On Saturday 7 March 2026, the Port Regis community came together to celebrate a landmark moment in the school’s history: 50 years since girls officially joined the school.
The day brought together a wonderful mix of past and present. We were delighted to welcome some of the very first girls who attended Port Regis, alongside alumni from across the past five decades. Also joining us were the school’s first girls’ boarding house parents, Mr and Mrs Papps, making the occasion even more meaningful as memories and stories were shared from the early days of our co-education experience.
The celebrations began with a lively Q&A session, giving pupils and guests the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and the evolution of the school. This was followed by a special whole-school assembly featuring a panel discussion titled Past, Present and Future, hosted by the Headmaster’s wife, Jemima Mills. The panel explored how the introduction of girls transformed Port Regis and helped shape the vibrant, inclusive community we see today.
Guests then enjoyed a delicious lunch before taking tours of the school, with many taking the opportunity to reminisce and reflect on how the campus and school life have changed over the years.
While 1976 marks the official arrival of girls at Port Regis, a fascinating discovery revealed that the school’s first girl actually joined much earlier. In 1946, during a temporary relocation to Gorhambury House near St Albans, seven-year-old Elizabeth, granddaughter of the Earl of Verulam, attended lessons alongside the boys. She remained the only girl at the school at the time.
The formal decision to welcome girls in 1976, led by Headmaster David Prichard, recognised that sisters deserved the same exceptional education as their brothers. What began as a modest step grew into the thriving co-educational community that Port Regis is today.
In the words of one of our alumni, "If you think of our lives like a garden, Port Regis sowed so many seeds for me by giving me the opportunity to just have a go at anything and everything."
The day celebrated progress, opportunity and equality, and a legacy that continues to inspire future generations.
