearsals. Tuition is provided by over 25 specialist instrumental teachers. A flood-lit, all-weather
hockeyHockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round, rubber or heavy plastic disc called a puck, into the opponent's net or goal, using a hockey stick.-Field hockey:...
pitch,
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
courts,
netballNetball is a sport in which two teams of seven players try to score points against each other by placing a ball through a raised goal. The sport is popular in Commonwealth countries and is predominantly played by women. Netball shares many similarities with basketball, having been derived from...
courts and
swimmingThe aquatic sport of swimming involves competition amongst participants to be the fastest over a given distance under self propulsion.The different events include 25, 50, 100, 200, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly, the 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 500, 800, 1000, 1500, and 1650 free and the 100,...
pool all provide facilities for all-year-around sports.
Forms
There are four forms in each year, M, H, S and G and students placed in these forms remain in that form until Sixth Form.
MHSG's Sixth Form offers AS Level and A Level courses in around 25 subjects.
Curriculum and uniforms
The curriculum contains English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, History, French, Religious Studies, Music, Latin and Art (which deviates into Fine Art or Graphics in Y10). These subjects are taken in Y7, Y8 and Y9 when students choose which subjects to take for GCSE.
Within the first month of the school year, new Year 7 senior school students go on a trip to the YHA Lakeside Outdoor Activity Centre on the bank of Lake Windermere. During this trip, students participate in activities such as archery, orienteering and team challenges. The point of the trip is to allow students to make new friends and meet teachers outside the school environment.
Uniform consists of a plain black A-line skirt, a cream, open-necked shirt and a black blazer with the school logo on the left breast. The uniform is worn by students from year 7 to year 11. In Sixth Form, students may wear their own clothes.
Notable alumnae
- Catherine Chisholm - paediatrician: the first woman to study medicine at Manchester Medical School
- Louise Ellman
Louise Ellman is the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Liverpool Riverside.-Early life:Louise Ellman was born in Manchester...
- politician
- Judy Finnigan - television presenter
- Kathleen Hale
Kathleen Hale was a British artist, illustrator, and children's author. She is best remembered for her series of books about Orlando the Marmalade Cat....
- artist and children's author, best remembered for the Orlando the Marmalade Cat series
- Hilda and Mary Johnstone, historians (Mary was afterwards Mrs Thomas Tout)
- Sunny Lowry
Ethel "Sunny" Lowry MBE was the first British woman to swim the English Channel.Lowry, a student at Manchester High School for Girls and a keen swimmer from a young age, joined the Victoria Ladies Swimming Club of Victoria Baths, Longsight, Manchester...
- one of the first British women to swim the English ChannelThe English Channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover...
- Merlyn Lowther - the first woman Chief Cashier of the Bank of England
The Bank of England is, despite its name, the central bank of the whole of the United Kingdom and is the model on which most modern, large central banks have been based. It was established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and to this day it still acts as the banker for the UK...
- Adela Pankhurst
Adela Constantia Mary Pankhurst Walsh was a British-Australian suffragette, political organizer, and co-founder of both the Communist Party of Australia and the Australia First Movement....
- campaigner in the Australian suffragette movemment
- Christabel Pankhurst
Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, DBE was a suffragette born in Manchester, England. A co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union , she directed its militant actions from exile in France from 1912 to 1913. In 1914 she became a fervent supporter of the war against Germany...
- campaigner in the British suffragette movement
- Sylvia Pankhurst
Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst was a notable campaigner for the suffragette movement in the United Kingdom. She was for a time a prominent left communist who then devoted herself to the cause of anti-fascism, and for peace....
- campaigner in the British suffragette movement
- Unidentified alumnae
- The first woman executive of Marks and Spencer
- The first woman student at Trinity Hall
Trinity Hall may refer to:* Trinity Hall, Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge* Trinity Hall, Dublin, hall of residence of the University of Dublin, Trinity College* Trinity Hall, Washingon, Pennsylvania, Trinity High School...
, Cambridge
- The first woman to be awarded a First Class degree in history at Oxford University
- The first woman to become a solicitor
The school in 1929
The headmistress wrote in 1929: "The pupils number about 600, of ages ranging from 10 to 19. The general aim of the school is twofold: first to develop in the pupils a general capacity and vigour both practical and intellectual; and second to provide such advanced teaching as shall fit a number of the girls to proceed to the universities ...Physical culture, both in drill and gymnastic work and in games, is an important feature ... The choice of activities open to the girls—societies, lectures, expeditions, etc.--is great ... Medical supervision, which is in the hands of an experienced woman medical officer, is an integral part of the organisation ... The average school attendance ... is in the neighbourhood of 94 per cent." -- M. G. Clarke.
Note:- the medical officer was Dr Catherine Chisholm