Shefﬁeld High School for Girls

Sheffield High Schoolfor Girls

Sheffield High Schoolfor Girls

Welcome to Sheffield High School

heffield High School is one of the 25 schools of the Girls’ DaySchool Trust. Since its foundation in 1872 the Trust has provideda high quality of education for girls. Early pupils were amongst thefirst women to go to university and enter the professions. TheTrust continues this tradition of excellence in the context of themuch wider opportunities that exist today.

The aim of the Trust is to provide an all-round education for girlsof intellectual promise. Every effort is made to ensure that thereis equality of opportunity to enter and do well in Trust schools.

Trust schools offer continuity of education from the earliest yearsright through to the Sixth Form, but girls are welcome to enter atany of the stages set out in this prospectus or where vacanciesarise.

To make an application, complete the form at the back of thisprospectus and return to the school.

Details of the financial assistance available are enclosed withthis prospectus.

Welcome to Sheffield High School

What follows will, I hope, encourage you to come and see the school for yourself.You will find lively girls achieving their potential, working hard in a friendly, stimulatingenvironment.

You will find teachers enjoying their work, taking a personal interest in each girl theyteach, eager for them to do their best. You will see at first hand the fine facilities andopportunities for learning and discover, I believe, that Sheffield High School’s long-established reputation as an excellent school is well-deserved.

I am always happy to show parents around and I hope that you will visit us soon.

Margaret Houston, Headmistress

Our aims for your daughter are:

✓ To enable her to achieve her full potentialacademically and personally in a happy andchallenging environment.

✓ To encourage her to value learning for its ownsake and as a means to a fulfilling career.

✓ To encourage her to take part in the richprogramme of activities in school so as todevelop her interests and talents.

✓ To develop independent habits of learning,the ability to work as a member of a teamand the necessary technological skills toachieve success in the modern world.

✓ To provide a civilised environment in whichintellectual curiosity can go hand in hand withself-esteem, consideration for others andmoral integrity.

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2 SHEFFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

3SHEFFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

The School Campushe school occupies a leafy site in Broomhill betweenthe University and the Botanical Gardens.

The Junior Department is housed in Melbourne Housewhich offers spacious and pleasant facilities.

The Senior Department occupies the originalVictorian school, with large classrooms and impressiveaccommodation. In addition, we have Moor Lodgecontaining Art and up-to-date Information Technologyfacilities, a new Music house, a new sports’ hall, sevenwell-equipped laboratories, a gymnasium, a new libraryand learning resource centre and a new dining hall.

The Sixth Form has its own centre which providesthe students with attractive teaching, study, ICT andcommon room areas.

All these buildings are within a few minutes of eachother on a large, secluded and peaceful campus.Public transport is easily accessible and there are alsoparentally-organised coaches. Girls travel to schoolfrom all parts of Sheffield, Chesterfield, Doncaster,Rotherham, Barnsley and Worksop as well asDerbyshire and North Nottinghamshire.

The School Campus

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Everyone hereis friends withsomeone. You’renever left out.

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n the early years, every effort is made tosettle girls into a happy and secure routinewhere friendships can be formed and thegroundwork laid for success. The formteacher takes a personal interest in eachgirl and supports her pastorally andclassroom assistants give additionalindividual attention.

The subjects taught include all theNational Curriculum subjects as well asICT, French, Music and Drama. The work isstimulating and enjoyable and, as the girlsmature, there is increased emphasis onspecialist teaching. We assume that allthe girls will go on to the SeniorDepartment and prepare them for this.Sixth Form students involve themselves inthe Infant Department and older Juniorsuse the senior facilities, for example thesports hall and ICT and Art rooms.

There is a teacher responsible for girls withspecial educational needs and girls arescreened for these. Staff from the DyslexiaInstitute teach in the school by specialarrangement.


The JuniorDepartment

The Junior Department(Age 4–11)

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Encouraging close links withparents:

✓ We value close links with parents and you areencouraged to contact us when you need. Thereare two Parents’ Evenings for each age group andyou will receive a yearly report.


We realise how important it is to have a varied andinteresting school life so we have a House system whichencourages girls of different ages to work together andthere are many clubs for them to join: choir, orchestra,the bands, sports teams, drama and others. There arevisiting instrumental teachers and trips and expeditionssupport the work of the classroom.

Our morning Assemblies provide a communal start tothe day, the girls themselves preparing many of them.

All the Junior girls have lunch in the new dining hall andthere is a vegetarian choice every day as well as otherhot and cold food. There is a breakfast club beforeschool and after school care.

The school as a whole, Junior and Senior, is stronglysupported by the Parents’ Association, Friends ofSheffield High School, who arrange social and fund-raising events to which all are invited.

Melbourne House expectsus to be respectful toothers and to try hard atour subjects. We are taughtto use a creative mind, towork in teams, share ideasand learn new things.

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e welcome girls into the school at theage of 11 but some join us in otheryears where vacancies occur.

Although not obliged to do so,Trust Schools adhere to the corerequirements of the National Curriculumas a minimum but other subjects areoffered too: four modern languages(French, German, Russian, Spanish),Latin and, occasionally, Greek, BusinessStudies, Sports Studies and thesciences which are taught separatelythroughout the senior school.

Homework is an essential part of thecurriculum and it is regularly set andmarked. Examinations for all years takeplace twice a year. There is at least oneParents’ Evening for every year and wesend reports home twice a year.

Art is very popular in school and workexhibited in school, as well as morewidely, bears witness to the talents ofthe girls. Visiting artists furtherencourage the creativity in school, as dothe visits to museums and galleries athome and abroad.


The Senior DepartmentThe Senior Department

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The feeling of vibrancyand enjoyment I sensedwhen meeting the girlswas almost palpable.

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Providing your daughter with a well-roundededucation:

✓ Most girls take 9 subjects at GCSE and there is a wideprogramme of field trips, foreign visits, expeditions and lecturesto enrich their studies.

✓ All forms have a programme of Personal and Social Educationwhich helps them to understand themselves, social issues andthe wider world of work and their future.

Pastoral CareWe are aware that if girls are to achievetheir best they need to be confident andhappy in school. We therefore have astrong pastoral care system based onthe form tutors led by Year Heads andthe Senior Mistress who monitor eachgirl’s progress carefully. Parents areencouraged to contact these staff andone of them will get in touch if we havea particular concern.

If a girl is found to have a special need,the Senior Mistress will ensure that thehelp that we can provide will be givenand staff approach these issues withsensitivity and understanding.

Most days begin with an Assemblywhich, although broadly Christian inapproach, acknowledges and respectsother beliefs. We emphasise moral andspiritual values in Assembly and girls areadmitted to the school irrespective ofbackground or belief. We hope that allparents will want their daughters to takepart but they are free to withdraw themon religious grounds. Parents who wishto do so should make their request inwriting to the Headmistress.

Not Just Lessons!Not Just Lessons!

A host of extra-curricular activities:

✓ Dozens of creative, musical and sportingsocieties and clubs.

✓ Science, environmental, language andChristian groups.

✓ Facilities to correspond electronically with penfriends abroad.

✓ Activity days and themed weeks take placethroughout the academic year.

✓ Every year girls take part in the Duke ofEdinburgh’s Award scheme.

✓ Local, regional and national finalists in theannual Young Enterprise competition.

✓ Opportunities to undertake charitable andcommunity work.


Overseas trips to broaden horizons:

✓ Skiing trips, musical tours and educational cruises.

✓ Regular language exchanges to France andGermany.

✓ School groups have recently visited Queensland,Australia, national parks in the United States,and Singapore.

✓ Opportunities to gain work experience in Europe.

Experiencing school from anoutsider’s perspective for thefirst time, I was presentedwith those qualities which youalways maintained the schoolpromoted: independence,intellectual, physical andartistic excellence.

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ost girls stay on after Year 11 and join our large,vigorous Sixth Form. Every year we also welcome newstudents who choose to join us for our high standardsand excellent results.

There is a wide variety of subjects available. Lessonstake place in informal groups where students establishclose working relationships with teachers who canprovide individual help. There is a General Studiesprogramme, community service and Young Enterprisescheme, all of which enrich the students’ experienceand enlarge their range of skills.

The Head of Sixth Form and her team organise astructured programme of advice and guidance. Werealise that students need a great deal of support inmaking the transition from GCSE to higher study andthe team monitors each individual’s academic progressand personal development.


The Sixth FormThe Sixth Form

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Preparing your daughter forher future:

✓ Ensuring she has acquired all the skillsof an independent learner.

✓ Enabling her to leave the schoolconscious of her own worth and eagerfor the next stage of a successfulcareer.


Sixth Form students play an important part in the life of theschool. They contribute to House, club, sporting and musicalactivities, to name but a few. At the same time they derive fromthis participation the benefits of learning how to lead, organise,motivate others, and communicate – in short, managerial skills.

We give close, personal attention to students when they maketheir applications for Higher Education and interview sessions andvisits are organised to assist them. Applications are sent off earlyin the Upper Sixth year and most students receive a range of goodoffers and go on to the courses of their choice. Some choose totake a GAP year and benefit from experiences ranging from thecharitable to the exotic.

More information about the Sixth Form is given in the separateSixth Form Prospectus.

Working within a structured anddisciplined environment whilst havingprivileges and freedom to makeour own choices is an excellentstepping stone towards university.

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he school excels in sport. Many girls enjoycompeting at a high level whilst others canparticipate in House and club sport, as well ascurriculum physical education.

The main sports are hockey and netball in thewinter and tennis, rounders and athletics inthe summer. In addition we have trampolining,basketball, volleyball, badminton, gymnastics,aerobics and dance.

We recently sent touring teams to South Africaand another tour is planned for Australia.

Sport at Sheffield High School

Sport at Sheffield High School

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A tradition ofsporting excellence:

✓ 6 specialist PE teachers.

✓ 51 weekly clubs.

✓ 56 teams playing 398matches in 1998/99.

✓ Winners of 32 local andregional championships.

✓ National champions inrounders.

✓ 5 international players.


usic flourishes throughout the school. We value themusic that is taught in the curriculum and, in addition,there are numerous musical activities which enrich ourlives: three choirs, wind bands, swing bands, twoorchestras, a string training group and flute group.

We have 14 visiting instrumental teachers and lessonscan be arranged and examinations taken in school.

Like Music, Drama is a popular curriculum subject andthere are drama clubs for younger girls. Each year playsare produced in the Junior and Senior Departments andour major school productions attract much acclaim.

Many girls have speech and drama lessons from ourvisiting teacher and take the LAMDA examinations.Our creative writers are frequently published and themagazine committee produces a school magazineannually. We enter girls in nationally organised publicspeaking and debating competitions.

The Arts at Sheffield High School

The Arts at Sheffield High School

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A flourishing culture of music and drama:

✓ Frequent concerts and our choirs and other musicalensembles perform in school, in the city and abroad.

✓ Recent drama successes have included: “TwelfthNight”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Animal Farm” and, in theJunior School, “The Bumblesnouts Save The World”and “Children of Lir”.

e feel that it is vital for all our girls to haveopportunities to develop the necessary skills inInformation and Communication Technology. Thewhole school is networked with a powerful state-of-the-art system based on Windows NT and we havefully equipped classrooms in the Senior Departmentas well as ICT studies for Year 11 and for the SixthForm in their centre.

The learning resource centre is supplied withhardware and software and the science laboratorieshave the latest sophisticated equipment to assistthe girls’ understanding and learning. Otherdepartments have ICT facilities, as has the staff-room, for the Trust is committed to the training anddevelopment of staff, as well as pupils. Thus ICT istaught not only as a discrete subject to all seniorgirls but is widely used by departments.

The Junior Department has its own ICT facilities forintegrated use within the curriculum and the oldergirls are able to use the Senior Departmentfacilities.

With the development of ICTskills and those of leadership,responsibility, teamwork andindependence, I feel readyfor the modern world.

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Developing independent learning:

✓ Your daughter will have access to a new library andlearning resource centre which has recently beenprovided in the Senior Department.

✓ All girls have access to books, journals, newspapers,multi-media CD-ROMs and the internet.

✓ There is a separate library in the Junior Departmentand a careers library in the Sixth Form Centre.


ICT andLearning Resources

Information and CommunicationTechnology and Learning Resources

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● Entry to Melbourne House is by assessment at 4+.

● Entry to the Senior Department is by testing in Englishand Mathematics and meeting the Headmistress.

● Girls can be tested for all years where occasionalvacancies arise.

● Students wishing to join the Sixth Form must have agood GCSE certificate with 7 passes at A–C and A or Bin their intended A level subjects.

● Academic scholarships and bursaries are available inthe Senior Department and details of these can beobtained from the School.

How to ApplyHow to Apply

This prospectus is for information only and does not form part of any contract between the parents and the Trust. This is because the prospectus has necessarilybeen prepared will in advance of entry of a pupil to the school and inevitably there may be subsequent alterations. Copyright © 1999 Sheffield High School.Designed by BBR, Sheffield Printed by PrintWorks (Sheffield) Ltd Additional photography by Mark Rodgers and Sheffield Newspapers Ltd.

ere at Sheffield we consider careers educationto be vital in developing girls who are confident,sparky, who have good team and leadership skillsand can communicate well with others.

Careers education is linked with PSE in the JuniorDepartment and in the first years of the SeniorDepartment we concentrate on study skills,personal awareness and how industry works.

Later the department assists girls in theirsubject choices and all girls are enrolled with theIndependent Schools Careers Organisation whichprovides valuable information and guidance.All girls in Year 11 complete a work experienceplacement after their GCSE examinations.

Finally, all Trust girls belong to the MinervaNetwork. This network can provide careerssupport for life and the opportunity to networkwith other successful Trust women in all areasof professional life.

The whole careers programmeencouraged me to be moreconfident and focused– I’m looking forward tothe challenges ahead.

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Careers at Sheffield Careers at Sheffield High School

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Now that you have read our prospectus,

do come and see for yourselves!

OXBRIDGE

ART, FASHION, LEISURE

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ARTS, MEDIA, EDUCATION

LANGUAGES, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

MEDICINE

FINANCE, BUSINESS, POLITICS, HUMANITIES

MEDICALLY ALLIED CAREERS

SCIENCE, MATHS, ENGINEERING

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Career Paths of Leavers, 1997–1999

SHEFFIELD HIGH SCHOOL10 Rutland Park, Sheffield S10 2PE Tel: 0114 266 0324 Fax: 0114 267 8520

[email protected] www.gdst.net/sheffieldhigh

100 Rochester Row, London SW1P 1JP Tel: 0171 393 6666 Fax: 0171 393 6789Founded 1872 – A Limited Company Registered in England No 6400. A Registered Charity No 306983

“Educating girls to become dynamic young women.”

Shefﬁeld High School for Girls

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