View source for Dr Challoner's High School

{{distinguish|Dr Challoner's Grammar School}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}

{{Infobox school
| name          = Dr Challoner's High School
| image         = Dr Challoner's High School Logo.png
| image_size          =
| coordinates   = {{coord|51.66729|-0.56985|type:edu_region:GB_dim:100|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| motto         = {{langx|la|Pro Maleficiis Beneficia}}
| established   = 1962
| closed        =
| type          = [[Academy (English school)|Academy]] [[Grammar School]]
| religion      =
| president     =
| head_label    = Headteacher
| head          = Alan Roe<ref name="edubase-1"/>
| r_head_label  =
| r_head        =
| chair_label   =
| chair         =
| founder       =
| specialist    = [[Sports College|Sports]]<br>[[Language College|Language]]
| address        = Cokes Lane
| city          = [[Little Chalfont]]
| county        = [[Buckinghamshire]]
| country       = England
| postcode      = HP7 9QB
| urn           = 137219
| ofsted        =
| staff         =
| enrolment    = 1110<ref name="edubase-1">{{cite web|url=http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/establishment/summary.xhtml?urn=137219|title=URN 137219 Dr Challoner's High School|publisher=Edubase/DfE|access-date=25 August 2016}}</ref>
| gender        = Girls
| lower_age     = 11
| upper_age     = 18
| houses        = {{colour box|Blue}} Bronte <br> {{colour box|Green}} Curie <br> {{colour box|Purple}} Nightingale <br> {{colour box|Yellow}} Pankhurst <br> {{colour box|Red}} Teresa <br> {{colour box|orange}} Rosa
| colours       = {{colour box|Navy}}Navy blue
| publication   =
| free_label_1  =
| free_1        =
| free_label_2  =
| free_2        =
| free_label_3  =
| free_3        =
| website       = http://www.challonershigh.com/<!--http://www.dchs.bucks.sch.uk/ seems to have been hijacked-->
}}

'''Dr Challoner's High School''', abbreviated to '''DCHS''', is a selective secondary grammar school for girls between the ages of 11 and 18, located in [[Buckinghamshire]], England. In August 2011 the school became an [[Academy (English school)|Academy]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Open academies map and schools submitting applications|url=http://www.education.gov.uk/academies/a0069811/open-academies-map-and-schools-submitting-applications|publisher=Department for Education|access-date=15 August 2011}}</ref>

In September 2001, the school was awarded [[specialist school]] status as a [[Sports College]], by the [[Department for Education and Skills (United Kingdom)|Department for Education and Skills (DfES)]]. It was also awarded a second specialism as a [[Language College]]. It is an affiliate member of the [[Girls' Schools Association]]. In 2011, Ofsted judged the school to be Outstanding and in 2014 DCHS achieved the Exceptional Schools Award.

==History==
[[File:Dr Challoner's High School Little Chalfont - geograph.org.uk - 29085.jpg|thumb|The fascia of Dr Challoner's High School in Little Chalfont.]]
The school was established in 1962 as an all-girls' school, when the previously mixed [[Dr Challoner's Grammar School]] became an all-boys' school, due to increasing roll numbers.

==Entry==
To gain entry to the school, pupils from primary schools in the local area are invited to do the [[11-plus]] exam. Entry to a grammar school usually requires a score of 121/141, though pupils who gain scores of below 121 are invited to appeal their case. Prospective pupils who did not take the 11+ (e.g. those who join in later years) also take the school's own entry test.

==House system==
The school operates a house system, with girls being placed in one of the six houses at the start of their time at the school along with the rest of their forms. The six houses are named after notable women in history and each have a corresponding colour: [[Brontë|Bronte]] is blue, [[Marie Curie|Curie]] is green, [[Florence Nightingale|Nightingale]] is purple, [[Emmeline Pankhurst|Pankhurst]] is yellow, [[Mother Teresa|Teresa]] is red and [[Rosa Parks|Rosa]] is orange. Six girls in the upper sixth are appointed the head of houses each year. The houses play a part in music and sports in the school, with girls earning points for winning competitions and events, in particular interhouse, a sports half-day competition occurring once a term for years 7–11. At the end of each academic year one house will win the house cup for having the most points.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! House !! Colour !! Significance
|-
|Bronte||Blue|| Named after the three authors, the [[Brontë sisters]], Charlotte, Anne and Emily&nbsp;
|-
|Curie||Green||Named after [[Marie Curie]], the physicist and chemist who won two Nobel Prizes
|-
|Nightingale|| Purple||Named after the nurse, [[Florence Nightingale]], who nursed during the Crimean War and left a great legacy to nursing
|-
|Pankhurst||Yellow|||Named after [[Emmeline Pankhurst]] and her daughters, [[Sylvia Pankhurst]] and [[Christabel Pankhurst]], who were great figures in the British suffragette movement and the campaign to give women the vote&nbsp;
|-
|Teresa|| Red||Named after [[Mother Teresa]], the Catholic nun and humanitarian who won the Nobel Peace Prize&nbsp;
|-
|Rosa||Orange||Named after [[Rosa Parks]], the American activist, a known pivotal person in the Montgomery bus boycott.
|}

==Facilities and classes==

===Initial subjects===
Pupils are introduced to a wide range of subjects from Year 7, including Computer Science, Art, Music and Drama. Pupils study French, German and Spanish for the first year. In years 8 and 9 the students study Latin, in turn dropping one of their other two languages, before continuing on with at least one language at GCSE level.

All pupils take at least eight subjects for GCSE, although most take 9 or 10 subjects. Three A levels are taken by most students but in the case of certain subjects (further maths, music etc.), or outstanding achievement at GCSE, students may take four. The vast majority of pupils go on to university or some form of higher education.

===School buildings===
'''The Tower Block:''' Humanity subjects, Religious Studies, History and Geography are taught here, as well as Classics and Latin. This building was part of the school when it first opened in 1962.<br />
'''The Science Block:''' Also part of the school when it first opened, the three sciences are taught here. The art rooms were previously situated upstairs but have been renovated to become new science rooms.<br />
'''The Curve Building:''' Added in the early 1980s, extended in 1992 and again in 1998, English, Maths and Art are taught here. The library is also situated in this building, as is the Sixth Form Common Room and the Careers Room. The curved space between the Curved Building and the Tower Block creates a naturally sloped outdoor theatre area.<br />
'''The Modern Foreign Languages Building:''' Known as the MFL Block, French, Spanish and German are taught here, although the Music teaching and practice rooms and also one physics laboratory are attached to it. <br />
'''The Sports Hall:''' Completed in 2002, most indoor sports lessons are held here. There are changing rooms with showers available. The school fields and Tennis, Netball and astro-turf courts are situated by this building.

The school's original gym and a dance and drama studio, built more recently, were knocked down to make way for a new drama complex, completed around 2009 with the help of fundraising and donations from parents. There is also a canteen and Main Hall at the front of the school, attached to the Tower Block and part of the original school of 1962.

==Headteachers==
*1962–1974: Agnes McMaster
*1974–1986: Jean Williams
*1986–1993: Sheila Cousens
*1993–2003: Sue Lawson
*2003–2006: Hilary Winter
*2006 (Summer term): Andrew MacTavish, acting headmaster
*2006–2011: Peg Hulse
*2011–2015: Ian Cooksey
*2015–present: Alan Roe

==Notable former pupils==
{{alumni|date=February 2016}}
{{see also|Category:People educated at Dr Challoner's High School}}
*[[Fern Britton]], television presenter<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tes.com/news/tes-magazine/tes-magazine/mrs-dawes-fern-britton|title=Mrs Dawes by Fern Britton|date=8 February 2017|website=tes.com|access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref>
*[[Amal Clooney]], lawyer, activist and author<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/parenting/home-counties-parenting-do-amal-clooney/|title=Home Counties parenting: here's how to do it, Amal Clooney|first=Estelle|last=Lee|date=13 July 2018|access-date=4 October 2018|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>
*[[Magenta Devine]], broadcaster, journalist 
*[[Honey G (rapper)|Anna Gilford]] (performs under the name Honey G), [[The X Factor]] contestant<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2016110834509/honey-g-amal-clooney-same-school/|title=Honey G and Amal Clooney attended the same senior school|date=8 November 2016|website=hellomagazine.com|access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref>
*[[Holly Jackson]], author{{citation needed|date= August 2023}}
*[[Anna Valentine]], fashion designer
*[[Lucy Winkett]], first female Canon of [[St Paul's Cathedral]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/652919.display/|title=GERRARDS CROSS|website=Bucks Free Press|access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref>

==Notable achievements==
In 2014 the school was awarded Exceptional Schools Award by the Best Practice Network, only the ninth school in the whole country to receive the award after an extensive inspection.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/NEWS/11355235.School_praised_for_exceptional_achievements/|title=School praised for exceptional achievements|website=Bucks Free Press|access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref> In 2011 DCHS was judged to be an Outstanding school by OFSTED.

In 2008, Dr Challoner's High achieved the best A Level results of any Buckinghamshire state school with an A/B pass rate of 84%. At GCSE the A*/A grade pass rate was 81% and over a third of girls achieved all A*/As.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/|title=The Times & The Sunday Times|website=[[The Times]]|access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref> The school has appeared in the Times Parent Power school league tables; 31st best state school in 2007, 16th in 2008 and 23rd in 2009, each time being the top state school in Buckinghamshire. Ofsted rated 'Grade 1 – Outstanding' in its last inspection of the school in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.challonershigh.com/_files/0F910A9DE2397B5F3FEFEE35569423C7.pdf|title=Loading site please wait...|website=www.challonershigh.com|access-date=4 October 2018}}</ref>

In 2010 the school achieved another set of outstanding A Level results. 22.3% of entries were graded A*, a higher figure than any other Buckinghamshire school. Over 88% of entries were graded A*-B.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

In recent years the school has also won Good Schools' Guide awards in History, Politics and Spanish.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}} The Politics department won the top prize, achieving the best A Level results of any school in England for the period 2004–06. In addition to its academic success, the school has a proud reputation for sporting success, recently winning the national U16 basketball title and the tennis team were national runners-up in the year 8 and under Nestle School Teams Tennis competition. In December 2008 the school won the national junior cross-country championships held in [[Leicestershire]].

==See also==
* [[Grammar schools in the United Kingdom]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=110495 Department for Education Performance Tables 2011]
*{{Cite web | title=The day the school became a filmset | publisher=Bucks Free Press | url=http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/features/newsfeatures/display.var.561835.0.0.php | access-date=17 May 2005 |url-status = dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926223031/http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/features/newsfeatures/display.var.561835.0.0.php | archive-date=26 September 2007 }}

{{Buckinghamshire Secondary Schools}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Girls' schools in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Grammar schools in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1962]]
[[Category:Amersham]]
[[Category:Academies in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:1962 establishments in England]]