FAQs

PGHS was founded in 1905 by Miss Alice Hum and has provided girls with an exceptional education for over 100 years.  We specialise in educating girls, challenging and guiding them to achieve their full potential within our warm and friendly school environment.  The School motto, “By Love Serve One Another” was carefully chosen and it still epitomises our special ethos where individuals are nurtured, successes are celebrated and their contribution to the community is greatly valued.

Lower School classes from Reception though to Year 6 benefit hugely from the encouragement and expertise of their class teachers and teaching assistants. Favourable teaching group sizes, light and airy classrooms and access to Senior School facilities all lead to an inspirational learning environment. This is enriched by specialist teaching in Art, Design & Technology, Drama, French, Spanish, Music and PE – frequently in half class groups. An exciting range of extra-curricular activities encourage girls to develop into well-rounded individuals.

At all ages the aim of the process is to identify potential for learning. Parents with children applying to join the Nursery are interviewed with their daughters. For entry into the Main School from Reception to Year 6 candidates are invited for an individual assessment with one of the specialist primary teachers. Candidates for entry into Years 5 and 6 undergo timed tests, whilst tests for those in Year 4 and below are less formal. Those candidates who demonstrate academic potential in their assessment are invited to spend time in the School with their peers when there is then a more general assessment of ability and aptitude. All parents will be given an appointment to meet with the Headmistress.

We take up to a maximum of 24 pupils in the Nursery and there are 3 members of staff: one teacher and two teaching assistants. When the Nursery is full there would be a ratio of 1 adult: 8 pupils. Throughout the Lower School there is an average of 20 pupils and some classes are taught in half class groups for specialist subjects i.e. Art, Design & Technology, ICT and Music. In addition, Year 5 and 6 enjoy Science in the laboratories.

For English and Maths, we ensure that our schemes of work meet all the objectives of the National Curriculum.  We create our own plans, rather than use a single commercial scheme, as we have found that those that you purchase do not have the same breadth or depth that our pupils need.

There are no sets in classes but work is differentiated according to ability. This is not a rigid system and those who show potential in certain aspects of the curriculum can access the more or less challenging work within lessons.

You can view our school fees for 2023/2024 on our website by clicking this link

We have our own 11+ exam for the Senior School at PGHS and our pupils are fully prepared for this through their lessons and homework activities.  Girls complete long writing tasks in class to develop their writing skills. They have feedback and guidance on answering questions in comprehension exercises, targeted marking to move their writing on and weekly Mental Arithmetic tests to develop their speed and number skills. We also focus on problem solving to embed key concepts and widen the breadth of their mathematical understanding.

Prep extra-curricular clubs: Prep Choir, Gym Club, Lego Club, Craft Club, Speech and Drama (LAMDA), Prep Violin Club, Smart Raspberry Cooking Club and Born to Move

Junior extra-curricular clubs: Book Club, Born to Move, Creative Club, Horse Riding, Jigsaw Club, Junior Choir, Junior Orchestra, LAGAD, Gym Club, Netball Club, Reasoning Club, Rounders, Science Club, Speech and Drama (LAMDA), Smart Raspberry Cookery Club, Tennis and Touch-Typing Club

We have fantastic PE facilities.  In addition to our sprung-floored hall for gymnasitcs and dance, from Year 3, all pupils go to the Walker Sports ground for their PE lessons and also to Southgate Leisure Centre for Swimming lessons.  In Years 10 & 11 the girls enjoy a whole afternoon of Sport at Southbury Leisure Centre and can choose from Swimming, Trampolining, Basketball and Fitness.

If you would like to register your daughter for a place in our Nursery, Reception or other year groups, please download the registration form on the website and send it back to us with the registration fee.  The fee is £50 for entry into the Nursery through to Year 2 and £75 for entry into Year 3 to Year 6.   Alternatively, you can complete the registration form on-line on our website and then contact the School Office for our bank details so that you can transfer the registration fee on-line.  For entry into Reception in September 2024, your registration form needs to be with us as soon as possible; the assessments will commence in November 2023. We encourage  you to apply promptly as places will be allocated following the assessment.

For Nursery and entry into other year groups, please return your registration form as soon as possible so that we can organise an ad hoc assessment. For Nursery, your daughter can join us once she turns 3.

PGHS was founded in 1905 by Miss Alice Hum and has provided girls with an exceptional education for over 100 years.  We specialise in educating girls, challenging and guiding them to achieve their full potential within our warm and friendly school environment.  The School motto, “By Love Serve One Another” was carefully chosen and it still epitomises our special ethos where individuals are nurtured, successes are celebrated and their contribution to the community is greatly valued.

In the Senior School, small class sizes (an average of only 10 at GCSE) and a broad range of extra-curricular activities enriches the girls’ experience.

For 11+ entry, candidates sit examinations in English, Mathematics and Reasoning, which are designed for their age group. The Mathematics, English (Comprehension) and Reasoning (NVR and VR) assessments are done via the ISEB Common Pre-test.  English (Creative Writing) is a traditional written paper. Familiarisation tests for the ISEB are available at www.testingforschools.com/player-demo-iseb and more general information can be found at www.iseb.co.uk/Examinations-Assessments/Common-Pre-Tests

Every year PGHS pupils achieve excellent results and 2023 was no exception with the overall percentage of A*/9/8 grades a magnificent 41% and A*/9 to A/7 grades was 69%. Please click here to view GCSE results

In Year 7, girls are split into two forms of 15 girls in each to make up one-year group of 30 girls and are taught lessons in differing teaching groups.  The average class size at GCSE level is 10.

You can view our school fees for 2023/2024 on our website by clicking this link

At 11+ the School offers scholarships, for which internal and external candidates are equally eligible. The academic scholarships  may be awarded to candidates who perform well in the 11+ entrance examinations in Mathematics and English and at interview. Art, Drama, Music and PE Scholarships may be awarded following an audition process in the chosen field. Further information on Scholarships can be found here.

Yes, applications are open for bursaries for 2023/2024 entry.  Please refer to the bursaries section on our website here for more information.

We have fantastic PE facilities.  In addition to our spring-floored hall, which is used for gymnastics and dance, from Year 3, all pupils go to the Walker Sports ground for their PE lessons and also to Southgate Leisure Centre for Swimming lessons.  In Years 10 & 11 the girls enjoy a whole afternoon of Sport at Southbury Leisure Centre and can choose from Swimming, Trampolining, Basketball and Fitness.

Pupils join us from areas including Winchmore Hill, Palmers Green, Southgate, Enfield, Edmonton, Barnet, Crouch End, Muswell Hill, Potters Bar, Highgate and Islington.

The following list provides examples of popular Sixth Form Destinations:

Independent: Aldenham, City of London School for Girls, Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, Haileybury, Highgate, King Alfred School, North London Collegiate, St Albans High School for Girls, St Edmunds College, St Paul’s (Hammersmith) and Queenswood.

State Selective: Dame Alice Owen’s School, Henrietta Barnett School, The Latymer School, and St Michael’s RC.

State Non-Selective: Alexandra Park School (APS), Ashmole, City and Islington Sixth Form College, Fortismere and Woodhouse.

To register your daughter for Year 7 entry, please download the registration form on the website and send it back to us with the registration fee of £75.  Alternatively, you can complete the registration form on-line on our website and then contact the School Office for our bank details to transfer the registration fee on-line.