Farnborough Hill

Farnborough Hill
Motto Educating the whole person
Established 1889
Type Independent day school
Religion Roman Catholic
Headmistress Mrs Alexandra Neil
Location Farnborough
Hampshire
GU14 8AT
England
Coordinates: 51°18′03″N 0°45′01″W / 51.3008°N 0.7504°W / 51.3008; -0.7504
DfE number 850/6020
DfE URN 116517 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Students approx. 550
Gender Girls
Ages 11–18
Colours Green and Purple
Website Farnborough Hill

Farnborough Hill is an independent Catholic day school for 550 girls aged 11–18 located on the Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire border.

History

Thomas Longman, the publisher, began building the house at Farnborough Hill in 1860.

Farnborough Hill's most famous resident, however, was the exiled Empress Eugénie, widow of Emperor Napoleon III of France. Empress Eugénie lived here from 1880 until her death in 1920.

The history of the school itself began in 1889 when The Institute of Christian Education established a convent school in Farnborough.[1] They purchased the house at Farnborough Hill in 1927 and commissioned Adrian Gilbert Scott to design additional school buildings which included the school chapel. Over the years there has been further expansion, all of it in keeping with this Grade One listed building. In 1994, The Institute of Christian Education transferred ownership to The Farnborough Hill Trust and the school is now under lay management.

Headmistresses

Facilities

The school has a mixture of historic and modern buildings. The house, built in Victorian times is used for offices and teaching rooms. The school chapel was built in 1932, a classroom block was opened in 1953 and further extensions to teaching facilities were added in the 1960s including a gymnasium and science laboratories. The school has continued to expand and develop its facilities. The Alexander Sports Hall was opened in 2005 and the swimming pool refurbished, new art studios and refurbished laboratories were opened in 2009 and the gymnasium was converted to a theatre, 'Theatre on the Hill'. The St Joseph's Courtyard development, incorporating a large multi-purpose building that includes a dance studio, a new geography classroom, a Sixth Form science laboratory and a new science office, was completed in 2011. A new music suite, St Cecilia's, was opened in 2014.

Farnborough Hill is set in 65 acres of parkland and uses much of this for sports including tennis, hockey, netball, football, rounders, athletics and cross-country. In 2015 the Alex Danson Pitch, an all-weather, flood-lit hockey pitch was opened.

Farnborough Hill's use of information technology has also developed during this time with the adoption of electronic whiteboards in every classroom, music technology facilities and Farnborough Hill's own radio station, 'F'Hill Radio'.

Extracurricular activities

Farnborough Hill is a very busy school and aims to 'educate the whole person'. A wide range of extracurricular activities are on offer from Sport, Music and Drama to Sixth Form Expeditions and trips abroad.

Old Girls' Association

Farnborough Hill has an active old girls' association.[2] A reunion is held every year in September and other events are arranged during the year. Members keep in touch via an annual newsletter and active Facebook group. FHOGA sponsors a sixth form scholarship each year and helps current students by providing networking opportunities.

Notable former pupils

References

  1. ↑ http://www.farnborough-hill.org.uk/History
  2. ↑ http://www.farnborough-hill.org.uk/Old-Girls-Association

Mostyn, D. (1999) The Story of a House: A History of Farnborough Hill, Farnborough, St Michael's Abbey Press, ISBN 0907077560

Craven, L. and Evans-Jones, L. (2014) From Hillside to Farnborough Hill: 125 Years of the RCE in Farnborough, London, Third Millenium Publishing Limited, ISBN 9781908990297

External links

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