| Pietermaritzburg Girls' High School | |
| Location: | Pelham |
| Streetaddress: | 186 Alexandra Road |
| Region: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| City: | Pietermaritzburg |
| Postcode: | 3201 |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Principal: | Esmè Weigelt |
| Staff: | 100 full-time |
| Classes Offered: | English, Afrikaans, isiZulu,Mathematics Core, Mathematical Literacy, Life Orientation, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences,Geography, History, Accounting, Business Studies, Consumer Studies, Visual Arts, Drama, Music, Natural Sciences, Technology |
| Avg Class Size: | 30 |
| Ratio: | 1:12 |
| Gender: | Female |
| Lower Age: | 14 |
| Upper Age: | 18 |
| Houses: |
|
| Schooltype: | All-girls |
| Fundingtype: | Semi-private |
| System: | CAPS |
| Fees: | Grade 8: R51 220 pa Grades 9-12: R47 979 pa Boarding fees: R74 114 pa |
| Schedule: | '07:30 - 14:15' |
| Language: | English |
| Campus: | Urban Campus |
| Motto: | Cheerfulness With Industry |
| Mascot: | Elly the Elephant |
| Sports: | Yes |
| Nickname: | GHS |
| Colours: | Green & white |
| Newspaper: | Green Elly |
| Students: | 1,200 girls |
| Grade8: | 240 |
| Grade9: | 240 |
| Grade10: | 240 |
| Grade11: | 240 |
| Grade12: | 240 |
| Free Label: | National Monument |
Pietermaritzburg Girls' High School (GHS) is a semi-private, all girls, day and boarding school situated in the urban city of Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The school has ±210 boarders and 1200 day pupils.
There is a house system consisting of 8 houses:
Each girl is assigned a house when they enter the school in Grade 8.
The school also has a peer counselling programme that began in 1996. It was designed to give the learners of our school the extra support they may need. Instead of going to one of the four adult counsellors our school has employed, learners now have the opportunity to go to another matric student that has proven herself worthy to be given the opportunity to provide students with extra care.
The school was founded in 1920 in the family mansion of Morningside, the home of Peter and Mary Davis. In 1925, Morningside became the boarding establishment. The main school building, designed after the style of Sir Herbert Baker, is now a National Monument.[1]
The school has an array of sports on offer that make it easy for learners to find one that they are comfortable in:
The campus is about 11 hectares that has been transformed into a modern establishment with modern buildings, sports fields, and gardens.
Features on campus include: 2 fully equipped computer labs, a performance theatre, an archives and museum, multipurpose indoor centre, high performance gym, library with over 18 000 books, and 7 Science laboratories.
GHS is a Google school and makes use of modern technologies by using platforms like Google Classroom and Google Drive to communicate and to share work. Learners may access Chromebooks via the library or one of the computer labs.
There is a boarding facility on campus that houses about 210 girls from Grade 8 to Grade 12.
In Grade 8 and 9, boarders live in communal dormatories as this helps them foster a sense of sisterhood and togetherness that is vital in their first few years of high school.
In Grade 10 and 11, learners live in pairs. This allows them to have a bit more independence, and gives them a bit more privacy as is crucial at this age.
In Grade 12, learners are given their own rooms, as this gives them full responsibility for themselves and their belongings. It helps to give them a sense of privacy as well as give them room to study for their upcoming matric exams.
The school is ranked as one of the top three schools in its district for achievements in the ‘Matric’ Examination (South African National Senior Certificate). The school was also recently named one of the Top 25 Government Schools in South Africa.
Achievements include:
The school has a very active old girls society with events held continuously.