Cheltenham Ladies' College

The Cheltenham Ladies' College
Motto Cœlesti Luce Crescat (May she grow in Heavenly light)
Established 1853
Type independent boarding and day school
Principal Eve Jardine-Young
Location Bayshill Road
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire,
GL50 3EP
England, United Kingdom
Staff 215
Students 870
Gender Girls
Ages 11–18
Colours Green
Website www.cheltladiescollege.org

The Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.

Contents

History

The school was founded in 1853. In 1858, the Principal's post was taken by Dorothea Beale, a prominent Suffragette educator who founded St Hilda's College, Oxford.

The school crest depicts two doves, taken from the Cheltenham town shield, above three stars, which are in turn above a daisy, a prominent school symbol.

Present day

The school uniform consists of a white blouse, green skirt and green jumper with a badge featuring the House colours. Sixth Form girls are given the option of trousers or pencil skirts (navy with pinstripes). There are occasional days when girls are allowed to wear their own choice of clothes in return for a donation to charity. All girls carry the School Sack, apart from those who choose to carry their school equipment in their arms.

Academic

The school works around the pupils, giving them free choice in what they excel in. A broad range of subject combinations is available to girls at GCSE, A Level. The school offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma at Sixth Form. Tutors are full-time academic members of staff and advise girls on matters relating to their academic work and progress, including university advice and applications. Most students go on to continue higher education at a range of top universities both in the UK and America such as the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge among others. A large and successful alumnae association of over 9,000 former pupils keep in contact and offer work placements and careers advice to girls.

Pastoral

Students are supervised by a Housemistress, the House Staff and a Tutor, and are part of a House.

Girls who board live in one of thirteen boarding houses. There are nine junior houses for 11-16 year olds, and four senior houses for sixth form girls. The junior houses are Farnley Lodge, Glenlee, Sidney Lodge, St. Austin's, St. Helen's, St. Margaret's. At Sixth Form all girls move to a senior house. The senior houses are Beale, Cambray, Elizabeth and St. Hilda's. Each house is run by a housemistress and several resident staff (matrons). The housemistresses have a lighter teaching load with a full-time commitment supervising their boarders.

Junior day girls have their own base in Eversleigh, where the three junior houses, Bellairs, Glengar and St. Clare, are located. Bayshill Court is the home of the senior day girl house, Bayshill, and the first Housemaster in the 155 year history of the College.

Extra-curricular

Music and Drama departments offer a number of productions each year involving all age groups. Over 900 individual instrumental lessons take place each week. A new Performing Arts Centre opened in September 2009. Over 30 sports are offered, and students are encouraged to maintain physical fitness with physical exercise. Eighty other extra-curricular activities are available. There are nine junior houses Glenlee, Sidney Lodge, Farnley Lodge, St Margaret's, St Helen's, St Austins, Bellairs, Glengar and St Clare's.

Admissions

Entrance to The Cheltenham Ladies’ College is by examination for girls aged 11+, 12+, 13+ and at Sixth Form, where only a select number of top students will be admitted. A number of academic, art, music and sports scholarships are awarded each year and financial assistance with fees is available. Girls applying to the Sixth Form are required to achieve A*s at GCSE or IGCSE in the subject they intend to study for A-levels.

Guild - Notable former pupils

Guild is the association of College's former pupils.

The arts

Business

Politics

  • Cheryl Gillan, Member of Parliament and Secretary of State for Wales
  • Carolyn Kirby, first female President of the Law Society
  • Lesley Knox, founder of British Linen Advisors, ex-Director of the Bank of Scotland
  • Rachel Lomax, the first woman Deputy Governor of the Bank of England

The Sciences

Journalism/Authors

Other

Inspections

The school was last inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in October 2008,[2] the last Office for Standards in Education inspection of boarding facilities took place in May 2008.[3]

Notes

References