Wolverhampton Girls' High School

Grammar school in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England

52°35′28″N 2°09′22″W / 52.591°N 2.156°W / 52.591; -2.156InformationOther namesWGHS, Wolverhampton Girls' High, Girls' HighTypeGrammar school;
academyMottoLatin: Ludus Supra Praemium
(The Game Before the Prize)Religious affiliation(s)N/AEstablished1911Department for Education URN140798 TablesOfstedReportsChairman of governorsPeter RibbinsHeadteacherTrudi YoungStaff~60GenderGirlsAge11 to 18Enrolment~1015Average class size30HousesAudley, Ferrers, Paget and StaffordColour(s)Red, navy blue, black PublicationWGHS News,
WGHS Old Girls' NewsletterFormer pupilsWGHS Old Girls UnionWebsitewww.wghs.org.uk

Wolverhampton Girls' High School is a grammar school for girls in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England.

Overview

Wolverhampton Girls' High School, founded in 1911, educates girls from the age of 11 to 18. There are 1015 girls enrolled,^[when?] including about two hundred in the sixth form. It was previously awarded the status of Language College in the UK's Specialist Schools Programme, and converted to academy status on 1 April 2014.

Entrance

Entry to the school is via the Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton Grammar Schools Consortium (Adams' Grammar, Newport Girls High, Queen Mary Grammar and High School and Wolverhampton Girls High School), testing Maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning.^{[citation needed]} These tests take place during Year 6 of primary education (in September). 11+ examinations must be taken in order to be enrolled in the school.

Curriculum

There used to be four forms according to which house a student belonged to, however the school now has six forms in each year. Subjects are taught in form groups in years 7 to 9 and then in option groups for the more senior years.

Girls take English and at least three foreign languages, religious studies, history, geography, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, technology, information technology, art, music and physical education. Foreign languages are chosen from French, German, Latin, Russian and Spanish.

At GCSE level, alongside English, mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics, students are required to take at least one foreign language, and one of geography, history, and religious studies. Further, girls take two more subjects of their choice, and in year 11 are given the option to take GCSE-level further mathematics if they desire.

Results

The 2006 A-level results placed the school in fifth place in the performance league table for all maintained schools in the West Midlands.

In 2009, 100% of girls who sat GCSE examinations gained 5 or more A*–C GCSEs.^[1]

Since the 2017 GCSE reforms, WGHS has continued to perform highly in subjects. Notably, in 2019, three-quarters of results were a grade 7 to 9,^[2] and 87% of students achieved at least a grade 4 in all 5 EBacc subjects.^[3]

Notable former pupils

Lindsay Ashford, author
Narinder Dhami, author
Jacqueline Elledge, England cricketer^[4]
Wendy Flavell, professor of surface physics at the University of Manchester
Helene Hayman, Baroness Hayman, Labour politician, first Lord Speaker of the House of Lords
Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, captain of the England women's cricket team^[4]
Ann Jago, England cricketer^[4]
Betty Joseph (1917-2013), British psychoanalyst
Caitlin Moran, author and journalist
Pauline Perry, Baroness Perry of Southwark, Conservative politician and educationalist
Patience Wheatcroft, Baroness Wheatcroft, journalist and Conservative peer, former editor of The Sunday Telegraph and Wall Street Journal Europe
Anne Rafferty, High Court judge
Sarah Clarke, first woman to be appointed Black Rod in the UK Parliament
Constance Wood, pioneer of radiotherapy
Jane Stevenson, Conservative Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton North East and Councillor for Tettenhall Wightwick

References

^ "League Tables - Secondary schools in Wolverhampton". BBC News. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
^ "GCSE Results 2019". Wolverhampton Girls' High School. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
^ "Wolverhampton Girls' High School - GOV.UK - Find and compare schools in England". Compare School Performances. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Brian Levison; Christopher Martin-Jenkins, eds. (2012). "Opening the Innings". All in a Day's Cricket: An Anthology of Outstanding Cricket Writing. Hachette UK. ISBN 9781780339061. Retrieved 8 January 2018.