Colston's Girls' School
 | |
 | |
| Established | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Type | Secondary Academy |
| Trust | CGS Trust |
| Principal | John Whitehead |
| Location |
Cheltenham Road Bristol BS6 5RD England 51°28′04″N 2°35′28″W / 51.467643°N 2.591189°WCoordinates: 51°28′04″N 2°35′28″W / 51.467643°N 2.591189°W |
| DfE URN | 135581 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Capacity | 720 (Data from January 2016) |
| Students | 801 (Data from January 2016) |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | colstonsgirls.bristol.sch.uk |
Colston's Girls' School is a girls secondary Academy, located in the Montpelier area of Bristol, England.
History
The school opened in 1891. It was founded with endowments left by and named after philanthropist, merchant, slave trader, and Member of Parliament (MP) Edward Colston.[1][2]
From 1945 to 1966 the school was a direct grant grammar school with an entrance exam.[3] In 1966 it chose to become a selective independent school until in September 2008 voluntarily converting to a state-funded Academy specialising in languages.[4] This agreement was announced in July 2007 and sponsored by the Society of Merchant Venturers.[4][5] In accord with the funding agreement, the admissions criteria are not based on how close pupils live to the school.[5] A tenth of admissions are based on aptitude in a foreign language, and then priority is given to siblings of existing pupils. Most of the remaining places are allocated on a random basis to children who live in Bristol, with a quarter of places randomly allocated to applicants in the districts surrounding Bristol (approximating to the former county of Avon).[6]
The school mottos are; We cherish our history but look to the future, and Go and do thou likewise taken from the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. It is a multi-faith school.
Girls in Year 7 study French language or Spanish. They have a French trip to go to France for about 3 days, usually visiting DisneyLand and a few other sites, and Year 8 upwards study either French, Spanish or both, along with either Russian, German or Latin, which they can continue with until their GCSEs. In the sixth form they have a choice of studying any of these languages, plus Italian, Mandarin Chinese or Japanese for A level, with trips overseas to expand the girls' speaking abilities.
The school encourages the arts and sports, with teams entering competitions and tournaments across the country in sports such as athletics, hockey, and netball. An annual exhibition of the girls' art work is also displayed at Bristol Guild of Applied Art.
In 2013 the agreed intake increased to 140 pupils, with a sixth form maximum of 180 pupils, from an original academy intake of 112 pupils with a 160 pupil sixth form.[7]
The school building was designed by William Venn Gough and dates from 1891. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building.[8]
Academic achievement
The school has improved its results almost year on year and achieved its best ever GCSE scores in 2011, the table below shows the percentage of students hitting the key measure of 5 A*-C including English and Mathematics.[9]
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 85% | 91% | 94% | 84% |
The Dolphin School
In September 2012, a primary school known as the Dolphin School opened near the main site. It has around 20 pupils in each class.
References
- ↑ Turner, Camilla (2 November 2017). "Headteacher of school founded by slave trader Edward Colston says he refuses to 'obscure history' by changing its name". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ "Slave trader Edward Colston cut out of school service in his honour". The Daily Telegraph. 19 October 2017.
- ↑ "Do you think the school should keep its name or change it?". Colston's Primary School. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- 1 2 Lipsett, Anthea (4 July 2007). "Bristol private school in switch to state academy". The Guardian.
- 1 2 Colston's Girls' School Academy, BSF Funding Agreement, Department for Children, Schools and Families, 11 March 2008, archived from the original on 3 June 2012, retrieved 2009-02-04
- ↑ "Admissions Policy" (PDF). Colston's Girls' School. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ↑ "Approved Admission Arrangements for Colston's Girls' School (2013/14)". Colston's Girls' School. February 2012. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ↑ "Colston's Girl School". Images of England. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ↑ "Colston's Girls' School - GOV.UK". Education.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-13.