Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School

Girls from Camden School for Girls arrived on Thursday 19 October 1939. The girls had spent the previous few weeks resident in Uppingham in Rutland. The headteacher of the Camden school was Olive Wright. 450 girls were expected, but only 352 arrived.[3][4][5] Girls from Grantham were in the classrooms in the mornings and Camden girls were in the afternoon. Camden had their first prize day on Friday 12 April 1940 at the Congregational methodist church.[6] Camden girls were resident at Stonebridge House, which became the police station. The music teacher Grace Williams, a Welsh composer, arrived with the Camden school, and composed pieces whilst at Grantham. Zoologist Hilda Mabel Canter, later employed by the Freshwater Biological Association and associated with the British Phycological Society, was evacuated with the school.

Thirty-two Camden girls were confirmed at St Wulfram's Church, Grantham on Saturday 16 March 1940 by the bishop of Lincoln, Nugent Hicks.[7] On Friday 28 June 1940, two 17-year-old Camden girls, Margaret McMillan and Marjorie Catch, had their play A Man's World broadcast as part of Theatreland on the BBC Home Service and the BBC Forces Programme, introduced by Raymond Glendenning; it featured Celia Johnson and Owen Nares.[8][9] Another Camden speech day took place at the Congregational methodist church on Wednesday 6 November 1940, with an address by the Bishop of Lincoln.[10] The Camden school moved back to Uppingham in March 1941, having stayed in Grantham for five terms.

During the war, the hockey pitch was changed to grow hay instead. Many staff under their thirties from boys' schools had to join up; this situation did not really affect girls' schools as much. Elsie Suddaby, the famous soprano performed at the school, through Grantham Music Club, on Friday 18 October 1940.[11] Isolde Menges, the violinist, performed on Friday 22 November 1940 at the school [12] Colonel William Vere Reeve King-Fane was Chairman of the Governors from December 1940, until his death in 1943.[13] The preparatory school closed in 1944.

In December 1947, the prize day was in the drill hall. A new association was formed with a French school in Châteauroux in Centre-Val de Loire.[14] In early 1954 the school needed more buildings to have a three-form entry by September 1955. [15] New buildings were added around 1955, costing £50,000 for an extra form entry. In February 1955 a contract for £57,900 built an extension and a new kitchen, with furniture costing £5,500.[16] By 1956, there were over 500 girls at the school.

The extensions would open on Friday 11 October 1957, for a three-form entry school, with a new gym, hall and dining room, and crafts room with a hand loom with the bishop of Grantham Anthony Otter attending the ceremony and the chair of the governors Alf Roberts, with T.W. Golby, the director of education at Kesteven, and F.W. Jenkinson, chairman of Kesteven council. The head girl was Andrea Thody. By 1957, from 1910 there had been only two headteachers.[17][18][19] Due to the larger school, the houses Rossetti and Potter were introduced in 1958.

The school speech day was first held in the new hall on Thursday 30 October 1958.[20] On Saturday 16 July 1960, a golden jubilee garden party was attended by Gwen Berryman (Doris Archer).[21] Bigger 50th celebrations were held on the weekend of 22 October 1960. The school now had around 550 girls. At the Old Girls Association dinner in the school hall, the first head returned, and Margaret Thatcher attended, as her father was chairman of the governors, with T.W. Golby and some of the 1910 intake. Thatcher said at the dinner, that as an MP, she had found that there were two types of parents - one who pulled with the children, and another who did not bother a great deal.[22]

In September 1961, the school employed its first full-time male teacher; there had been a part-time physics male teacher before. History teacher Albert Mortenson of Downey High School stayed at the school for a year; a history teacher from the school had exchanged to the US for a year. Dorothy Gillies last speech day was on Tuesday 27 October 1964; she would leave at the end of the Easter term in 1965 and return to Edinburgh, with Alf Roberts, chair of the governors.[23] Nancie Pannell became the new headteacher, when Judith Nussey was head girl.

In the senior speech day held on Wednesday 8 November 1967, Nancie Pannell said there was a disturbing lack of ambition amongst some of our fourth and fifth formers; she added some geese try to be swans, and have to accept their limitations as time goes on, but there are far more problems over swans who are content to be geese. The netball team had been unbeaten that year, scoring 389 goals and only conceding 139. The head girl that year was Fran Goldsbrough, with deputies Valerie Smith and Janet Simmonds. Each year, there were three classes K, G and S.[24]

The school's first headteacher died on Wednesday 7 February 1968[25] Alf Roberts left the governors due to ill health in October 1969;[26] he died on Tuesday 10 February 1970, aged 77;[27] later that month, his daughter became shadow education secretary.[28] The BBC filmed the church service for the 60 years jubilee on Thursday 16 July 1970; the head girl was Celia Whysall.[29]

In October 1972 at the speech day, the prizes were handed out by Enid Russell-Smith, who gave a notable candid and lurid description of how not to be approached by gentlemen at university; but she herself died in July 1989, having never been married herself.[30] In May 1976, Suzanne Hunt won the English Schools Table Tennis under 16 competition, for the second year.[31]

As Conservative leader, Margaret Thatcher first visited on Friday 4 March 1977.

Teen author Beverley Naidoo opened the English department in November 2001. The school was awarded dual specialisms in language and science.