James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS) A GSG School

Curricula

Cambridge Pre-U - an alternative to A levels, with all exams at the end of the two-year course.

Other features

All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2020 Alex Hutchinson, formerly head at Woldingham School. Read chemistry at St Edmund Hall, Oxford and gained her PGCE at the university of Bristol before teaching science at Clifton College for six years. A series of equally well-known day and boarding schools followed with roles including head of science at St Mary’s Ascot, head of sixth form at both Central Newcastle High school and Wimbledon High School, before deputy head and head at Woldingham School.

A highly effective head who, incidentally, taught chemistry for a year at JAGS some time ago. ‘I always thought I would love to return, it had such a lovely feel about it.’ By her own admission, ‘a fast talker', she is erudite, dynamic and very likeable from the outset which endears her to pupils, staff and parents. ‘She’s the best thing that has happened to the school,’ one parent enthused. Staff told us, ‘She’s authentic, positive, energetic and a huge role model for staff and girls alike.’ We spotted lots of thank you cards on the shelves of her office, along with the words on her wall: ‘Work hard and be nice to people’. ‘There’s space for all,’ Mrs Hutchinson told us. ‘There are lots of busy extroverts who like to be in the spotlight but equally a lot of busy quieter girls. No one personality dominates.’

When she’s not busy working hard, there’s also time for fun, whether it’s showcasing the talents of her dog Scrumpy for ‘JAGS Got Talent’ or judging one of the many lively, house events. Outside of school, she and husband Chris (head of Royal Russell School) are big ‘outdoorsy types’ who enjoy hillwalking and are ‘avid vegetable gardeners’.

Entrance

The highly competitive 11+ entrance process begins in autumn of year 6. External candidates attend a ‘welcome morning’ for an interview with a senior member of staff, along with creative writing and group tasks. The ISEB pretest follows later. A third of the 125 or so places available in year 7 automatically go to girls from the junior school, with the remainder evenly(ish) split between applicants from state and independent schools. School prides itself on being one of few which interview all candidates: ‘We seek to make it a positive, nurturing experience and don’t want them to feel overwhelmed.’ Rare chance places can crop up higher up the school but are ‘filled very quickly’.

Sixth form newcomers undertake assessments and interviews, with candidates needing a minimum of six GCSE grade 7s and passes in English and maths.

Exit

Around 20 per cent leave after GCSEs, usually for co-ed schools or simply a change. Post A levels, nearly all to university, 80 per cent to Russell Group. Bristol, Exeter, Imperial and Edinburgh recently popular. In 2023, 21 to Oxbridge and 15 medics. Courses range from aeronautical engineering and biochemistry to history, politics and history of art. Small (but growing) numbers to US or Canada. A small few to degree apprenticeships.

Latest results

In 2023, 90 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 83 per cent A*/A at A level (96 per cent A*-B). In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 91 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 71 per cent A*/A at A level.

Teaching and learning

The learning environment is dynamic and fast-paced and results excellent across the board. ‘Girls need to enjoy the cohesive pace and challenge,’ says head, but she insists it’s not an exam factory. ‘We want the girls to have a strong sense of self-worth from everything they do, not just their grades.’ To this end, girls take 10 (‘rather than 11’) GCSEs, freeing up time for the new ‘curriculum plus’ strand of courses which are taught from year 7 in the likes of public speaking mastery (led by a staff member who is a former barrister), sustainability, storytelling, philosophy and politics. We saw some of these in action in newly renovated classrooms – a hive of activity and lively debate.

The MFL offering is vast, with a carousel of French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish – from which girls select two to study in the lower school. French and Spanish are the most popular at GCSE but school commits to run any or all of them, even if numbers are low. Setting only maths from year 8, which is kept fluid. Classical civilisation, Greek and Latin available at GCSE. Triple science compulsory. Maths and sciences are the most popular A levels, and social sciences and humanities also get good take-up. Most girls take three plus an EPQ, the rest take four.

Parents praise the teachers, about a third of whom are male. They are ‘great’, we heard, and ‘don’t take themselves too seriously – engaging in activities and letting their hair down, which makes them so much more approachable for the girls’. Sixth form staff come in for particular commendation. ‘They have so much support for the next step, the girls are in excellent hands,’ said a parent. ‘Very engaging’, agree students, one of whom was studying chemistry A level, ‘and that’s coming from someone who really didn’t like science in the earlier years’.

Recent changes to six 50-minute lessons (previously nine 35-minute lessons) have been welcomed. ‘We didn’t think we’d like the longer lessons but actually, it’s so much better,’ year 11 girls reported as they were busily testing and identifying different substances in a lively chemistry lesson.

School doesn’t stick to the national curriculum to the letter, so pupils and parents need to be onboard and able to manage the pace and breadth of the studies. No tutor culture either: ‘There’s no pressure to have a tutor because the girls have so much help and support in school,’ one mother disclosed. Teachers reaffirmed this: ‘Each pupil has their own talent: if they haven’t had their moment, we haven’t done our job.’

A delay to the roll out of one-to-one digital devices for pupils in years 7-11 (now coming 2024/25 academic year) was a slight gripe for some parents. ‘They have been somewhat slower than their counterparts.’ However, school told us it preferred to ‘avoid the pitfalls that others who had gone earlier had faced’. In the meantime, girls use school computers, laptops and tablets and, when a teacher permits, mobile phones for research purposes in lessons.

Learning support and SEN

Approximately 18 per cent of students are on the SEN register, mainly for dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism. Screening for all new starters. Two in-house SENCos: one works with younger girls and the second with girls from year 9. There’s also a full-time LSA who runs small group sessions. School has a new SEN base which is open to all to drop into, even if just feeling overwhelmed and having a tricky day. The space includes zoned areas, plus an acoustic booth to help reduce sensory overload. Other accessible areas are dotted around school for students to chat with teachers as needed. ‘We foster relationships with pupils and parents alike and through pupil profiles, establish how they like to be approached,’ we were told. Help can be given to those needing support for exams, provision of software devices or in the case of physical disabilities, sensitive timetabling to factor in use of elevators. The team also work with year groups to raise awareness of neurodiversity through initiatives in school and beyond; a recent writing competition was spearheaded by year 10 girls entitled, ‘What does neurodiversity mean to you?’ working in a broader context with the Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership.

The arts and extracurricular

Director of music recently arrived after nine years at Eton and follows an esteemed line of music directors including Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst to whom JAGS attributes its illustrious music tradition. The vast 500 capacity performance space and adjoining music department is named after the former. We were treated to the dulcet tones of the madrigal group rehearsing before school – they perform carols at Southwark Cathedral and Cadogan Hall, sing evensong in Merton College, Oxford and with the Dulwich College choir in Christ’s Chapel, Dulwich. ‘There’s an expectation music has to be exceptional but also accessible to all,’ says school, and it is, with all girls taught to read music if they haven’t seen it before formally. We even heard of some students, who, having never played an instrument before, reached grade 5 within a couple of years. ‘The department is so supportive around building confidence,’ one parent told us, ‘the girls can really flourish.’ Others play to grade 8 level and play in the National Youth Orchestra or conservatoires outside of school. From the 60-person strong Holst choir to lunchtime rock groups, jazz bands or double bass ensembles plus the hugely popular, whole-school, ‘pop fest’, it’s clear this department moves at a million miles an hour and with outstanding musical output.

Drama is also a big deal. There’s a massive appetite for it from the girls, and the school teaches a lot of technical theatre too – so it’s not just about treading the boards. Around three drama sets are run for GCSE, and the productions get huge buy-in. We saw final rehearsals for the production Whispers from the Wardrobe which proved so popular at the audition stage that two casts of 48 were being alternated. Perhaps the joint cast with Dulwich College was a draw but, equally, its popularity should come as no surprise with alumnae including Sally Hawkins, Daisy Haggard and Charlotte Ritchie.

Accomplished art department with five art rooms for the lower years and dedicated A level art rooms. Teachers are practising artists. Around a third of students take art GCSE and school places strong emphasis on experimentation with many different mediums such as print making, sculpture and textiles. Impressive student art on display around school, many large format. History of art available as a club and at A level.

Clubs are plentiful, with everything from dentistry society to jewellery making. Many are conceived and run by the students, including an African Caribbean society which has successfully instilled a sense of representation and community.

Girls benefit from a varied array of trips each year from language trips to Barcelona, Greece or Tallinn, art trips to museums or St Ives at GCSE and sports tours including a netball and hockey trip to Barbados.

Sport

‘Mass participation is key,’ says school. Note no weekend fixtures, though, which school says is down to the sheer number of girls playing for outside clubs or at county level. Lower school girls play netball and hockey in winter, then cricket in the summer. ‘My daughter’s attitude is that she must try as many sports and clubs as possible,’ said one new parent. From year 11, there’s also yoga, rock climbing and archery to combat the drop-off that often happens when puberty hits – and, pleasingly, they do well in many of the more niche sports, having recently reached national finals in water polo and cheerleading, for example. Sport is still compulsory for sixth formers. A few parents say the exceptionally talented might be better off going ‘to one of the big name sports schools’.

School grounds are vast for this part of London, boasting 22 acres. Plenty of hockey pitches and netball and tennis courts, plus the sports centre which doubles up as a members’ sports club and café out of school hours. It houses a superb 25m pool, badminton and squash courts, spin studio and a towering climbing wall plus bouldering, for which there’s a visiting expert.

Ethos and heritage

School originated in rooms at the back of a public house in Dulwich Village back in 1741, making it the oldest independent school for girls in London, an accolade of which the school is fiercely proud. Founded by educationalist James Allen, it is part of the Foundation Schools with all boys’ Dulwich College and co-ed Alleyn’s. All three schools benefit from an annual distribution from the Dulwich Estate in line with the original objective to provide education to children from all economic backgrounds. Ethnic and socio-economic diversity is not just celebrated here, it is core to its being.

JAGS has come a long way from inception where girls were given the opportunity to learn to read and sew - but the community is still loyal to its founders, celebrating founder’s day each year with a huge summer event. School’s four houses are named after key male and female figures in the school’s history; Bettany, Holst, Desenfans and Clarke. So rich is its history, the in-house archivist teaches it as an extracurricular topic.

School buildings are a blend of styles from different eras segueing between older and freshly modernised areas. Outside, the sports centre, expansive fields and botany gardens are connected to the school via a wide, beautifully landscaped bridge over the railway line below. This not only makes for a pleasant walk but also serves as the ideal setting for the annual year 7 catapult competition.

Dr Lilian Clarke, botanist and science teacher, established school’s very own botany gardens in 1896 which still exist today and form a core part of the school’s commitment to plant physiology and ecology – as we saw for ourselves as we toured the vast beds that that have been revived. ‘It’s very tangible for students in the face of climate change and we can tap back into the curriculum.’ Whether used for teaching (a dipping platform had just been installed at the newly lined pond for biology classes), hosting clubs, growing plants for classrooms in the greenhouse or even simply as a place for some quiet time in the wooded copse, pupils say it’s a welcome destination. School’s dedicated sustainability lead – charged with achieving the goal of carbon neutrality by 2030 – is frequently found outside inducting girls into the workings of the 200 litre composter where kitchen waste and wood chip from the grounds end up. A plethora of initiatives, including clothes swaps and a climate café for pupils to discuss ‘eco-angst’, have contributed to the school winning multiple eco and travel sustainability awards.

Lots of community work, eg Saturday literacy scheme sees around 50 children from local primary schools come for reading lessons conducted by year 10 and 12 volunteers; music centre hosts weekly community groups and events. School is also part of the Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership whereby local schools join for some teaching including A level computer science.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Robust pastoral care includes ‘excellent’ transition for year 7s and their parents. Plenty of layers of pastoral staff to create a ‘web of support’ for the girls, plus school chaplain, nurses and two onsite counsellors (who run clubs including mindfulness and wellbeing art). Art psychotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapies can be employed at an extra cost, and there’s a ‘welcoming’ room off the pupil reception is available for girls to drop into and chat to pastoral staff. Cross-year friendships encouraged by houses and clubs, and sixth formers can train to become mental health first aiders. There’s also a head girls’ comments box that anyone can drop ideas into. Form groups are moved around in years 8 and 9 but the girls’ views are taken into account: ‘We’re sensitive to the social ups and downs that occur.’ One parent felt that ‘because my daughter has to get on with it and manage things herself’ the school is ‘better suited to a particular type of personality’.

Sanctions are few and far between but parents approve of the ‘zero tolerance attitude’ to any sniff of stepping out of line on social media or cyberbullying.

In response to the Everyone’s Invited Movement, school says it is ‘moving forward strategically to help foster healthy relationships and not demonise the opposite sex’. Opportunities for interactions with pupils from Dulwich College are plentiful and range from social events and classroom-based activities. ‘We see them as young adults and given life isn’t single sex, we ensure we give them experiences related to leadership and development in droves.’

School places strong emphasis too on dialogue with parents: several talks are offered per term that might include advice on supporting their daughter’s studies, information about vaping or substance abuse, body image or building resilience.

Pupils and parents

Pupils we met were confident, self-assured and not shy about voicing their opinions both in class or to fellow pupils. Reasonably diverse socio-economically, given this affluent pocket of SE London. Good ethnic diversity too. Families largely dual income professionals. ‘It’s not pretentious or exclusive,’ they told us, ‘families are hardworking and for the majority, it’s a big financial investment.’ Those coming from Beckenham, Croydon, Kensington and Greenwich are grateful for the school’s coach service, but school discourages journeys that would be too challenging on a daily basis. Most are local. ‘Lots of girls come from Dulwich and all know each other,’ parents tell us. ‘It’s a close knit community; many have friends and siblings at the other Foundation schools.’ PTA is pretty involved for a secondary school so be prepared to socialise and make friends: everything from coffee mornings, helping at student socials or the all-singing, all-dancing founders’ day event.

Money matters

Scholarships at 11+, 13+ and 16+. Academic, music, art and sport - most worth around £1000 per year. Around 16 per cent of pupils are on means-tested bursaries, available up to 100 per cent.

The last word

Forward-thinking and outward-looking, with boundless opportunities for clever girls who have the grit and determination to succeed. The gold standard of schools.

Special Education Needs

We are not a schoool which specialises in SEN and we have no in-class support or withdrawal teaching, other than for a statemented severely hearing impaired pupil. We do have a SENCO and staff alert her to pupils whom they think should be tested for SEN. We have a number of girls with mild dyslexia, mild dyscalculia and mild dyspraxia. A few use laptops. Candidates with SEN have to be of the appropriate academic standard for entry to the school, but are given extra time in the English Entrance examination and are able to use a laptop for it. Our SENCO provides some one-to-one support for individual pupils outside of lesson times and provides all staff with guidance and strategies for teaching pupils with SEN. We endeavour to provide extension work for gifted and talented pupils in all areas and have allowed exceptionally talented musicians to have a reduced academic timetable to allow extra practice.

Who came from where