THE start of term this September marks a milestone for Dodderhill School in Droitwich, with the launch of its 70th year.

The independent girls’ school has been operating since September 25, 1945, when it opened as Whitford Hall, a co-ed preparatory school in Whitford in Bromsgrove with just six pupils.

The school was founded by Mary Booker, the daughter of an Eton housemaster, who was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris, and brought her enlightened educational philosophy into her role as headteacher, which she held until she retired in 1978.

In 1969 Whitford Hall became the first all girl’s preparatory school to introduce a structured science course in its curriculum, and in 1973 it merged with Dodderhill and moved to its current site in Crutch Lane, where it now has more than 200 pupils, aged from six weeks to 16 years.

Miss Booker, who had originally retired in 1972, returned to lead the new Dodderhill School in 1973, finally retiring in 1978, and today, Dodderhill’s houses are named ‘Booker’, ‘Whitford’ and ‘Davidson’, after Miss Booker, the original school, and the chair of governors Mrs Jean Davidson, who was instrumental in the merger.

The current head teacher at Dodderhill, Mrs Cate Mawston, said: “Dodderhill School has a rich and proud history. From its humble beginnings, Miss Booker laid a strong foundation for the future and we continue to support and encourage a vibrant and vivacious community where good manners and respect for the community are considered to be absolutely normal.

“Since we opened the doors of our first junior school back in 1945, our aim has always been to offer a distinctly different learning experience; a profoundly personalised education that’s designed around the unique needs, talents and aspirations of every girl. We are not just a school, but a family and our girls are extremely happy in their learning, well supported and consistently achieve among the highest grades in the county. Our staff are happy and well cared for and we have many long serving members of staff, including our catering assistant Mrs Fran Bateman, who has been with us since 1982 a true testament to the positive and supportive ethos here at Dodderhill.

“Our most recent set of GCSE results again reflect the excellent standards we have come to expect from our girls, with 100 per cent of year 11 pupils securing five or more GCSEs at A* to C grade. We were also named the best performing school in the county for GCSEs in the latest league tables earlier this year.”

The anniversary was marked in an assembly at the beginning of term on Thursday, September 3, and an anniversary concert will also be held at the Elgar Hall at Birmingham University on May 20 and 21, 2016, where members of the choir will sing, amongst other musical, theatrical and dance performances.

For more information, visit dodderhill.co.uk.