Birkenhead High School Academy

Birkenhead High School Academy

Established	1884 (2009 as an academy)
Type	Academy
Headteacher	Mrs Rebecca Mahony
Founder	Girls' Day School Trust
Location	86 Devonshire Place Oxton Wirral CH43 1TY England Coordinates: 53°23′18″N 3°03′01″W / 53.388345°N 3.050165°W / 53.388345; -3.050165
Local authority	Wirral
DfE number	344/6905
DfE URN	135877 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Gender	Girls
Ages	3–19
Colours	Black and White
Predecessor school	Birkenhead High School for Girls (until 2009)
Website	BHSA

Birkenhead High School Academy is an all-ability state funded girls' Academy in Birkenhead, Wirral.

Introduction

Birkenhead High School was the main Wirral private girls' school, but in 2010 became a non-fee paying Academy. It remains a member of the Girls' Day School Trust, a national educational charity based in London. The school has sports facilities with a number of tennis courts, all-weather pitches, gymnasium and swimming pool. In addition to a wide academic curriculum, aided by IT facilities, there is a music and drama scene and a range of after school clubs.

It is situated^[1] on Devonshire Place^[2] just north of Trinity with Palm Grove Church. The school lies within the parish of Christ Church, Birkenhead^[3] although the tennis courts^[4] are in the parish of St Saviour's,^[5] and the playing fields are in the parish of St. James, Birkenhead.^[6]

History

The High Schools Company opened Birkenhead High School for Girls in 1884 in a building on Village Road in Oxton, Birkenhead. In 1901 it was purchased by the Girls' Public Day School Company (GPDSC). The school moved into 86 Devonshire Place in September 1905. In 1918 the school acquired 31 Devonshire Place to be the home of the junior school. During World War Two the girls were evacuated to Shrewsbury High School.^{[7] [8]}

Headmistresses

• 1917–1923: Edith Mabel Lucy Lees, (1878–1956)^[9]
• 1923–1930: Jessie Margaret Hunter McCaig (d. 1965)^[10]
• 1930–1952: H N Stephen (1891–1984)^[11]
• 1952–1963: Phyllis Edith Winter^[12]
• 1964–1970: Irene Hindmarsh, afterwards Principal of St Aidan's College, Durham University, 1970–1988
• 1971–1986: Freda Kellett^[13]
• 1986–c.1997: Kathleen Irving^[14]
• Present: Christine Mann

Transition to Academy

Sports fields

Parents of pupils at the school were informed in September 2007 that the school was to become an Academy, with the GDST (Girls' Day School Trust) as the founding sponsor, so that the benefits of the schools might reach a wider cross-section of the community. Since then the facilities have been improved with a £12million building project.

As part of the state-funded system the Academy no longer charges fees. Fair banding is used to ensure a comprehensive intake of the full range of academic ability. Sixth Form admission is six GCSE passes at Grade B or above, including English and mathematics.^[15] The school's particular specialisms are Music and Mathematics.^[16]

Local response to Academy decision

In response to the school's decision to become a state-funded all-ability Academy, and the consequent abandonment of the planned merger between the schools which had been actually initiated by Birkenhead High School, the neighbouring Birkenhead School became fully co-educational in September 2008, stating that it had "the desire to play our role in providing a selective and independent choice for all children on Wirral, whether boys or girls". Subsequently, it has completed a £2m investment to support its co-educational future and deal with increased numbers.^[17] Currently around 28% of its pupils are female with its initial intake primarily from Birkenhead High School Academy.

Academic Performance and the Impact of Academy Status

In 2009, the last year of Birkenhead High School as an independent selective school, it achieved the best A level results in Wirral, measured as points per entry, together with Birkenhead School, a co-educational independent selective school.^[18]

In 2011, Birkenhead High School Academy received national recognition for the proportion of top grades achieved by its pupils in the GCSE examinations. It qualified as one of the top 10% of non-selective schools in England, where at least 19% of students gained 5A*-A grades, including English and Maths, proving itself to be one of the best schools in the country.^[19]

Notable former pupils

• Ann Bell, actress
• Sybil Crouch, Director since 1990 of the Taliesin Arts Centre
• Dame May Curwen CBE, administrator,^[20] president of the British Council for Aid to Refugees and National General Secretary of the YWCA of Great Britain 1930–49
• Professor Jane Guyer, née Mason, Professor of Anthropology and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.
• Nicola Horlick, fund manager^[21]
• Penny Hughes, businesswoman^[22]
• Marian Lines, actress and writer
• Dame Mary Marsh, chief executive from 2000–8 of the NSPCC
• Dr Vivienne Nathanson, Director of Professional Activities since 1996 at the British Medical Association (BMA), and Professor at the Durham University School of Medicine and Health^[23]
• Jane Platt, chief executive, National Savings and Investments^[21]
• Patricia Routledge CBE, actress.^[24]
• Dr Sheila Shribman, doctor, national clinical director for children.^[25]
• Dr Dorothy Thompson, papyrologist, President from 2001–6 of the Association Internationale de Papyrologues, and wife of Michael Crawford^[26]
• Charlotte Voake, children's author and illustrator
• Dame Frances Yates OBE, historian.^[27]
• Sam Quek- England Hockey Player and Gold Medalist at Rio.

References

External links

• School website
• EduBase