Brighton Girls, formerly Brighton and Hove High School, is an independent day school for girls aged 3–18 in the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. Founded in 1876, the school has expanded from being a very small school for less than twenty pupils to its present size of taking some 600 students. The school comprises a Prep School, High and Sixth Form. Brighton Girls is one of the schools of the GDST, which is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, with 25 member schools nationwide. The main site is at Montpelier Road in the Montpelier area of the city; the High school and Sixth Form, run as a single unit, are located there. The Prep School is located on Radinden Manor Road in Hove, along with the School's hockey pitch and athletics facilities. The current Head of School is Rosie McColl who started in the autumn term of 2019; the Senior Deputy Head is Wendy Fox and the Deputy Head is Kate Ashdown. The Good Schools Guide describes it as a school that is “certain of its own value and ethos, with individual encouragement producing fantastic results and grounded girls”.
History
Brighton Girls School is the seventh oldest school founded under the Girls' Day School Trust. Its founders had radical ideas of education for women. Upon leaving, pupils are invited into the 70,000-strong GDST Alumnae network. The school founders' names are now used as the houses, Stanley, Lyttleton, Grey and Gurney. Their motto is translated into Truth is the way from Latin.
Academics
Pupils participate in a large number of societies and extra-curricular opportunities. School pupils are divided into four Houses: Grey, Gurney, Lyttelton and Stanley; the Houses compete in a series of events and competitions to earn points, which go towards the House Cup, also known as the Banfora Cup, at the end of each academic year. Charity work is an important feature of the school's outward-looking ethos, with events such as the Senior Citizen's Tea Party and Guild as central parts of the school's traditions. An annual November Fair is a popular community event, bringing together students, parents and local artists. Entrance examinations consist of: 11 + Maths, English & VR; 13+ Maths, English, Science, MFL 16+ Minimum of 5 GCSE passes with 8/7 s in subjects to be pursued; an interview is also included.
Creativity
The school is renowned for being artistically-gifted, partly due to its location in the vibrant community of Brighton and Hove, and partly due to the importance placed upon the arts. Since 2018, the school has had an artist-in-residence, Crimson Trebar, and has been host to numerous open houses and art displays. The school is equally strong in dance, as it has had a resident dance company, Penny & Jules Youth Dance, for numerous years. This company, alongside the school's own dance clubs and groups, work towards the annual dance show, 'Momentum', which is held at the Old Market in Brighton.
Rebranding
The school underwent a rebranding in late 2019, including the change of name, as a well as an updated logo. The launch of an advertising campaign, designed to highlight the school's passion for creativity and exciting learning, was a big success.
