Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (MGGS) has been based on the Great Buckland Site since 1938. Over the decades, the school has continued to grow and develop, and in December 2025 we proudly completed our newest building, the Helen Keen Building. 

Named after Helen Keen, an art teacher at MGGS from 1935 to 1952 whose remarkable wartime paintings helped preserve the story of school life during the Second World War, the building provides modern, purpose-built facilities for our students while also opening the school more widely to the local community. 

The Helen Keen Building has replaced the school's former temporary accommodation and now provides a new home for Science, History and Music, alongside modern teaching and learning spaces. It includes five science laboratories, a dedicated Music suite with five practice rooms and an ensemble room, as well as classrooms and facilities that support a broad and ambitious curriculum. 

The building has also enabled the school to reconfigure existing spaces and improve facilities elsewhere on the site, creating greater opportunities for students and supporting the continued development of school life. 

At the heart of the Helen Keen Building is our Visitor Centre, which provides a dedicated space for the wider community to discover the unique Second World War tunnels beneath the school. The tunnels are an important part of Maidstone's local history and tell the story of how the school and its pupils experienced wartime life. The Visitor Centre brings these stories to life through exhibitions, artefacts and our immersive 1940s classroom, inspired by A Schoolgirl's War, written by Mary Smith and illustrated by Helen Keen. 

With more than 12,000 copies of A Schoolgirl's War sold, there is a strong and continuing interest in the history of MGGS during the Second World War. The Visitor Centre now allows us to share this heritage with school groups, families, alumni and visitors from across the local community. 

The Helen Keen Building represents an important new chapter for MGGS: a modern learning environment for today's students, while also providing a space where the school's history can be discovered, shared and enjoyed by future generations. 

Our school motto is non sibi sed omnibus – not for one's self but for all. The Helen Keen Building embodies this principle by supporting the education and wellbeing of our students while opening our unique history and heritage to the wider community.

Thank you for your ongoing support for MGGS — we truly appreciate it.
It's never too late to make a difference. Below are the ways you can contribute and leave a lasting legacy at MGGS.  

You can help us by making a donation towards one or more of the departments that will be housed in the new building, or you can leave a legacy by sponsoring a specific item or even a room! See below for more information.

Our Biology department is currently housed in T Block which was only meant as a temporary building back in the 1950s.

Although it has had a few makeovers since, it is desperate for its new home in the new building. Alongside three new Biology laboratories there will be one Physics Laboratory and one KS3 Science laboratory. Science will be able to increase the level of practical lessons they provide, ensuring students have the most enriched and rounded learning experience possible. 

'Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science' ~ Edwin Hubble

The new building will allow the Science department to evolve and develop into the future, aiming to use the most economical and environmentally friendly methods. Using up to date technologies we are aiming to become as close to carbon neutral as we possibly can within the new building. If you would like to help us please click the button below to donate.

MGGS Music Department will soon have a brand-new home on the third floor - a fully equipped, professional music suite designed to inspire creativity, collaboration, and excellence. This exciting new space will feature two large specialist classrooms; one with a class suite of PCs with access to the latest music production and notation software and each having a dedicated performance area with a drum kit and grand piano. In addition, there will be a spacious rehearsal room specifically for contemporary bands, instrumental ensembles and recording, with a drum kit, guitar amps and acoustic panels, as well as five sound-proof practice rooms with fully reconditioned acoustic pianos, electric drum kits and mirrors. The music suite will also include essential storage facilities, helping us keep our growing collection of instruments and equipment safe, organized, and accessible.

'Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.' ~ Plato

This transformational project will elevate music education at MGGS, giving our students the opportunity to learn, rehearse, and perform in an inspiring space with outstanding acoustics and resources.

If you would like to help us please click the button below to donate.

The History department at MGGS offers a broad and balanced curriculum, in which students explore more than 1000 years of history across Key Stage 3. We aim to be as diverse as possible, by looking at a range of topics, which include African Empires, Black British Rights in the 20th century and the history of LGBTQ rights. We also aim to engage students in a range of different life skills through history such as justifying arguments and analysing text for subjectiveness and inaccuracies. We aim to continue this at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 covering topics that include British, European, Asian and American History. The changes we have made to the curriculum over the last 5 years have had a very positive impact, with the department having some of the best results in the school at both Key Stage 4 and 5 in summer 2024.

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it' ~ George Santayana

As a department we are currently split across the school, between A block and T block. The lack of a shared space creates limitations on what we can achieve. For example, when teaching Jack the Ripper, we would love to enhance student experiences through developing a crime scene that students can engage with and make more of being in close proximity to the WW2 Visitor Centre and tunnels. A further project we are keen to develop is an active timeline to help students really understand the concept of the time in which they are studying, as 1000 years is a long time frame to understand. This would also allow students to appreciate the history of the school in relation to wider world events.

Background

MGGS has a rich history, opening in 1888. During WW2, the school's tunnels provided shelter and continued education for students amidst frequent air raids. These tunnels together with a book of detailed paintings created by an Art teacher at the school during the war and the reminiscences of 51 former students of the time offer a unique insight into wartime life. The former Headteacher of MGGS has written a book that has sold over 12,000 and has delivered over 750 talks about life at MGGS during the war.

The Opportunity

MGGS aims to fully realise the educational and community potential of these tunnels. Challenges include limited space for visits, lack of visitor facilities, accessibility issues, and the need for preservation. MGGS ran a successful primary educational programme pre 2020, but there is no longer space within the school to do so. There is also demand to open to the general public. 

Planned Enhancements

The project includes creating a dedicated visitor centre with a replica 1940s classroom, preservation of the tunnels, and developing immersive experiences, including VR tours to make the visits more inclusive. This will enhance visitor experience, cater to larger groups, and provide educational opportunities for students.

Community Involvement

The project aims to engage the wider community, by sharing the school's history and providing a platform to record and share their stories.

Impact

The visitor centre will provide educational opportunities for MGGS Students, primary schools and the general public, it will foster intergenerational connections, develop volunteer skills, and engage the community.

Donations made to the Wartime Tunnels & Visitor Centre during our 15 to Finish Campaign were matched and doubled by the Rochester Bridge Trust!