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Our View
We were floored by the pace, variety of life and buzzing sense of activity at this aspirational and inspirational all-girls day school in leafy Edgbaston, just to the south of central Birmingham. Girls zip in all directions across the compact campus, out along the 10-minute walk to the sports fields and, once their time to leave has come, off to an impressive range of universities.
Where?
Edgbaston High School (EHS) is located among pristine residential streets in the suburbs of Edgbaston. The school campus is long, thin and full, meaning the space is used very efficiently. EHS is easily accessible along main roads from the M5, and public transport options are outstanding, with good rail and bus links. There is also a big school bus from Sutton Coldfield and four minibus routes across the city. A joint school bus with boys’ only West House Prep is great for siblings.
Head
Clare Macro was appointed as head in 2020 and, nearly five years on, she continues to champion the central tenet of ‘community’ that struck her so palpably when she first visited. ‘I have always championed girls' education’ - Mrs Macro came here from Tudor Hall - ‘and so I felt that it was something I could fine tune here. Girls can be who they want to be and what they want to be.’ It’s this latter element that has driven her to spend a huge amount of time developing the school’s extensive ‘Futures’ programme. She believes that learning isn’t necessarily a linear path but is a journey, and she is constantly impressed by her pupils’ perseverance. The solid base for everything is values, and being able to articulate and live by these core principles (resilience, ambition, creativity, inclusivity and excellence) is of the utmost importance.
Being an authentic and relatable leader is very much part of her raison d'etre, something which she has developed through her own experience of imposter syndrome as a very bright student at Oxford University. ‘Self-belief is vital,’ she says emphatically. ‘We can’t be supremely confident all the time but ultimately we must believe that we can do it.’ She is what she calls a ‘reliable example’ for her girls and a leader in whom, she hopes, they can see an achievable illustration of leadership.
‘Education is about empowering young women, something that is still needed in our society; it’s about giving women voice, opportunities and self-belief,’ says Mrs Macro. She is evidently very mindful of the changing influences that children are exposed to, developing a strong PHSE programme which helps pupils recognise when something is leading them in a certain direction and helping them to navigate each society that they are a part of.
Admissions
At least half of all new girls that arrive into Year 7 each year are external - the rest come up from the junior school, which really helps to fuel the diverse, energetic and enthusiastic feeling that permeated the school throughout our visit. There’s increasing interest from overseas families, particularly from Hong Kong and the UAE, which will add to the school’s already wonderfully diverse community.
There’s an entrance exam for prospective pupils applying from outside; and a six-GCSE requirement for entry into the sixth form.
Academics and destinations
With a curriculum designed to support and develop talent and a focus on fostering a genuine joy in learning, EHS does a great job balancing the academic necessities with the individual passions and needs of the students. Everywhere here feels busy and productive, from the classrooms and the dance studios to the sixth form centre. Everyone we spoke to, including our brilliant guides, talked about the enormous variety of options pupils have. Whilst the head is keen to note that pupils aren’t defined by their academic grades, it is something that EHS does very well, and they have an excellent track record of adding value at GCSE and often again at A-level which is no mean feat.
We were particularly impressed by the arts and design provision, which is clearly popular and is housed in a designated three-storey block, with facilities for ceramics, fine art and graphics (all kitted out with Macs). Our guides both mentioned Tulasi Parmar – an old girl who is now an award-winning fashion designer in London.
There are regular ‘off timetable’ days based around either STEM, creative subjects or languages, with a good variety of external speakers invited in to present, lead workshops and give masterclasses. The old library has been refreshed and rebranded as a ‘learning hub’, still a place to borrow books but also now an up-to-date study centre with zoned spaces for individual study and collaboration. It’s a very active and well used space which adeptly bridges the gap between the senior school and the sixth form in the same way that the sixth form centre is designed to help bridge the gap into university.
There is a wonderful sense of collaboration and investment across the school – the place is pretty full well before school starts, with pupils attending breakfast club from 7.30am and staying as long as they can into the evening (a member of the senior leadership team told us that the girls would ‘arrive at 7am if they could, because they love school so much,' and this was backed up by what we saw during our visit). Language staff also head over to the junior school to teach – a real treat for the younger children.
Sixth formers have 28 subjects to choose from at A-level and enjoy an almost student union-like environment in their sixth form centre, with greenery dotted around to calm the mind. There’s also a new café that serves food all day.
Destinations are notably diverse in both location and subject, something that Mrs Macro is very proud of; the sixth form has a dedicated university preparation week as well, which looks fantastic. There is plenty of Russell Group representation, with pupils studying everything from law to fashion.
Co-curricular
Co curricular is ‘the other half’ says the head, and it’s not just about the activities themselves. The leadership and vertical integration - central to the entire programme - means that pupils are constantly developing mentoring and social skills which will stand them in good stead for later life. ‘What sets you apart is your ability to interact with multiple people and understanding why that’s important’.
Music and drama have benefitted from a significant re-boot and the new director of music has strengthened the existing offering by determining and incorporating what the girls want. The recent production of the award-winning musical ‘Six’ was not only jaw-droppingly phenomenal but also offered a masterclass in scaffolding and adaptive teaching. There were no less than six separate casts for whom the choreography and staging were modified to play to the strengths of each group and ensure that each production was as appropriate and relevant as it could possibly be. Perhaps most notably, the final performance ended with a speech from the Year 13 cast who thanked the parents, pupils and staff who had contributed to the triumph. ‘They shared their success in a way that showed the kind of adults they will become,’ noted Mrs Macro. ‘They understood that it’s not just about themselves.’
Sport is inclusive and varied with the U15 netball team leading the charge for silverware, and with swimming continuing to be a particular strength. The gym has been revamped to make it more targeted towards strength and conditioning, vital for those pursuing team sports at a high level but also for those pupils who want to focus on their own health and fitness.
Director of co-curricular Lara Batchelor has been tasked with refining and enhancing the co-curricular programme, drilling down into patterns and trends to find out what makes certain activities more or less popular in order to create a programme which engages every single pupil. The lunchtime schedule has been restructured to minimise clashes whilst new clubs and revision sessions have been added to enthuse pupils who previously felt they weren’t as well catered for. Dance club has been re-branded as EHS Dance Company and the inclusion of gymnastics, lifts and street dance has seen numbers rocket. Mathletics continues to be oversubscribed and the wonderfully named ‘Simmer Sisters’ has brought the foodies to the forefront. There’s a vast array of options here, which goes hand in hand with the boundless enthusiasm of the girls and whilst all pupils are expected to be involved, they have the freedom to decide what they do. ‘It’s structured flexibility,’ says the head and, cleverly, EHS has incorporated a tracking system where pupils not only note what activities they do but are also encouraged to note what they learn – a game changer for their university personal statements.
The school also takes part in the West Midlands Young Active Citizen Award – a social programme in collaboration with Lord-Lieutenant of Birmingham.
School community
We were struck by the ‘Archive Wall’ located in the corridor above the main entrance – a cool collage of photos of various school activities (sports, drama and much more) across the different eras, with the most recent school photo in the middle. You can feel the community here – our guides had both come up through the junior school and could attest to the strength of the pastoral care and the time spent nurturing each student. Academic and peer mentoring is intrinsic and older pupils host sessions in the wellbeing hub, chatting and playing games with their younger Year 7 and Year 8 counterparts. Old girls - Laurels - are a large part of school life and there’s a lovely focus on outcomes in terms of the people they have become rather than just their grades and university choices.
And finally....
We were really impressed by EHS – the campus is a hive of activity and variety is truly at the heart of the school, whether in university destinations, co-curricular passion or subject options. The head is acutely aware that the future is always changing and she is committed to making learning, in all its forms, fresh and innovative. Futures without limits is the subtext here and giving girls the self-belief to achieve it: ‘We are experts in girls,’ says the head – and we suggest you take a look for yourself.