Ipswich High School was opened as a school for girls in the Assembly Rooms in Northgate Street, Ipswich, on 30 April 1878 with 43 pupils. The first headmistress, Miss Sophie Youngman, held the position for 21 years and the school flourished and expanded under her leadership. She was succeeded by Miss Kennett and, in 1905, the Council of the Trust purchased a large private house and grounds in Westerfield Road, Ipswich. The move provided a more modern classroom standard, science laboratories and a playing field. Another house, Woodview House, was purchased in 1913. Owing to the continued expansion of the school and the demands of the modern curriculum, the decision was taken in 1992 to rehouse the school at Woolverstone Hall, a Grade 1 listed building set in of parkland on the banks of the River Orwell, the former premises of Woolverstone Hall School for boys. Transition to the co-educational Diamond School model was commenced in 2018, with induction of the first boys scheduled for the new school year beginning in September. The change from a single-sex to co-educational system received mixed responses from parents and alumnae. the school serves a wide area of Suffolk and north Essex, taking girls and boys aged 4–18 years and providing both primary and secondary school education, including a sixth form, where pupils take traditional A Levels in subjects such as Latin, History and Mathematics.
Governance
Following acquisition of the school by London and Oxford Group in 2017, the principal and the chair of governors remained in their positions, reporting to the ownership subsidiary Ipswich Education Limited.
Facilities
Facilities include an AstroTurf playing field, indoor swimming pool, large theatre and sports hall. Extensive formal gardens remain from the historic estate. The grounds extend to the River Orwell, which is viewable from classrooms. In addition to the heritage Hall, there are buildings for the Senior Department and Junior Department. Students dine in the Orangery, situated in the main building, which also houses two libraries and the Sixth Form Centre. The Art Department is located adjacent to the stables and Junior School.
Curricula
The school offers numerous subjects before GCSE, which include five different languages; along with ICT, the humanities, the arts, and the sciences. English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics must be taken at GCSE. At GCSE, pupils can study three optional subjects. At A Level, pupils can study three or four subjects with an 'enrichment course', with the option of taking an EPQ at A2. Pupils can study English Literature, Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Physical Education, Three-Dimensional Design, Fine Art, Economics, Music, Philosophy, Geography, Dance, Drama & Theatre Studies, Religion, Philosophy & Ethics, History, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Computer Science, Classical Civilization, Economics and Business Studies at A Level. Academically, the school has featured in the top 100 Independent Schools list for many years. The school achieved the top GCSE results in Suffolk for 2017 and 57% of Sixth Form students accepted places to attend Russel Group Universities in 2017. In 2017 70.4% of all GCSE grades were A* - A and 38.5% of all A Level grades were graded A* - A. To receive entry into the Senior School, the pupils must take three exams similar to the 11+ and then must maintain their academic expectations throughout the school, especially at GCSE level. Sixth Form students are admitted on the basis of their GCSE results. Academic support is available for pupils and tutors work closely to monitor their achievements.
