On 12 March 1878, Sheffield High School for Girls opened its doors to our first 39 pupils, in the old Music Hall rooms on Surrey Street. 

This followed an earlier meeting at the Cutlers’ Hall in February of the founders of the Girls’ Day School Trust, Lady Stanley of Alderley, Maria Grey, Mary Gurney and Emily Shirreff, seeking support to establish a girls’ school in Sheffield. 

In September 1884, the school moved to new purpose-built premises on Rutland Park, close to the Botanical Gardens, under the leadership of Mrs Woodhouse. While the school site has expanded over the years and now boasts excellent facilities for girls aged 4-18, the character of the girls here today remains unchanged and would make those original 39 pupils immensely proud; they continue to be resilient, confident, talented, courageous and kind.

Our founders and early headmistresses had an unshakeable faith in the value of education for girls and this ethos remains to this day. We are proud to continue Mrs Woodhouse’s work and to serve the families of Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire area and beyond.

Notable Dates

1878 - Sheffield High School for Girls opens its doors to its first pupils in rooms on Surrey Street, Sheffield

1884 - The School moves to purpose-built premises at 10 Rutland Park

1909 - Trust teachers’ salaries were £100-£140 per annum

1917 – Sheffield High School for Girls purchases Moor Lodge which is used as a girls’ boarding house

1922 – The Escott Memorial Prize is established to commemorate the life and work of our third headmistress, Miss A E Escott. It is still awarded annually to Year 13 girls who have made an outstanding contribution to the School

1939 – With the onset of war, Sheffield High School for Girls is evacuated to Cliff College, Calver, Derbyshire

1944 – The School returns to Rutland Park

1978 – The School celebrates its centenary

1982 – Miss Lucas, the School’s secretary for nearly 50 years, retires

1991 – The Junior School moves from Moor Lodge to Melbourne House

1999 – The new Sports Hall and Sixth Form Centre are opened

2007 – The School opens new facilities for Infants at No. 4 Melbourne Avenue

2010 – Completion of a large extension to the Sixth Form further enhancing the school’s standing as one of the best schools in South Yorkshire

2017 - Sheffield Girls' merges with Ashdell Preparatory School and the Infant School moves to premises on Fulwood Road

2021 – The School comes back together as one through-school site across Melbourne Avenue and Rutland Park

We look ahead to celebrating the School’s 150th birthday in 2028

If you have any insights or stories to share about the history of Sheffield Girls’ please contact Rosslyn Owen (r.owen@she.gdst.net) on 0114 3587624.