St Albans High School for Girls

• Location: St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England,
• Founded in: 1889,
• Number of students: about 1145,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of education: girls only.

St Albans High School for Girls (STAHS) is a private school for girls aged 4-18, teaching Prep, Senior and Sixth Form programs in full-time form.

Founded in 1889, STAHS to this day maintains a focus on providing girls with the best secondary education. At the beginning of its history, there were virtually no schools for girls in the region, so St Albans High School for Girls was one of the first of its kind. Thanks to the patronage of the Church Association of England, the institution quickly received a study territory and admitted its first female students, who studied under the guidance of a small teaching staff. Over its more than 130-year history, the school has survived world wars, pandemics and changed 12 headmistresses. To date, the number of pupils reaches 1145 girls, most of whom are in the middle school program, and the teaching staff is represented by hundreds of highly qualified specialists in both subject and general areas.

STAHS maintains a personalized approach to each student, thanks to which all students develop their strengths, receive the necessary assistance and achieve their goals. STAHS maintains a high academic bar: most of the graduates successfully pass the final exams and continue their education at leading universities in the country and abroad.

At the heart of the curriculum is the Teach to 25 philosophy, which prepares students for the future in many ways, from a character education program that begins in the preparatory department to a formal two-year leadership program for high school students. The STAHS philosophy provides students with the skills, independence, and knowledge they need to advance their studies in college, university, and adulthood.

STAHS teaches full secondary education at three levels:

• Prep School — preparatory department, grades 1-6,
• Senior School — secondary school from grades 7 to 11,
• Sixth Form – final grades 12-13.

St Albans High School for Girls operates on a full-time basis, without accommodation.

All pupils are provided with a daily hot lunch prepared by a qualified team of cooks; If desired, students can bring packed lunches with them.

A wide range of extracurricular activities allows girls to try their hand at various sports, creativity and sciences without looking back at stereotypes. STAHS has more than 70 thematic clubs that support a variety of hobbies of pupils:

• Cookery
• STEAM,
• Modern board games,
• French
• Auto racing
• Books, literature,
• Puzzles
• Craft, origami,
• Yoga and others.

The list of thematic communities includes a variety of creative areas: classes in an art studio, about 100 weekly lessons of playing musical instruments, participation in theatrical performances and many others.

Sports at the school are presented in team, individual types. From year to year, girls give their main preference to athletics, swimming, gymnastics, tennis and orienteering, but master classes in other types of physical activity are regularly held on campus. Participation in sports teams allows students to gain team experience, excel in both overall and individual competitions and earn awards.

Students spend extracurricular time not only on the educational territory, but also outside it - during the year, a number of outdoor events are organized for pupils with visits to attractions, cultural and entertainment places. For example, most recently, students in grades 3-6 went on an overnight campsite, spent three days in Norfolk doing kayaking, fencing and aeroball, and lived four days on the Isle of Wight, focusing on studying the environment.

• Accredited secondary education programs,
• High A-Level, GCSE final exam scores,
• It cordially welcomes foreign students,
• Teaching in small groups with an emphasis on the individual abilities of each girl,
• A wide range of extracurricular activities to develop interests.

STAHS has two study sites: preparatory classes are taught in the park area of the village of Wheatstead, and the rest attend classes on the campus in St. Albans. Both areas have open spaces for sports, recreation and walking, as well as:

• Lecture Halls with Interactive Equipment,
• Computer rooms with self-study areas,
• Libraries for different ages,
• Subject laboratories,
• Music, dance, theater, design and other creative studios,
• Indoor swimming pool,
• Fitness room,
• Tennis courts,
• Lacrosse fields,
• Sports pavilion for team, individual training,
• Dining room, cafeteria for high school girls.

The campuses are equipped with a specialized forest area, where practical classes in many subjects are regularly held.

The academic year at STAHS runs from the beginning of September to the beginning of July and includes several semesters:

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

Seasonal holidays are organized between semesters, rest is provided on weekends and vacations. Female students attend classes on weekdays in the morning, afternoon, and then can stay on campus to participate in themed clubs, sports sections, and events.

Approximate list of additional costs may include:

• Registration fee,
• Lunch plan,
• Some extracurricular activities,
• Personal educational materials,
• External exams,
• Personal expenses.

Applicants need to fill out an application and provide documents, after which they can attend a trial studying day, get acquainted with the teachers and school administration. They will also have an informal interview with an emphasis on checking the level of knowledge, on the basis of which, among other things, a decision on admission will be made.

At the GCSE and A-Level stages, high school girls achieve excellent results, allowing them to continue their academic path in leading institutions at home and abroad. Some of the universities where STAHS students are currently studying:

• Arts University Bournemouth,
• University of Cambridge,
• King’s College London,
• Imperial College London,
• University of Oxford.

The main admission of new students takes place in the preparatory department, third, seventh grades and in the Sixth Form. If there are vacancies in other classes, the admissions committee will be able to enroll a new student in them as well.

Depending on the age, different requirements are imposed on applicants, the common of which will be:

• Personal documents of the child, parents,
• Academic certificates from the last few years of study, report cards,
• Individual achievements, if any.

Admission is based on the results of the trial day and interview.

St Albans High School for Girls offers a number of scholarships to encourage particularly successful female students. Awards are presented every year on the basis of academic, creative, sports achievements. Students have access to funding programs that help cover tuition, learning materials, travel, meals, and other aspects of school life.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision