Catalogue description Margaret Hardy High School for Girls, Brighton

For minutes of the governing body, 1928-1940 see E/MA/28/1, for 1940-1949 see R/E 2/7/19-22, for 1949-1972 see R/E 2/22/1-6 and for 1972-1989 see E/MA/241/1/1-4

For the records of the Intermediate School for Boys (later Patcham Fawcett School), see E/SC/185; for Brighton LEA file on the reorganisation to create the new Patcham Fawcett School, 1959-1967 see R/E 2/69/10

Margaret Hardy High School for Girls, Brighton, East Sussex

The school was opened on 3 September 1928, as the Brighton Intermediate School, in the premises formerly occupied by the girls' secondary school (later Varndean School for Girls, see E/SC/199) in York Place. Additional rooms were used at 99 Trafalgar Street until January 1931 when the old premises of the boys' secondary school became available. All years the first year were then transferred to these premises

In September 1931 separate departments for boys and girls were established, and were known as the Intermediate School for Girls and Intermediate School for Boys respectively. In September 1939 the school was used as an evacuation centre and the building was shared with Bermondsey Central School. The boys' school was damaged by bombs in September 1940 and in March 1942 82 girls and 3 staff were evacuated to Yorkshire. From October 1945 the girls' school was re-named the Margaret Hardy School and in 1956 as the Margaret Hardy County Secondary School. In September 1960 the Margaret Hardy School was amalgamated with the Pelham School to form one school. In July 1965 the Patcham County Secondary School in Warmdene Road (E/SC/128) was closed; the boys were transferred to the Patcham Fawcett County Secondary School and the girls to the Margaret Hardy County Secondary School in Carden Avenue. The Patcham Fawcett School also took in boys from the closed Fawcett School in York Place. New premises for the Margaret Hardy School were opened in 1968 at Ladies Mile Road, Patcham and in 1975 it was re-named as the Margaret Hardy High School for Girls. In 1989 it amalgamated with the Patcham Fawcett School and became Patcham High School

For a history of Margaret Hardy County Secondary School, 1950-1960 see E/SC/224/6/1; for a brief history of Brighton Intermediate Girls' School, later Margaret Hardy County Secondary School, 1928-1967 see E/SC/224/6/2; for title deeds of 98-99 Trafalgar Street, which include a 1930 copy of the Charity Commission Scheme for regulating the Hack Charity for Municipal Secondary Schools, 1807-1930 see R/C 4/461; for file concerning the establishment of the school, 1928-1931 see R/C 24/3; for plan of school, 1946 see R/A 12/1