Ipswich High School

Ipswich High School is a girls' independent school, located near the town of Ipswich, England. It was founded in 1872 and is one of the schools of the Girls' Day School Trust.

Famous former pupils include the television actress June Brown (who is best known for playing Dot Branning in the BBC series EastEnders).

History

Ipswich High School was opened in the Assembly Rooms in Northgate Street, Ipswich, on 30 April 1878 with 43 pupils. The first Headmistress Miss Sophie Youngman was in-post for 21 years and the school flourished and expanded under her leadership. She was succeeded by Miss Kennett and in 1905 the Council of the Trust purchased a large private house and grounds in Westerfield Road, Ipswich. The move provided a more modern type of classroom, science laboratories and a playing field. The School continued to expand and another house, Woodview House, was purchased in 1913. Owing to the continued expansion of the school and the demands of the modern curriculum, the decision was taken in 1992 to rehouse the school at Woolverstone Hall, a Grade 1 listed building set in 80 acres of parkland on the banks of the River Orwell.

Present day

Now located in the village of Woolverstone, 4 miles from Ipswich, Ipswich High School serves a wide area across Suffolk and North Essex.

The school takes girls aged 3 - 18 years, providing both secondary and primary school education, as well as a nursery and sixth form. The school today had around 600 pupils and excellent facilities including a new astroturf and indoor swimming pool, as well as a large theatre and sports hall. There are separate buildings for the Senior Department and Junior Department.

In addition, the new Headmistress, Elaine Purves (2006-present) has recently implemented a new school motto : "Live for today, learn for tomorrow" to replace the traditional "Before honour is humility." Moreover, the school also has a new logo - a cross between a flower, a sunburst and an owl's eye, to represent growth, energy and wisdom, as well as links with the GDST.

Recently, Ipswich High School has been affected by a great deal of controversy. On April 3rd, 2007, the new astroturf field was vandalized and the culprits have yet to be exposed. Some time during the night, an unusual design was burned into the field. This design consisted of interlocking circles of various sizes and was surrounded by swirls. The Headmistress, Elaine Purves, believes that a group of girls from the school masterminded and executed this vandalism. Some members of the community that are of alternative faith believe the act was done by extraterrestrials.

Uniform

The uniform is a cherry red jumper with a red and white checked blouse worn with a knee-length grey skirt and black shoes. In the Summer, white socks are compulsory. In the Autumn/Winter seasons, girls must wear black socks or black tights with an optional money belt for seniors and pencil grey pinafore for junior school up to year 5.

Notable Alumnae

*June Brown, actress
*Enid Blyton, author

External links

* [http://www.gdst.net/ipswichhigh Ipswich High School]