North London Collegiate School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids North London Collegiate School |
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| Address | |
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Canons Drive
, , HA8 7RJ
England
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| Information | |
| Type | Private day school for girls in London Private coeducational boarding school in South Korea |
| Motto | in spe laboramus |
| Established | 1850 |
| Founder | Frances Mary Buss |
| Local authority | Harrow |
| Chairman of the Governors | Robert Hingley |
| Headmistress | Vicky Bingham |
| Gender | Girls (UK), girls and boys (South Korea) |
| Age | 4 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1,066 (2008) |
| Houses | Angus, Lindsay, Gibbons, Collet, Aitken |
| Colour(s) | Sky blue Brown |
| Former pupils | Old North Londoners (ONLs) |
The North London Collegiate School (often called NLCS) is a special private school for girls in England. It started in Camden Town but is now in Edgware, which is part of Harrow, London.
NLCS also has schools in other countries like South Korea (on Jeju Island), Dubai, Vietnam, and Singapore. These international schools teach both girls and boys using the British school system. NLCS is a member of the Girls' Schools Association.
This school is known as one of the best private schools in the world. It's listed among the top 150 globally and among the top 30 senior schools in the UK. NLCS Jeju, its school in South Korea, is also ranked highly among schools in China and Southeast Asia.
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Where is the School Located?
The North London Collegiate School is on the western side of Edgware, close to Canons Park. You can reach it by car through Canons Drive. It's also easy to get to by tube, as both Stanmore tube station and Canons Park tube station are close enough to walk to.
A Look at the School's History
The North London Collegiate School was started by Frances Buss in 1850. She was a very important person in making education better for girls. Many people believe it was the first girls' school in the UK to offer girls the same learning chances as boys. Miss Buss was also the first person to use the word 'Headmistress'.
The school first opened in a small building at No. 46 Camden Street in London. Frances Buss believed that girls should stay at home while they studied, so it was always a day school.
In 1929, the school bought a place called Canons. This was a house built on the land where a huge palace once stood. The school moved to this new location in 1940.
The mother of famous writer George Bernard Shaw, Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw, used to be the music director at the school. Later, Lilian Manson, who was the wife of artist J.B. Manson, took over in 1908. She put on a big show of an old opera called Dido and Aeneas in 1910, which was even written about in The Times newspaper.
In 2014, the school started a 'house system'. This means students are put into different groups, or 'houses'. Each house is named after a famous former student. Each house has its own colours and two student leaders, plus a staff member who is in charge.
Today, NLCS teaches girls from 4 to 18 years old. It has a Junior School for younger students (Reception to Year 6) and a Senior School for older students (Year 7 to Year 13). Girls who used to go to the school are called ONLs, which stands for Old North Londoners. The school uniform is light blue and dark brown. However, students in the sixth form (the last two years) do not have to wear a uniform.
The first international NLCS school opened in Seogwipo, South Korea, in 2011. This school teaches both boys and girls and offers boarding. Another international school opened in Singapore in August 2020.
What Students Learn at NLCS
North London Collegiate is known for its strong academic results. For more than ten years, it has often been ranked among the top two schools in the Daily Telegraph exam results tables.
Since 2003, it has been an International Baccalaureate World School. This means students can choose to study for the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. They can also choose to take traditional A Levels or the Pre-U exams.
Students are also encouraged to do activities outside of their schoolwork. They can take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, which is popular in many schools. Other activities include World Challenge Expeditions, Young Enterprise, Model United Nations, and different community service projects. These activities help students learn new skills and help others.
School Leadership: Headmistresses
Here are some of the headmistresses who have led the North London Collegiate School:
- Frances Mary Buss (1850 – 1894)
- Sophie Bryant (1895–1918)
- Isabella Drummond (1918–1940)
- Eileen Harold (1941–1944)
- Dame Kitty Anderson (1945–1965)
- Madeline McLauchlan (1965 – 1985)
- Joan Clanchy (1986–1997)
- Bernice McCabe (1997–2017)
- Sarah Clark (2018–2022)
- Vicky Bingham (2023–present)
Famous Former Students
Many talented people have studied at North London Collegiate School. Here are just a few:
- Roma Agrawal (an engineer)
- Agnes Arber (a botanist who studied plants)
- Eleanor Bron (an actress)
- Tanya Byron (a psychologist)
- Jo Coburn (a BBC political broadcaster)
- Gillian Cross (a writer of children's books)
- Jo Dunkley (a Professor of Physics at Princeton University)
- Fenella Fielding (an actress)
- Dame Helen Gardner (an academic and writer)
- Stella Gibbons (a novelist)
- Noreena Hertz (an academic)
- Lilian Lindsay (the first female dentist)
- Anna Madeley (an actress)
- Jane March (an actress)
- Susie Orbach (a psychologist and journalist)
- Anna Popplewell (an actress)
- Esther Rantzen (a television personality)
- Stevie Smith (a poet)
- Marie Stopes (a scientist who studied ancient plants)
- Gillian Tett (a journalist)
- Rachel Weisz (an actress)
- Anna Wintour (the editor of Vogue magazine)
Notable Former Staff
Some important people have also worked at the school:
- Edith Aitken (who later became the founding head of Pretoria High School for Girls)
- Peggy Angus (an artist and designer)
- Edward Aveling (who taught physics and botany)
