Wakefield Girls' High School

What Wakefield Girls' High School does

Wakefield Girls' High School (WGHS) is an independent girls' day school operating as part of the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation (WGSF), a registered charity (No: 1088415) based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The Foundation traces its origins to 1591 and serves around 1,620 pupils across three schools — WGHS, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS, boys), and Wakefield Grammar Pre-Preparatory School (WGPPS) — supported by approximately 350 employees. WGHS provides education for girls aged 7-18 through its Junior Section (ages 7-11), Senior Section (ages 11-18), and a shared Sixth Form, offering 26 A Level subjects with reported outcomes of 76% of A Level entries at A*-B and one-third of students achieving all GCSE grade 9s.

The school's offering combines academic curriculum with enrichment through 115+ co-curricular clubs (EDGE programme), the Scholars Programme for Oxbridge-eligible students, the Pathways to Success career initiative, and the powHER Panel alumni network. Revenue is generated primarily through termly tuition fees ranging from £15,180.77 (FS2/Year 1-2) to £21,163.29 (Senior Section, Years 7+), supplemented by individual music tuition at £27.50 per lesson, wraparound care (early morning from 7.45am and after-school to 4.30pm or 6.00pm), facilities hire of the Jubilee Hall and sports pitches, and donations supporting means-tested bursaries that cover 25-75% (up to 100%) of fees for households with combined income below £65,000. The Foundation generates approximately £24 million in total annual income across its three schools. The school runs on standard third-party education technology — Firefly (learning management), OpenApply (admissions), ParentPay (payments), and Zeelo (transport) — with no proprietary technology stack or AI-enabled learning products.

Distribution is regional, drawing pupils from Wakefield and surrounding West Yorkshire via school bus routes to Barnsley, Huddersfield, Pontefract, and east Leeds, supplemented by proximity to the M1 motorway. The admissions pipeline runs through Open Days, personal tours, and the OpenApply platform, with brand positioning anchored by top 10 northern independent schools (The Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2023) and #1 in Wakefield (The Good Schools Guide). Partnerships include the SHINE educational charity (first West Yorkshire school awarded a SHINE contract), St Thomas à Becket Catholic School for Latin outreach, and the British Schools and Universities Foundation for US-based tax-deductible fundraising. The Foundation is executing a major structural reconfiguration for September 2026, merging all three schools into a single co-educational diamond-model school called Queen Elizabeth's School, Wakefield, supported by a unified senior leadership team already in place from September 2025.

Name

Wakefield Girls' High School

Legal name

Wakefield Grammar School Foundation

Website

https://wgsf.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wakefield Girls' High School is an independent girls' day school in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, educating girls aged 7-18 through its Junior Section, Senior Section, and Sixth Form. It operates as part of the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, a registered charity tracing back to 1591.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Sex (Boys/Girls) Private Schools (EDAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

Keywords

• Independent girls school
• Secondary education
• Junior school education
• Sixth form education
• School bursaries

Headquarters

HQ city

Wakefield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition fees: The primary revenue stream is tuition fees charged to parents/guardians. Fees cover a healthy three-course lunch, books, stationery, Chromebook (senior section), exam fees, learning support, curriculum-based trips and visits, and student accident insurance. Fees are payable by direct debit in 12 monthly instalments between June and May.
2. Individual music tuition: Per-lesson charges for individual music instruction, invoiced termly in arrears at £27.50 per lesson (average 10 lessons per term, including VAT).
3. After school care: Charges for wraparound care services including early morning care (from 7.45am) and after school care (to 4.30pm or 6.00pm) for Pre-Prep and Junior students.
4. Facilities hire: School facilities including Jubilee Hall, Hartley Pavilion, Gym, Cricket Pitch, Hockey Pitch, and Rounders Pitch at WGHS are hired out during evenings, weekends, and school holidays to generate supplementary revenue.
5. Bursary fund donations: Philanthropic donations to the Queen Elizabeth's School, Wakefield Bursary Fund support means-tested bursaries for students. The school also accepts legacies via wills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wakefield Girls' High School is an independent day school providing all-girls education across three age-graded sections: Junior Section (ages 7-11), Senior Section (ages 11-18) and Sixth Form (ages 16-18). The school delivers a tailored academic curriculum including 26 A Level subjects, broadens pupils through an enrichment programme of more than 115 clubs and supports university and career preparation via the Pathways to Success programme. Core education is augmented by paid ancillary services such as individual music tuition, wraparound after-school care, and hire of school sports and event facilities.

Product overview

Wakefield Girls' High School is a leading independent girls' school providing education from ages 7-18 through three main sections: Junior Section (ages 7-11), Senior Section (ages 11-18), and Sixth Form. The school operates alongside the Foundation's Sixth Form program. Core academic delivery is supplemented by the EDGE program (115+ extracurricular clubs), Scholars Programme (academic enhancement), Pathways To Success (careers/university preparation), and powHER Panel (alumni mentorship). A Sports Fixtures Portal provides digital access to sporting schedules. The school is transitioning to become part of Queen Elizabeth's School in 2026 under a diamond model educational approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EDGE: Student development and enrichment programme at Wakefield Girls' High School
• Pathways To Success
• powHER Panel
• The Wakefield Way
• QED

Products and services

• Wakefield Girls' High School - Junior Section Primary education programme for girls aged 7-11 years, offering tailored teaching, pastoral care, and an introduction to extracurricular activities within the Foundation's Junior Section located at 2 St. John's Square, Wakefield.
• Wakefield Girls' High School - Senior Section Secondary education programme for girls aged 11-18 years, providing an academically rigorous curriculum, GCSE preparation, A Level pathways, personal development and pastoral care at the Senior Section on Wentworth Street, Wakefield.
• Sixth Form Post-16 education offering 26 A Level subjects, EPQ qualifications, average class size of 9, and structured Pathways to Success support for university and career preparation.
• Individual Music Tuition One-to-one instrumental music lessons provided to students, invoiced termly in arrears at £27.50 per lesson including VAT (approximately 10 lessons per term on average).
• After School and Early Morning Care Wraparound care services for Pre-Prep and Junior students, including Early Morning Care from 7.45am (£4.25 per session) and After School Care to 4.30pm (£6.40) or 6.00pm (£9.50).
• School Facilities Hire Hire of WGHS facilities including Jubilee Hall, Hartley Pavilion, Gym, Cricket Pitch, Hockey Pitch and Rounders Pitch during evenings, weekends and school holidays.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of A Level grades awarded A*-B; half of all A Level exams graded A* or A
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SHINE (Educational Charity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHINE is a leading educational charity focused on social mobility through education. WGSF (including WGHS) is the first school in West Yorkshire to be awarded a SHINE 'Serious Fun on Saturday' contract. The programme provides Saturday lessons for deserving children from deprived areas of Wakefield, offering innovative and exciting educational activities.
• St Thomas à Becket Catholic SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Latin teaching between QEGS (and by extension WGHS as part of WGSF) and St Thomas à Becket Catholic School, an academy in Wakefield, has been running for a number of years. This initiative provides a 'flagship' Latin programme for gifted and talented pupils at the state school, giving opportunities unavailable elsewhere in the Wakefield area.
• Next Generation (Local Youth Group)minorOthersNext Generation is a local youth group that sub-leases WGSF-owned Stanley Royd playing fields to Wakefield College for use as a community sports field for students (Monday–Friday during term time). The fields are also used by Next Generation for community events, providing a focal point for young people in the area.
• Wakefield CollegeminorOthersWakefield College uses WGSF-owned Stanley Royd playing fields (sub-leased via Next Generation) to provide a local sports field for college students during term time.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bradford Grammar School: Independent school in West Yorkshire, similar heritage and fee tier, drawing from the same Bradford/Wakefield commuter belt. Operates as a comparable independent day school within the same region.
• Manchester High School for Girls: GSA-member independent girls' day school in the North West, similar size and academic profile, with comparable bursary offering and Northern England positioning. Direct competitor for pupils travelling from the Manchester/Leeds corridor.
• Withington Girls' School: Leading independent girls' school in Manchester, GSA member, very strong academic outcomes (regularly top 10 nationally). Comparable operating model and Northern England brand positioning.
• Harrogate Ladies' College: Independent girls' school in North Yorkshire, similar GSA membership and Northern positioning. Comparable heritage school competitive with WGHS for families in the wider Yorkshire region.
• Queen Margaret's School, York: GSA-member independent girls' school in Yorkshire, similar fee band and academic profile. Direct competitor for Wakefield families considering York-based alternatives.
• Newcastle High School for Girls: GDST-member independent girls' school in the North East, comparable fee tier and academic outcomes, competing for the same set of academically selective families across the Northern England independent school market.
• Nottingham Girls' High School: GSA-member independent girls' school in the East Midlands, similar size, fee band, and academic profile. Comparable in values, bursary programme, and pathways-to-university support.
• Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS): Same Foundation sibling school, an independent boys' school for ages 7-18, with shared admissions, transport, and Sixth Form. The most direct peer as it shares governance, brand, and many operational facilities with WGHS.
• Sheffield High School for Girls: GSA-member independent girls' school in South Yorkshire, similar size (~900+ pupils), comparable A Level outcomes, and shared feeder demographic across the M1 corridor from Wakefield.
• Bolton School (Girls' Division): Northern independent school with single-sex division, similar heritage and academic positioning. Comparable catchment dynamics across the M62 corridor from Wakefield.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WGHSYorkshire
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbQwD_2huLQ_8BW8cQVtUig
• Facebookfacebook.com/WGHSYorkshire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/wakefield-girls%E2%80%8B-high-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/wghsyorkshire

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wakefield Girls' High School