Oxford High School, England

Oxford High School is a private day school for girls in Oxford, England. It was founded by the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) in 1875, making it the City of Oxford's oldest girls' school. History Oxford High School was opened on 3 November 1875, with twenty-nine girls and three teachers under headmistress Ada Benson, at the Judge's Lodgings (St Giles' House) at 16 St Giles', Oxford. It was the 9th school opened by the Girls' Public Day School Company. Pupils were given a holiday when the Assize Judge visited. The school moved to 38 St Giles' in 1879 and then to 21 Banbury Road at the start of 1881, in a building designed by Thomas Graham Jackson, just south of the location of another Jackson building, the Acland Nursing Home. By this time, the headmistress was Matilda Ellen Bishop. Rapid expansion led to the ultimate removal of the school to Belbroughton Road in 1957. It became a direct grant grammar school in 1945 under the Education Act 1944 and chose to become independent in 1976 after the scheme was abolished. It absorbed two preparatory schools, Greycotes and The Squirrel, which meant girls could now be educated at Oxford High School from age 3 to Sixth Form. Examination results Oxford High School regularly ranks as one of the country's highest achieving independent schools in terms of examination results. The school was ranked first in the South East in a Sunday Times survey based on exam results and "value for money". In the 2011 examinations it was ranked amongst the top 20 independent schools nationwide for GCSE results and the best performing girls' school in the A Levels. In 2006, the school became the first in Oxfordshire to make Mandarin a compulsory subject. Pupils will study it for at least a year accompanying French and can choose to either continue Mandarin or continue French. Facilities and houses As a day school, Oxford High does not have a boarding programme. Pupils in the senior school are divided into four houses, each named after an Ancient Greek deity: Zeus (green) Ares (blue) Athena (yellow) Poseidon (red) Headteachers As of 2025 the head teacher is Marina Gardiner Legge Marina Gardiner Legge 2019- Philip Hills 2017–2019 Judith Carlisle 2011–2016 Felicity Lusk 1997–2010 Joan Townsend 1981–1996 Elaine Kaye 1972–1981 Mary Warnock 1966–1972 M.E. Ann Hancock 1959–1966 Violet Evelyn Stack 1937–1959 Rosalind Brown 1902–1932 Margaret Gale 1932–1936 Edith Marion Leahy 1898–1902 Lucy Helen Soulsby 1887–1897 Matilda Ellen Bishop 1879–1887 Ada Benson 1875–1879 Notable alumni Josephine Barnes (1912–1999), first woman President British Medical Association Ursula Bethell (1874–1945), New Zealand poet and social worker Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge Vicky Bowman, née Robinson, former British diplomat Emma Bridgewater, potter Jacintha Buddicom, poet and childhood friend of George Orwell Nancy Cadogan, artist Catherine Conybeare, academic and philologist Charithra Chandran, actress Gail Davey, professor of epidemiology Cressida Dick (b. 1960), former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sian Edwards, conductor Sos Eltis, author and academic Rebecca Flemming, classicist Amelia Fletcher economist, and indie band singer Diana Fox Carney, economist, climate policy expert and wife of Mark Carney Martha Lane Fox, entrepreneur lastminute.com Mel Giedroyc, actress/comedian Lucy Gordon, actress/model Emily Gowers, Professor of Latin literature at the University of Cambridge Sophie Grigson, cookery TV/writer Pippa Harris, film producer Ethel Hatch, British painter Mary Hockaday, journalist Margaret Hodge, Labour MP and minister Verena Winifred Holmes, engineer Harriet Hunt, chess International Master Elizabeth Irving, actress and founder of the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001), poet Ludmilla Jordanova, Professor of Modern History at the King's College London Frances Kirwan, mathematician Susan Lea, Professor at the University of Oxford Anna Lapwood, Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge and television/radio presenter Rose Macaulay, novelist Serena Mackesy, journalist and author Miriam Margolyes, (b. 1941), actress Ghislaine Maxwell, (junior section, left age 9), socialite and convicted child sex trafficker Charlotte Mendelson (b. 1972), novelist Kate Ho, (b. 1972), economist Anne Mills, health economist Kate Montgomery, (b. 1965), artist Teresa Morgan, academic Eleanor Oldroyd, BBC Radio Sport presenter Ann Pasternak Slater, academic Eileen Power (1889–1940), economic historian and medievalist Rhoda Power (1890–1957), broadcaster and children's writer Liz Shore, former deputy chief medical officer Maggie Smith (1934–2024), double Oscar-winning actress, seven times BAFTA Film Awards winner, Triple Crown of Acting Barbara Strachey (1912–1999), broadcaster and writer Catherine Tucker, American economist Ayesha Vardag, Founder & President of Vardags, divorce lawyer Anna Walker, British civil servant References