King Edward VI Handsworth School

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "King Edward VI Handsworth School" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

School in Birmingham, West Midlands, England

King Edward VI
Handsworth School for Girls

Address

21 Rose Hill Road

Birmingham

West Midlands

B21 9AR

England

Coordinates| 52°30′06″N 1°55′25″W﻿ / ﻿52.5018°N 1.9237°W﻿ / 52.5018; -1.9237
Information
Type|

* Grammar
* Academy

Motto| Dieu et mon droit (God and my right -the motto of the British monarch)
Established| 1883 (1883)
Specialist| Arts and science
Department for Education URN| 137047 Tables
Ofsted| Reports
Head Teacher| David Goodwin
Staff| Approximately 87[1]
Gender| Girls
Age| 11 to 18
Enrolment| 1335 (as of 2024)
Houses| 4
Colour(s)| Navy blue, emerald green, light blue
Publication| The Beacon
Alumnae| Handsworth Old Edwardians
Website| https://kingedwardvi.bham.sch.uk[2]

King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls is a grammar school for girls aged 11–18 located in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI. The school was founded in 1883 as King Edward's Aston on the site where its brother school, King Edward VI Aston School, remains to this day. In 2019 there were 1086 girls on roll.[3] Pupils must pass an 11-plus entrance exam to get into the school. The King Edward Schools are fiercely competitive to get admission to, as only 1 in 10 is successful in passing the entrance exam. The King Edward VI Foundation holds its exams at the same time, and generally a candidate will sit one exam for multiple schools within the foundation. Notable leaver's destinations from this school in previous years have been Birmingham, Aston, Oxford, and Nottingham. The leavers destinations by course were mainly medicine, dentistry, law, business studies and computer science.

The school has a record of high attainment and was deemed 'outstanding' in its last Ofsted inspection.[4][5] In 2019, the Birmingham Mail ranked it as the second best school in the West Midlands, down from first place in 2018.[6][7] Since 2017, GCSE pupils at King Edward VI Handsworth have consistently achieved exceptionally good results. According to the Times League Table, King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls was ranked 13 in all of the United Kingdom.

The main building is Grade II* listed.

## History

[edit]

When King Edward VI Grammar School for Girls opened in 1883 the first head was Margaret Nimmo who had previously been second mistress and the first graduate teacher at Blackheath High School. The school was then in the Aston area of Birmingham and it had 300 girls to educate. Half of the schools scholarships were given to girls from public elementary schools. The education approaches were information, Rote learning and competition.[8]

Margaret Nimmo moved her school to Rosehill Road in Handsworth where it has merged with two others[8] opening again in 1911 in a new building.

By 1915 the school role was 460. The school's science and gymnastics facilities were poor but the school sent many on to universities.[8] When the school first opened, and for many years afterwards, girls were not permitted to eat in the street and had to wear gloves on the journey to and from school.[9]

In the beginning, the sixth form was very small with as few as 6 pupils in a year.[citation needed] Transfer to King Edward VI High School for Girls for sixth form studies was not unusual.[9]

View of the School Field - February 2018

Latin was also removed from the curriculum in 2004[citation needed] and replaced with drama,[citation needed] which had previously been on the curriculum in the late 20th century.[citation needed]

### Houses

[edit]

School Houses were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century, with each House having its own name and colour. Nightingale house was mauve, Kingsley house was green, Fry was pale blue and Browning was brown.

By the 1930s there were awards given for winning competitions against other houses in sports. In the beginning there were House notices in the Playroom and a strict House conduct system. In 1939 four more Houses were added and they were renamed after the different royal Houses – Windsor, Stuart, Tudor, Hanover, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Normandy.

In the 1970s the houses were rearranged again and given names of precious stones – Amethyst, Coral, Garnet and Topaz, because of the school's proximity to the Jewellery Quarter.

At the end of the 1990s they were renamed once more after famous women – Brontë, Pankhurst, Franklin and Nightingale, and when an extra form group was introduced in 2003 the new house of Curie, then retired in 2005.

In September 2009 the houses were renamed, once again after famous women, this time – Parks (yellow), Keller (blue), Astor (green) and Cavell (red). In September 2020, the house Astor (green) was renamed Baker - a name used by Noor Inayat Khan. In December 2024, houses Curie (orange) and Nightingale (purple) were reintroduced.

### Building

[edit]

The main school building was designed in neoclassical style by the local architect Philip Chatwin and cost £50,000 to build and opened on 14 September 1911.[9][10][11] It uses red brick, ashlar dressings and a plain tiled roof.[10] Chatiwn's design featured a number of specialist areas, including a library, a whole school common-room,[9] a gymnasium and a double-height, barrel-vaulted, central hall with ornate plasterwork, including a depiction of the coat of arms of King Edward VI.[10][11]

As the school was built on a slope, there are two ground floors, and originally the gymnasium was located in the room on the lower ground floor[citation needed] later used as a Music room.[10] Since the renovation of the church (bought by the school) into a music centre, this room is now used as an ICT suite.[citation needed]

In May 2025, the building was Grade II* listed (the second-highest possible category), giving it legal protection from unauthorised alteration or demolition.[11] The listing includes the boundary gates, railings and piers.[10]

To celebrate the centenary of the school in 1983 a new block was built to house a meeting room and the changing rooms for the sports field. In 1997 a new Sixth Form block was built with the help of the King Edward VI Foundation fund.[9] In 2005, the new sports hall was built, using sponsorship money from companies such as O2,[citation needed] and a church organ was bought by the school to be renovated and used for music studies.[citation needed] The school also gained specialist performing arts status.[citation needed] 2011 saw the building of a new library by the field; a modern building with a slanting roof and colourful window panes. This includes a mezzanine area upstairs with computers.

## Uniform

[edit]

The uniform is based around navy blue.[citation needed]

## Notable former pupils

[edit]

See also: Category:People educated at King Edward VI Handsworth

* Emma B, radio presenter[citation needed]
* Felicity Jones, actress[citation needed]
* Abigail Kelly, soprano opera and concert singer[12]
* Sarah Manners, actress[13]
* Flora Spencer-Longhurst, actress
* Zarah Sultana, former Labour MP, now independent with Jeremy Corbyn

A society for alumni, the Handsworth Old Edwardians' Society (HOES), has been running since the turn of the 20th century.[citation needed] The society holds meetings for former pupils of all ages three times a year at the school.[14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Find and compare schools in England: King Edward VI Handsworth School workforce in 2018/2019". Find and compare schools in England. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
2. ^ "King Edward VI Handsworth School For Girls websites". King Edward VI Handsworth School For Girls. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
3. ^ "Find and compare schools in England: King Edward VI Handsworth School Pupil population in 2018/2019". Find and compare schools in England. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
4. ^ "Ofsted: King Edward VI Handsworth School". Ofsted. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
5. ^ "Find and compare schools in England: King Edward VI Handsworth School". Find and compare schools in England. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
6. ^ Chamberlain, Zoe (6 July 2019). "Best secondary schools in the West Midlands for 2019 - see how your school ranks". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
7. ^ Chamberlain, Zoe; Miller, Claire (6 July 2019). "Best secondary schools in Birmingham for 2019 - see how your school ranks". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
8. ^ a b c Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004), "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. ref:odnb/51755, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/51755, retrieved 2 January 2023
9. ^ a b c d e "History". King Edward VI Handsworth School.
10. ^ a b c d e Historic England. "King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls with boundary gates, railings and piers (1493391)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
11. ^ a b c "Birmingham school with vaulted hall granted rare listed status". BBC News. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
12. ^ "Former student Abigail Kelly and the English Touring Opera". King Edward VI Handsworth School. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
13. ^ Laws, Roz (14 February 2010). "7 things you never knew about Sarah Manners". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
14. ^ "HOES". King Edward VI Handsworth School.

* Thorne, Alison (1986). King Edward Grammar School for Girls, Handsworth 1883–1983.

## External links

[edit]

* King Edward VI Handsworth School website

* v
* t
* e

Schools in Birmingham

Primary schools|

* Anderton Park Primary School
* Ark Kings Academy
* Bournville School
* King David School
* King Solomon International Business School
* Ladypool Primary School
* Parkfield Community School
* Robin Hood Academy
* Starbank School
* Washwood Heath Academy
* Waverley School

Secondary schools|

* Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
* Arena Academy
* Ark Boulton Academy
* Ark Kings Academy
* Ark St Alban's Academy
* The Arthur Terry School
* Aston Manor Academy
* Aston University Engineering Academy
* Bartley Green School
* Birmingham Ormiston Academy
* Bishop Challoner RC College
* Bishop Walsh RC School
* Bordesley Green Girls' School
* Bournville School
* Broadway Academy
* Cardinal Wiseman RC School
* Cockshut Hill School
* Colmers School
* Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School
* Erdington Academy
* Fairfax Academy
* Fortis Academy
* Four Dwellings Academy
* George Dixon Academy
* Greenwood Academy
* Hall Green School
* Hamstead Hall Academy
* Harborne Academy
* Heartlands Academy
* Hillcrest School
* Hodge Hill College
* Hodge Hill Girls' School
* Holte School
* Holy Trinity RC School
* Holyhead School
* John Willmott School
* King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy
* King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls' Academy
* King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls
* King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy
* King Solomon International Business School
* Kings Heath Boys
* King's Norton Boys' School
* Kings Norton Girls' School
* Lordswood Boys' School
* Lordswood Girls' School
* Moseley School
* Ninestiles, an Academy
* North Birmingham Academy
* Plantsbrook School
* Queensbridge School
* Rockwood Academy
* St Edmund Campion RC School
* St John Wall RC School
* St Paul's School for Girls
* St Thomas Aquinas RC School
* Saltley Academy
* Selly Park Girls' School
* Shenley Academy
* Small Heath Leadership Academy
* Starbank School
* Stockland Green School
* Swanshurst School
* Tile Cross Academy
* Turves Green Boys' School
* University of Birmingham School
* Washwood Heath Academy
* Waverley School
* Wheelers Lane Technology College
* Yardleys School

Grammar schools|

* Bishop Vesey's Grammar School
* King Edward VI Aston School
* King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys
* King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls
* King Edward VI Five Ways School
* King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
* King Edward VI Handsworth School
* Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls

Special schools|

* Hallmoor School

Independent schools|

* Birmingham Blue Coat School
* Darul Uloom
* Edgbaston High School
* Elmhurst Ballet School
* Highclare School
* Kimichi School
* King Edward VI High School for Girls
* King Edward's School
* Mander Portman Woodward
* St George's School

FE & sixth form colleges|

* Birmingham Metropolitan College
* Bournville College
* Cadbury Sixth Form College
* Fircroft College
* Oaks Sixth Form College
* Queen Alexandra College
* South & City College Birmingham

Defunct schools|

* Al-Hijrah School
* The Baverstock Academy
* Birmingham board school
* Icknield Street School
* Oozells Street Board School
* St Philip's School
* St Peter's College

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template