Watford Grammar School for Girls
Academy converter secondary school in Watford (Hertfordshire).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Watford Grammar School for Girls is a remarkable school, and all the community take pride in its history, diversity and pursuit of knowledge. Since 1704, we have been nurturing independent, creative and ambitious young women. Building up a long tradition of academic excellence, our modern curriculum empowers our students to be the best they can be.
Our school maxim, "I can do it and I will do it" guides the students through their own Watford Girls journey. I am honoured to lead this outstanding state school, supported by a talented and energetic staff and an engaged governing body.
We value hard work and nurture scholarship, always encouraging our students to strive for excellence in all fields of study and extra-curricular activities.
Our vision and aims provide a sense of direction for the school, whilst our values shape how we encourage each person in our community to act, grow and develop and we hope they are shared by the families that choose to join WGGS. The pursuit of academic endeavour informs our curriculum and the outstanding teaching in every classroom, laboratory, workshop and sports area.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
17 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Badminton
- Band
- Book Club
- Choir
- Coding
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Drama
- Football
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Netball
- Orchestra
- Photography
- Swimming
- Tennis
and 1 more
Awards
2 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
- Stonewall School ChampionLGBT+ inclusion
Key facts
- URN
- 136289
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Constituency
- Watford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2010
Governing body (23 current, 4 former)
iAcademy trust: local governing body and trust board.20 governors are linked to a profile (18 confirmed, 2 (likely)).
Governors marked “Confirmed same person” have exactly the same forename and surname as the only officer of that name at the school’s own academy trust company on the Companies House register, so we treat them as the same person. The governance record itself comes from DfE.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Christina Wilshaw | Accounting OfficerTrust officer | since 2026 | |
| Mrs Christina Wilshaw | TrusteeTrust board | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2026 |
| Mr Dave Gregory (likely) | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Zia Al Rehman Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Claire Elizabeth Shooter Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Mary Patricia Meerabux Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Foundation/sponsor members | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Camilla Woods Confirmed same person | Chair of TrusteesTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Reverend Richard Banham Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Ex-officio foundation governor (appointed by foundation by virtue of the office they hold) | since 2024 |
| Camilla Woods Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Robert Honour Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Joanne Hayden Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr James Hughes Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Joanna Beatrix Fleet Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2026 ends 2026 |
| Mrs Marian Priscilla Pell | MemberTrust members | Appointed by academy members | since 2022 |
| Mrs Sharmin Pirbhai Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2022 · until 2026 ends 2026 |
| Mr Nick Moorhouse (likely) | MemberTrust members | Appointed by academy members | since 2022 |
| Mrs Olaide Olunloyo Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2022 · until 2030 |
| Mr David Gregory Confirmed same person | MemberTrust members | Appointed by academy members | since 2022 |
| Mr Tim Cosgrove | MemberTrust members | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2019 |
| Mrs Jane Willis Confirmed same person | MemberTrust members | Appointed by academy members | since 2018 |
| Philip Beasley Confirmed same person | Chief Financial OfficerTrust officer | since 2013 | |
| Mr Jaymin Shah Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Elected by parents | since 1925 · until 2029 |
| Mr Michael Lewis Mbe Confirmed same person Former | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · term ended 2025 |
| Miss Emma Clay Confirmed same person Former | TrusteeTrust board | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · term ended 2026 |
| Miss Sylvia Chong-Tai Confirmed same person Former | Accounting OfficerTrust officer | since 2017 · term ended 2026 | |
| Miss Sylvia Chong-Tai Confirmed same person Former | TrusteeTrust board | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2017 · term ended 2026 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ms Susan Dabiran | Governance Professional - Single-Academy Trust (SAT)Governance professional | since 2014 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record