Bournemouth School for Girls
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Bournemouth School for Girls is a grammar school located in Bournemouth, Dorset exclusively for girls. Since September 2005, it has been a humanities specialist school. The headmaster is Mr Alistair Brien, a German teacher. The school has roughly 1100 students, including 300 in the sixth form. Many sixth form classes (including, but not limited to Theatre Studies, PE and Psychology) are also open to boys from Bournemouth School, who trek down the hill to do subjects that either they are not offered at their Home school, or that do not fit within timetabled blocks.
The Heads of Sixth Form are Mrs Miles (psychology) and Mrs Minney (French). There are 6 forms per year group, traditionally denoted by .1, .2, .3 etc at the end of their year (e.g. the fifth class in Year 8 is 8.5). This switches in Year 10 at the start of GCSEs, from having lessons with your form, to having lessons with a teaching group. For this, 4 students from each form are allocated, alphabetically, into a new Teaching Group. This remains the same for all Core lessons (maths, sciences, english), and special groups according to choices are made for each student's individual choice of languages, humanities and arts. In the sixth form, to cope with the influx of new students, there are seven forms. On a Wednesday afternoon the Sixth form have a Complementary Activities block in which many outside PE classes are run, including yoga, golf, urban funk and basketball. Students also spend time on Work Experience placements and doing work in the local Community.
The school is also represented by a Senior Team comprising of Head Girl and Deputy, and pairs of girls who organise Sports, Prefects and Mentors, Visitors and Special Events, Charities and Fundraising, Student and Staff Support, the Common Room, and Creative Arts.
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[edit] House System
Since September 2006 a House System was reimplemented (it had traditionally existed when the school was located at the Landsdown site, before moving to its current position on Castle Lane). The Houses were all named after famous, influential women, as follows: Austen, Curie, Parks, Shelley, Franklin, and Rossetti. The emblem of the school is a snowdrop, which features on all the House badges.
[edit] Uniform
The school has a strict but varied uniform code, which consists of blue and white striped shirt, blue skirt or trousers, and blue blazer for Year 7 and 8 (the blazer has only been recently introduced); a blue and white striped shirt, blue skirt or trousers and blue jumper for years 9 and 10; and black or white blouse and black skirt or trousers for Year 11. The Sixth Form may wear what they choose as long as this is not sportswear, trainers, stilettos, jeans, or anything offensive or dangerous to the wearer or others.
[edit] Productions
The school has an award winning handbell team, who have played at the Royal Albert Hall. Every year the school performs either a junior (years 7-10) or senior (all years, except 7) musical. These are usually highly successful and involve the whole school. In recent years these have been Les Miserables, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, The Sound of Music and, this year, Grease. Girls often help Bournemouth School in their productions as well (including 2005's Pirates of Penzance').
[edit] Other Extra Curricular Activities
Bournemouth School for Girls enters teams every year in the Mock Trial Competition, MACE debating, ESU public speaking, Rotary public speaking and Schools' Challenge compeitions. There are also friendly debates fortnightly between BSG and BS, held in Bournemouth School's lecture theatre at lunchtime. There is a lower school debating competition sponsored by local solicitors, HG Walker. Also running are sports clubs for table tennis, trampolining and ultimate frisbee; as well as Junior Drama club, History club, Science club, and various support clubs for students having difficulty with subjects.
[edit] Ofsted
Bournemouth School for Girls has won praise from Inspectors following their recent visit. Inspectors noted 'the very good teaching and good leadership at all levels that enable pupils to achieve very well and develop into confident young adults.' They comment that 'staff are knowledgeable and supportive; they transfer their love of learning to the pupils and help them to achieve very well.'
Pupils at the school also come in for high praise, not only for 'their very high levels of determination to succeed' but also for their 'exemplary behaviour'. The sixth form is described as ‘highly effective'. 'Provision is very good in academic subjects and for students' personal development.'
Inspectors also comment: The Headteacher provides good leadership, a clear vision and has built a strong leadership team, committed to the continuing success of the school.'
The school has very close links with Bournemouth School, the boy's Grammar School which can be reached by walking up the steep hill on East Way.
