Boston High School

Boston High School

Motto	Non Nobis Solum (Trans: Not for ourselves alone) and Leading Learning Together
Established	1914
Type	Academy
Headteacher	Andrew Fulbrook
Chair of Governors	Martyn Chambers
Location	Spilsby Road Boston Lincolnshire PE21 9PF England
Local authority	Lincolnshire
DfE number	925/4022
DfE URN	139140 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Students	684
Gender	Mixed
Ages	11–18
Houses	Allan Conway Ingelow Kitwood Lindis
Colours	Navy blue and Emerald Green
Website	BHS

Boston High School, also known as Boston High School for Girls, is a selective grammar school and sixth form college for girls aged 11 to 18 in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The school's sixth form has been coeducational since 1992.

A 2014 Ofsted report assessed both the school and the sixth form provision as "good", with "outstanding" leadership and management and "outstanding" behaviour and safety.

Admissions

Pupils joining in Year 7 are required, as with other selective grammar school's, to complete an 11+ verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning test. This test is carried out at the primary school, administered by the local grammar schools. The current PAN (published admission number) is 108.

Mid-year admissions applications are made through Lincolnshire County Council, who then ask the school to conduct an entry test - in the form of a Cognitive Abilities Test.

Year 11 pupils from any school can apply to join the co-educational Sixth Form as long as the general entry criteria (5 A*-C GCSE grades or equivalent including English and Maths) and subject criteria (varies by subject) are met.

Academy status

On 1 January 2013, Boston High School became a converter academy, under the leadership of the then headteacher, Dr Jason Howard. No changes were made to the school uniform and the school retained its existing name. This ended the federation between Boston High School and Boston Grammar School, with both schools now having an independent governing body, budget and establishment number. However, an umbrella trust exists in order to promote, and provide a structure for, mutually-beneficial collaboration between the two schools.

History

Boston High School first opened on 19 January 1914 at Allan House on Carlton Road, Boston. There was a headmistress and seven teachers, with 112 girls on the roll. Due to increasing pupil numbers additional classrooms were built in 1922. The school's first headmistress was Miss F.M. Knipe, who served from 1914 until 1927, and there have been a further eight headteachers in the history of the school.

Move of school site

The school was relocated to the current Spilsby Road location on the northern rim of Boston during the autumn of 1938. However, the official opening ceremony did not take place until 1939, the year that World War II started. The school was declared open by Alderman Kitwood, who later would have a house named after him. During the War girls from Hull were enrolled into the school, having been evacuated from their own city in anticipation of strategic bombing raids by the Luftwaffe.

In 1956 the Mayoress of Boston was 17-year-old Janet Rowe. She had been invited to a Queen's garden party in London on 12 July of that year, but was unable to attend as she was sitting a GCE exam on the same day.

The school entered a team for Radio 4's former Top of the Form, with their round against Colchester County High School being broadcast on 16 & 18 November 1983.

In the 1990s it also referred to itself as The High School, Boston, and had around 850 girls.

Federation plans

In 2006, there were plans by Lincolnshire County Council to merge Boston High School with the local boys grammar school Boston Grammar School, with effect from September 2011. In preparation for this, in September 2009 a group of 66 boys from the local community were admitted to the 'Boston Grammar Schools Federation' on the Spilsby Road (Boston High School) site in Y7 - the first mixed gender intake cohort to be admitted to the new federation. However, in 2010 it was announced that due to the withdrawal of Building Schools for the Future funding by the new coalition government, that both schools would operate as two separate schools, still under a federation - on two sites - with one governing body. Parents of the boys admitted into Y7 were offered the choice of keeping their son at Boston High School, or transferring him to Boston Grammar School. 32 boys continued their education at Boston High School, completing their GCSEs in June 2014; many of them continuing on at Boston High School to study their AS Levels in the co-educational sixth form.

The school today

Uniform policy

As of Sept. 2014

1. All hair should be worn off the face, and if shoulder length tied back where required in practical lessons. Subtle enhancement of natural colour is permissible, but no hair extensions, coloured wraps or extremes of style or colour is permitted.
2. If make-up is obviously worn pupils will be asked to remove it.
3. Coloured nail varnish is not permitted
4. One pair of stud earrings through the earlobes is permitted, and any other piercing should be removed when in uniform. No other jewellery is permitted.
5. One small religious symbol on a chain is permitted to be worn around the neck, along with a wristwatch. (because it is not right to penalise religious people but it is permitted to penalise an atheist)
6. Training shoes are not permitted to be worn at school, or whilst in school uniform (i.e. to and from school). If pupils require to wear training shoes a Medical Certificate will be required.
7. Charity Bangles are to be restricted to one.
8. Blazers to be worn when walking around school but can be removed in lessons. Students will be informed when blazers may be removed due to hot weather. They cannot be replaced by jumpers.

School badge

The school badge comprises two mermaids holding a shield. Underneath on a banner is the school motto 'non-nobis solum' which means 'Not for ourselves alone'. The badge is based on the crest of Boston Borough council.

On the shield are four quadrants. One is three coronets. Their origins are not known for definite, but it is said that they represent the Dukes of Brittany, Richmond and Suffolk - also represented on the Boston Borough council arms. A second quadrant shows three wheatsheaves to represent the arable farmland of the fens; the community which Boston High School is based in is essentially rural, and thrives on agriculture. Two further quadrants are of a fleur-de-lis on a background of the cross of St George. The two mermaids represent Boston's nautical connections and its heritage as a port; again, taken form the Borough Council arms.

Colours

The school colours are navy blue and emerald green.

Curriculum

From September 2014, the new year 7 intake study the following curriculum:

• English (Language and Literature)
• Maths
• Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics)
• Art
• Life Skills (incorporating Citizenship)
• Computing
• Design & Technology (Food, Product Design, Textiles)
• French
• Geography
• History
• Music
• Physical Education
• Religious Education
• German

At the end of Year 7 students are given the option to continue studying either French or German. They then begin studying Spanish and their chosen language during Year 8 and 9.

These subjects are taken until the end of year 9. In year 10, pupils begin their GCSE courses in English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Religious Studies; non-GCSE courses in Life Skills and Physical Education; and four GCSE courses from the following 'option' choices:

• Art
• Business Studies
• Food
• French
• Computing
• Geography
• Health and Social Care
• History
• Music
• Physical Education
• Product Design
• Spanish
• Textiles

Pupils start their Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Religious Studies GCSE courses early, at the beginning of Year 9.

The school offers a range of AS and A2 level courses for pupils in Year 12 and 13. 4 subjects are taken at AS Level in Year 12, 3 of the 4 subjects are continued at A2 level in Year 13.

Houses

The houses are named after people who have played a part in the school's history. The five houses and associated colours are: Allan: Yellow, Conway: Red, Ingelow: Blue, Kitwood: Purple, Lindis: Green.

Academic results

Boston High School consistently achieves the highest pass rates at GCSE, and is more often than not the top performing school in Boston using these measures.

Former teachers

• Dr Steve Peters, psychiatrist for the gold-medal-winning British Cycling Team (taught Maths from 1978–82)

Notable former pupils

• Rachael Anderton – Deputy Chief Executive of Young Enterprise
• Lyndsey Young – label designer

See also

• Boston Grammar School

External links

• Boston High School Official Website
• EduBase