14 November 2025
14 November 2025
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Year 1 meet a positive female role model - see FETCH THE ENGINE!
The Windblowers Cup 🏆
Mr Rolfe
On Tuesday evening, we were delighted to host our Windblowers Cup Finalists’ Celebration, marking a high point in this term’s musical events. Fourteen talented finalists each took to the stage and performed with tremendous heart, showcasing their dedication, skill and passion for music.
The adjudication panel were thoroughly impressed by the performance standards and musicality showcased, and they join me in congratulating all finalists on their outstanding efforts and for helping to make the evening so memorable.
Gillian Roddis Trophy for the Most Promising Year 5 Pupil
Lannae Attenborough
Percussion
1. Jaime Edmonds
2. Leah Watson
3. Orissa Mohla
Peter Beaumont Trophy for the Most Promising Year 6 Pupil
Junli Chen
Voice
1. Isobel Dewar
2. Penelope Froch
3. Claudie Smith
Windblowers Cup 2025
Si-Rae Jiang
Strings and Woodwind
1. Emily Bloch
2. Charlotte Chen
3. Jasmine Chen-Mehta
The House Music Cup
Bolton
Piano
1. Si-Rae Jiang
2. Ellaria Deacon
3. Pippa Winter
Runner Up Medalists
Year 5: Rosie, Neve, Etta, Chloe D, Chloe S, Millie, Sophie, Daphne, Johanna, Florence, Katharina, Imogen, Iostina, Jasmine
Year 6: Aleesha, Maia, Sophia, Evie
Click on the GALLERY below for more competition highlights:
Winter Lights 2025
Winter Lights 2025
The most wonderful time of the year ...
Our annual Winter Lights Concert for Years 3-6 will take place on Wednesday 10 December - a special celebration that brings together every pupil on stage with a live orchestra to share a heart-warming collection of popular winter songs reflecting themes of hope, peace and enlightenment. This event - very much a highlight of the Autumn Term - is an opportunity for girls to collaborate and project their creativity through uplifting music performed for friends and families. Highlights will also include ...
Years 3-6 Steel Pans Ensemble
Mrs Shaw's Year 6 pianists and Mrs Keys' Year 6 vocalists
The Ukuladies
Woodwind and Brass Ensemble
String Orchestra and String Quartet
Percussion Ensemble
Flute Choir
Guitar Club
Recycle with Michael ♻️
Recycle with Michael ♻️
FINAL REMINDER
We will accept donations of unwanted clothing and footwear until 9am this coming Wednesday. Even socks and underwear can be sent to this recycling and reusing project, which diverts materials from landfill and helps to raise funds for the Salvation Army. If you need more sacks, you can still ...
ask a teacher at drop off or collection
pick one up from reception
email your daughter's class teacher
Sacks can either be brought to the playground or be dropped off at the Rainbow Room.
Girls have been questioned! 🎓
Girls have been questioned! 🎓
Miss Sannerhaugen
Well done to our intrepid contestants - Neve, Jasmine S and Florence from Year 5, and Aleesha, Claudie, Leah, Maia, Si-Rae and Jasmine C from Year 6 - for participating valiantly in the recent What on Earth! national schools quiz.
The girls did brilliantly, however this was a very tough competition with hundreds of pupils from across the country and abroad taking part, and we did not make it through to the final on this occasion. As the saying goes, we live to fight another day!
What on Earth! is an award-winning magazine for children aged 7–14, created in partnership with Encyclopedia Britannica. A subscription to this publication is highly recommended for parents looking to broaden their daughters' non-digital reading repertoires and ignite natural curiosity about the world through rich and immersive reading experiences.
Water, water everywhere! 💦
Water, water everywhere! 💦
School Council and Year 6 Sisters of Charity
On Friday, our School Council and Sisters of Charity joined forces to coordinate a day of fundraising, collecting over £400 for BBC Children in Need. Thank you to every family that donated so generously, to the girls who joined in with the fun, and to the teachers who suffered a soaking in the pillory (or worse - the swimming pool)!
Fetch the engine! 🔥
Fetch the engine! 🔥
Mrs Garton
As part of their Fire! Fire! topic, Year 1 recently visited Arnold Fire Station, where firefighter Sarah took them on a guided tour behind the scenes that included the gym and rest areas. There were also opportunities to see how to operate a fire hydrant and meet key workers who help us in our everyday lives - for example rescuing people from road traffic accidents and dealing with chemical spillages.
Back at school, a Great Fire of London workshop led by the Partake Theatre Company allowed the girls to step back in time. They reenacted the story of baker Thomas Farriner starting the inferno on Pudding Lane, and learnt how parts of the city had to be rebuilt under the reign of King Charles II.
Reaching out across the generations 🤝
Reaching out across the generations 🤝
Mrs Fowler and Miss Baker
On Monday, Year 4 were delighted to welcome a very special visitor - Janet Burnett, a former Year 4 teacher and alumna of NGHS. The girls were fascinated to hear about life at the school in the past, and were especially surprised to learn that boys were once admitted up to the age of eight!
In Janet's day, the Junior School building as we know it did not exist. All lessons were taught on Arboretum Street and tales of past uniforms, the absence of technology, and lessons taught with blackboards sparked plenty of discussion. Comparing and contrasting are important skills to develop as the girls continue to learn how primary sources of historical information such as eyewitnesses help us to form opinions about the past and make sense of today's world.
The girls were especially amused to find out that pupils once had to eat ALL of their lunch, with some coping with this rule by hiding scraps in their pinafores! Needless to say, their 21st century teacher was quick to point out that whilst many wonderful traditions continue, this is definitely not one to resurrect 🍽️
Preparing to move on ... 🧳
Preparing to move on ... 🧳
Mrs Braud and Mrs Wood
Earlier this week, our Year 6 pupils enjoyed meeting their 'Big Sisters' from Year 12, with ice-breaker activities that marked the beginning of the important connections that will help to make next September's transition to Key Stage 3 both smooth and exciting.
Over the coming weeks, 6B and 6W will explore the Senior School with their new mentors, familiarising themselves with new surroundings and developing a better sense of what life will be like in Year 7 and beyond.
These important sessions will continue on most Tuesdays between now and the end of February, providing plenty of opportunities to ask questions and seek guidance as the girls prepare for the next stage of their education.
We thank our Year 12 volunteers for being such positive role models, and we congratulate Year 6 for embracing the experience with such positivity!
"It was great meeting our new friends in the Senior School - I told them all about my interests and hobbies."
"I can't wait to go on tours of the Senior School, to see where I'll have classes from next September!"
"The Big Sisters in my group were really kind and I felt that they listened to what we had to say."
"It's going to be great seeing and experiencing new learning environments."
Thank you to the families who helped make this year's NGHS Juniors Poppy Appeal such a success - we raised a grand total of £295.75 for the Royal British Legion. At 11 o'clock on Tuesday morning, the whole school fell silent as we observed two minutes of respectful silence to remember those whose lives have been affected by war. Well done to everyone who wore a poppy with pride!
Anti-Bullying Week
Anti-Bullying Week
Mrs Braud
Having started our week by celebrating differences with a whole school Odd Socks Day on Monday, Tuesday was an opportunity for girls from Years 5 and 6 to join their counterparts across the GDST for an online workshop to mark Anti-Bullying Week. This was hosted by the actor and author Paterson Joseph at one of our sister schools in West London, and included a reading from his collection of thought-provoking short stories, 10 Children who changed the World followed by a Q&A which touched on his own childhood experiences of bullying and discrimination.
The Power for Good theme continued on Thursday in events organised by our House Captains, who introduced themselves to their respective houses and then led a series of team building activities to encourage EMPATHY across age groups.
Below: Girls from Year 5 helping our youngest pupils to complete questionnaires for an anti-bullying icebreaker activity.
Above and below: House Captains introducing themselves
Exploring with STEM Club 🐌
Exploring with STEM Club 🐌
Mrs Garton
This week, STEM Club seized an exciting opportunity to visit the Senior School's biology laboratory. There, they met Loki the bearded dragon, some stick insects and even some giant African snails.
This was a great way to combine a passion for learning about the natural world with experiencing a setting which will all-too-soon become a part of the girls' lives in Key Stage 3 and beyond. Well done to everyone for being good listeners and for asking such great questions!
Christmas is coming ... 🪿
Christmas is coming ... 🪿
Tables at our annual Christmas Fair are £25 each, to support the NGHS Bursary Fund, with traders keeping any profits made.
Stalls can sell a variety of gifts, decorations, homewares, etc – anything edible must be nut-free with ingredients and allergens clearly labelled. We also recommend selling items that are not too heavy, large or fragile – so that they can be taken home easily in a school bag.
Email events@not.gdst.net to enquire or book.
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