Malvern Civic Society has installed a plaque at a girls’ school in the town to celebrate 100 years of female education on the site.

The plaque was unveiled at Malvern St James in Avenue Road by Olivera Raraty, the school's current head.

Founded in 1893 as Malvern Girls' College, it was renamed Malvern St James following a merger in 2006 with St James' School, which was based in West Malvern.

The school has previously taken over Lawnside, another girls' school in the town.

Society chairman Andrew Huntley said: “1919 was a 1066 moment for women. In 1918, women aged over 30, had been given the right to vote

"From the start, the vision of the founder headmistresses was to establish major schools for girls’ education. The school was founded in 1893 and then moved to this building in 1919: the move to a bigger building was again a bold statement of their ambition for the education of women.

“The beating heart of the school is, of course, not the building but the girls. The current old girls' magazine tells the stories of 100 of the Malvern alumnae from the foundation schools of Malvern St James.”

Among them were the first female High Court judge, the first woman to join the Royal Horse Artillery and the first MP for the Green Party, Caroline Lucas.

The school was rated ‘excellent’ in an Independent Schools Inspection in 2017.

Sport and music have always been an important part of the life of the school.

Lawnside was the school where Edward Elgar had taught the piano.