Development Office, King Edward VI High School For Girls,
Edgbaston Park Road,
Birmingham B15 2UB
T 0121 415 2245
F 0121 415 2260
E oldeds@kehsmail.co.uk
Dr Mary Smith joined KEHS as headmistress from Sydenham High School. She was later named president of the Association of Headmistresses. Dr Smith too had a challenging reign, but she coped with the demands of the Second World War with assuredness and finesse. Phoenix was not published during these years, but handwritten submissions were displayed in the Art Room.
The girls once again involved themselves in the war effort, picking fruit at Bennett's farm amongst other pursuits. They frequently wrote letters to people on the front, even managing to make contact with a girl inmate of Bergen Belsen concentration camp in Lower Saxony after VE Day.
By 1947, only a handful of teachers from before the war remained and staffing became a serious issue. Dr Smith also faced problems with improvements to buildings and grounds, especially for games provision. Some progress was made during this time, including the establishment of the Parents' Association and the furnishing of the Senior Library. In 1948, a field was acquired from Winterbourne to create the new hockey pitches and netball courts. Sports provision also benefitted from the generosity of the Cadbury family, who offered the use of some of their facilities providing that they were cleaned as and when necessary.