Sutton High School, London

Sutton High School is an independent day school for girls aged 3–18 in Sutton, Greater London. It is run by the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST).

Sutton High School GDST
The school's oldest buildings including the 1886 front door which inspires the logo
Address
55 Cheam Road

Sutton
,
Greater London[a]
,
SM1 2AX

England
Coordinates51°21′39″N 0°11′51″W
Information
TypePrivate, GDST
MottoFortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter
(with courage, with truth, with joy)
Established1884
Local authoritySutton
Department for Education URN103022 Tables
HeadMrs Beth Dawson
GenderGirls
Age3 to 18
HousesDora Black, Frances West, Henrietta Stanley, Phyllis Mudford King
Colour(s)  purple
Websitewww.suttonhigh.gdst.net

It was founded in 1884 by the then Girls' Public Day School Trust (GPDST), and was a direct grant grammar school (some pupils having their fees paid by the local authority as in a state grammar school) until this system was abolished in 1976. The first headmistress was Miss Margaret Whyte, and there were 80 pupils on the opening day, 17 January 1884. It has been listed in "Top 100 Independent School" Sunday Times Parent Power Guide, November 2011.[1]

Buildings

The school's accommodation includes a mix of the purpose-built and the converted from a range of periods, and its oldest building predates the school's foundation in 1884.

The school opened in a residential property, Park House, in Cheam Road, which was rented by the Girls Day School Company. By 1886 this had been extended on both sides. This group of buildings is still at the core of the school, and the front door forms the basis of the school logo. In the period between the world wars the buildings were extended westward along Cheam Road, and in 1932 Suffolk House was acquired. The assembly hall was built in 1935, linking Suffolk House to the existing buildings. In 1930 Homestead House in the parallel Grove Road was acquired, to be followed by Hayes House and its neighbour, so that the school's grounds extended between the two streets. The Library was built in 1938, to the south of the core, and in 1959 the Lilian Charlesworth Room was added above it, named after Lilian Charlesworth who had been headmistress from 1939.[2] A new science and language block was opened in 1971 and a swimming pool in 1972. In the 1990s a new "Garden Building" was built, and the former Dene Hotel was bought and converted into a sixth form unit. The school opened its new sustainability-built prep building, Fernwood House,[3] and its new MUGA or multi use games area[4] in September 2022.

MUGA
Fernwood House

Notable former pupils

House system

Since 2009 the school has had a house system.[7] The four houses are named after women connected to the school:

  • Dora Black (1894–1986), author, feminist and campaigner, former pupil; granddaughter-in-law of Henrietta Stanley
  • Phyllis Mudford King (1905–2006), tennis player, former pupil
  • Henrietta Stanley (1807–1895), campaigner for women's education and one of the founders of the GDST; grandmother-in-law of Dora Black
  • Frances West (1875–1969), the first SHS pupil known to have attended university (Somerville College, Oxford), and later headmistress of St Winifred's and Raven's Croft schools in Eastbourne.[8]

Notes
  • ^ a: "Greater London" is not part of the postal address. The school lists its postal address as "55 Cheam Road, Sutton, Surrey SM1 2AX", reflecting the pre-1965 county boundary. The correct postal address as given by the Royal Mail is "55 Cheam Road, SUTTON SM1 2AX"

References
  1. Sutton High School. "School history". Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
  2. Hardwick, Lorna (2004). "Charlesworth, Lilian Edith (1897–1970), headmistress and promoter of international understanding". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/75431. Retrieved 2 September 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. "Sustainability & Environment underpin our new Fernwood House building". Sutton High School. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  4. "Sutton High Introduces New Multi Purpose Astro Pitch". Sutton High School. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  5. "Phyllis King: Hard-hitting ladies doubles champion at Wimbledon in 1931". The Times. 2 February 2006. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
  6. "Dr Nikki Kanani wins GDST Exceptional Contribution Award". Girls' Day School Trust. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  7. "Our House System". Sutton High School. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  8. James, Sue. "The House Names" (PDF). Written for SHS Newsletter. Ravens Croft website. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
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