Choosing a secondary school is about more than results, facilities or league tables. It is about finding the school where you can picture your daughter being happy, successful and making the most of the opportunities available to her.
At NGHS, we want every student to be known, noticed and valued.
We are academically ambitious and expect our students to work hard, but we also want them to enjoy coming to school, develop confidence, build strong friendships and become increasingly independent.
Known. Noticed. Valued.
One of the things that makes NGHS special is our sense of community. We want students to feel that they belong, that they are understood as individuals and that they have the support they need to thrive.
Being part of a relatively small school helps us to know our students well. We maintain high expectations whilst recognising that every student is different and that sometimes the right support or encouragement can make all the difference.
Ambitious for every student
Academic ambition is an important part of who we are.
We want students to be challenged, inspired by excellent teaching and encouraged to achieve more than they perhaps thought possible. We want them to develop curiosity, independence and resilience, not simply accumulate examination results.
Our expectations are high because we know what our students are capable of achieving. At the same time, we never want academic success to come at the expense of enjoying school.
Our values capture that balance perfectly:
Be kind. Work hard. Have fun.
They are deliberately simple, but they say a great deal about the school we want NGHS to be.
A school where girls take every role
There is something distinctive about an environment in which girls occupy every role.
At NGHS, girls lead. They compete. They perform. They debate. They study sciences and languages, mathematics, humanities and the arts. They represent their House and their school, support one another and have opportunities to develop their own interests and talents.
We want our students to see possibilities rather than limitations and to develop the confidence to take their place in whatever comes next.
More than lessons
Some of the most memorable parts of school life happen beyond the classroom.
Through our House system, clubs, sport, music, drama, leadership opportunities, competitions, trips, residentials and wider activities, students have many opportunities to try something different and get involved.
Not every student will want to do everything, but we want every student to find something that interests them.
School represents seven important years of a young person's life. We want those years to be filled not only with achievement, but with friendships, experiences and memories.
A school that listens and keeps improving
We are very proud of NGHS, but we are not complacent.
We regularly listen to students, parents and staff about their experience of the school and use that feedback to help us improve. We continue to focus on the quality of teaching, inclusion and belonging, wider opportunities for students and ensuring that the school is ready for the future.
We want NGHS to continue developing whilst holding on to the things that make the school distinctive.
Ready for what comes next
Ultimately, our role is not simply to prepare students for GCSEs or A-levels.
We want students to leave NGHS as confident, capable and thoughtful young women, ready for university, an apprenticeship, employment or whatever pathway is right for them.
For families considering NGHS, perhaps the most important question is therefore a very simple one:
Can you picture your daughter here?
Can you picture her being challenged academically but also being happy? Making strong friendships, becoming more confident, getting involved, discovering new interests and gradually becoming the young woman she wants to be?
If you can, NGHS could be the right school for her.