Portsmouth Academy for Girls
Coordinates: 50°48′14″N 1°04′26″W / 50.804°N 1.074°W
| Established | 1930 [1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Secondary, Academy |
| Location |
St Mary's Road Portsmouth Hampshire PO1 5PF England |
| DfE number | 851/4002 |
| DfE URN | 139714 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Staff | +100 |
| Students | Approx 500 |
| Gender | Female |
| Ages | 11–16 |
| Houses |
Curie Rowling Pankhurst Austen |
| Website |
www |
Portsmouth Academy for Girls (formerly the City of Portsmouth Girls' School) is a secondary school with academy status for girls, located in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The school is located on St Mary's Road in the Portsmouth central sub district of Fratton near St Mary's Church.[2]
The last Ofsted inspection was in 2011, the last before that was in 2008. As of 2003 the school had 990 pupils in attendance. The Academy opened in April 2013, replacing its predecessor school, which was judged as inadequate by Ofsted. The current Principal is Natalie Sheppard, she is supported by Denise Shepherd from a grammar school in Rochester, Kent. The school partners with the City of Portsmouth Boys' School for many activities.
History
1890–1975
The original school building was St Mary's School build circa 1890. It first became a school for girls in 1930 as the Junior Girls Department of the nearby Penhale Road Board School. The building became one of the early casualties of bombing in Portsmouth during World War II and was subsequently demolished. With post-war reorganisation resulting from the Education Act 1944, the Kingston Modern School for Girls was created in 1949. This was initially based at the Penhale Road site rather than the St Mary's site and had 250 girls on roll. This figure soon increased until it became impossible to accommodate the number of pupils. By 1954, with numbers still increasing, it became clear that a new building would be necessary at the St Mary's site.
The new Kingston Modern School for Girls building opened on its present site in 1957. It cost £105,821 to build and consisted of a main three-story block with 20 classrooms including specialist rooms for science, art, craft and domestic science and a library. There was also a hall, stage and a dining area (now the foyer), and a gymnasium (now the dining hall). The site was much smaller then, being surrounded to the north and west by houses that no longer exist today. Numbers of pupils continued to increase and a new extension which is now the current Science and Technology block was completed in the 1960s.
1975–1994
In 1975 education in Portsmouth was again reorganised resulting in the creation of the City of Portsmouth Girls' School as a comprehensive school for girls between the ages of 12 to 16. As a result, the site increased in size again, with a large sports field (which used to be housing), a new sports hall, and another new complex, which is now the maths block.
1994–2001
In 1994 education was once again reorganised in Portsmouth and the school became an 11–16 comprehensive school, taking girls from age 11. To accommodate additional numbers, another new block for teaching Modern Foreign Languages and Technology was added, together with the all-weather multi-sport pitch, completed in 1998. practice rooms, additional office space and a new changing room for the Dance Studio was completed in February 2001.
2006–present
In 2006 the 'Training & Learning Centre' was built on the school grounds. This building is used by the school for lessons and other activities and is also open to bookings from the local council as well as private individuals and groups. The centre contains offices, a fully equipped Information Technology suite, classrooms and conference room.
The school achieved specialist Humanities College status in 2008, and converted to academy status in September 2013. The school was then renamed Portsmouth Academy for Girls.