Royal High School, Bath

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Coordinates: 51°23′52″N 2°21′55″W / 51.3977°N 2.3654°W / 51.3977; -2.3654
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"Bath High School" redirects here. For the school in Ohio, see Bath High School (Ohio).

Royal High School Bath
Front view of Royal High School
Address
Map
Lansdown Road

Bath
,
Somerset
,
BA1 5SZ

England
Coordinates51°23′52″N 2°21′55″W / 51.3977°N 2.3654°W / 51.3977; -2.3654
Information
Former names
  • Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army
  • Bath and Lansdown Proprietary College
TypePublic school
Independent boarding school
Religious affiliation(s)Inter-denominational
Established1998 (merger)
Local authorityBath and North East Somerset
TrustGirls' Day School Trust (GDST)
Department for Education URN109348 Tables
Acting HeadHadrian Briggs[1][2]
GenderGirls
Age3 to 19
Enrolment607 (2024)[1]
Capacity940[1]
Houses  Du Pré
  Wollstonecraft
  Brontë
  Austen
Colour(s)     
Websitewww.royalhighbath.gdst.net Edit this at Wikidata

Royal High School Bath is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Bath, Somerset, England.[3] Formed in 1998 through the merger of Bath High School and the Royal School (established in 1864), it enrolls about 650 pupils aged 3 to 19 and offers boarding for approximately 150 girls. In the Sixth form, students can choose between the International Baccalaureate and A-Level qualifications.[4] The school is a member of the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST).

History[edit]

Further information: Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army

Founding and merger[edit]

The school was founded as the Bath and Lansdown Proprietary College, a boys' day school under the patronage of the Duke of Beaufort and the Marquess of Lansdowne, with the Reverend S. H. Widdrington as chairman (their coats of arms are still present on the building).[5] In 1864, it was purchased with the patronage of Queen Victoria to provide education for orphaned daughters of Army officers following the Crimean War.[6] On 24 August 1865, it opened as the Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army, modeled after the Royal Naval School for girls, a boarding school founded in 1840.[5]

In 1998, the Royal School merged with the Bath High School for Girls, established by the Girls Public Day School Company in September 1875 at Portland Place in Lansdown, to form the Royal High School Bath (RHS).[7] The former Royal School premises became the Senior School, while the former Bath High School became the Junior School.[8] RHS is the sole member of the Girls' Day School Trust, the UK’s largest network of girls’ independent schools, with boarding facilities.[9]

Buildings[edit]

Aerial view of Royal High School

The main building, situated atop Lansdown Road in Bath, was designed by architect James Wilson and completed in 1856, shortly after his design of the Wesleyan College (now Kingswood School).[10][11] Constructed in the Gothic Revival style, it is designated as a Grade II listed building.[12] The structure housed the Senior School and the Winfield Centre for sixth form students, both located on Lansdown Road. Additionally, the Chapel of the Royal High School, constructed in 1939 and designed by H.S. Goodhart-Rendel in a stripped Gothic style with Tudor detailing, also holds a Grade II listing.[13] The Prep School is at Cranwell House, a Grade II listed Victorian mansion in Weston Park.[14]

Academics[edit]

The school regularly comes near the top of league tables for Bath schools for GCSE and A-Level results.[15] The school provides Modern Languages including GCSE French, which girls start to learn in reception class. German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Arabic, and Japanese are also available. The school also offers the IB Diploma Programme, where it had an average score of 35 points in 2023.[16] The school was rated as "excellent" in both academic achievement and personal development in the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) 2016 report.[17][18] In 2023, Royal High was one of the top 50 boarding schools in the UK.[19]

Facilities[edit]

Art and Drama[edit]

The Art Department is housed in the Art School opened by Professor Sir Christopher Frayling – Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chairman of the Arts Council, England, in November 2008.[20] There are four studios for activities such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, film and photography.[20]

The Drama department has use of the school's two performance venues; the Memorial Hall, a traditional performance space with movable raked seating and the Sophie Cameron Performing Arts, a multi use performing arts space housed in the former school chapel.[21]

Steinway Music School[edit]

In 2020, RHS became one of only 250 schools worldwide to achieve the prestigious Steinway School status.[22] The purpose-built Music School comprises a main teaching room, eight sound-proofed practice rooms, a contemporary recital space, 10 Steinway and Sons pianos, two professional-standard recording studios[23] and a control room equipped with an Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition mixing console.[24] As part of the department's Steinway Music School status, a regular programme of masterclasses and recitals led by leading artists is offered.[25] The Music department produces 35 concerts during the academic year.[26]

PE and sports[edit]

The sports facilities are located on the Lansdown site. The school campus includes an AstroTurf pitch for hockey and football, two courts for playing netball and tennis and a sports hall marked for netball, basketball and badminton. The school also has strong links with the University of Bath providing access to their Olympic standard sports facilities.[27]

Houses[edit]

Royal High School divides its pupils into four Houses: Austen, Bronte, Du Pre and Wollstonecraft. Houses compete against one another in both academic and extra-curricular activities throughout the year.[28]

Boarding[edit]

Girls aged 11 to 18 can choose between full boarding, weekday-only boarding, or flexi-boarding. There are two boarding houses: the School House and Gloucester House, which is designated for sixth formers.

Royal High Nursery & Prep School[edit]

Prep School: Cranwell House

The Royal High Nursery & Prep School is located in Weston. Formerly housed in Bath High School on Lansdown Road, it moved in 2014 to Cranwell House, a Grade II listed Victorian mansion. The Nursery is in the adjacent Vine House and Orangery. Hope Hall, behind Cranwell House, includes classrooms for Years 5 and 6. The site also features a sports hall and a dance studio. The school enrolls around 130 pupils aged 3 to 11 and its educational method follows the Reggio Emilia approach.[8]

Notable alumnae[edit]

Some of the school notable alumnae[29]

  • Dawn Austwick - Chief executive of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and CEO of the Big Lottery Fund (Bath High School).
  • Dame Mary Berry DBE - Chef and TV presenter (Bath High School).
  • Emily Brooke MBE - Trailblazing inventor and entrepreneur, Founder and Director of Beryl (formerly Blaze) Laser Lights for Bikes.
  • Molly Scott Cato - MEP for the South West of England.
  • Mary Duggan - Cricketer (Royal School).
  • Jennie Formby - Senior official in the Unite trade union and General Secretary of the Labour Party (Bath High School).
  • Helen Geake - Archaeologist and key member of Channel 4's archaeology series Time Team.
  • Sheila Gish - Actress (Royal School).
  • Bunny Guinness - Landscape architect, journalist, and radio personality, regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's Gardener's Question Time (Bath High School).
  • Nina Hamnett - Welsh artist and writer, expert on sailors' chanteys, known as the Queen of Bohemia.
  • Dr Dawn Harper - Media doctor, presenter of ‘Embarrassing Bodies,’ and contributor to This Morning and other TV shows.
  • Joan Heal - Actress (Bath High School).
  • Veronica Henry - Writer of bestselling novels, TV scriptwriter, and journalist.
  • Baroness Elspeth Howe CBE - Life-long peer and former chair of the Broadcasting Standards Commission (Bath High School).
  • Gillian Howell (1927–2000) - Architect (Royal School).
  • June Lloyd, Baroness Lloyd of Highbury - Nuffield Professor of Child Health from 1985 to 1992 at the British Postgraduate Medical Federation, Professor of Child Health from 1975 to 1985 at St George's Hospital Medical School, and President from 1988 to 1991 of the British Paediatric Association (Royal School).
  • Myrtle Maclagan - Cricketer (Royal School).
  • Sonia Melchett (née Graham) - Socialite and writer (Royal School).
  • Iris Morley - Historian (Royal School).
  • Penny Mountbatten, Lady Ivar Mountbatten - Businesswoman and philanthropist (Royal School).
  • Helen Rollason MBE - Celebrated BBC Sports Presenter.
  • Susan Strange - Economist (Royal School).
  • Dame Veronica Sutherland DBE CMG - Career diplomat, served as Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland.
  • Dr Laura Toogood - Managing Director of Private Clients at Digitalis, prominent speaker on journalism, and researcher in cybersecurity.
  • Dr Caroline St John-Brookes - Lecturer and education writer, Editor of Times Educational Supplement (1997-2000).
  • Dr Cicely Williams OM CMG FRCP - Eminent physician and researcher in maternal and child health, first Director of Mother and Child Health at WHO in 1948 (Bath High School).
  • Cecil Woodham-Smith CBE - Historian and biographer (Royal School)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Royal High School GDST". GOV.UK. 1 January 1909. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Meet our staff". Royal High School. 21 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Royal High School raises nearly £3,000 for Bath hospital charity". Bath Echo. 15 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Sixth Form". Royal High School. 20 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Historic England. "The Royal High School (1394466)". National Heritage List for England.
  6. ^ The Original Bath Guide: Historical and Descriptive : Containing Walks and Drives Round Bath, the Medicinal Uses of the Mineral Waters, the Geology of the Neighbourhood. Lewis & Tyte. 1885. p. 107.
  7. ^ Davidson, Max (24 November 2008). "Town vs Gown: Royal High School vs Beechen Cliff School in Bath". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  8. ^ a b "Royal High Prep School, GDST: in the Muddy Stilettos Best School Guide". Royal High Prep School, GDST: in the Muddy Stilettos Best School Guide. 10 May 2022.
  9. ^ "The Royal High School Bath (GDST), Bath and North East Somerset". isbi Schools. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  10. ^ Lees-Milne, J.; Ford, D. (1982). Images of Bath. Images of London. Saint Helana Press. ISBN 978-0-906964-08-8.
  11. ^ Murray, J. (1859). A handbook for travellers in Wiltshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire. Murray. p. 168.
  12. ^ "Royal School". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Chapel of the Royal High School (1394138)". National Heritage List for England.
  14. ^ Mag, Bath (14 February 2014). "Royal High School Move to Cranwell House". The Bath Magazine. Bath. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  15. ^ "Schools in Bath and North East Somerset". BBC. 19 February 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  16. ^ "Results and destinations". Royal High School. 22 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Sign In to The Times & The Sunday Times". The Times & The Sunday Times.
  18. ^ "The Royal High School Bath celebrates 'Excellent' inspection report". The Bath and Wiltshire Parent. 9 February 2017.
  19. ^ "Royal High School Bath Review, Rankings, And More". Britannia UK. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Art and Design". Royal High School. 22 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Performance Facilities". Royal High School. 22 May 2024.
  22. ^ Time & (3 March 2020). "Royal High School Bath opens state-of-the-art new Steinway Music School". Time & Leisure.
  23. ^ "Royal High School Bath- Steinway & Sons". Steinway. 24 June 2021.
  24. ^ "A-Level Music Tech Offered After Music School Upgrade". Audient. 21 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Inaugural visit to Steinway Hall in London for Royal High School Bath Music Scholars". Girls' Schools Association. 5 April 2022.
  26. ^ "Music at Royal High". Royal High School. 22 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Sports Facilities". Royal High School. 24 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Your daugther's wellbeing". Royal High School. 20 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Notable alumnae". Royal High School. 24 May 2024.

External links[edit]

Media related to Royal High School, Bath at Wikimedia Commons

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