leading girls' education
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GDST Annual ReviewTRANSCRIPT
Leading girls’educationAnnual review
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21 23Schools in London
Schools Heads & Principals
1 Blackheath High School Lisa Laws
2 Brighton & Hove High School Lorna Duggleby
3 Bromley High School Louise Simpson
4 Central Newcastle High School Hilary French
5 Croydon High School Debbie Leonard
6 Heathfield School, Pinner Susan Whitfield
7 Howell’s School, Llandaff, Cardiff Sally Davis
8 Ipswich High School Elaine Purves
9 Kensington Prep School Prudence Lynch
10 Northampton High School Sarah Dixon
11 Norwich High School for Girls Jason Morrow
12 Notting Hill & Ealing High School Lucinda Hunt
13 Nottingham Girls’ High School Susan Gorham
14 Oxford High School Judith Carlisle
15 Portsmouth High School Jenny Clough
16 Putney High School Dr Denise Lodge
17 The Royal High School, Bath Rebecca Dougall
18 Sheffield High School Valerie Dunsford
19 Shrewsbury High School Marilyn Cass
20 South Hampstead High School Jenny Stephen
21 Streatham & Clapham High School Sue Mitchell
22 Sutton High School Katharine Crouch (Acting)
23 Sydenham High School Kathryn Pullen
24 Wimbledon High School Heather Hanbury
Academies
25 The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool Peter Kennedy
26 Birkenhead High School Christine Mann
As at May 2011
Location of schools and academies Inside front cover
At a glance 2
Forward with confidence 4
More than an education 5
Our history, structure and governance 6
Strategic objectives and goals 7
Delivering excellent all-round education 8
Enabling access 12
Commercially sustainable in the long term 16
Financial summary 19
Notable GDST alumnae 20
Contact details Inside back cover
Contents
“There is something about a GDST girl – a bubbling just below the surface exuberance, and a feeling that whatever life throws at her, she will be equal to it.
“I also love the amount of laughter inour schools – the girls and staff are very happy there, as well as achieving an extraordinary amount.”
Helen Fraser CBEChief Executive
ANNUAL REVIEW 1
ANNUAL REVIEW 3
At a glance
The GDST educates nearly 8% of girls in independent schools, more than any other organisation.
Our average school size is 740 pupils.
Non-stereotypical subject choices for girls
GDST A Level students 2010
44%took one or more science subject
39%took maths
23%took one or more language
Our size and scope allows us to develop and promote talented teachers throughout our network.
Bursaries and scholarships
Last year the GDST spent £8.5m on bursaries and scholarships, of which donations from Trusts and individuals made up £1.2m.
% of A* / A grades at GCSE
Results
% of A* / A grades at A Level
Recognition
8Number of GDST schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power 2010 top 15 prep schools.
18Number of GDST schools in Parent Power 2010 top 100 prep schools.
9Number of GDST schools in Parent Power 2010 top 100 independent senior schools.
1Number of GDST academies in Parent Power 2010 top 100 maintained schools.
Nearly 20,000 pupils in 24 schools and two academies
Over 3,700 staff
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2004
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60
80
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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GCSE – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST schools
National average
Independent schools
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2004
40
60
80
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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50
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A Level – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST schools
National average
Independent schools
2 GDST
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2004
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80
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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GCSE – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST schools
National average
Independent schools
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2004
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80
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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A Level – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST schools
National average
Independent schools
59.7% of exams gained an A* or A 83% of exams gained an A*, A or B
72% of exams gained an A* or A
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2004
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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GCSE – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST Schools
National Average
Independent Schools
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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A Level – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST Schools
National Average
Independent Schools
90%
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85%
75%
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95% 5%
10%
15%
20%
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Pupil numbersStaff numbers
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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GCSE – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST Schools
National Average
Independent Schools
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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A Level – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST Schools
National Average
Independent Schools
90%
0 %
85%
75%
80%
95% 5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
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45%50%
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70%
Pupil numbersStaff numbers
Nursery
Juniors: Reception - Year 6
Seniors: Years 7-11
6th Form:Years 12-13 Teaching
Catering
Administration
Premises
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2004
40
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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GCSE – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST Schools
National Average
Independent Schools
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2004
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010
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A Level – Percentage of A*/A grades
GDST Schools
National Average
Independent Schools
90%
0 %
85%
75%
80%
95% 5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
Central GDST funding
Other bursaries, prizes & scholarships
GDST bursary fund
HSBC bursary awards
Over 2,000 pupils benefited from bursaries or scholarships last year.
At the GDST our aim is not just to provide an outstanding education, but to help girls develop into rounded, confident people, happy and resilient, who can meet and overcome the demands life will make of them.
Our 24 schools and two academies are all individual, but this commitment to developing the whole person is part of our shared DNA. Because of this strength and depth, we are an extraordinarily effective network for sharing knowledge and for spreading best practice (whether it is excellence in hockey, supporting all our medical school applicants to obtain places, or maximising our girls’ potential in public exams). We can also develop and promote talented teachers through our network.
We celebrate our girls’ differences, reinforce their strengths, and help them overcome their challenges. And, because we’re single-sex, girls can be themselves, and grow at their own pace. They’re not cloistered – far from it – but their individual characters can take shape in a way that isn’t possible in a mixed environment.
Our girls are great to talk to. In fact, they illustrate us better than anything we could write. They’ll tell you how exhilarating it is. They’ll tell you how much fun they have, and how much encouragement they’re given. They’ll almost certainly tell you how lucky they feel.
Every girl is different – good at some things, less good or less keen on others – but we make sure that, regardless, she is the best she can be, and that she tries things, reaches for things, achieves things she may have thought beyond her. And when she does this, she grows in confidence and maturity in a way that will stay with her forever.
Forward with confidence More than an education
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I am proud to be the Chairman of the Girls’ Day School Trust, the UK’s leading network of independent girls’ schools, and I know it is a pride and a passion shared by our pupils, our staff and our parents.
The work and the achievements outlined in this brochure demonstrate the resilience of the GDST’s model of locally responsive and centrally supported schools.
Whether it’s about excelling in the league tables or helping every girl in our care to achieve her very best, the all-round education provided by our schools is simply second to none. Our principles of access and inclusion, ensuring that our excellent education is accessible to girls from all backgrounds, regardless of their ability to pay, is given life by our extensive bursary scheme and our schools’ partnership work. And we know that to achieve both these goals we must sustain a successful business so we can continue to invest in future provision.
With the leadership of our inspirational Heads, the support of our enthusiastic and expert staff and the daily achievements of the remarkable girls in our schools, we face the future with confidence and optimism.
Lorna CockingChairman
I am still enormously excited by the opportunity to work for an organisation which I admired so much for so long. Since joining the GDST I have been hugely impressed by the calibre of the schools, the passion and enthusiasm of the staff, the commitment and engagement of the parents and, most of all, by the girls.
While respecting the autonomy of each school in the network, I have sought to foster better links between staff in schools, as well as focusing on the quality of a GDST education enjoyed by pupils and parents.
I have spent time as a ‘pupil’ in several of our schools, going to classes, lunch and sports alongside other pupils – a great experience for any CEO!
I’ve also been fascinated and delighted to meet some of the high-achieving and distinguished alumnae of our schools – formidable proofs of the enduring power of a GDST education.
As we look forward to our 140th anniversary next year, the education our schools provide remains as relevant, as resonant and as powerful as always, and our girls can continue to step out into the world with confidence.
Helen Fraser CBEChief Executive
Founded in 1872, the GDST has always been in the forefront of education for girls.
The novel idea of establishing good and affordable day schools for girls first took shape in 1872 at a public meeting in the newly opened Royal Albert Hall. The prime movers were two sisters, Maria Grey and Emily Shirreff, supported by two equally resolute women, Lady Stanley of Alderley and Mary Gurney, and by peers, MPs and many others.
The first school opened in Chelsea the following year with 16 pupils, and between 1873 and 1895 many more schools were established in London and other English cities. Schools were opened in response to initiatives from local people, who became shareholders in what was then the Girls’ Public Day School Company (GPDST). In 1905 the Company was restructured as a Limited Trust, subsequently becoming a limited company with charitable status.
In more recent years the GDST family has been joined by other independent schools like Howell’s (Llandaff), Heathfield (Pinner) and Northampton High Schools.
In 1944 the GPDST joined the Government’s Direct Grant Scheme, but preferring to remainacademically selective, reverted to full independence when the scheme was discontinued in 1976.
The GDST then became the largest provider of independent senior school places for disadvantaged young people under the Government’s Assisted Places Scheme from 1981 until the Scheme was abolished in 1997.
In 1998 the word ‘Public’ was dropped from the name of the charity and it became the Girls’ Day School Trust.
Today, the spirit of our founders is embodied in every GDST girl – past, present and future.
What we do
To achieve our charitable aims, we:
• provide an excellent education for the students in our 24 schools and in the two academies we sponsor
• contribute well-educated young women to the UK’s talent pool
• provide a bursary scheme to ensure that the excellent education in our fee-paying schools is accessible to the best and the brightest who are not in a position to pay the fees
• support our staff to build partnerships with local maintained schools
Our goals for 2015
Recognition as leaders in educating girls: focus on educating girls throughout our work; delivering academic excellence and all-round development; promoting educational innovation; raising the profile of the Trust and our individual schools.
A high performance organisation: greater autonomy and accountability for Heads; transparent key performance indicators (KPIs)and performance management; establishing new capabilities (eg fundraising in schools); revitalised central office; all schools in top 200 of league tables or equivalent; increased pupil numbers; major building projects in progress.
An access enabler: enabling access to an excellent education for the largest possible number of girls through increased provision of bursaries and scholarships; seeking out the best and the brightest, most deserving girls; school engagement with local communities and the broader world; increased income from fundraising activity.
A well-run, commercially-astute business: committed to the long term sustainable delivery of the best education for girls; reinvesting a healthy surplus in educational provision; recruiting and developing talent; maximising the potential and impact of our people.
Our history, structure and governance Strategic objectives and goals
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The Council of the Trust (our Trustees) is responsible for the overall running of the organisation. Its principal roles are to:
• set strategy• monitor key performance indicators • maintain financial stability • review policies and procedures to mitigate risk
The Council delegates some of itsresponsibilities to four Committees:
• Audit • Governance and Nominations• Senior Appointments and Remuneration• Investments
Each Committee has up to four Council Members, and external members may be appointed to complement their expertise.
The Council delegates the day-to-day management of the Trust to the Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team. They are in regular contact with our 24 schools and two academies, and the Heads of the schools report to the Chief Executive.
Each of the GDST’s schools has a local School Governing Board, whose members support and challenge the Heads, as well as being vital links between theschools and their local communities. Each Council Member is associated with a small number of schools to support the governors and provide a valuable insight into the workings of the GDST nationally.
The GDST Academy Trust is responsible for our two Academies. The GDST appoints the majority of the members of the GDST Academy Trust Board, and it is chaired by a GDST Council Member. Other members are drawn from HSBC Global Education Trust (our co-sponsors of The Belvedere Academy) and the Chairmen of the Academies’ local governing boards.
As leaders in educating girls, we are guardians of the GDST ethos – articulating and evolving the theory and practice of excellent education for girls: academic excellence and all-round development within a happy, challenging, supportive and caring environment.
To achieve this, we aim to set the standards for educating girls – recruiting and developing talented, ambitious and inspirational teachers and education professionals, and competing with the best schools not just in the UK but worldwide.
The results speak for themselves – GDST girls outperform the independent school sector as a whole at GCSE and A Level by a significant margin.
Work with the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University shows our schools make a real difference to their pupils – on average our girls’ attainment at both GCSE and A Level is higher than predicted when they enter our schools (this is also known as ‘value added’).
Nearly all our Sixth Formers achieve their choice of higher education destination, and our Oxbridge and Russell Group results continue to be impressive, even as competition for places mounts. And our Key Stage 2 results show the outstanding performance of our junior schools.
We also have an exceptional record for our girls’ take-up of subjects which have a recognised national shortage, in particular STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and languages. In 2010 44% of GDST A Level students took one or more science subjects, 39% maths and 23% took one or more languages, with a further 10% taking a language as a stand-alone AS Level.
Academic success is not, of course, the whole picture. Our schools offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities and our pupils regularly achieve great things in sports and the arts. Our emphasis is strongly on enriching the curriculum and finding new ways to help every girl achieve her personal best in all aspects of her personal development – academic, social, cultural, artistic, scientific, sporting and more. The schools continue to provide a rounded education to help pupils make their way in adult life and fulfil their potential.
The GDST Alumnae Network helps keep the channels of communication open between former students and their schools. It helps former students connect with old and new friends alike, provides a forum for networking, hosts events and shares news (for more details see page 20).
“It’s really great tosee such enthusiasm within a school.”
• Oxford High’s Junior School was named the ‘Independent Prep School of the Year 2010’ by The Sunday Times. This follows on from Kensington Prep’s award in 2009.
• A team of Year 7 girls from Croydon High School reached the national finals of the Times’ Spelling Bee contest.
• Six Sutton High School Year 13 biologists took part in the British Biology Olympiad, a national competition organised by the Society of Biology, and one, Mina Ghosh won a Gold Medal.
• Seven Sixth Formers at Howell’s School, Llandaff, have been selected to play in national ensembles, including the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales, National Youth Jazz Wales, the National Youth Choir of Wales and the Welsh National Youth Opera.
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School and individual achievements
Delivering excellent all-round education for girls
Year 9 parent
“I’m so grateful for the opportunitiesthat I have been given having been at a GDST school.”Sixth Form student
Highlights 2009-2010
Educational excellence• Academically, students at GDST schools
continue to outperform their independent and maintained sector peers at all ages and stages, and several GDST schools again featured near the top of the media league tables for their students’ performance at GCSE and A Level
• The vast majority of our Sixth Formers continue to go on to their choice of University or other higher education destination. In 2010 16% of GDST A Level students went on to study medicine, dentistry or allied subjects (including pharmacy), and over 100 GDST school-leavers gained places at Oxford or Cambridge
Inspiring teaching• Investing in our people • A talent management plan is being
developed • Observation (learning walk or pupil trail)
is happening in all schools
• Continued establishment of a culture of excellence and innovation; sharing best practice much more actively across the network
Recognition• Oxford High’s Junior School was named the
‘Independent Prep School of the Year 2010’ by the Sunday Times. This follows on from Kensington Prep’s award in 2009
• Pinner Leadership Centre, part of Heathfield School, won Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) accreditation
• The GDST Alumnae Network launched a quarterly e-zine, sent to all members for whom we have email addresses. We also set up a GDST Alumnae LinkedIn group to support professional networking
• All the GDST schools inspected by the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI) – Brighton & Hove, Bromley, Heathfield, Northampton, Oxford, Portsmouth, Putney, The Royal High School Bath, Shrewsbury, South Hampstead, Streatham & Clapham and Wimbledon – passed with flying colours
• The Belvedere Academy’s first Ofsted inspection saw the school gaining ‘outstanding’ in 28 out of 31 categories – a brilliant result
Looking forward in 2011
Educational excellence• Embedding PiPS (Performance in Primary
Schools) to ensure a consistent approach to assessment, informative benchmarking and a real focus on adding value to the education we provide the girls in our Junior schools
• Using our intranet more effectively as a platform for sharing best practice among teachers and for strategic collaborations with other organisations
• Developing a Trust-wide, added-value Sixth Form offer, encompassing both academic and extra-curricular components
• Developing an educational strategy to make the best use of ICT in teaching and learning
• Holding a new GDST conference at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, bringing together aspiring Oxbridge applicants to excite them about the prospect of high level academic study, provide them with key information to enhance their application, and prepare them for the challenges of the selection process
Recognition• Widening our media reach to raise the
national profile of the GDST. Trialling advertising on Mumsnet and other appropriate websites
• Using our unique network of alumnae to full effect. Launching our ‘Alumna of the Year’ award and developing partnerships with other organisations relevant to our alumnae
• Becoming a more parent-focused organisation: launching a new parents’ email newsletter and enhancing our online parents’ portal
• Lowri Davies and Kitty McWhirter were selected for the England Under 16 Hockey squad. The girls are part of Ipswich High School’s Elite Sportswomen Programme, specifically designed to support the School’s most talented sportswomen.
• Streatham & Clapham High School pupils, Eleanor Caitlin and Sarah Redman, Year 8, were awarded prizes in the national competition, Young Brits at Art, and their work was displayed at the Saatchi Gallery in central London.
• Three Portsmouth High School students, Alice O’Connor, Zoranna Gray and Lara Hardwick, successfully gained places with the National Youth Theatre. In addition, Grace Gladston won the ‘Make It Break It’ song writing competition with her GCSE song ‘Meet me on a Monday’.
• Blackheath High School was the first GDST school awarded the prestigious British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) ICT Mark in recognition of the school’s use of ICT across the curriculum. Additionally the school gained the Arts Council’s ‘Artsmark Gold’ award for its excellent provision of art, dance, drama and music. BHS also became the first independent school to join the Olympic Get-Set network, using Olympic and Paralympic values to inspire learners.
• Two Year 10 scientists, Aysha Waheed and Rachel Rawlinson, from Sydenham High School, won the British Science Association Science/Maths stream award for ‘Don’t Sweat’, researching links between deodorant chemicals and cancer. In addition, the massed choirs of Sydenham High packed out the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate Christmas with the Stars in aid of Leukaemia Research, accompanied by the band of the Salvation Army.
• A South Hampstead High School student, Sara Last, was a finalist in Brunel University’s national Young Designers competition, for her multi-purpose wooden study unit combining a desk and a chair and storage.
• Northampton High School Sixth Former Alex Pritchard won the Nuffield Foundation Stockholm International Youth Science prize at the National Science and Engineering awards in Manchester, for her study of coeliac disease, undertaken during work experience at Northampton General Hospital. She represented the UK at the Nobel Prize science awards ceremony in Stockholm.
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Delivering excellent all-round education for girls
The GDST is committed to enabling access to an excellent education for the largest possible number of able girls, including those who are not in a position to pay full fees.
We subsidise places from our central income and from third party sponsorship through bursaries and scholarships. We also fundraise to maximise the support available.
As an equal opportunity organisation, the GDST welcomes pupils from all backgrounds. Schools assess applicants’ ability and aptitude, and we are committed to a working environment that is free from discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability.
Bursaries and scholarships
We offer financial assistance through a bursary scheme so that our schools continue to be accessible to able girls who would not otherwise benefit from a GDST education.
Since the scheme was first introduced in 1997, 3,645 pupils have benefited. To assess who is eligible for a bursary, we consider a range of objective criteria including the income and capital resources of the families applying, and we re-assess every year to ensure those most in need of support continue to receive it.
New bursary awards will range from 30% to 100% of fees. A hardship fund also helps bursary pupils meet the cost of extra-curricular activities, equipment and school trips.
We would particularly like to acknowledge thesupport of HSBC Global Education Trust, Leverhulme Education Trust and John Lyon’s Charity for our bursaries.
Scholarships can be up to 50% of fees, and are awarded locally by schools to reflect academic, sporting or artistic distinction; they can also be supplemented by a bursary.
Educational and other community links
All our schools see themselves very much as part of a wider community and are keen that staff and pupils engage with their local communities in a wide range of ways.
GDST Academies
Our sponsorship and ongoing support of the two academies in the GDST network – The Belvedere and Birkenhead High School – builds on our principles of access and inclusion, providing beacons of educational excellence available to the whole community. The 1,500 pupils in our academies are very much ‘Trust girls’, and the staff and students have access to the same benefits of being part of the GDST network that staff, students and Heads in our fee-paying schools enjoy.
• Sheffield High School won an Independent Schools Award for the best independent-maintained school collaboration, recognising all the work which individual staff and departments at the school have done over the years in breaking down barriers and building links with maintained schools in their area.
• To mark UN International Human Rights Day, Year 12 religious studies students at Nottingham Girls’ High School held a video-conference debate on human rights with former Prime Minister Tony Blair and students from Palestine and India.
• The Belvedere Academy achieved ‘outstanding’ grades in 28 out of 31 categories in its first Ofsted inspection. The Academy also gained Investors in People status, the Artsmark Gold Award and the ‘Advanced’ Inclusion Charter Mark.
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Enabling access for more girls“If only youcould bottle what you do!”Year 4 parent
School and individual achievements
Highlights 2009-2010
Bursaries and scholarships• Over £6.5m was allocated to bursaries, and
a further £2m to scholarships, which meant that over 2,000 pupils, whose families were not in a position to pay the full fees, benefited from a GDST education. Nearly 160 of those are on full bursaries
• Over 18% of girls in our fee-charging senior schools receive financial assistance
Fundraising• The increase in bursary and scholarship
funding included: • £436,000 to the Minerva Fund, including
a substantial contribution from the HSBC Global Education Trust
• £33,000 for the Prizes and Scholarships Fund
• £204,000 to the Howell’s Restricted and Endowment Funds
Partnerships• Sheffield High School won the award
for the best independent-maintained school collaboration at the Independent Schools Awards. Its AimHigher partnership supports students applying to Oxbridge from schools across Sheffield. In addition, the Head of English regularly delivers Local Education Authority training sessions and advice and support to her peers in maintained schools
• Portsmouth High School welcomed 50 girls from 15 local schools for a design and technology challenge to develop a proposal for a monorail
• Blackheath High School welcomed Year 5 and 6 pupils from six neighbouring primary schools to an ‘able writers’ poetry workshop. Blackheath High’s sports partnership with nearby maintained schools also provides tennis coaching for pupils aged five to nine years old, and the school hosts an annual tennis festival
• Sixth Formers at Ipswich High School devised and organised a competition to develop Year 10 pupils’ confidence and ability through public speaking. Four Suffolk maintained and independent schools took part. The Sixth Formers also ran drama workshops for pupils in neighbouring primary schools
• Northampton High School’s Youth Parliament involves pupils from local maintained schools
• Notting Hill & Ealing High School organises and hosts a number of events ranging from sustainability conferences to science forums with four maintained schools as part of the Ealing Independent State School Partnership
• Pupils from a local maintained school use Heathfield School’s pool for GCSE PE competitive swimming, personal survival and swimming training, and its sports facilities for athletics and tennis training
• South Hampstead High School is affiliated with the Ismaili Centre in London, which organises an annual maintained/independent schools conference on ethics, and runs workshops in a range of areas, such as UCAS applications
Looking forward in 2011
• Expanding fundraising and development to create even more bursaries to enable wider access
• Continuing to target our financial support on girls and families who most need it through our Founders’ Awards
• Identifying partnership or public benefit co-ordinators in all our schools to champion partnership work and lead on building relationships with local schools
• The Norwich High School for Girls Chamber Choir joined choirs from across the UK at the Barnardo’s Celebration Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in November.
• Wimbledon High School’s Francesca Moll’s article on the Charge of the Light Brigade was selected out of more than 500 entries to win her age group in the Guardian and Historical Association’s ‘History in the News’ competition. Her prize was a framed mock up of her article as a Guardian front page. In addition, the School Council has been commended in the House of Commons Speaker’s School Council Awards for its sterling work in giving students a voice in the day-to-day running of the school.
• 2012 Paralympic swimming hopeful Jessica Harper, from Putney High School, gained eight A*s and two As in her GCSEs despite training and travelling for 25 hours a week. She was amongst those celebrating record GCSE and A Level results at the school, which began work on a state-of-the-art new Sixth Form Centre. Putney High’s Junior Choir was, for the second time in two years, a finalist in the BBC Songs of Praise Junior School Choir of the Year competition, at which judges hailed their performance ‘a masterclass in choral singing’.
• Award-winning poet Zahid Hussain, writer of The Curry Mile, opened Birkenhead High School Academy’s third literary festival ‘Reading Between the Lines’ in November. The festival brought together celebrity authors and poets, and Year 13 student Jess Yung, the Wirral Young Poet Laureate, met Carol Ann Duffy. The Academy also hosted its annual Music Festival which saw over 200 competitors take part in a glorious day of music making.
• Two Sixth Formers from The Royal High School, Bath – Katie Costello and Eilis Higgins – won Nuffield Science Bursaries, working on research projects at Bristol University over the summer. Katie’s placement included a trip to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland, while Eilis spent time at Bristol Royal Infirmary researching coronary heart disease.
• Bromley High School hosted a stimulating conference on ‘The Struggle for Declining Resources: What Effect is this having on International Politics?’, attended by 140 Sixth Formers from local schools. Sponsored by the Financial Times, it was organised by The European Atlantic Movement (T.E.A.M), which aims to promote understanding of world affairs and of the institutions of international cooperation.
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Enabling access for more girls
“We offer academic rigour and intellectual stimulus but also amazing pastoral care and friendship in our schools, building confidence and teaching leadership, risk-taking and teamwork.”Marilyn Cass, Head, Shrewsbury High School
“Everyone says you can tell a GDST girl from a mile away. I think it’s a confidence to be successful and to do what you want to do.”Sixth Form student
• The business studies department at Northampton High School entered the Institute of Accountants for England & Wales’ Business Enterprise competition for the first time, and came third out of 170 schools nationally.
• The new Sixth Form building at Notting Hill & Ealing High School was recommended for an Ealing Civic society Award and won the People’s Choice category. Sixth Former Achieng Ajulu-Bushell represented England in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi qualifying for the finals of both the 50 metre and 100 metre breaststroke events. Lucinda Hunt, Head, was appointed Education Advisor to the Trustees of HTI (Heads, Teachers and Industry).
• Pupils at Brighton & Hove High School won a national poetry competition, after pupils created a multimedia presentation of The Clown Punk. The prize was a writing workshop and poetry reading with the poem’s author, award-winning poet Simon Armitage, who described their winning entry as “daring, witty, wise and entertaining.”
As a national network of independent schools, the GDST is committed to the sustainable delivery and the continuing improvement of the best education for girls.
To do so, we provide strategic leadership and closely monitor the performance of our schools. We also provide shared services to our schools. Perhaps most significantly, we reinvest all surpluses across the organisation back into our education, to the benefit of current and future girls.
The range of services the Trust provides to all its schools includes expertise in educational and legal policy, human resources (HR) development, ICT infrastructure, finance, estates and communications support. Schools therefore benefit from our shared knowledge and the ongoing Trust-wide training programme. Sharing best practice between schools is supported and encouraged. Fees collection and payroll services are administered from the centre to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
The Trust’s continuing investment in a high performing ICT infrastructure, computers and other learning technologies ensures that our pupils have access to the best possible ICT resources. Our Wide Area Network and Portal enables all members of the Trust community to collaborate and communicate.
Highlights 2009-2010
• The GDST’s position in a competitive market was maintained. Nearly 20,000 pupils attended Trust schools in 2009-2010, including those at our two academies
• Several significant capital building projects were successfully completed. These included:
• Refurbishing and remodelling a recently acquired building into a stand-alone Sixth Form facility for Notting Hill & Ealing High School
• An extension to the Grade II Listed Sixth Form Centre at Sheffield High School, providing an independent learning centre
• A substantial investment in Oxford High School to provide a new reception, assembly hall, drama facilities, lecture theatre and dining facilities, as well as creating a new library and learning resource centre at the heart of the school
Overall our investment in new and improved buildings and facilities amounted to £12.1m
• Revitalisation and refocus of central Trust Office to support schools more effectively
• A restructured and revitalised executive team has been appointed
• More detailed financial information is shared with schools
ANNUAL REVIEW 17
Commercially sustainable in the long term“Our daughter hashad such an excellent start to life.”Junior School parent
School and individual achievements
Highlights 2009-2010 continued
• Transition to a new operating model where Heads have more autonomy and performance accountability
• The GDST’s budgeting and accounting systems now give schools and the Trust more detailed management information, enabling us to make more targeted use of available resources for the benefit of all students
• Transparency of information for Heads on our three key performance indicators – academic success, pupil numbers and financial contribution. Every school has now produced an updated three year plan and vision for their school in 2013, and we share school KPIs with staff
• Ten schools gained BECTA ICT Mark accreditation and 30 staff trained as facilitators to deliver the EPICT (European Pedagogical ICT) qualification to teachers
Looking forward in 2011
• Finalising our five-year strategic plan
• Initiating large capital building programmes for South Hampstead High School and, subject to planning consents, for Notting Hill & Ealing High School and The Royal High School, Bath, as well as maintaining our oversight of the building programme at Birkenhead High School Academy. These projects will revitalise these schools and the all-round education they can offer their pupils
• Completing the capital building projects already begun, including:
• a new dance studio and enhancement to the sports provision at Sutton High School
• an extension to the Sixth Form at Norwich High School for Girls
• a new Sixth Form facility at Putney High School
• Enhancing central procurement to maximiseeconomies of scale across the network
• Piloting the introduction of access to the GDST online parents’ portal in a number of our schools
• Developing a structured professional leadership development programme for all Heads
• Seven more schools gaining ICT Mark accreditation
Financial summary
• Four Year 10 and 11 girls from Heathfield School, Pinner, were selected for Durham University’s Gifted and Talented programme last summer. The pupils spent a week taking part in activities and workshops centring on their chosen subjects of History and Anthropology. Only 100 pupils from across the country take part each year, so this was a great achievement.
• Three Sixth Form musicians from Shrewsbury High School – Rosie Powell Davies, Lucy Arch and Katy Corfield – have won places in the prestigious City of Birmingham Symphony’s Youth Orchestra.
• Iconic designer Zandra Rhodes visited Central Newcastle High School’s Art School and was guest of honour at the school’s prizegiving at The Sage Gateshead. She was so impressed with the girls’ design work that she invited Frankee To in Year 13 to apply for work experience with her.
18 GDST ANNUAL REVIEW 19
Income and expenditure – year end 31 August 2010
INCOMING RESOURCES £m
School fees 177.4
Other income 8.7
Academy Trust Government grants 10.1
Trading income 2.1
Investment income 2.0
Voluntary income 2.4
Total incoming resources 202.7
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Provision of education 185.7
Other costs 3.3
Total resources expended 189.0
Gains on investments (realised and unrealised) 5.0
NET SURPLUS 18.7
Group balance sheet – year end 31 August 2010
FIXED ASSETS £m
Tangible assets 212.8
Investments 54.4
267.2
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors 5.1
Cash at bank 29.4
34.5
CREDITORS: due within one year (19.7)
NET CURRENT ASSETS 14.8
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 282.1
CREDITORS: due after one year (25.3)
TOTAL NET ASSETS 256.8
Endowed funds 1.8
Restricted funds 48.9
Unrestricted funds 206.1
TOTAL FUNDS 256.8
Full audited accounts can be seen at www.charitycommission.gov.uk
Commercially sustainable in the long term
As a charity, any surplus is reinvested in the education we provide, and particularly in maintaining and improving the quality of the buildings and facilities across our 24 schools. The GDST is the largest educational charity in the UK.
“Our girls really do thrive here and leave us ready to take on the challenges, experiences and adventures life will bring.”Elaine Purves, Head, Ipswich High School
Contact details
Council of the Trust (Trustees)
Lorna Cocking Chairman
Lady (Stephanie) North Deputy Chairman
Stephen Dance Deputy Chairman
Mary Chapman
Clara Freeman
Professor Sue Iversen
John Jay
Jane Richardson
Nick Stuart
Tom Wheare
Senior Management Team
Helen Fraser Chief Executive
Tom Beardmore-Gray Director of Finance and Operations
Caroline Hoare Director of People (and Company Secretary)
Amanda Riddle Director of Communications
Zoe Smith Director of Estates
Kevin Stannard Director of Innovation and Learning
The Girls’ Day School Trust, a limited company registered in England No. 6400.Registered Charity No. 306983. Registered Office: 100 Rochester Row, London, SW1P 1JP
100 Rochester Row, London SW1P 1JP
T 020 7393 [email protected]
Twitter @GDST1872www.gdst.net
Giving the gift of education
Great schools survive and prosper due to the stewardship of earlier generations. Providing opportunities for a high standard of education in the 21st century is more expensive than ever before and the pressures on our schools even greater. Of crucial importance to our schools is the ongoing ability to offer places to gifted students from all backgrounds. Philanthropy has always been at the heart of the GDST. Several schools have established an Annual Fund, and school legacy societies build on a history of kind bequests. We welcome contributions from alumnae, parents and former staff to our Bursary and Scholarship Fund. The Bursary and Scholarship Programme aims to ensure that GDST schools continue to be accessible to a wide range of talented students regardless of their financial circumstances. If you would like to find out more about how you can support the GDST, or a particular school, or if you have any questions, we’re always happy to hear from you. Just call the Development Department on 020 7393 6607 or email Janice Larden-Price on [email protected] or write to us at the address below. Or to give today, visit http://donate.gdst.net
SGS-COC-2101
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The GDST Alumnae Network is the alumnae group for former pupils of GDST schools. It was established as the ‘Minerva Network’ in 1994 to unite our diverse alumnae community. There are nearly 50,000 active members throughout the world and it provides an unrivalled opportunity to meet old friends, network and mentor. Anyone who attended a GDST school can become a member and there is no joining fee. Simply submit your registration online at www.gdstalumnae.net
This is just a selection of our wonderful alumnae to give a flavour of their wide-ranging and remarkable achievements.
Academic and education
Professor Alyson Bailes (Belvedere)Visiting Professor of International Affairs at the University of Iceland
Professor Mary Beard (Shrewsbury)Professor of Classics at Cambridge, and Fellow of Newnham College
Baroness Sally Morgan (Belvedere) Chair of Ofsted, former Minister of State for Women. Life peer
Professor Dame Louise Napier Johnson (Wimbledon)Professor of Molecular Biophysics at Oxford – awarded DBE for services to biophysical science
Professor Dame Marilyn Strathern (Bromley)Former Professor of Social Anthropology at Cambridge; Mistress of Girton College
Arts
AS Byatt (Sheffield)Author – winner of the Man Booker Prize
Pippa Harris (Oxford)Film producer, Neal Street Productions – production credits include Starter for Ten, Jarhead and Revolutionary Road
Sandy Powell (Sydenham)Costume designer – won Oscars in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love, 2005 for The Aviator, and 2010 for The Young Victoria
Indhu Rubasingham (Nottingham)Theatre director – productions include The Ramayana at the National Theatre and Yellowman at Hampstead Theatre
Fay Weldon (South Hampstead)Author and Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University
Business
Emma Bridgewater (Oxford)Pottery designer – renowned for polka dot designed potteryware and accessories
Baroness Janet Cohen (South Hampstead)Former Chairman of BPP Holdings; GDST Associate
Karen Easton (Sutton)Co-founder of Café Rouge restaurant chain
Beverly Hodson (Blackheath)Former Managing Director of WH Smith; GDST Associate
Penny Hughes (Birkenhead)Former Head of Coca Cola UK; Trustee of the British Museum; President of the Advertising Association
Jane Platt (Birkenhead)Chief Executive, National Savings & Investments
Law
Judge Frances Kirkham (Heathfield)Senior Circuit Judge; founder member of the UK Association of Women Judges
Cathryn McGahey (Howell’s)Barrister, Junior Counsel to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry
Sandie Okoro (Putney)Global General Counsel, Barings Bank
Media
Mary Berry (Royal High, Bath)Celebrity chef; writer and journalist
Bettany Hughes (Notting Hill & Ealing)Historian and broadcaster – presented television series on The Spartans and Helen of Troy
Becky Mantin (Norwich)ITV weather reporter
Miriam Stoppard OBE (Central Newcastle)Doctor, author of the Children’s Medical Handbook, television presenter and agony aunt
Caroline Raphael (Putney)Commissioning editor, Radio 4
Miriam Margolyes OBE (Oxford)Actress – best known for roles in Harry Potter and Blackadder
June Whitfield (Streatham & Clapham)Actress – best known for roles in Terry and June and Absolutely Fabulous
Non-profit and charity
Dr Mary Baker MBE (Bromley)Former CEO of Parkinson’s Disease Society and President of European Federation of Neurological Associations
Baroness Ilora Finlay (Wimbledon) Professor of palliative medicine, Cardiff University School of Medicine and a consultant at the Velindre cancer centre in Cardiff. Life peer
Claire Hicks MBE (Brighton & Hove) Director of Impact Foundation – awarded MBE for services to international development
Dame Mary Marsh (Birkenhead)Former CEO of NSPCC, Director of the Clore Social Leadership Programme
Politics and Civil Service
Margaret Bryan (Croydon)British diplomat – first ambassador to Panama and GDST Associate
Baroness Elspeth Howe (Royal High, Bath)Former Deputy Chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission and former Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Commission. Life peer
Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller (Northampton)Former Director General of MI5 and life peer
Esther McVey (Belvedere)Conservative MP for Wirral West, former TV presenter; GDST Associate
Dame Stella Rimington (Nottingham)Former Director General of MI5, and first female DG of MI5. Author of several spy fiction novels
Sport
Sam Davies (Portsmouth)World-class yachtswoman – sailed non-stop, single-handed around the world to come fourth in 2009’s Vendee Globe
Sam Eve (Ipswich)Member of the first all female team to complete the polar challenge; GDST Associate
Karen Pickering MBE (Brighton & Hove)Swimmer – Olympic Gold medallist; Chair of the British Athletes Commission; GDST Associate
Notable GDST alumnae
www.gdst.net