St. Helen's School
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| St. Helen's School | |
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| "in hoc vincite velut illi crescite" "Conquer by the cross and grow like the daisies" (Literal: "In this [cross] we conquer and in these [daisies] grow.") |
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| Established | 1899 |
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| School type | Independent Girls Day and Boarding School, Ages 3-18 |
| Headmistress | Mary Morris, BA |
| Location | Northwood, Middlesex, UK |
| Colours | Green, White and Gold |
| Pupils Staff Affiliations Founder |
1164 105 GSA, AGBIS May Rowland Brown |
| Website | http://www.sthelensnorthwood.co.uk |
St. Helen's School, founded in 1899, is a selective independent day and boarding school in Northwood, North-West London for girls aged 3 to 18. It is also the sister school of Merchant Taylors' School.
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[edit] Ethos
St. Helen's School is a highly academic school for girls between the ages of 3 to 18[1]. 92% of A Level students obtained A or B grades and 99% achieved A* to C grades at GCSE with an Average Point Score of 536.6 in 2005 [2]. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has also been introduced for the first time, alongside A Levels, in 2004[3]. Since 2005, the IGCSE has been introduced in Mathematics and English to replace the old GCSE. In the academic year 2006, the IGCSE will also be done in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. St. Helen's School is, academically, the best school in its borough, Hillingdon[4], and in 2006, St. Helen's School was ranked the 40th best independent school in the country [5].
St. Helen's School's official aims can be found on on their website.
St. Helen's School offers lessons in Badminton, Cross-country, Fencing, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Rounders, Squash, Swimming, Tennis and Netball. Girls in the sixth form are also given the opportunity to do the Community Sports Leader Award. Girls from St. Helen's compete in sporting events, such as the Junior South Lacrosse Trials, Nestle Tennis Leagues, British Championships and World Trials in swimming, Cross Country Championships, Biathlons, London Youth Games, the National Competition for Martial Arts, the Kent International Judo competition and many more.
St. Helen's has many plays each year involving Junior School, Middle school, Upper School and ones linked with Merchant Taylors' School. Drama lessons are now a compulsory part of the curriculum in middle school. Extracurricular Speech and Drama lessons can also be arranged for students in years 7 to 11, in which LAMDA or Guildhall examinations can be taken.
Musical concerts are also held many times a year, notably the Autumn and Christmas Concert as well as the joint concert with Merchant Taylors' School. With an orchestra, jazz band and choir, St. Helen's offers many opportunities to be involved with music. The music department also tours each year in Europe with the orchestra and choir.
Artists at St. Helen's are frequently invited to publicly display their artwork at the Fovea gallery in Harrow.
Sixth form debaters have competed at the Oxford Union Competition and the Cambridge Union Debating Competition.
St. Helen's annually takes part in the UK Mathematical Challenges, British Mathematical Olympiad and European Kangaroo.
Upon entering year 10, girls are given the opportunity to join the Combined Cadet Force, which takes place at Merchant Taylors' School. Alongside CCF, the school also offers the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. Students from St. Helen's have represented the UK at the Global Young Leaders Conference, in the United States, since 2003. St. Helen's sixthform Economics and Business Studies students are given the opportunity to take part in the Young Enterprise scheme. The St. Helen's Young Enterprise team "Chique" were awarded "Best Overall Company" in 2006. In 2004, a St. Helen's First Challenge team travelled to Morocco and successfully climbed Mount Toubkal. St. Helen's also takes part in English-Speaking Union student exchanges as well as accepting language exchange students from all over the world.
[edit] Sixth Form
In the sixth form, the school provides a separate sixth form area with IT facilities, study area and common room exclusively for their sixth form students. Alongside the traditional A Levels, the International Baccalaureate is also offered, being the first GSA school to do so.
[edit] Facilities
The Senior School, Junior School and Little Saints are on separate sites with their own specialised facilities for their students.
The Science Block, containing fourteen laboratories, supports all scientific disciplines. The June-Leader building consists of three Art rooms, three Design and Technology Labs as well as a fully equipped Drama Studio. The school has also recently installed a Virtuoso Language Laboratory in addition to the old one. The Music Block, "Fitzwalter" or "Fitz", possesses sixteen practice rooms, where the school offers lessons for most musical instruments. The Sutherland library, run by a chartered librarian, holds a vast number of books, periodicals, newspapers and computing facilities. There is also a separate careers library containing prospectuses and career information.
St. Helen's School possesses grounds for many sporting activities. With seven tennis courts, two lacrosse pitches, squash court, swimming pool, gymnasium and fitness suite, the school has been able to offer an entensive physical education curriculum.
[edit] Information and Communication Technology
St. Helen’s School has a unique partnership with Toshiba and has become their "UK Centre of Excellence in Mobile Education". IT is an integral part of school life, with wireless connection covering nearly all the sites.
[edit] Sports Complex
In July 2004, phase I of the sports complex was completed and was opened by Steve Parry, Olympic Bronze Medalist. It consists of a 25m swimming pool and a "State of the Art" fitness suite. Phase II is now underway and should be finished in summer 2006. This will include the multi gym, dance studio, treatment rooms and observation areas. In 2005, the new swimming pool was used by the female celebrity competitors from "The Games" television programme for training.
In December 2006, the final phase II of the sports complex was also completed and was opened by Olympic Silver Medalist, Roger Black.
[edit] Charity
In the 2005 academic year, St. Helen's has been focusing on its African Initiative, working towards raising money and resources for children in Malawi and Uganda. Annually, St. Helen's also has a Calendar Sale at Christmas and Summer Extravaganza which raises money for charity. Phab Week is also an important event at St. Helen's, with select students from St. Helen's and Merchant Taylors' School helping disabled children enjoy a carefree week.
[edit] Scholarships
With basic tuition fees of up to £9,690, or £17,958 for full-time boarding, per annum, St. Helen's awards scholarships to the most academically able students in each year and bursaries for those in a position of financial need.
- Outstanding GCSE Scholarships
- Sixth Form Entry Scholarships
- Senior Entry Academic Scholarships
- Junior Entry Academic Scholarships
- Music Scholarships
- Art Scholarships
- Drama Scholarships
- Sport Scholarships
- Bursaries
[edit] History
St. Helen’s School was set up by Miss May Rowland Brown in 1899. Having been trained as a teacher at Cambridge Training College, she began to teach at Northwood College, a school which, at the time, refused to take in any students that were connected with trade. Whilst still at Northwood College, a group of local businessmen persuaded her to start another school, and so she did. At the age of 25, in January 1899, she founded Northwood High School, later named St. Helen’s School. In 1999, St. Helen's school celebrate their first centenary.
[edit] House System
The house system was established in 1927 with three houses named Scott, Shackleton and Bruce. Two of the houses were named after Antarctic explorers - Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton, with Bruce named after the Himalayan explorer Brig. Gen. Charles Bruce. A fourth house, Bonington, also named after a Himalayan explorer, has since been added.
House events are an integral part of school life, notably Sports Day and House Arts. Each girl is given a house badge on entering year 7. New to 2006, St. Helen's is offering house T-shirts with the crest in the corresponding house colour.
Each year the House Cup is awarded to the house with the most points, which can be earned through commendations, Sports Day, House Arts and other achievements.
| House | Name Origin | Motto | House Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott | Sir Robert Falcon Scott | "Ready Aye Ready" | Red |
| Shackleton | Sir Ernest Shackleton | "Endurance" | Blue |
| Bruce | Brig. Gen. Charles Bruce | "Altiora Peto" | Purple |
| Bonington | Sir Chris Bonington | "Laboramus Ut Vincamus" | Yellow |
[edit] Junior School House System
In 1999, to mark the centenary, Junior School adopted a new house system consisting of 3 houses. The Houses, nominated by the Junior School students, were named after pioneering women in history.
| House | Name Origin | House Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Curie | Marie Curie | Orange |
| Keller | Helen Keller | Turquoise |
| Nightingale | Florence Nightingale | Magenta |
[edit] References
- ^ ISI Inspection Report 2000
- ^ Department for Education and Skills
- ^ The International Baccalaureate at St. Helen’s School
- ^ BBC National League Tables
- ^ www.best-schools.co.uk
[edit] External links
- St. Helen’s School Official Website
- Independent School Inspectorate Inspection Report for St. Helen's School in 2000
- Overview of St. Helen's School by the DfES
- Summary of St. Helen’s School academic performance by the BBC
- St. Helen’s School on Good Schools Guide
- St. Helen’s School on ISBI
- St. Helen’s School on Featured Schools
- St. Helen's School on Boarding Schools
- The International Baccalaureate at St. Helen’s School
