Portsmouth High School

• Location: Portsmouth, England,
• Founded in: 1882,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of education: girls only.

Portsmouth High School is one of the smallest private schools for girls, offering programs at all stages of school education: from preschool to the final grades of Sixth Form. Located in the seaside resort of Southsea, near Portsmouth, the campus caters to local and international girls between the ages of 3 and 18.

The history of Portsmouth High School has more than 140 years of successful teaching, effectively preparing girls for admission to leading universities around the world. Between 1870 and 1881, a group of educational activists obtained permission to establish a day school for girls, sought a suitable location for the campus, and recruited faculty. Portsmouth High School opened in February 1882 with 32 female students enrolled in the programs. In just a year, the number of students increased to 100, and the academic premises were expanded by two buildings. Over the years, Portsmouth High School has grown in many areas, maintaining tradition and a focus on the individual development of each student.

To date, teaching is carried out at four levels of education: preschool, primary, secondary and senior. The student community is represented not only by local, but also by foreign girls - thanks to modern curricula, an individual approach, comprehensive support and the small size of the institution, Portsmouth High School attracts dozens of foreign applicants to its campus every year. The school has created a special department to support foreign students, which ensures the earliest adaptation to the new education system, assistance in passing subject topics, and extracurricular development of strengths.

Portsmouth High School is a member of the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST), the UK's leading provider of girls' education. The community includes several institutions that train about 20,000 female students and have more than 100,000 graduates. Due to the absence of gender stereotypes, girls develop talents in any areas that interest them, and then become qualified employees, entrepreneurs, and business specialists.

An important aspect of the academic plan for preparatory and elementary classes is outdoor activities – the Forest School. Lessons are held in different weather conditions so that international students can study the world around them, its diversity, learn safety, and take care of nature. Students participate in planting and picking fruits, vegetables, caring for the garden, and school pets. Lessons at the Forest School contribute to the formation of self-confidence, the ability to safely use improvised means, and the development of personal stability.

Portsmouth High School offers four levels of educational process: Pre-School, Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form.

Pets live on campus throughout the year, playing an important role in the daily activities of the preparatory department:

• Horatio and Nelson are rabbits who spend most of their time in the garden and take turns living in different prep school classes.
• Monty is a working cocker spaniel who loves to listen to stories that girls read and who is a major support for those students who feel anxious.
• The Cockapoo dog, Pippin, belongs to the director and is considered the brightest, most active creature on campus - he loves to play with children, attend classes, walk on the lawns and participate in sports competitions.
• Reception Class is home to several African land snails: they are looked after by the staff of the department, and the children are responsible for ensuring that the snails are always fed.

Portsmouth High School operates in a full-time format, so it does not provide accommodation.

In the dining room, a team of chefs serves a variety of hot and cold dishes, snacks, drinks, pastries every day. If necessary, students can request an alternative menu that can meet individual nutritional needs: medical, dietary, vegan, and others.

A wide range of opportunities for recreation, talent development and the search for new hobbies includes thematic clubs, sports sections, creative teams, participation in Olympiads.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is one of the main after-school programmes, offering awards at the Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. Participation in the programme builds confidence, develops self-esteem, perseverance, purposefulness and has a lasting impact on the attitudes and outlook of all young people who receive the Duke of Edinburgh Award. This award is highly respected by universities and employers. Girls are rewarded by completing a personalised programme of activities in four sections: Volunteering, Physical Fitness, Skills (development of practical and social skills, personal interests) and Expedition (planning, preparing and completing an adventure trip in the UK or abroad). Silver and bronze expeditions are organized in the countryside, take place in the South Downs, New Forest and Perbec Island, but to receive gold for expeditions, students go to the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia.

Through membership in the GDST Foundation, the school participates in a number of tournaments between community institutions. There are dozens of physical activity areas to choose from, including:

• Gymnastics,
• Cross-country running,
• Netball,
• Hockey,
• Tennis,
• Athletics,
• Golf,
• Swimming,
• Cricket.

Modern infrastructure involves the use of open/indoor areas and halls, in which group and individual training is regularly held. Some sports areas are included in the academic program, but they are also available to everyone after school hours. Sports tours occupy an important place in the academic calendar, offering girls the opportunity to play with rivals in other conditions: country, climate, culture. In the last round of hockey and netball, a team of 32 students, for example, went to Barbados.

Creativity helps students develop their talents, self-realization in a circle of like-minded people and supportive teachers. Portsmouth High School provides classes for music and theater groups that participate in most campus events. Theatrical productions written by female students are also presented at external venues such as New Theatre Royal, The Minerva in Chichester, Edinburgh Fringe.

• A score of "Excellent" on all indicators in the ISI 2023 verification,
• High GCSE results – 52% of pupils received grades from A* to A,
• About 25% of female students receive grades from A* to A when passing A-Level,
• Small classes that allow teachers to give individual attention to each girl,
• Subject-rich curriculum,
• A variety of opportunities for extracurricular development,
• Comprehensive support for teachers and academic departments.

Portsmouth High School's learning grounds are located in the heart of Southsea, just a five-minute walk from the waterfront. Founded in 1882, the school now operates on several sites close to each other.

The Preparatory Department is located along Kent Road. The center of the preschool department is a building-monument of architecture of the II degree, which is affectionately called "Dovercourt". Inside the vast fenced area there is a building for preschoolers, which houses rooms for small groups, classrooms for object classes, games and developmental lessons. For preschool children, there is a special outdoor playground with a safe surface and a sun canopy.

Primary, middle, and high school students have access to many high-tech educational rooms: classrooms, computer classes, specialized laboratories. Some of the notable halls are:

• Discovery Lab – classes in natural sciences, design technologies,
• All-weather sports ground - a field for team training, matches,
• Art room for fine arts lessons,
• The multi-purpose hall in which seminars are most often held,
• ICT studio with computers that give access to online resources, programs for various types of design, programming,
• Library with a reading room equipped for self-study in silence,
• Tennis courts and lawn area for sports and events,
• Outdoor Classroom – Expansive gardens that host experiential classes for all students. There are tall beds where students can grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and the popular gardening club has its own seedling pavilion.

The senior branch is located further down Kent Road, in Bunnell Centre. The academic platform is represented by dozens of lecture halls, laboratories and specialized studios plus:

• Gym with exercise equipment, yoga and dance studios,
• Spacious space for creativity and design,
• Workshops
• Power Technology Class,
• Landscaped green areas for walking,
• Dining room,
• Sixth Form library with a lot of scientific and fiction books,
• Drama Studio,
• ICT rooms with PCs, printers, scanners and other equipment.

In addition to its own gymnasium that meets Sport England standards, Portsmouth High School enjoys some of the best sports facilities in the county, including co-ownership with the University of Portsmouth of a multi-purpose playground. There are four floodlit courts, access to a field with synthetic hockey and football turf, and a grass track and field track. The school uses university sports and fitness halls. A swimming pool, a synthetic turf pitch and an athletics track are rented from HMS Temeraire.

There is also the so-called Department of Specialized Science - right across the street from the Sixth Form department there is a specially built scientific department, which houses seven laboratories and additional classes. All of these laboratories have been recently renovated, so today they provide a modern environment for the study of natural sciences.

The academic year consists of three semesters:

• Autumn: September-December,
• Spring: January-April,
• Summer: April-July.

Between semesters, there are seasonal holidays, Some of these events are scheduled to occur during international holidays. Christmas, Easter. Rest is also provided on weekends, national holidays. Classes are organized on weekdays: from Monday to Friday, in the morning and in the afternoon. After classes, foreign students can devote time to their hobbies, participation in campus and offsite activities. The schedule of the preparatory department is slightly different: the school day ends at 15:40, after which girls can stay in after-school care groups until 18:00.

Tuition fee covers all costs, including textbooks, research materials, exam fees, and external career counseling. In addition, comprehensive care at Prep and Pre-School is also free of charge from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for all children attending school for more than 15 hours per week. The list of additional costs will include the following services:

• Registration fees,
• Nutrition
• Individual needs,
• Some extracurricular activities,
• Personal expenses.

Before applying, families of applicants can contact the admissions office online or come to campus for a visit, an introductory tour to learn more about the academic plan and extracurricular opportunities.

The admission procedure consists of several stages:

• Submission of the application, required documents,
• Payment of registration fees,
• Passing entrance exams in mathematics and English,
• Receiving an official invitation to enroll,
• Arrive on campus to start educational process.

Admission of new students is limited by the number of vacant places in the class, based on academic indicators: documents from the previous place of study, the results of entrance exams.

With an individualized approach to each student, a state-of-the-art focus on talent discovery, and a subject-rich curriculum, Portsmouth High School graduates go on to top universities around the world, such as:

• Kings College London,
• University of South Wales,
• University of York,
• Royal Holloway University,
• University of Redding,
• Cardiff University,
• University of Kent.

Applicants arriving from abroad must provide a package of personal documents: passport, health insurance and health cards, visa or residence permit. They should be accompanied by academic certificates for the last two academic years, report cards, letters of recommendation from teachers of mathematics, English. If the applicant has individual achievements in any extracurricular area, they should be provided.

Seven scholarship programs are awards for success in passing entrance exams, excellent results in sports and creativity, teaching, covering part or all of the cost of annual tuition.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision