Thank you for your interest in joining us here at Torquay Girls’ Grammar School.
We have been educating bright students from Devon for over one hundred years now. The outcomes for young people who come here are excellent; our academic results place us as one of the top schools nationally for both attainment and progress. Ofsted rate us as outstanding in all categories and our students go on to top universities, apprenticeships and employment opportunities.
However, these facts do not convey the real essence of our school, which is more about a way of thinking. It is about helping our pupils to believe they can achieve anything.
We are high achieving and rightly proud of it; we are not afraid to celebrate the elite whether in the sphere of academia, sport or the arts. However, because we know that students work better when they are happy and relaxed, we also have an enormous amount of fun. Our strong house culture means that students are involved in activities like our whole school sponsored walk from Brixham back to Torquay, and the House Shout where students and staff compete in their Houses to sing a song to the rest of the school.
We believe that students here are ‘history makers’ of the future, and the curriculum enables them to develop their character skills and self-esteem, alongside their academic success.
Our extra-curricular opportunities, including trips and clubs, are fundamental to developing the whole student, teaching them valuable skills, including: leadership, aiming high, staying positive, creativity, problem solving, speaking, listening and teamwork. We want our young people to have lots of fun and experiences during their time at TGGS and our curriculum is designed with that in mind. We run trips locally such as to the National Marine Aquarium and Tate St Ives, trips nationally including to the Houses of Parliament and Oxbridge, and some incredible international trips which have seen our students walk across glaciers in Iceland, complete 4-day jungle treks (sleeping in hammocks) in Borneo, visit the largest particle physics laboratory in the world at CERN and even have the opportunity to go on an expedition to Kenya, to visit our partner school Imprezza and see game drives along the Great Rift Valley!
We are proud of our pastoral system where, as a smaller school, we get to know all our students well. Staff respond quickly and efficiently to ensure that students feel happy and secure. We believe that being a single sex school enables us to focus on the style of learning, and particularly the social environment, in which our students feel most comfortable. They are not embarrassed to speak out, take part or hold strong views. They are enthusiastic about taking on responsibilities, and few suffer “teenage cynicism” about being keen or clever; on the contrary, they are full of enthusiasm for a great many things – including school! They want us to know all about their achievements and their lives outside school.
As the only state, selective girls’ school in the area, this is a very special and unique place in which to learn. Students here can achieve anything they desire. I encourage you to apply and wish you every success.
Ms S Forster
Headteacher