Francis Holland School is the name of two separate private day schools for girls in central London, England, governed by the Francis Holland (Church of England) Schools Trust. The schools are located at Clarence Gate (near Regent's Park NW1) and at Graham Terrace (near Sloane Square SW1).
History
The schools were founded in the 1870s by Canon Francis James Holland for the education of girls in London. He was born in London on 20 January 1828 and educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. The Regent's Park School is the older of the two schools but no longer has a Junior Department. Both schools have developed their facilities over the last few years.
The Sloane Square School was opened with 13 pupils on 1 March 1881 at 80 Coleshill Street, Belgravia, later renamed as 28 Eaton Terrace. Within a year, the school expanded into a further property opposite but as this arrangement proved awkward, Canon Holland purchased a site on the corner of Graham Street, now Graham Terrace where a new school building was constructed ready for occupation in October 1884. Francis Holland, Regent's Park, used to accept boys as primary school pupils but they would leave as soon as the girls moved on to secondary education.
Francis Holland, Regent's Park
There are about 500 pupils at the school, and about 120 sixth-formers. Most of their sports take place in Regent's Park and Paddington Recreational Grounds.
Francis Holland, Sloane Square
There are over 600 pupils on roll, 164 of whom are in the Junior School aged between 4 and 11 years, and 100 sixth-formers. Most of the school's sports take place in Battersea Park. Francis Holland, Sloane Square, is also ranked highly in league tables and is noted by The Good Schools Guide as having an "outstandingly high quality" in its Arts, History and MFL (modern foreign languages) departments.
Notable alumnae
Amber Agar, actress
Camilla Arfwedson, actress
Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, member of the Royal family
Amanda Donohoe, actress
Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Judge Lahore High Court
Eleanor Burbidge, astronomer
Jackie Collins OBE, novelist
Dame Joan Collins, actress and writer
Lady Mary Charteris, singer and model
Cara Delevingne, model
Petra Ecclestone, fashion designer
Tamara Ecclestone, TV presenter
Emilia Fox, actress
Louisa Garrett Anderson, medical pioneer
Ione Gedye, archaeological conservator and founder of the repair dept at the Institute of Archaeology Joyce Grenfell, comedian and singer-songwriter Helen Grimshaw, engineer Hermione Hammond, artist Evelyn Jamison, historian and vice principal of Lady Margaret Hall 1921 to 1937 Elizabeth Jane Howard, novelist Gemma Jones, actress Jemima Khan (Jemima Goldsmith), journalist Eleni Kyriacou, fashion designer Susan Lawrence, Labour politician Sue Lloyd-Roberts, Special Correspondent for the BBC (formerly at ITN) Ayesha A. Malik, Incoming Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan Sienna Miller, actress Nancy Mitford, novelist and biographer Vanessa-Mae, violinist Farah Nabulsi, filmmaker Elizabeth Pakenham, Countess of Longford, biographer Tilly Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay's daughter Patricia Roc, actress Christina Scott, former Governor of Anguilla Rose Tremain, novelist Theresa Villiers, politician (formerly Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) Jennifer von Mayrhauser, costume designer Veronica Wadley, former editor of the Evening Standard Daisy Waterstone, actress Tallulah Swinscoe, VS Model