St Albans High School for Girls

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St Albans High School is a private (independent) Church of England girls' day school for girls aged 4 to 18, located in the city of St Albans, Hertfordshire. It was founded in 1889. It is a good academic school for girls but is particularly strong in music, sports and drama. For many years the school has joined forces with the the nearby St Albans School (the boys' school) to put on an annual joint choral concert in St Albans Abbey in the spring.

The High School is in the city centre of St Albans and as a result has limited space. Even though, it has a new indoor swimming pool, tennis courts and music block. Only five minutes away are the playing fields which include six tennis courts, two lacrosse pitches and athletics field areas. The School has an excellent music department lead by the director of music Nigel Springthorpe.

The headmistress is Ms Jacqualyn Pain who has recently been appointed from The Henrietta Barnett School.

The school has strong links with St Albans Abbey to which the girls walk once a term for a Eucharist service. There is also a candle-lit Service of Lessons and Carols at Christmas and a Founders' Day service in May.

[edit] House system

At St Albans High School there are 4 houses:

Julian - red and weird, dumb eagle. Named after Lady Juliana Berners, a 15th century prioress of Sopwell Nunnery, famous for her learning (the worstestestestestest house)
Paris - blue and can't remember. Named after Matthew Paris, a monk of St Albans Abbey in the 13th century and well known for his Chronicle of local events (the very annoying house)
Mandeville - green and powerful dragon. Named after Sir John Mandeville, associated with a book of travels in the 14th century (the best house ever!)
Verulam - yellow and evil genie lamp. Named after Sir Francis Bacon, first Earl of Verulam, philosopher and writer (the worst house)

[edit] Hours of operation

The day starts at 8.30am and children come from a wide catchment area by a school coach service run by Provence Private Hire. There is a 20 minute break at 10.20am and lessons finish for lunch at 1.00pm. Pupils can have school dinners or bring a packed lunch. Lessons resume at 2.00pm and finish at 3.50pm. Pupils can travel home by coach at this time or they can take the late coach service, which leaves at 5.00pm to enable pupils to participate in some of the many extra-curricular activities. On a Friday the lunch hour is slightly longer and the day finishes at 3.30pm and there are no late coaches. However, the junior house runs from 8.30am to 3.20pm. There is a 25 minute break at 10.10am. Lunch starts at 12.35pm for 7-11 year olds and ends at 1.35pm. They are allowed to bring a packed lunch or have the school's food. For 4-7 year olds lunch is at 12.00 and ends at 1.00 pm. They are not allowed to bring packed lunches.