Henrietta Barnett School
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| Established | 1911 |
|---|---|
| Type | Voluntary aided Grammar school |
| Headteacher | Mr Oliver Blond |
| Founder | Dame Henrietta Barnett |
| Specialisms | Music and English |
| Location | Central Square Hampstead Garden Suburb London NW11 7BN England  |
| Local authority | Barnet |
| DfE URN | 101354 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Staff | 50 |
| Students | c. 680 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Publication | The Acorn BCorn |
| Website | www.hbschool.org.uk |
Coordinates: 51°34′52″N 0°11′21″W / 51.5811°N 0.1892°W
The Henrietta Barnett School is a voluntary-aided grammar school for girls in Hampstead Garden Suburb in London The Good Schools Guide called the school "One of the best academic state schools in the country, providing a gentle, inspiring education in a wonderful setting for very clever girls."[1]
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[edit] History
It was founded in 1911 by Dame Henrietta Barnett for the education of girls.[2] She wished to improve girls' education, which in her time, was at a low level. She believed in a society where poor girls had access to the same levels of education as those girls in more privileged sections of society. Indeed when the school was founded, the now affluent Hampstead Garden Suburb was being developed for poor families to live in, and it was Barnett's wish to educate girls based on their natural ability, not their financial background.
Originally known as 'The Institute', the school was initially intended to enclose the North-East side of Central Square, according to Sir Edwin Lutyens' masterplan for the area, and the north wing was completed in 1911. John Soutar, the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust's architect supervised construction of the south wing in 1923, while Lutyens designed the elevations for Crewe Hall, the central block. The building offered concerts, evening classes and debates until its conversion to the Henrietta Barnett School for Girls in the 1930s.[3]
[edit] Present day
In September 2007, the school opened a new multi-gym containing a variety of different exercise machines as well as a dance studio. In addition, the Southway hut was converted into the Acorn Cafe and a new PSHE hut was placed.
The school was recently awarded Music Specialist Status due to its outstanding music department, and now is officially a Music Specialist Status College with English.
In 2009 the school's science wing was completely refurbished to provide 8 modern labs. In September 2010 two new wings were built - one for Music and Drama, and one for Art and Design & Technology. Sports facilities have also been improved.
The school was judged by The Times newspaper to rank 1st and 2nd best achieving state school according to GCSE[4] and A Level[5] results, respectively. With GCSEs and A Levels combined, the school is ranked as the best state secondary school in the country.
In 2011 they received over 9 million pounds to build state of the art facilities at the school. This building project has since been completed, providing the school with two outstanding new blocks: one for Music and Drama and the other for Design and technology and Art.
In 2011 the school was also awarded the Sunday Times Award for "Best State School of the Year".
[edit] Structure
From Years Seven to Eleven, there are ninety-three girls in each year. The school has two buildings: Bigwood House and the Main Building. Bigwood is the home of Key Stage Three. The Main Building is the base for the rest of the school (Key Stages Four and Five).
In addition, the two new buildings either side of the Main Building are now open to pupils and staff providing state of the art music facilities, peripatetic practice rooms and a new cafe.
[edit] Speakers
The school is fortunate to be able to attract well known speakers to talk to the students about a range of issues.
Notable speakers include:
- Robert Winston
- Meera Syal
- Emma Thompson
- Tracy Chevalier
- Doris Lessing
- Kazuo Ishiguro
- Jon Sopel
- Michael Attenborough
- Sir Michael Parkinson
- Richard Dawkins
- Kevin Warwick
- Ruth Padel
- Lembit Öpik
- Will Self
- Nick Hornby
- Martin Bell
- Tim Bowler
- Jamila Gavin
- Jane Duran
[edit] Notable former pupils
- Jo Ankier, professional athlete
- Ros Altmann, political advisor
- Michelle Brunner, professional bridge player, World Bridge Federation Life Champion, English Bridge Union Grand Master[6]
- Helena Cronin, philosopher[7]
- Patricia Finney, author[8]
- Anya Lahiri. singer and actress
- Lucie Skeaping, singer
- Debbie Wiseman, composer
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://goodschoolsguide.co.uk/school/the-henrietta-barnett-school.html
- ^ British History Online - Hendon Education
- ^ History of The Institute - http://www.hgstrust.org/history/institute.html
- ^ The Times top state schools at GCSE
- ^ The Times top state schools at A Level
- ^ Obituary, Hiron, M. The Independent 02.07.2011
- ^ Guardian Unlimited
- ^ Finney, Patricia. "Patricia Finney – by Herself". http://www.patricia-finney.co.uk/auto.html. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
