James Allen's Girls School (JAGS) was founded in 1741. It moved to its current 22 acre site in Dulwich in 1886. Its facilities include an indoor swimming pool, sports hall, flood lit tennis courts, theatre, modern library (with some 23,000 volumes and working spaces for 100 students), careers centre, 13 science laboratories and many other specialist teaching rooms.
43% of pupils currently receive financial assistance. Competition for places is strong; scholarships are awarded on academic merit and to those with outstanding talent in music and art. Pupils are drawn from a large geographical area and from a very wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. They all have one thing in common; a desire for excellence and an enthusiasm for new challenges. Academic standards are high with 77% of GCSE entries achieving grades A* or A and 86% of A levels graded A or B in 1997.
JAGS pupils have won national awards in a variety of fields including mathematics, science, languages, poetry, art, music, chess, debating and sports. Community Service and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award are highly valued. The three separate sciences are taught and Latin and Greek are offered as well as French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Japanese. All girls study technology, music, art and drama for their first three years. Some 26 A level courses are available, Art, History, Philosophy and Economics being added to those offered at GCSE. Sixth Formers broaden their programme with AS subjects and a non-examined General Studies course; they also have to study a modern language at some level for one year and take a public speaking course. JAGS has links with schools in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Jordan and USA. There have been music, drama or sports tours to Australia, Czechoslovakia, Italy and South Africa.
Education at JAGS is a judicious balance involving an individual girl's exploration of knowledge, a passing on of the rich accumulation of scholarship from centuries of civilisation and an awareness of new technological developments. Good manners and self-discipline are prized. Above all every girl should leave the school eager to make an active contribution to the community.
Alumni - Winifred Knights (artist); Anita Brookner (author); Frances Line (retired Radio 2 controller).
