21 November 2025
21 November 2025
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Year 5 explore Hardwick House - see THROUGH THE TUDOR KEYHOLE
An indoor job for this weekend! ❄️
An indoor job for this weekend! ❄️
Mrs Crawshaw
Calling all aspiring artists! Submit an A4 piece of artwork with a festive theme for this year's GDST Junior Christmas Card Competition! You can use paint, pastels, felt tip, pencil or collage.
Designs should be handed to form teachers by 9am on TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER, with first names and year groups stated clearly on the reverse. Winners from EYFS/KS1 and KS2 will then be added to GDST Chief Executive Cheryl Giovannoni's shortlist, along with entries from other Trust schools.
The overall winner will receive a £50 gift voucher and her design will then feature on our websites and be available for our schools to use in festive email signatures. In 2021, our very own Emily Dewar was the outright winner with her wonderful picture of a snowman (left). Fingers crossed for this year, NGHS Juniors!
Sports Report
Sports Report
Miss Abbott
Earlier this week, girls from Years 1 and 2 took part in a cricket festival during which they showcased their running, throwing, catching and batting skills. Everyone had a great time and we can’t wait to see their confidence grow in PE with Mr Ashdown over the coming months!
This week also saw runners from Years 5 and 6 participating in the 2025 City of Nottingham cross country championships. What a result, girls! In a fiercely competitive field, Katharina R finished in 2nd position, closely followed by Johanna R, Rosie G and Emily B who were placed 4th, 5th and 7th respectively. All four have now qualified for County finals on 31st January.
We also congratulate Isobel, Junli, Gabi and Harriet on their contributing scores - NGHS Juniors won the event and are now City Champions! Our cardiovascular work in lessons and practising at events such as our Forest Fun Run and GDST rallies are really paying off, so I look forward to more successes across a variety of sports and activities as the year progresses.
Through the Tudor keyhole 🗝️
Through the Tudor keyhole 🗝️
Mrs Crawshaw and Mr Cox
On Tuesday, Year 5 visited Hardwick Hall as part of a creative writing assignment for their current English and history topics. There, the girls rose to the challenge of reimagining the house, stableyard and gardens in Elizabethan times, paying particular attention to vocabulary and phrases which can be used to describe these settings in convincing detail.
Despite the cold snap, the girls loved their exploration of Bess of Hardwick's showpiece home and especially enjoyed seeing this year's Wintertide decorations. Well done, 5JC and 5MC - we look forward to seeing you applying your research in your compositions!
Play time!
Play time!
Mrs Fowler
In Monday's whole school assembly, it was a joy to introduce the girls to some new outdoor play equipment that I recently purchased for the playground.
Thank you to those who volunteered to demonstrate how to play safely with toys such as hula hoops and ball launchers, and to Miss Abbott for inflating our lovely new space hoppers!
🎸 Rough Trade 9 🎸
🎸 Rough Trade 9 🎸
A night to remember
Mr Rolfe
Rough Trade 9, our annual celebration of student music-making, lit up Monday evening with four hours of live rock, pop and jazz delivered with spirit, polish and joy by over sixty remarkable girls from Years 6 to 13. Not only did our brand new Year 7 band perform for the first time, the event also marked the first time we had taken a Junior School band to a professional out of school concert - and Year 6 did not disappoint with their musical maturity.
The standard was exceptional: tight rhythms, fearless solos, soulful vocals and an impressive range of styles that kept the energy fresh from start to finish. Each set offered something different, one moment high-octane indie rock, the next a velvet-smooth soul number or a perfectly-paced pop anthem.
The spirit of our school community was also very evident, with older students dancing, singing and cheering on our Year 6 performers. In turn, our junior bands stayed well into the evening to support others. Nights like this remind us how the performing arts help to build confidence, resilience and bonds.
Doubly impressive - less than twelve hours after stepping off the Rough Trade stage, many of the very same pupils were back in rehearsals for a forthcoming formal concert, slipping effortlessly from amplifiers and drum kits to orchestras and choirs. From rock riffs to Bach, from jazz improvisation to chamber ensembles, diversity is king!
BUSKING FOR ROSE 🎄
BUSKING FOR ROSE 🎄
Our annual Christmas carol busking day will take place on Saturday 13 December at Planters Brookfields Garden Centre, on Mapperley Plains. This event - much cherished in our school calendar - supports the work of PASIC, the children’s cancer charity at the Queen’s Medical Centre.
Our tradition of busking for PASIC began in 2012 and was inspired by former pupil Rose Whittle (left), who sadly succumbed to neuroblastoma whilst in Year 5. Rose first initiated this fundraiser as a way to bring joy to others at Christmas whilst supporting the vital work of children’s cancer services. Each year, we continue her work as a celebration of kindness, community and hope – whilst having a lot of fun!
This year's event at Brookfields will take place under cover near the store entrance, with easy access to toilets and a café. As well as our ukulele and guitar pupils, participation is open to all girls in Years 4 to 8 - there is no grade, no entry level or other requirement other than a wiliness to smile and sing! Those involved should be willing to commit to practising at home, for which resources will be provided. Further details will follow shortly.
Feeding time in the cold 🐿️
Feeding time in the cold 🐿️
Miss Duce
Girls in our Nursery and Pre School class have demonstrated EMPATHY this week as part of their learning about woodland animals. They have noticed and have been speaking about the sudden change in weather, and have considered how birds and other animals might find food when it's frosty or snowing.
Making bird feeders using mashed banana and bird seed, everyone worked hard to mix ingredients and press them into pine cones. These have now been taken home to be hung in gardens, and we have also placed some in our own grounds in the hope of attracting more small birds for feeding.
This activity has prompted lots of opportunities to apply specific vocabulary, as discussions revolved around the birds commonly seen in our local area (e.g. pigeons and robins), as well as other species such as woodpeckers.
Thank you for recycling! ♻️
Thank you for recycling! ♻️
Year 6 Sisters of Charity
What an amazing effort! We thank everyone who donated unwanted clothing and footwear to this term's Recycle with Michael appeal. Items which cannot be resold to support the welfare work of the Salvation Army will still be repurposed responsibly, and some of us might one day end up buying garden furniture or carpets which have been made from the fibres recovered from our old textiles!
Right and below: Thanks also to our friends in Year 5 who helped to load the van
Our bridge of hope
Our bridge of hope
Black History Month-inspired graphic art
Mrs Crawshaw
Our Years 4-6 Art Club recently celebrated Black History Month by creating Kente patterns which are now proudly displayed on the Rainbow Room bridge. Kente cloth is a handwoven fabric with geometric patterns and bright colours, traditionally made by the Akan and Ewe people of Ghana and Togo. It is characterised by vivid pattern and colour combinations that have specific meanings:
Black: maturity and spiritual awareness
Blue: peace and harmony
Green: energy, growth and the earth
Red: passion and strength
Yellow/gold: wealth, prosperity and royalty
White: purity and cleansing
Well done, girls - your creations look great in such a prominent place!
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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