Southend High School for Girls

Southend High School for Girls is a grammar school with academy status situated on Southchurch Boulevard in the east of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. It caters for students from the age of 11 through to 18 years old.

Southend High School for Girls
Address
Southchurch Boulevard

Southend-on-Sea
,
Essex
,
SS2 4UZ

England
Information
TypeGrammar school
Academy
MottoLatin: Ad Dei Gloriam
"Glory to God", previously "Vehicula Vehicula Vehicula; Amitae Tuae Prudentiae."
Established1913
Department for Education URN136444 Tables
OfstedReports
Chair of GovernorsMr Bacon
HeadteacherMr Carey
GenderGirls
Age11 to 18
Houses  Artemis
  Hermes
  Hera
  Athene
  Aphrodite
  Aurora
Colour(s)Green and white
Websitehttp://www.shsg.org/

Academics

The school achieved an 'Outstanding' grade following a full Ofsted inspection in December 2011. The school was rated as outstanding in all 31 areas, one of fewer than 50 secondary schools nationally to be so assessed.[1]

Southend High School for Girls has a specialism in languages. All Key Stage 3 students study French and German or French and Spanish (replacing Latin in 2002, which is now available as an additional subject studied off-timetable).

Similar to other Southend-on-Sea district grammar schools, the school achieves excellent results at A level and various other examinations which are consistently above national averages, in part because of the selective entry system.[2]

In Science, Mathematics, English and Geography all students take a two-year Key Stage 3 qualification allowing them to commence their GCSE studies early.

Demographics

According to the school's most recent Ofsted report: "Most students are from a White British heritage, and a broadly average proportion is from minority ethnic backgrounds. No students are in the early stages of learning English. The proportion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities is low and the proportion known to be entitled to free school meals is below average."[3]

Sports

The school represented England in the World Schools' Athletics in Tallinn in 2009 and came third and took part in the World Schools' Athletics Championships in Prague 2013 and finished in 5th place.

Southend High School for Girls has won the junior girls National Athletics title on 13 occasions, the summer of 2016 being the 13th title. The school also holds the record for being crowned Junior Champions the most times of any other school entering the competition. The school has also won the intermediate girls title on 5 occasions, the last time was in 2016 also.

Southend High School for Girls has also won the Junior Girls National Cross Country Cup twice (1985 and 2010) and the Intermediate Girls National Cross Country Cup title in 2011 and 2012.

Houses

Southend High School For Girls has 6 houses. Before 2016 there were only 5 houses, Artemis – Red, Hermes – Blue, Hera – Yellow, Athene – Purple, Aphrodite – White (but wear pink on sports day). It was not until 2016 a new house, Aurora – Orange, was added to make up with the added form groups in year 7 and 8.

Notable former pupils

Arson

In April 2003 the school was closed for two days following a fire in an art room started by a student.[6][7] On the day of the re-opening another fire was started; eventually three students were arrested in connection with the incidents.[8] There was also another fire started in Room 8 on the middle floor of the towerblock where the students set a record for the amount of time taken to leave the building. The second fire was started in close proximity to gas pipes. In total three fires were started in the space of a single month leading to several parents withdrawing their daughters from the school.[9]

The school was again attacked in December 2005 causing several thousand pounds worth of damage to the school kitchen and a number of classrooms at the front of the school. Despite the then headteacher David Mansfield's strong rhetoric,[10] the damage was so extensive that the Christmas holiday break was extended for students of years 7 and 8.[11][12] Reconstruction work took almost a year whilst a new kitchen, dining room and reception area were constructed and a number of classrooms had to be fully refitted.[12][13]

References
  1. "Find an inspection report". Ofsted. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  2. "Performance results for Southend High School for Girls". BBC News. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  3. "Southend High School for Girls inspection report" (PDF). Ofsted. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  4. "Professor conducted studies into sexual behaviour of mushrooms". Oxford Mail. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  5. "Rachel Riley: 'Southend feminist headteacher shaped my life'". Echo. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  7. "School fire 'may be arson'". BBC News. 29 April 2003. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  8. "Three arrests in school arson case". BBC News. 22 May 2003. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  9. "Southend: School fire heightens arson fear". Echo. 2 May 2003. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  12. "Suspected arson at girls school". BBC News. 3 January 2006. Retrieved 29 July 2011.

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