02 Oct 2026
St Albans School has reached a landmark moment in its 1,000-year history, welcoming its first girls into Year 7 – 35 years after girls first joined the school’s Sixth Form.
Twenty girls joined the new First Form cohort this September, making up almost a quarter of the intake and marking a significant milestone in the school’s transition to full co-education.
Their arrival comes 35 years after girls first joined the Sixth Form at the school. That moment was captured in a newspaper photograph under the headline “A break with tradition!”, showing then-headmaster Simon Wilkinson shaking hands with one of the new Sixth Form pupils, Anna Philpott.
Now, 35 years later, Anna, who has served as a governor at St Albans School since 2021, appears in a new photograph with some of the girls who have joined the school.
The two images provide a visual link between the first girls to join the Sixth Form in 1991 and the latest generation arriving at St Albans School from the age of 11.
Headmaster Joe Silvester said: “This is an incredibly important moment in the life of St Albans School. For more than a thousand years, the school has continually evolved while remaining true to its values of academic excellence, curiosity and service. Welcoming our first girls into First Form and creating a co-ed cohort is the next chapter in that story.
“It was particularly special to include Anna, and the photograph of her with fellow pupils from 1991 is a wonderful record of the beginning of our journey towards co-education. Seeing Anna alongside our new girls provides a tangible connection between those two important moments in the school’s history.
“These girls are pioneers in their own right. They are joining St Albans School at a moment of real significance and will help shape the experience of future generations of pupils. We are delighted to welcome them and look forward to seeing all that they will contribute to our community.”
Harriet was the first of the new girls to accept her place and is featured shaking hands with the headmaster in a photo recreating the historic 1991 picture.
“Knowing that we’re the first girls to join the First Form is really exciting. It feels special to be part of something that people will remember for years to come. Meeting Anna and hearing about what it was like when girls first joined the Sixth Form made it feel even more special. I’m enjoying making new friends, getting involved in school life and helping write the next chapter in the school’s history,” Harriet said.
Extensive preparations were made for the girls’ arrival, including a new girls’ common room, and a new Lower School Hub. Head of Lower School, Nicolette Liston, is based at the centre of the Hub, providing a readily accessible point of support for all of the new First Form pupils as they settle into school life.
The school’s sports provision has also been expanded, with an extensive programme of sport for girls including netball, hockey, cricket, football, athletics, tennis and cross country, alongside regular fixtures planned for the year ahead. The existing dance studio within the Sports Centre has also been refurbished.
The move to full co-education follows careful planning and reflects the school’s ambition to provide an exceptional education for talented young people while preserving the traditions and values that have defined St Albans School for centuries.
