125th Celebration Information
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You are invited to join our performance of
Carmina Burana – Carl Orff:

We are delighted to invite you to be part of our school’s extravaganza ‘Flying High’ to celebrate 125 years of Bromley High School which is taking place at the Royal Albert Hall. Please open the PDF file for more information.

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‘Flying High’
125th Birthday Celebrations

Royal Albert Hall
Wednesday 19th March 2008

Click Here for more details

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Bromley High School GDST celebrates its 125th Birthday 1883 – 2008

Bromley High School opened its doors on 18th January 1883 and was the second wave of schools to be opened across the UK by the Girls’ Public Day School Company Limited (now known as the Girls’ Day School Trust). Bromley High School characterised the GPDSC’ schools, offering ‘high levels of scholarship’ and ‘a strong interest in ‘language’ ’. The first head, Miss Heppel, was ‘an expert in French’ and this tradition is continued today with the current head, Lorna Duggleby, who also has an ‘expertise’ in languages, specifically in French and linguistics.

1883 was a time when Victorian Britain was slowly becoming accustomed to State provision of education. The opening of Bromley High School marked the first public recognition in Bromley of the importance of higher education for girls.  The extension of the railway had resulted in the growth of Bromley as a suburb and the need for the provision of education for girls from a wide social background.
The town Bromley High served was very different in 1883 from the present London Borough of Bromley.  In the words of the first Headmistress, ‘Bromley was a small country town, surrounded by pleasant woods and meadows. What is now Highland Road was a wood where we gathered bluebells.’

The School has throughout its history remained dedicated to its original message ‘Fides et Opera’ (Faith and Work).
The academic standards established at its inception have been improved and the School remains committed to developing the holistic student – one who has opportunities in music, drama, sport, public speaking as well as in academic pursuits.Bromley High provides an ‘all-through’ education with a Junior School for girls 4 – 11 and a Senior School for girls aged 11 – 18.  The increasing popularity of the School led to its move in 1979 to its present site in Blackbrook Lane and once again Bromley High occupies a ‘semi-rural site’ set in 25 acres. The Foundation Stone for the new school was laid on 25th September, 1979 by Rt Hon Mark Carlisle, Secretary of State for Education and Science. Lessons began in the new school in January 1981 and the School was formally opened by HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, Patron  of  the Girls’ Public Day School Trust, on 13th May 1991.

To celebrate the anniversary, there will be a variety of activities taking place at the School across the year with the highlight being the extravaganza ‘Flying High’ a bespoke expression of Music, Drama and Dance at the Royal Albert Hall. The programme will begin with the Junior School performing ‘The Selfish Giant’ a musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic children’s story by Sheila Wilson. This will be followed by a drama production depicting various scenes and historical events during the course of the School’s 125 year history. After the interval there will be a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with dancing (the original purpose of the composition). The choreography is unique and composed specifically for the occasion. It consists of various dance styles including Ballet, Contemporary, Latin, Street, Indian, Modern and Tap.  Tickets are on sale from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office.

“This year has seen an unprecedented number of applications to Bromley High School, demonstrating that the School continues to be a leading light in our community. We are proud of our history and we hope that anyone who loves the expressive arts will join us at the Royal Albert Hall in March to celebrate our 125 years of contribution to excellence in girls’ education.” Lorna Duggleby, Head.