Lady Eleanor Holles School


Lady Eleanor Holles School is an independent day school for girls in Hampton, London. It consists of a small junior school and a larger senior school, which operate from different buildings on the same site. It is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

History

The school was founded in 1710 with an endowment from Lady Eleanor Holles, the daughter of John Holles, 2nd Earl of Clare. The original site is commemorated by a plaque on one of the Barbican walkways.
In 1878, the middle school moved to a new building at 182 Mare Street in East Hackney, which was later owned by the Cordwainers Company and now forms part of the London College of Fashion.
In 1937 the school moved to its permanent site in Hampton. The first buildings in Hampton were designed by Colonel F.S. Hammond, whose father had designed the Hackney school and were opened by Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.
The school celebrated its 300th anniversary with a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral, London on 18 November 2011, then a eucharist at Trinity College, Cambridge and a ball at The Hurlingham Club in May 2012.

Current Structure

Pupils come from a wide catchment area extending as far as Ealing, Woking, Wimbledon and Ascot, and there is an extensive coach service running over 23 routes operated jointly with Hampton School as the area is not well served with public transport. Around two-thirds come from white British backgrounds; the rest from a mix of ethnic backgrounds. It is not affiliated with any other school or foundation and operates as an independent registered charity and limited company overseen by a board of governors.
The Independent Schools Inspectorate Integrated report in 2013 said "It aims to develop well-rounded individuals while striving for academic excellence."

Facilities

The school's facilities include the Millennium Boat House on the Thames which is jointly owned with the adjacent Hampton School. The arts centre with 330-seat theatre designed by Walters & Cohen and completed in 2013 won a RIBA London Award in 2014.
The 'Student Gateway', designed by Scott Brownrigg, was completed in 2018, linking the sports hall and swimming pool to the main building, and includes computing and product design suites, enlarged sports changing rooms, a viewing gallery for the swimming pool, an activity studio and an ergometer room.

Curriculum

The curriculum is based on the National Curriculum. Girls typically study ten GCSE subjects, including English language and literature, Mathematics and the Sciences, with the other 6 being chosen from 16 options, subject to various constraints. They then go on to study 4 A-Level subjects chosen from 23 courses plus an Extended Project Qualification.

Extracurricular activities

Sport

The 2013 ISI report said "around 30 pupils represent their country in sport, with numerous successes at national level for rowing, lacrosse, netball and swimming." In 2017 the figure was 29 girls, covering Gymnastics, Swimming, Acrobatics, Rowing, Hockey and Lacrosse. The school won the National Schools Lacrosse Under 19A Championship in 2018, and has been county champion for 11 years in a row. It held the National Schools Regatta course record for Championship Girls Eights from 1994 until 2017.
Other activities including CCF, Young Enterprise, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Model United Nations, Service Volunteers are run jointly with Hampton School.

Music and drama

There are 5 choirs and over 20 musical ensembles and bands in the senior school. Lessons are available in 24 instruments, and there is a dedicated recording studio. The 2013 ISI report said "over the last three years, 20 pupils have been selected for national music groups." In 2010 the Holles Singers, a choir at the school, won the BBC Youth Choir of the Year.

Notable staff