| Portsmouth High School | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to the school | |
| Location | |
 | |
Kent Road ,, PO5 3EQ England | |
| Coordinates | 50°47′17″N1°05′38″W / 50.788°N 1.094°W /50.788; -1.094 |
| Information | |
| Type | Private day school |
| Established | 1882 |
| Founder | Girls' Public Day School Trust |
| Chairman of Governors | Krysia Butwilowska |
| Headmistress | Sarah Parker |
| Gender | Girls |
| Age | 4 to 18 |
| Enrolment | ~500[1] |
| Houses | Dolphin, Warrior, Nelson, Vernon at Prep School. Gaskell, Austen, Bronte, Eliot at Senior School. |
| Colours | Maroon and gold |
| Affiliation | Girls' Day School Trust |
| Former Students' Association | GDST Alumnae via the School |
| Website | http://www.portsmouthhigh.co.uk/ |
Portsmouth High School is aprivate day school for girls inSouthsea, a district in the southern coastal city ofPortsmouth, England. Founded by theGirls' Public Day School Trust in 1882, it is one of the Trust's smaller schools.
TheGood Schools Guide described the school as "a super no-frills choice: big enough to appeal to almost any girl, but not at the expense of the personal touch".[2]
Portsmouth High School was founded by the Girls' Public Day School Trust (now theGirls' Day School Trust) in 1882. The school moved to its present premises on Kent Road inSouthsea in 1885, when the building was opened by Princess Louise. Dovercourt, the house built and lived in by the Southsea architectThomas Ellis Owen, was acquired for the Junior School in 1927. DuringWorld War II the school was evacuated to two country houses inHampshire,Hinton Ampner (Junior Pupils) and Adhurst St Mary (Senior Pupils), and became a boarding school for six years. After the war, the school became adirect grant grammar school under theEducation Act 1944 and became independent during the mid-1970s when the scheme was abolished.
In 2021 Portsmouth High School’s A Level 5 year average A* to B was 79%. GCSE 5 year average for A*/A and 9-7 is 69% which is more than double the national average.
Portsmouth High School is split into 4 principal sections: A Pre-School for 3-4 year olds, a Prep School for 4-11 year olds (reception to year 6), a Senior School for 11-16 year olds (year 7 to year 11) and Sixth Form (year 12-13).[3] The Pre-School and Prep School are based at 36 Kent Road, Southsea while the Senior School and Sixth Form are based at 25 Kent Road, Southsea.
Portsmouth High School structured its years into a house system. In the Prep School there are four houses: Dolphin, Warrior, Nelson and Vernon while in the Senior School there were another set of four houses: Gaskell, Austen, Bronte and Eliot. The school organises regular inter-house competitions such as House Music and whole school Sports Days.[4]
After the announced closure of the nearbySt John's College in May 2022, it was announced in June 2022 that the long-running St John's Politics Society would be transferring to Portsmouth High School and rebranding itself as the "Portsmouth Politics Society". All meetings originally planned for the rest of 2022 are still scheduled to take place at the High School with their original dates and times and the intention is that future meetings will carry on as they have done.
Before transferring to Portsmouth High School, the Politics Society was founded in 1977 atSt John's College by Bernard Black (1934-2013) who was Head of Political Studies there from 1977 to 1999. Speakers over the years have included political big names such as former Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher, former Prime MinisterHarold Wilson,Tony Benn, former Archbishop of CanterburyRowan Williams,Douglas Hurd, former leader of UKIP and Reform UKNigel Farage, former Foreign SecretaryJack Straw, former leader of the Green Party of England and WalesCaroline Lucas, former Prime Minister and former Home SecretaryTheresa May, former Lord Chief JusticeLord Judge, former Director of LibertyShami Chakrabarti, US Ambassador to the UKMatthew Barzun and former President of the Supreme CourtLord Neuberger.[5]
