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School History

Originally known as The Brentford British School, there has been a school on or near this site providing an education for the children of Brentford since 1834. Initially the school was financed by The Rothschild Family and became known as The Rothschild School in 1912. The school educated both boys and girls. The original school stood where the local Health Centre is now situated.

In 1930, a new school building was constructed on the site still occupied by the school. Girls were taught separately from boys and the headmistress was a Miss Brace. Many of our parents or grandparents may well remember the school from the 1940s and 50s.

By 1968, numbers had grown to such an extent that boys were moved to their own school site, forming what is now known as the Isleworth and Syon School. Mrs Smyth became the headmistress of the newly-formed girls' school.

Brentford School for Girls continues to thrive in the early 21st century, serving the needs of the young women of Brentford and surrounding areas. We value our history and traditions which underpin all we do to provide an education for the women of tomorrow.

Following a lengthy consultation, Brentford School for Girls was granted Academy status in December 2012. Under Academy status the day-to-day running of the school remains much the same. We chose to retain the school's name and uniform.

We remain true to our values, beliefs and ethos, driving forward determinedly to improve outcomes and to provide the very best education for our girls.

Being an Academy allows us to have many of the freedoms often associated with the independent (private) sector. We have increased flexibility to design our curriculum around our students’ needs, and how we spend our funding. This allows us at all times to consider the needs of our stakeholders first, rather than providing a more generalised approach to educational provision.

Additionally, the freedom has allowed us to develop partnerships with schools and organisations outside the local authority. We are an active partner in the Association of State Girls’ Schools. Such partnerships enable us to build on our strengths and provide opportunities for our students to work alongside others outside of the local community.