Sydenham High School
| Sydenham High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
19 Westwood Hill Sydenham , London , SE26 6BL | |
| Coordinates | 51°25′38″N 0°03′46″W / 51.4273°N 0.0629°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private school |
| Established | 1887 |
| Department for Education URN | 100757 Tables |
| Head teacher | Ms Antonia Geldeard |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 4 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 726 |
| Website | School site |
Sydenham High School is an independent day school for 4- to 18-year-old girls located in London, England.[1] Sydenham High School was founded by the Girls’ Public Day School Trust in 1887. Since then, the original school roll of 20 pupils has grown to 724 girls. The school is separated into the senior and prep schools, each with a separate site on Westwood Hill in Sydenham.
History
The school was created by the Girls’ Public Day School Trust in 1887 with an initial school roll of twenty[2] and Ms I Thomas as the founding head.
In 1901 the mathematics graduate Helen Sheldon became the school's second head teacher. She created the school's first orchestra. She introduced the idea of senior girls becoming prefects and she divided the school into houses. Sheldon's family had left her money and she used some of this to offer her school interest free loans. A minor addition was a school pavilion that was created from an old tram, but the major additions was to the school grounds. Using the money she lent to the school the campus was increased by the purchase of adjoining land.[3] In 1910 Sheldon obtained permission for the school's buildings to be increased by the use of two former residential houses.[4] Sheldon retired in 1917.[3]
In April 1934, the school moved to Horner Grange, a former house built for diamond magnate William Knight in 1884, where he lived until his death in 1900. The premises subsequently became a hotel before the school bought the freehold.[5] It was damaged by fire in 1997, but the building was restored.[6]
The school's original Anglo Saxon motto, Nyle ye drede, means "fear nothing" and is adopted by the school as a whole.[7] As distinct cohorts within a shared community, the school actively encourage pupils to step outside their comfort zones, developing both independence of mind and the courage to take risks. 2022 marks the school's 135th anniversary and has refreshed its straplines for each of the three sections of the school: "Flourish and Fly" (Prep), "Use Your Voice" (Senior) and "Own Your Future" (Sixth) whilst alumnae "Lead The Way".
Headmistresses
- Miss Irene Thomas, 1887-1901
- Miss Helen Sheldon, 1901-1917
- Miss Sanders, 1917-1930
- Miss Smith, 1931-1941
- Miss Yardley, 1942-1966
- Miss Hamilton, 1966-1987
- Mrs Baker, 1988-1999
- Dr Lodge, 1999-2002
- Mrs Pullen, 2002-2016
- Mrs Woodcock, 2017-2022
Notable former pupils
- G. E. M. Anscombe, philosopher
- Elly Jackson, lead singer with pop group La Roux
- Emily Joyce, actress
- Gertrude Leverkus (1899–1976), architect
- Margaret Lockwood (1916-1990), actress
- Sophie McKenzie, author of books such as Blood Ties
- Khadijah Mellah (b.2000) first competitive jockey to wear the hijab and winner of the Magnolia Cup at Goodwood[8]
- Sandy Powell, BAFTA-winning costume designer
- Florence Rawlings, musician
- Kathleen Shackleton (1884-1961), artist
Notes and references
- ^ "Sydenham High School".
- ^ The Education Annual, p. 186, at Google Books
- ^ a b "Sheldon, Helen Maud (1859–1945), headmistress and educationist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/58462. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 22 September 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Licence to use 70 and 72, Longton Grove, Sydenham, as part of the Sydenham High School. 10 November 1910.
- ^ Grindlay, Steve (15 November 2014). Sydenham and Forest Hill Through Time. Amberley Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-445-63513-2.
- ^ "Sydenham Common route". London Footprints. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Sydenham High School". Girls' School Association. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ Morgan, Tom (30 July 2019). "'It's so powerful to see Muslim women doing incredible things': Meet Khadijah Mellah, the Goodwood-bound teenager helping change perceptions". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
