| Motto | Aude Sapere Dare to be Wise |
|---|---|
| Established | 1915 |
| Type | Grammar |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headmaster | Dr Nicholas Smith MB BS |
| Specialism | Humanities College |
| Location | 30 Shiphay Lane Torquay Devon TQ2 7DY England |
| Local authority | Torbay |
| DfE URN | 113523 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1003 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Beal- , Jackson- , Robertson- , Wilkinson- |
| Colours | Navy and Royal Blue |
| Website | Torquay Girls Grmmar School |
Torquay Girls' Grammar School is a selective grammar school for girls aged 11–18, in Torquay, Devon, England. It became one of the first schools to achieve Humanities Specialist School status in September 2004, and is one of the first to offer the AQA Baccalaureate.
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The school, which was founded in 1915, settled at its current location in 1939. While the school continues to use its original building, the interiors have been updated and additional buildings have been added, including the Haystacks building (Art, English and Geography) in 1995 and the Roberts building (languages, history, new library/learning resource centre) in 2007. In July 2008, the Cross building was officially opened - the new music and drama block. The school also fully integrates the sixth form with the other forms of the school, and maintains the uniform for all pupils including in the sixth form.
The school purchased its own residential study centre in Tregourez, Brittany, in 1990. Pupils in years 7 and 9 stay there during May/June as a form to encourage social interaction and improve their french. By the end of year 13 roughly 85% of all pupils have conversational levels of french or higher. The school is currently exploring the purcashing of further residential study centres in Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal.
The most recent Ofsted inspection was in 2008, with the result being it was 'an exceptional school with many outstanding characteristics'[1]
The school motto is 'Aude Sapere', meaning 'dare to be wise'.
The grounds of the school include:
The ICT rooms (including the library) were recently updated. There are 4 ICT rooms (of which one is used almost exclusively by technology students) and laptops in the Geography rooms and the Library.
Dr Smith (current headteacher) has said that because of the new buildings (Music block etc) there was a shortage of green space in the school. Thus, after much debate, each year from year 8 upwards has a specified day for which they are allowed to access the paddock at a lunchtime.
There are plans to construct or update more buildings, including eventually rebuilding the main building.
Upon entering the school in year 7, each girl is put into one of 4 forms and in one of 4 houses. These forms contain all the girls of that house in that year. This means all girls in e.g. 7W are of Wilkinson house, and in year 7. There are 4 such houses and therefore 4 forms in a year group. Younger sisters are usually put in the same house as older sisters.
The girls stay in these houses, with the same form tutor, throughout the years 7-13. They are taught in these form groups for most subjects in years 7-9[2], but some other subjects are taught in ability groups (e.g. maths) or in the case of technology, alphabetically, as there is not enough room in the tech rooms for all the form to be taught at the same time.
Each house is named after an old headteacher.
The two Lower Sixth forms used to share the Lower Sixth common room in Shiphay Manor, owned by the Boys' Grammar, while the two Upper Sixths share the Upper Sixth common room in the Sixth Form (formerly 'E') Block of the Boys' Grammar.
Now two new buildings, a new Sixth Form block, and a new music and drama suite, have been finished and the sixth form have lessons in their new block. There are still 2 common rooms, one in the Girls' school and one in the neighbouring Boys' school.
The Sixth Form have lessons in the purpose-built Sixth-Form block, in the main school (e.g. Chemistry in the science labs) and many lessons are shared with the neighbouring Torquay Boys' Grammar School allowing students to benefit from each school's specialities, when they have facilities that are not offered in the Girls' school (e.g. A-level music).