24 April 2026

This year's staff team will also enter the ring with a list of words prepared by our Year 6 Sisters of Charity and me, and led by Mrs Keller to mark a decade of her headship!

LUXTON - Mrs Keller

SKEEL - Mr Cox

HASTINGS - Miss Baker

BOLTON - Mrs Crabtree

If your daughter has not yet started revision, please encourage her to do so now, using the resources provided by her teacher. This annual team effort rewards every girl with the satisfaction of doing her bit for someone else, as well as opportunities to earn coveted places in the Book of Excellence and special edition achievement certificates for exceptional progress or effort.

And if you have not yet provided sponsorship for our good causes - School Council projects and the work of Nottingham Nottingham Central Women's Aid, please use the link below:

Please CLICK HERE to sponsor

It has been especially good to see girls from Years 5 and 6 engaging in fierce but friendly competition. Recently, they started an online Spelling Shed CHALLENGE based on the statutory spelling list for their age group. As of Friday afternoon, 6B and 6W have overtaken Year 5's early lead - but will they be able to maintain this between now and 11 May? ...

Why support NCWA?

Sisters of Charity - Isabel and Aleesha

To mark 150 years of NGHS educating girls, we have agreed that our 2026 Sponsored Spell will support the amazing work of Nottingham Central Women's Aid. A representative from NCWA visited us last term to explain how their charity works, helping us to understand how women and children sometimes need emergency accommodation, support and advice.

This was an extremely interesting and thought-provoking PSHE lesson for us, and donating money from our Sponsored Spell is our way of thanking them again for allowing us to ask so many questions.

Tech Team update 💻

Mrs Wood

Our Years 3-4 Tech Team, who meet on Wednesday lunchtimes, are celebrating learning about codes and cyphers by making Morse Code bracelets. Well done, girls - you have asked super questions and it is always great to experience your enthusiasm for all things IT-related!

Surprise, surprise! 🎉

This week, the whole school came together for a truly special occasion as we marked Mrs Keller’s ten-year anniversary as Head of NGHS in a surprise special assembly hosted by Mrs Fowler.

Over the past decade, Mrs Keller’s leadership has been defined by kindness, respect and high standards, ensuring that pupils feel safe, learn well and go on to great things. Under her guidance, students have flourished, staff have grown in expertise and the school has continued to evolve whilst staying true to its values.

We are hugely grateful for her dedication and we look forward with excitement to the years ahead.

Deep in the forest ...

Mrs Garton

Last week, Year 1 enjoyed a field trip to Sherwood Forest as part of their new local history and geography topics. There the girls read maps to visit the Major Oak and even learnt that two dozen children can stand inside it!

Miss Wall and Mr Scarborough led a very interesting tree-themed workshop, which included listening to rising sap with stethescopes, measuring and comparing trunks, and distinguishing between evergreen and deciduous species. What a fantastic day out, 1G!

Back at school, Year 1 have also participated in a workshop led by Partake History, a Nottingham-based company renowned for its expertise in inspiring children with creative and innovative living history, dance and drama projects.

This interactive experience combined elements of drama and literacy really well to inspire the girls in upcoming speaking, listening, reading and writing activities. They thoroughly enjoyed reenacting the legend that is Robin Hood, including other characters such as Friar Tuck, Little John, Maid Marian, the Sheriff of Nottingham and the townspeople. Great work, 1G!

Junior Chess Club update ♛

Mr Padvis and Mr Cox

Well done to all of our intermediate and advanced players who completed the 2026 Delancey UK Chess Challenge, which involved 26 girls playing 182 games over 7 rounds! The scoring was 3 points for a win, 2 points for a draw, and 1 for a loss.

At the end of the event, two players had achieved 19 points and a play off ensued between Junli (6W) and Naya (4B) - the winner and champion was Junli on 22 points, with Naya very close behind on 20 points. In third place on 18 points were Sophie (5MC), Holly F (3B), Isabelle (3B), and Ameerah (3B). Fabulous outcomes all round, with an especially encouraging results from our youngest club members.

All girls from our Thursday intermediate and Friday advanced coaching classes have qualified for the regional Megafinal which will be held at Nottingham High School on Saturday, 9th May. To enter, please click on the link below and address any enquiries to the organiser ed47jones@gmail.com . Be in it to win it, girls!

Click here to enter

Taking cover 🪖

Mrs Crawshaw

What a term for CREATIVITY! This spring - inspired by Henry Moore’s iconic wartime Shelter Drawings series - Year 5 channeled their inner artists to depict the atmosphere of their evacuation day reenactment at Beaumanor Hall.

The girls focused on capturing the raw emotions which they felt in a cellar during a mock air raid. Using Moore’s signature techniques - layering wax crayons, pencils, pastels and watercolour washes - they translated the heavy sensations of claustrophobia and fear on to paper. It was incredible to see how they used dark, moody tones to mirror the cramped, dimly lit environment of public shelters.

Beyond sketching, we also explored the human form and how bodies react to stress and seek comfort, using tin foil to sculpt figures and experimenting with shapes that show people huddled together. These shimmering, abstract forms perfectly represented the vulnerability of those waiting out the sirens.

I was honestly blown away by the maturity and empathy shown in the girls' work; they didn’t just make art, they captured a moment in history. Well done, Year 5! 👍🏻

Year 3 Art Club

Mrs Crabtree

Girls in Year 3 Art Club recently completed a 3D paper sculpture on canvas. This has been a fabulous example of CREATIVITY, hard work and collaboration - the end result is beautiful and will be exhibited with pride in our Junior School art studio!

"I've already eaten ..." 🧛

Mrs Crawshaw and Mr Cox

Year 5 are currently preparing to read their Summer Term set text, Room 13, a contemporary children's novel set in Whitby with links to the Dracula myth and real-life historical events.

This week, the girls have really enjoyed learning about Bram Stoker's original story, and it is fair to say that they are now very adept at spotting Gothic architecture, and knowing how to put garlic and wooden stakes to good use - they have felt VERY entertained by the plot! Next week, they'll move on to studying the setting of Whitby itself, in readiness for tackling Room 13 and spotting themes and situations which might otherwise go unnoticed.

Coming soon to Year 6 ...

Mrs Braud, Mrs Wood and Miss Simmons

The countdown to Year 6's final Junior School residential at the beginning of July has started, and it will be all about building resilience and widening friendship circles as the girls continue their preparation for Senior School in September. At Dobroyd Castle's Robinwood Activity Centre in West Yorkshire, 6B and 6W will focus on key skills such as teamwork and problem-solving through a variety of challenging and rewarding activities. These include climbing, zipline, archery, caving and high ropes courses - prepare to venture beyond your comfort zones and create amazing memories, girls!

SPRING WATCH 🌷

Miss Duce

Nursery and Pre School have been busy learning all about the signs of spring, exploring our grounds and applying their speaking skills in describing what they could see.

Back in class, some girls drew pictures to recall their experiences and others used their phonic knowledge to write initial sounds or full words. This was a lovely outdoor opportunity right on our doorstep, and everyone enjoyed talking about their discoveries!

Food, glorious food!

Mrs Fowler

It was Napoléon Bonaparte who said, "An army marches on its stomach," and that saying certainly still rings true - especially when the working day for many of our staff and pupils stretches from 7:50am to 6pm with five hours of lessons, and many attending or supervising clubs before, during and after school.

So I am delighted to say that we have received fabulous feedback from the girls about our new lunchtime provision from Holroyd Howe, including Year 6 who were keen to mention this in their Positive Journals! I have been really impressed with the diversity and quality of the produce on offer which, given the current economic climate and price of food, is evidence that the purchasing power of the UK's leading caterer for independent schools is an added advantage.

Scroll down to peruse our current menus, which rotate every three weeks.

Click on the GALLERY below to view three weeks of menus:

Up, up and away 🎈

Mrs Crabtree

I am so proud of my class! They are really rising to the challenge of our new topic, The History of Aviation, and they have produced some lovely writing this week.

Having learnt about the experiments of Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier, and their invention of the hot air balloon, the girls composed their own explanations of the brothers' achievements and reflected on the importance of human flight. Great work, 2C!

PE UPDATE 🏃🏼‍♀️

Miss Abbott

In lessons at the start of this term, girls in Years 3 to 6 are measuring themselves against their performances over a sprint and long distance events that they first completed in September, as well jumps and throws as part of their House pentathlon and fitness work.

Can they improve on their scores and which house teams and individuals will demonstrate the greatest progress? Our pentathlons (scheduled for just before Half Term) will reveal all!

Preparations are now underway for our Sports Days for Years 1 to 6 - watch this space!

Years 3-6: PE kit for the summer term 👟

PE and Games topics after this term are tennis, cricket and athletics. Please remember that kit should be in school all week, so that girls are prepared for short notice timetable changes:

Performance polo shirt

Skort or shorts

White socks

Trainers

Tracksuit bottoms

Mid-layer

Storm jacket (optional)

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