We speak to Miss Alison Sefton, Head of Norwich High School for Girls, to find out more about their history and how they prepare children for the next stage in their school career.
How long have you been at the school"
I started officially at Norwich High School for Girls in September 2020, though I have been working with the school since May. Taking over a school when the country is in the middle of a global pandemic certainly concentrates the mind, and requires an extra layer to all decision-making.
Can you tell us a little bit about the history of the school"
Norwich High School is one of twenty five Girls? Day School Trust (GDST) Schools in England. The GDST was founded in 1872 by four pioneering women, Mrs Maria Grey, her sister Miss Emily Shirreff, Lady Stanley of Alderley and Miss Mary Gurney. They believed that girls should be entitled to the same academic education as their brothers. At that time, girls of means were educated either at home or the ladies? academies, where the focus was more on accomplishments than academics. The founders wanted a GDST education to be accessible to able girls, whatever their background, and offered scholarships from the outset. This principle is still fundamental to the GDST today and we provide financial assistance to approximately 1,100 girls every year. One of the founders, Maria Grey, went on to be a campaigner for votes for women, and a number of GDST girls grew up to be active in the Suffragist and Suffragette moveme...