2010-11

Every year, chemists compete in the International Chemistry Olympiad (run in January) in which several students in the past have obtained excellent results, ranking amongst some of the best students in the country. This year we had a record entry of eighteen students (many from year 12). There were some excellent performances including one from a member

On 17th February the Year 9 and 10 Mandarin classes went on a trip to London for the Chinese Lantern Festival.  Our first stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum, where we went to an exhibition of Chinese Robes from the Qing dynasty.  This was the first time that these robes, which had been worn

The ‘King and I‘ is a musical with an extraordinary structure that is built around a duologue between Anna and the King. Pandora Dewan (8H) and Hannah Tillmann-Morris’ (9S) professionalism and talent exceeded all expectations in both roles. ‘The Ballet’ sequence involves Tuptim revealing her hatred of being ‘a slave’ to the king’s polygamy. The

In the summer our AS students competed in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge. Seventeen students took part; both Jennifer Collister and another girl in Year 13 were particularly successful gaining a Silver award, with most others gaining Copper awards.

Oxford High School Young Enterprise company, Cosmic, came third at the Young Enterprise National Finals held at the Savoy Hotel in London from Monday 11th to Wednesday 13th July 2011. Their environmental board game idea has been bought by a leading national board game company. Ten thousand of their games will be on sale in

Congratulations to Maya Fooks, Jemima Gassonm Tara Sehmi and Persephone Tapper who all successfully obtained places at this year’s residential ‘Salters’ Chemistry camps at a variety of Universities across the country. These courses involve groups of 50 students doing lots of exciting chemistry experiments.

The current ‘Chemist of the Term’ award for students who have made excellent contributions in class were awarded to Emily Tough, Ella Rechter and Agnes Carrington-Windo.

Alisha and Annabel: During the Easter holidays, a group of 13 Oxford High girls, alongside Mrs Solovyova and Miss Burton, began the journey to the curious and far away land of Russia. Not long after touching down at Domodedovo airport in Moscow, where the number of Russian men in leather jackets and caps was suspiciously

This year we marched (or bussed) a century of Year 8s up to Hadrian’s Wall for our week long cross curricular study trip. Despite the larger than usual number of girls, there was a tremendous sense of harmony and happiness. Several girls were overheard saying that they liked things and wanted to stay longer! –

Cosmic triumphed again by winning the South East Regional Finals at Horsham in June. They defeated companies from 8 other regions to win through to the National Finals that will take place from Monday 11th to Wednesday 13th July 2011. This is a wonderful achievement and reflects the tremendous business acumen of the members of

The amazing summer weather heralded the start of our term of events and held as we paid our annual visit to Rushall Mixed Organic Farm with Year 8 as part of their farming unit. It was the largest group we have taken but thanks to the farm staff and their clever planning the groups of

Towards the end of term Ms Yeo and Miss Gandell attended the Schools Launch of the wonderful Britain from the Air at the Oxford Castle. The exhibition is a free, open air street gallery boasting a hundred huge aerial photographs of Great Britain reflecting the diversity of landscapes that we have. It continues until 4th

On a sunny Sunday in May, just before AS exams kicked in, Y12 English students enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in beautiful Rousham Gardens. The trip helped us to visualise the landscape gardens of Sidley Park in Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia, and we were able to appreciate the great shifts in taste from the ornate Palladian

The Year 12 Politics students hosted a lunch with the former MP Brian Sedgemoor on the last Tuesday of the summer term alongside Miss Pallas-Brown and Miss Stewart (Spanish). The discussion was lively and packed full of insight and we are incredibly grateful to him for his visit. This was then followed by Brian Sedgemoor

In May 2011 year 8 delighted in a talk by Professor Paul Klemperer on ‘The Mathematics of Auctions’. This explored different methods of exploring an auction and involved using smarties as the currency. The students enjoyed this hugely, as well as learning some sophisticated economics.

On 11 May we welcomed the writer Charlotte Moore to the High School. She spoke at lunchtime to an audience of girls from Years 10 to 13 about the writing process and her own experiences as a writer of fiction, non-fiction and journalism. Everyone hugely enjoyed her insights into writing and asked lots of questions

Congratulations to Cosmic, one of Oxford High School’s Young Enterprise companies who won the Oxfordshire County Finals on 12th May. They now progress to the South East Finals on 14th June in Horsham.

We recently celebrated all the wonderful things our Year 13s add to the school community. You can read the Head’s speech below: Years 13 is an exceptionally talented year group and we are all very proud of their achievements. This is our opportunity to celebrate their service to the school and to thank them for

In the run-up to A level exams, some of the Psychology students (and other interested sixth formers) took a well-earned break from revision to watch “Shutter Island”. I’m not sure whether this Psychological Thriller could be described as relaxing, but while munching on crisps, doughnuts and chocolate cake (thanks to the Year 13s for organising

On Tuesday 26th April 2011 Dr Georgina Krebs, a clinical psychologist and a former student of Oxford High School, came to Oxford High School to talk about her work with children with OCD at a specialist clinic at the Maudsley Hospital in London. Dr Krebs gave a fascinating insight into the difficulties experienced by some

A selection of photos from our recent Opening Ceremony

All the Italian students in Y 12 and Y 13 took part in a trip to Italy during the first part of the Italian Exchange. During our stay as guests of the Liceo Classico- Linguistico “Carlo Botta” in Ivrea (Turin), we were welcomed very warmly by both the school and the host families. At school

An Oxford High School Invitational XI finished off an impressive year of hockey with a 1-0 win over Oxford Hawks U16 XI, who have been unbeaten all year. The game, played in wind, rain and sunshine was part of an excellent club day at Oxford Hawks that also saw the opening of the impressive Banbury

After an early morning start from OHS, twenty-eight Year 10 girls accompanied by Mme Harskin, Dr Rushton and Melle Le Bihan set off for a home stay visit to Angers in Maine et Loire (France). Right from the beginning the sun shone, but little did we know we would have temperatures between 25-28 C, with

At the end of the Spring term we invited Year 11 Greek students from Abingdon School to join us in celebrating the excitement of studying Greek! Fifteen boys came to team up with our girls and compete in a quiz written by the teachers at Abingdon School At the end of the Spring term we

On a sunny day in March one hundred Year Eights set off for the Roman town of Corinium (Cirencester). We have never taken so many girls to the museum before and were allowed the museum to ourselves! The girls were wonderful – they marched straight into the museum and settled down to sketching the mosaics

This March, as in most years, the Classics Department took more than 40 girls to compete in the Oxford Classical Reading Competition, in which students from a variety of Oxfordshire schools recite Latin and Greek to a board of judges from the University. We enjoyed a stroll through North Oxford to the University Parks where

The Year 10 Latin and Greek students visited the British Museum in January 2011 to get inspiration for their film-set projectsThis year’s trip to the British Museum did not have an auspicious start – the radio announced that it was officially the most depressing day of the year, and the driving rain seemed to back

On Saturday 19th March the 1st XI attended an invitational hockey tournament at Cokethorpe School. It was a lovely sunny day and the standard of hockey was extremely high. Ema Stojanovic started the day off extremely well with a goal against Cokethorpe. However, Cokethorpe came back strongly and thanks to a debatable short corner goal

Recent sporting achievements from OHS students British Air Gun Junior Women Championships: Congratulations to Holly Lay (10S) who finished 4th in the recent British Air Gun Junior Women championships. Fencing: Congratulations to Hannah Shaw (12S) who has recently passed her Level 1 England Fencing Coaching Award. Hannah also recently competed in the U18 Girls Foil

On the 22nd of January, fresh from their mocks, the U16 VII travelled to Southampton to compete in the Regional Netball Tournament. Having won the Oxfordshire County Netball Tournament, the team were pooled in a very tough group and endeavoured to play some high quality netball. Unfortunately, the opponents were too strong and the squad

Our run of luck that we had had with the weather throughout this term came to an end for the Year 11 trip to the Jurassic Coast. Having said this, it wasn’t as bad as last year, and we actually saw the Cove this time – just got a bit damp in the process! Spirits

The Cheltenham Ladies Netball Tournament was a very enjoyable day. Oxford High School won 4 games and lost 1 to Cheltenham College Junior Team. Unfortunately we did not make it to the semi-finals because we had one less point than another team who therefore made it to the semi-finals. We feel we played very well

The U15 Hockey Team went to the GDST Hockey Tournament on Wednesday 2nd February. Our first group match was against a very strong Ipswich team and we lost 2-1 despite some good saves made by Goal Keeper Emily Caldwell (10S). Our second match was against Sheffield and we won 4-0 with awesome goals from Toria

In the U13 Mini Hockey Tournament we played five teams and each match was seven minutes long. First up was Headington A, where there were chances for both teams but the goal keepers made strong saves keeping the score 0-0. Next we were up against St Helen’s and St Katherine’s, where there was a prolonged

On a cold, windy March afternoon the Under 13 A and B Netball teams travelled to Headington for the Oxfordshire Under 13 County Netball Tournament. Everyone played very well, and the A team managed to progress to the Semi-Finals, where they were against St Helen and St Katherine. After a tough match the score was

On Thursday 20th January, the U14 Hockey Squad set off in the darkness for Woking Hockey Club, where the South Regional Hockey Heats were being held. We had six games in total, and we were all feeling confident about the day ahead. Our first game was a 0-0 draw against Kingston Grammar School. Unfortunately Anna

“Physics in Action” trip to University of London Institute of Education on Thursday November 25, 2010 was full of action indeed! The Y13 and Y12 Physicists witnessed some very dramatic and entertaining demonstrations in a series of lectures presented by experts working at the frontiers of science. The students found out exciting things about the

The 2011 Careers Fair was a great success with over sixty stall holders in the great spaces of the new build: the Main Hall (One World and The Art of Creation), the Cafeteria (Mind and Body), the Drama Studio foyer (Keeping the Peace) and the Library (The Wig, The Pen and the Pound).The emphasis of

It’s a cruel world that Middleton forces us to watch but perhaps the play’s power lies in how it can suddenly and surprisingly move us. Livia’s grief at Leantio’s death reminds us that even the corrupt can feel love’s power and Bianca’s fabulous attack on the Cardinal overturns any certainty that there is only one

Before the bells started ringing again in earnest for Year 11 after their three weeks of mocks, they enjoyed a day out in London. The sun was shining, the traffic was flowing, and there were two clear hours of shopping time in Covent Garden in which to clear the racks at H&M. 3pm lunch (tea?

Once again the Year 13 Geographers and Miss Gandell organised a Red Accessories Day to raise money on World AIDS Day. Girls wore red shoes, hair bands, tights and beads, and red ribbons were on sale throughout the day.

OHS joins with four other local schools to put on Senior School production

The Year 10 Geographers set out on this very cold January morning to visit the City of Gloucester. Despite what felt like sub-zero temperatures, the girls remained in high spirits and were as cheerful as ever.This fieldwork complements the Unit on Changing Urban Environments and we shall be using the data in Geography lessons during

Nearly 40% of current Year 13 students at Oxford High School have received offers from Oxford and Cambridge. Special congratulations go to five girls who have also received Choral Awards at Cambridge. Year 13 students are also receiving good offers from other top selecting universities like Bristol, UCL and Durham. This year, entry to top

Congratulations to Izzi Craft who is this year’s recipient of the Dorothy Rowe Trust Award! She spent 10 days in Pozzuoli near Naples at the beginning of the Christmas holidays in a one-to-one exchange with Annalisa Vagnetti (the Italian recipient of the award). The award has given Izzi a unique opportunity to make new Italian

After braving the snow and fog, we made it to the Natural History Museum in London for our annual Year 9 visit to the Earth Galleries and Ecology wing.The girls worked with great enthusiasm, completing all the tasks set. The visit reinforced our work on our Unit on Tectonics and introduced the Unit on Rainforests

Oxford High School is delighted to announce that Miriam Zegeye and Rachel Nigriello (both Year 13 students) have been publicly honoured with the Diana Award. The Diana Award is a unique lifetime honour presented to individual young people for their compassion and outstanding and selfless contributions to their communities. These exceptional young people are positive

Twenty Year 12 and 13 students went on a very successful Politics and Economics trip to Washington DC and New York over October half term. Our group arrived in Washington DC and started with a visit to the White House organised by Mrs Tseelon-Riis, where some of them even managed to see Michelle Obama. We

Twenty Year 12 and 13 students went on a very successful Politics and Economics trip to Washington DC and New York over October half term. There were several key Economics visits including a memorable visit to the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. The group were able to compare the differences between the objectives of

GCSE students visited the Oxford Vihara in Abingdon Road. Our host, the Venerable Dhammasami (Abbot of Oxford Buddha Vihara) and his fellow monks made our girls very welcome. They talked to the students about the beliefs of Buddhism, told them Buddhist stories and showed the girls Buddhist meditation techniques. They also answered frankly and openly

This term the GCSE students visited Pusey House in St Giles. Custodian Fr William Davage took the girls on a tour of the chapel and the library. During the tour he showed the girls a rare Bible printed in 1500. We were joined by the Principal Fr Jonathan Baker and the girls had the opportunity

In October members of the Year 11 GCSE Religious Studies group joined members of the Classics Department on a six day trip to Rome. The Religious Studies students went along to find out about pilgrimage. We visited the Vatican Museums, St Peter’s Basilica and followed the traditional pilgrimage route between the Pantheon and the Vatican.

On a very cold afternoon, the U14 hockey squad set off to Cokethorpe School with high hopes for this year’s County Hockey Tournament. Our first match was against St Edward’s, a side we had never met before. We managed to win 1-0 with a goal from captain Georgia Perkins (9O). Next was Headington, one of our

This year the under 16 hockey team regained their title of County Champions for the fourth time. All members of the team played well and as a tight and driven unit. Grace McInerny (11S) was a solid and dependable strength in goal allowing the defenders to work the opposition attackers out of play. The midfielders

The Y13 study weekend has become a firm fixture in our A-level calendar. This year we were thrilled to return to Grasmere and the Lakes (the last two years have seen us in London and in Somerset), to explore the work of the Romantic poets and other writers in connection with our coursework study of

It was a cold but – luckily! – sunny day in Dudley for our trip to the open air Black Country Museum, which celebrates the industrial heritage of the Black Country. The museum staff greeted us attired in authentic 19th century garb, and proceeded to lead us through a well-organised day, giving a really good

The Year 12 Geographers took their first fieldtrip out to three Oxford locations in the first week back after half term. At each site, they used a number of data collection techniques to gather information on the housing and service provision in each area. Back in the classroom, Year 12 have followed up this work

Our first fieldtrip of the year! After initially being postponed due to wet weather, we finally managed to take the Year 7 forms out for a double period each to Banbury Road in Summertown. As it turned out, the weather on all three fieldtrips was excellent and the girls worked quickly and effectively on all

Year 11 Physics had a great time testing rubber band-powered model airplanes this month. As part of a unit on the physics of flight the girls in Mr Hypher’s classes took pioneering steps in various activities including wind tunnel studies of pressure distribution, lift and drag on a aerofoil. A flight-testing exercise of the rubber

Congratulations to the U16 Hockey Squad who won the Oxfordshire U16 County Tournament yesterday. The girls conceded one goal in whole day and easily saw off Tudor Hall 2-0 in the Semi-Final with goals from Catlin Bailey- Williams and Molly Warne and then beat St. Edwards 3-0 in the final with a hat-trick from Catlin.

On Thursday 7th October, Oxford High School 1st XI went to defend their title as GDST champions at Tilsley Park. Our first game was against Howells, which we won 2-0, goals from Georgia Stevenson (12H) and Caitlin Bailey-Williams (10S). We continued our success in the group, beating Croydon 2-0 with both goals coming from Georgia Perkins (9O). Our

On Wednesday 13th October the 1st XI Hockey squad travelled to Cokethorpe School for the 1st XI County Hockey Tournament. In a strong start we convincingly beat Henley College 2-0 with goals from Georgia Stevenson (12H) and Elena Alberts (12H). Our next match was against Bloxham School; having lost to them 4-0 earlier in the season we

This year the Engineering Club will be working in Aeronautics with flying the radio-controlled OHS Super Cub as the centre-piece.

After winning in the county finals, the OHS team consisting of Charlotte Burrows (11H), Saskia Morrison (11O), Jessica Oakhill (10O) and Georgina Todd (11O), set off to Wycombe Abbey for the next round. Following a bit of a sing song in the car and a long warm up we were raring to go! We managed

Congratulations to 2010 leaver, Olivia Elder, who has been awarded second prize in the Julia Wood History Essay Competition awarded by St Hugh’s College, Oxford, in association with History Review. Olivia entered an essay on the events leading up to the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 – a subject she had also written about

It is a fact universally acknowledged that OHS girls are very good at making and decorating cakes. In recognition of the Year 12′s enthusiasm for this traditional art, the History department organised a historical cake-decorating competition at the end of the summer term. All of the entries – which included a spectacular Viking long boat,

The Year 12 geographers carried on the long-standing tradition of visiting Slapton Ley Field Study Centre on the South Devon coast. Each return visit we are amazed at the speed of change along the coast of Start Bay with the relentless progress of holiday let developments despite the aggressive coastal erosion. Our schedule focused on

In January the AS Philosophy group attended a conference in Cheltenham. Philosophers Stephen Law and Keith Ward spoke about the Problem of Evil and Suffering. It was a really useful day for all concerned.

This year was another exciting election and the first school mock election since the formation nationally of the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition. In a high turnout the result was as follows: Behjat Ansari Liberal Democrat 61 votes Kate Birkbeck Labour 96 votes Isobel Daggitt Socialist Workers 38 votes Imogen Vessey Conservative 119 votes Milly Wickson Green

This was organised jointly between Oxford High School and Professor Margaret Harris, Head of the Psychology Department at Oxford Brookes University. We had around 150 Sixth Form Students and teachers attend from nine different schools. The day was a huge success, and included presentations and hands-on sessions from various researchers about topics as diverse as

This is an excellent set of results which reflects the hard work and commitment shown by all the girls and staff. 65.37% of the results were at A* and nearly 80% of the girls gained 9 or more A or A* grades. We congratulate all the girls and would like to thank all their families

OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL has achieved its best A level results yet. The new A* grade featured very strongly indeed with 35.12* at A*.The % of A*/A grades is 80.17 and the % of A*/B grades 95.87.I am delighted that the School continues to perform at the very highest levels nationally .All students and staff deserve