| Royal High School Bath | |
| Seal Image: | Royal-high-school-bath.png |
| Seal Size: | 160px |
| Coordinates: | 51.3977°N -2.3654°W |
| Established: | 1998 (merger) |
| Religious Affiliation: | Inter-denominational |
| Head: | Heidi-Jayne Boyes |
| R Head Label: | Acting Head |
| R Head: | Hadrian Briggs[1] [2] |
| Oversight Label: | to override the default label --> |
| Trust: | Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) |
| Address: | Lansdown Road |
| Country: | England |
| Postcode: | BA1 5SZ |
| Urn: | 109348 |
| Dfeno: | 800/6002 |
| Enrolment: | 607 (2024) |
| Capacity: | 940 |
| Lower Age: | 3 |
| Upper Age: | 19 |
| Houses: | Du Pré Wollstonecraft Brontë Austen |
Royal High School Bath is a private day and boarding school for girls located in Bath, Somerset, England.[3] Established in 1998 from the merger of two older schools, the Royal School (founded in 1864) and Bath High School (founded in 1875), it enrols approximately 600 students across Nursery, Prep, Senior, and Sixth Form levels. The school has two campuses, with the Senior School and Sixth Form on Lansdown Road and the Nursery and Prep School at Cranwell House. Sixth Form students have the option to pursue either A-Level or International Baccalaureate qualifications.[4]
Royal High School Bath is a member of the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST), the UK's largest network of independent girls' schools, and is the only GDST school offering boarding. Its facilities include extensive arts, sports, and music programmes, including the renowned Steinway Music School.
The school traces its origins to the Bath and Lansdown Proprietary College, a boys' day school founded in 1856 under the patronage of the Duke of Beaufort and the Marquess of Lansdowne, with the Reverend S. H. Widdrington as chairman. In 1864, the school closed and the building was bought, with the support of Queen Victoria, to establish the Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army, in order to educate orphaned daughters of Army officers in response to the needs that arose after the Crimean War.[5] The Royal School officially reopened on 24 August 1865, and was modelled after the Royal Naval School for girls, a boarding school founded in 1840. During World War II, the Royal School temporarily relocated to the Longleat Estate, where it remained for eight years.[6]
Bath High School for Girls was founded in September 1875 at Portland Place in Lansdown by the Girls’ Public Day School Company (now the Girls' Day School Trust), the largest network of independent girls’ schools in the UK. Its mission was to provide high-quality, accessible education for girls in Bath and the surrounding area, contributing to the development of girls' education within the region.[7]
In 1998, these two institutions merged to create the Royal High School Bath (RHS).[8] The former Royal School campus became the Senior School, while the former Bath High School site served as the Junior School.[9] Today, Royal High School Bath stands as the only Girls' Day School Trust school that offers boarding facilities.
The main building, situated atop Lansdown Road in Bath, was designed by architect James Wilson and completed in 1856, shortly after his design of the Wesleyan College (now Kingswood School).[10] [11] Constructed in the Gothic Revival style, it is designated as a Grade II listed building.[12] The structure houses the Senior School and the Winfield Centre for sixth form students.
Other Grade II listed structures are the entrance arch with royal arms on Lansdown Road (c.1858, also by Wilson); steps and lamp standards at the main building entrance (1858 or 1880s); the former sanatorium in the grounds, now houses (1884); and the school chapel (1939, designed by H.S. Goodhart-Rendel in a stripped Gothic style with Tudor detailing). The Prep School is at Cranwell House, a Grade II listed Victorian mansion in Weston Park.[13]
Royal High School Bath consistently ranks near the top of league tables for GCSE and A-Level results among Bath schools and is regularly recognised by The Sunday Times as one of the best independent secondary schools in the southwest of England. In 2016, the school received an 'excellent' rating in both academic achievement and personal development from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), with a 2024 inspection confirming full compliance with all required standards.[14] [15] [16]
The school offers a broad range of GCSE subjects, including STEM options such as sciences, computer science, and design technology, as well as language courses in French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish. All students study Latin from Year 7.[17] In the sixth form, students may choose between A-Levels and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. A-Level subjects include classical civilisation, economics, Mandarin, music, fine art, psychology, religion and philosophy, and physical education. In 2023, IB students at RHS achieved an average score of 35, surpassing the global average of 30,[18] [19] and RHS was named one of the top 50 boarding schools in the UK.[20]
The Art Department is housed in the Art School, which was inaugurated in November 2008 by Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, then Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chairman of the Arts Council, England.[21] It includes four dedicated studios, supporting activities such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, film, and photography. The Drama Department utilises the school's two performance venues: the Memorial Hall, a traditional space with movable seating, and the Sophie Cameron Performing Arts Centre, a versatile area in the former school chapel.[22]
In 2020, RHS became one of 250 schools worldwide to achieve the prestigious Steinway School status.[23] The purpose-built Music School comprises a main teaching room, eight sound-proofed practice rooms, a contemporary recital space, 10 Steinway & Sons pianos, two professional-standard recording studios[24] and a control room equipped with an Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition mixing console.[25] As part of the department's Steinway Music School status, a regular programme of masterclasses and recitals led by leading artists is offered.[26] The Music Department produces 35 concerts during the academic year.[27]
The school's sports facilities on the Lansdown campus include an AstroTurf pitch for hockey and football, two multi-use courts for netball and tennis, and a sports hall equipped for netball, basketball and badminton. The school also has access to the University of Bath's Olympic-standard sports facilities, which support student training and competitions.[28]
Royal High School divides its pupils into four houses: Austen, Brontë, Du Pré and Wollstonecraft. These houses compete in a range of academic and extracurricular activities throughout the year.[29]
Boarding options at Royal High School cater to girls aged 11 to 18, with choices between full boarding, weekday-only boarding, and flexible boarding. Students are accommodated in two boarding houses: School House, within the main school building, and Gloucester House, designated for sixth formers, within the senior school grounds.[30]
The Royal High Nursery & Prep School is in the Weston area of Bath. Formerly housed in Bath High School on Lansdown Road, it moved in 2014 to Cranwell House, a Grade II listed Victorian mansion. The Nursery is in the adjacent Vine House and Orangery. Hope Hall, behind Cranwell House, has classrooms for Years 5 and 6. The site also features a sports hall and a dance studio. The school enrols around 130 pupils aged 3 to 11 and follows the Reggio Emilia approach to education.
The school's notable alumnae include:[31]