Tiffin Girls' School
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| The Tiffin Girls' School | |
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| Motto | Sapere Aude (Latin:"Dare to be Wise") |
| Established | 1880 |
| Type | Grammar (selective), Voluntary aided, Day school |
| Religious affiliation | Non-denominational |
| Head Teacher | Mrs Pauline Cox |
| Chair of Governors | Mrs Pamela Sweetnam |
| Founders | Thomas & John Tiffin |
| Specialism | Maths and Computing |
| Location | Richmond Road Kingston upon Thames London KT2 5PL England  |
| LEA | Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames |
| Ofsted number | 102602 |
| Students | 900 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 11 to 19 |
| Former pupils | Tiffin Old Girls' |
| Website | Official site |
| Coordinates: | |
The Tiffin Girls' School is an all girls grammar school located in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. Maintained by the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, the school lies in over nine acres on the east side of Richmond Road.
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[edit] History
The Tiffin name is borrowed from Thomas and John Tiffin, prosperous brewers in the early seventeenth century, who left money in their wills for the education of the poor. The money was first used for 'scholarships' for one or two boys to attend an existing private school but, due to wise investment and donations from other local benefactors, nearly 100 children were benefiting from the charitable fund by the 1820s.
By 1869, when the charity schools had closed and the money was no longer needed by the Public Elementary School, the Trustees proposed to dedicate the Tiffin money exclusively to Kingston Grammar School. The row that ensued went on until 1872 when it was ruled that the Grammar School should not receive more than a quarter of the income from charities. In 1874, plans were drawn up for two new schools, a Tiffins' School for boys and one for girls, each to take 150 pupils.
The single building by "The Fairfield" (now recreational cricket ovals), which housed both schools, was completed in 1879. Miss Rhoda Ward Fysh was appointed as the girls' school's first headmistress. After fifty years in a previous building in Richmond Road, the school moved to its present site, also in Richmond Road, in 1987.
Location of Tiffin School in 1899 .
In 1999 the school benefited from a £500,000 Sport England Lottery Fund Grant. This, combined with fund raising from the school, greatly enhanced the sports facilities for both school and community use. Improvements included a floodlit all-weather astro turf for hockey, floodlit netball/tennis courts and refurbished changing facilities as well as a community sports development programme for after school, weekends and holidays.
In December 2003, a fire burned down a huge portion of the main building's wing causing much chaos to the school. Thanks to the Tiffin Fire Appeal, there has been a significant amount of money raised to rebuild it.
The new part of the school is now fully completed, and pupils moved back into in the summer term of 2006. The new wing has been named the Holdsworth Wing after the retired Chair of Governors, Sandra Holdsworth. The construction of a new drama studio, with state-of-the-art equipment, was completed in 2007. The school is currently raising money for a new music studio, which is expected to be opened in September 2009.
[edit] Pupils
There are approximately 880 pupils aged between 11 and 18, including 280 in the sixth form. They are split into four houses - Bebbington (Red), Flavell (Yellow), Schofield (Blue) and Watson (Green). These are all named after former headmistresses of the school. Pupils earn points towards the house competition in events such as the school birthday (in February of each year) and sports day. The house with the most points by the end of the academic year wins the Belitha trophy (donated by Edward Belitha).
[edit] Academic record
The school has an outstanding level of acdemic achievement. The most recent A level pass rate at grades A/B was 88.64% with 64 candidates gaining 3 grade As at A level and 9 candidates 4 grade As at A level, and as a result most girls secured their first or insurance place at university. 15 girls gained Oxbridge places with many also going to medical or law schools. At GCSE the most recent A*/A pass rate was 92.1%, the highest in the country.
In 2000 the school became a Beacon School, partially thanks to the achievements of its pupils. In 2002 it became one of the UK's first Mathematics & Computing Specialist Colleges. Other recent successes include the awards of Sports Mark and Arts Mark Gold.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Ruth O'Keeffe, politician
- Katherine Parkinson, actress
- Jill Gascoigne, actress
- Lisa Faulkner, actress[1]
- Lynne Truss, author[2]
- Sarah Winckless, Olympic bronze medal winner at Athens in women’s double sculls[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Lisa Faulkner Plays Victoria Merrick", Holby.tv
- ^ "The Tiffin Girls' School Prize Giving Thursday 21st September 2006"
- ^ "Newsletter of the Old Tiffinians’ Association", No. 221, September 2004
