Peterhouse Girls

Head's Welcome

Welcome to the Peterhouse Girls’ website. I hope you will find it useful and informative, and I hope too that it will give you a glimpse into life here at our beautiful school.

The campus is centred around St Francis Chapel just as our school ethos is based upon our Anglican faith and our seven core values: loyalty, honesty, decency, humility, service, self-sacrifice and respect. We believe that every member of our community has infinite value and infinite potential and we strive to create an environment in which we appreciate each person’s value and unlock their potential.

Peterhouse is a school steeped in tradition but we also look to the future, to prepare our young ladies for the world which awaits them.This preparation is based upon developing 6 core competencies (the 6 Cs): Critical thinking, Creativity, Communication, Character, Collaboration and Cross-Cultural skills; all of which are essential to success in today’s rapidly changing and highly innovative work place.We promote academic excellence by embracing and encouraging a growth mind-set, and by effectively teaching and using these 6C’s in all aspects of school life.

Head's Profile

Mrs Tracy Blignaut joined as Headmistress of Peterhouse Girls in January 2015.

Tracy was educated at the University of Sussex in the UK where she read Mathematics and Statistics, graduating in 1993. She then went on to complete her PGCSE (teaching diploma in secondary education) before moving out to Zimbabwe with her husband and young baby.

From 1994 to 2012 Tracy worked at Chisipite Senior School, taking on various roles during that time including Form Teacher, House Mistress, i/c Academic Timetable and Line Mistress. In January 2013 she moved to Hellenic Academy where she became Head of Mathematics until December 2014.

Aims of the Peterhouse Group

Peterhouse is a community of three schools:

1. Peterhouse Boys (PHB) – a full boarding school for boys from Form 1 to 6th form (with girls from Peterhouse Girls being taught at 5th and 6th form level)
2. Peterhouse Girls (PHG) – a full boarding school, with a small number of day pupils, for girls from Form 1 to 6th form
3. Springvale House – a weekly boarding and day school for boys and girls from Grade 1 to Grade 7
4. In addition there is a Nursery School for boys and girls located at PHB

Academic Staff

HEADMISTRESS
Mrs Tracy Blignaut BSc (Hons) PGCSE

DEPUTY HEADMISTRESS
Mrs C Hough BA PhysEd

SENIOR MISTRESS
Miss BJ Hall BA

SENIOR CHAPLAIN
Mr R Torrie

CHAPLAIN
Mr K Heuer

DIRECTOR OF STUDIES
Mrs ML Scott Elliot BSc UED

DIRECTOR OF SPORTS
Ms K Cordy HFPA FI

Senior Pupil Appointments

OFFICE BEARERS 2019
Head Girl	Danai Mandebvu
Deputy Head Girl	Megan Hough
Head of Culture	Mufaro Mutangadura
Head of Sport	Makanatsa Mtausi-Gwaradzimba
Head of Vth Form	Amy Doorman
Head of A Block (Elizabeth House)	Faith Kunaka
Head of B Block (Margaret House)	Bekezela Mbofana
Head of C Block (Kathleen House)	Natalie Moores
Head of D Block (Tatanga House)	Matinatsashe Hove
Deputy Head of D Block	Merce'des Beekes
Head of Eland	Lilian Pope
Head of Impala	Bryony Dawson
Head of Kudu	Rebecca Gau
Head of Sable	Tatenda Zvidzai

History

When Peterhouse was founded, as a boys only secondary school, by Fred Snell in 1955 there was no intention of it becoming the Peterhouse Group of Schools (a boys' school, a girls' school and a preparatory school). In the early 1980s, however, it became apparent that there was a demand for the re-opening of Springvale School (under the name Springvale House) and the establishment of a secondary girls’ school.

Springvale House was opened in 1985 and Peterhouse Girls two years later.

Peterhouse Girls admitted 28 pupils in its first year who were accommodated at Springvale House while the girls dormitories were being made ready. At the end of that first year the Prime Minister, the Hon. Robert Mugabe stated “I am particularly pleased that you are expanding into the field of girls’ education…. For too long we have tended to think that the education of girls is an expensive luxury”.

Glossary of Terms

ATS
- The Association of Trust Schools.

Blocks
- Our forms or year groups are called Blocks, and run bottom to top as D Block (Form 1), C Block (Form 2), B Block (Form 3), A Block (Form 4 - IGCSE), and 5th Form, 6th Form (A Level).

CHISZ
- The Conference of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe.