27 March 2026

It's been a busy end to the Spring Term for our youngest pupils. In class, they have enjoyed learning about arachnids and decorating spider-themed biscuits with the correct number of legs, of course ...

... whilst further afield on Wednesday, the girls visited the Belton House estate in Lincolnshire where they concluded their minibeasts topic with a woodland bug hunt. Slugs and caterpillars were found nestled in leaves, and they also spotted woodlice hiding under logs, plus spiders and even a millipede which they were delighted to see moving so quickly.

Finally, the icing on our cake this week was Easter crafting with our Year 5 reading buddies - thank you, 5MC and 5JC!

Snow Report ❄️

Miss Abbott and Miss Whitehead, in Aprica

Girls from Years 5 and 6 have spent a week on the sunny ski slopes of northern Italy, where beginners have learnt how to stop and change direction, whilst more experienced skiers have tackled challenging red and black runs.

What a fantastic week - we have seen countless examples of the NGHS Junior School RECIPE for Success - resilience and positivity as girls pushed themselves out of their comfort zones, and empathy as they helped and encouraged others. This was a memorable experience for everyone, and we are already looking forward to our return to the pistes in 2027! ⛷️

Essayist of the Year 🖊️

Mrs Fowler

Judging this Key Stage 2 challenge was very difficult, with stiff competition in all year groups. We thank class teachers for their help with shortlisting, and Mrs Cooke (Senior School Careers) for reading and considering the entries from our four finalists.

We are delighted to confirm that Lucia (3B) is this year's trophy winner. As well as being written from the heart by one of our youngest entrants, Lucia's description of her father's working life was well researched and demonstrated a real pride in his achievements. Mrs Cooke noted:

"Lucia demonstrates a really good understanding of her father's job, including travelling and leading teams. She is also very aware of the value of work-life balance, which is very important. Lucia has highlighted her father's award, and she recognises the skills needed in his line of work and how these enable him to be successful. Well done!"

My daddy’s incredible job as a

chief commercial officer

My daddy works for AG Barr which is a soft drinks company. They make drinks like Irn Bru and Rubicon which are very tasty and yummy. The drinks are made in big factories.

Irn Bru has a very secret recipe that only four people in the world know and my daddy is one of them. He won an award recently for the best TV and YouTube advert out of lots of different companies.

Sometimes Daddy goes to different places and sometimes he works from home. Sometimes he goes to Edinburgh, sometimes Glasgow and sometimes London because there are lots of offices where all his teams work.

To do his job you need to work hard, never give up, have strong beliefs, be kind, be good at maths, have people skills and help others. Because my daddy has lots of people working for him, he has to be caring, supportive and help people to learn. He has to have the confidence to go up on stage to do presentations and receive awards.

I’m grateful for my daddy because he works very hard and travels a lot, but he still manages to get back or us. He makes sure he comes home by teatime for cuddles, tickles and kisses. When I grow up, I want to be successful like him. I’m proud of my daddy, especially when he goes up on stage to present. He works incredibly hard and is very resilient.

"Lucia put a lot of effort into the essay and really enjoyed learning about the world of soft drinks. I’m extremely proud of her."

Lucia's father

"It's wonderful that Lucia has won the competition - this is very well deserved. Her dad told me how much work she'd put it into her composition, asking him lots of questions and making copious notes. I'm thrilled for her!"

Mrs Bailey (in Australia)

Mrs Cooke also had words of praise for the other three finalists ...

Harneet (4B)

"Harneet's father is clearly a great role model; it was very interesting to hear about his busy and varied working day! Well done for mentioning qualifications, as well as the softer skills that are important for leading a team."

Iostina (5MC)

"Iostina has taken time to explain why her mother changed jobs, and has considered why it's important to think about what a job does for us, not just what we can do for the job! Great explanation of what the job entails, its purpose, and the responsibility involved."

Evie (6W)

"It was very interesting to hear why Evie's mother chose her job. Evie demonstrates a good understanding of how much her mother's work varies; it has been lovely to hear about her achievements, and it is clear how proud she is of her mum!"

... and these girls were nominated for special edition RESILIENCE certificates. Their essays didn't quite make the shortlist, however they still wrote about their parents' jobs with respect, pride and precision:

YEAR 3

Rosie

Neve

Hendrix

Anya

Ameerah

Holly C-H

YEAR 4

Freya

Agatha

Jovana

Penelope

Saffron

Iliana

YEAR 5

Chloe S

Clara

Etta

Hattie H

Jasmine

Penelope

YEAR 6

Emily

Ellaria

Isobel D

Maia

Sneha

Isabel O-G

Jobs for the girls

Mrs Braud and Mrs Wood

Year 6 recently hosted another visit from a parent who inspired them by sharing her professional experiences. This week, they welcomed Mrs Gadhia who works as a clinical negligence lawyer:

"We really enjoyed this workshop! It was fascinating to hear about the cases Mrs Gadhia has worked on, and we loved the activities that helped us to understand her job - for example, deciding how much we would 'value' a case and thinking about the ingredients required to be a clinical negligence lawyer.

We liked using whiteboards to share our answers, so everyone could collaborate and share ideas. We also appreciated the 'positive penguins' which were gifted, reminding us to believe in ourselves and to keep trying even when things don’t work out the first time. Thank you, Mrs Gadhia!"

Evie and Aleesha

History on the doorstep

Mrs Spray

Continuing our theme of careers for women, we thank the Fisher family who recently shared with us these photos of a very special event which took place at their home recently. They and the Nottingham Women's History Group have unveiled a plaque to remember the medical work of Margaret Glen Bott OBE, a physician and city councillor who became the first female surgeon at the Nottingham Women's Hospital.

It is lovely to know that Margaret's achievements continue to be recognised.

Margaret Glen Bott honoured with plaque in NottinghamThe plaque to commemorate Margaret Glen Bott was unveiled at her former home in Nottingham.

The struggle continues

Mrs Braud and Mrs Wood

NGHS Juniors prides itself on a bespoke girls-first curriculum that constantly celebrates and promotes opportunities for women in a society that still holds many advantages for men.

Year 6's Suffragette guided home reading project is just one example of how we weave thought-provoking literature into our girls' learning, giving them a rounded view of history and helping them to draw inspiration from the Mrs Pankhursts of this world.

The author of Suffragette, Carol Drinkwater (aka Helen Herriot in the 1980s TV adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small), recently heard how much 6B and 6W enjoyed learning about the struggle for women's votes, and sent them a personal message:

We are also pleased to share with you the girls' impressions of this challenging read:

Suffragette is a powerful and moving book; the women stood strong and were determined to fight for suffrage - and most importantly, they never gave up. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole story!

Junli

I am really proud of the Suffragette movement because it gave us the right to vote now. This book has made me really appreciate the women who fought for our rights in the past.

Aleesha

I'm grateful that the women in Suffragette were so passionate about winning their fight for the vote, and that some of them even died for the cause. My favourite character in the book is Dollie.

Eve

This is a very interesting book which focuses on the Suffragette movement and how women campaigned for equal voting rights.

Si-Rae

Suffragette made me think about women in other countries who don’t have the same rights as us. This was a very touching story, and it made me realise how hard women fought to have the right to vote

Isabel

I found the Suffragettes' passion truly admirable, and their resilience bold. We read about their daring actions and learnt about their dedication, and how it grew with every action they took.

Charlotte

Suffragette made me feel how much women in those days wanted the vote. I am very proud and grateful for all that they did for us, even though there is still some unfairness in this world.

Sophia

The Suffragettes showed real courage and bravery; every action mattered, even if it meant going on hunger strike. This book reminded me of the sacrifices which they made to win the right to vote.

Maryam

This book shows how our society once was. I truly look up to the Suffragettes; their resilience is something that I find beautifully courageous. My favourite character is definitely Lady Violet Campbell because she adopted Dollie out of generosity.

Sneha

Some people don't see the right to vote as a big thing, but it is! Women were treated unfairly in those days and I really see them as an inspiration and role models for me.

Juliet

NGHS JUNIORS ANNUAL SPONSORED SPELL 🔤 🐝

We have launched our 2026 annual Sponsored Spell - and as usual, members of staff will also enter the ring with a list of words prepared by Mrs Fowler and our Year 6 Sisters of Charity!

Pupil challenges (ranging from 10 to 100 words, mostly from the government’s statutory lists) allow all girls to be rewarded with the satisfaction of doing their bit for someone else, as well as earning coveted places in the Book of Excellence and special edition achievement certificates for exceptional progress or effort. Tests will take place during the week beginning 11 May (in instalments for some year groups).

Families are invited to sponsor girls (or indeed staff!) per correct word, or for a fixed sum regardless of outcome, provided they ‘have a go’ at every word. Proceeds this year will support School Council projects and the work of Nottingham Nottingham Central Women's Aid - please read the message from our Sisters of Charity below, detailing the reason behind this decision.

We are sensitive to the ages and learning styles of all pupils, and would ask parents to join us in stressing the ‘taking part’ aspect of this team effort as well as the importance of revision. Please be reassured that words will for the most part have already been taught and tested this year – there should be no nasty surprises! For now, please motivate your daughter through online sponsorship and by reminding her to revise, using any resources provided by her teacher. In the meantime, thank you for your generosity and here is a breakdown of the challenges to be set for each year group:

Nursery : 10 words * Reception : 20 words

Y1-2 : 64 words * Y3-4 : 75 words * Y5-6 : 100 words

Plus 20 surprise tricky words, to be tested ** LIVE ** in assembly on these good sports:

LUXTON - Mrs Keller

SKEEL - Mr Cox

HASTINGS - Miss Baker

BOLTON - Mrs Crabtree

Please CLICK HERE to sponsor

Why are we supporting 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.

ESSENCE OF SPRING 🌷

Mrs Bailey

This term, Year 3 have worked with author and illustrator Mr Brown to create a poetry collection.

Inspired by Simon Armitage’s Dwell, our young poets have moved beyond simple descriptions to explore the ‘dwelling place’ of nature within our own environment, from the sudden ‘budburst’ of new life to the fragile ‘gossamer’ caught in a morning hedge.

Mr Brown and I are delighted to share excerpts from this spring poetry collection, which is positively bursting with nature!

Click on the GALLERY below:

Above: The original Miss Skeel (centre), third headmistress of NGHS, from 1880-1882.

SKEEL WINS THE HOUSE CUP!

Congratulations to the girls from SKEEL who have won this term's House Cup, with an impressive haul of house points earned through RESILIENCE, POSITIVITY, CREATIVITY and EXCELLENCE!

Miss Skeel’s fifteen years as Headmistress of NGHS was a period of great success for the school. She was much-loved and her enlightened approach to teaching was appreciated by students, parents, staff and the governors alike.

During her time, the school saw great progression in the range of the arts and activities offered to pupils; Miss Skeel introduced social and musical events, writing plays herself and verses for important events. She took great pride in diversifying the curriculum, with subjects such as lacemaking, wood carving, fretwork and botanical collection. It is said that she ‘imprinted much of herself on the schools’ development’, and she was considered well ahead of her time.

Mrs Whitty

Excellence in Science 🏆

Miss Baker and Mrs Garton

Congratulations to all of the girls who were nominated by their teachers for attainment and progress in science this term, and especially to Daphne from Year 5 who was the overall winner of the Excellence Cup!

We also congratulate Sophia and Penelope Rose. Their science-themed posters have been selected as winners of our British Science Week challenge, and have now gone forward to the national poster competition.

Year 1 go wild! 🦒

Mrs Garton

Year 1 enjoyed a wonderfully sunny study visit to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park this week, with sightings of meerkats, lions and wallabies before they'd even embarked on their Roars, paws and claws workshop! This consolidated their learning from our Spring Term science topic on animals, and our recent reading and writing activities in English lessons.

The girls were also thrilled to see monkeys, lions, zebras, polar bears and giraffes up close - and even a rhinoceros! Overall, this was a memorable day out with lots of interesting opportunities to ask questions, make observations and apply learning from the classroom.

They're in it to win it 🤞

The GDST Laurie Magnus Poetry Prize was established in memory of Laurie Magnus by his widow.  Laurie Magnus was a GDST Council member from 1907, and Chairman from 1929 until his death in 1933.  He also wrote The Jubilee Book of the Girls’ Day School Trust (1923).

We wish Zara Pochibko (1G), Aliza Mohammad (3B) and Charlotte Chen (6B) the very best of luck, as their entries for this GDST-wide competition have been chosen to represent NGHS Juniors!

We also congratulate the following girls whose poems received Highly Commended certificates, and we thank everyone who entered this popular annual competition:

Isabella Poulis * Penelope Rose Takhar * Kiya Calladine * Cece Kemp * Daphne Coldrick

Imogen Robertson * Yilin Song * Clara McClelland * Hattie Horner * Georgie Summers

Junli Chen * Sophia Chen * Ellaria Deacon * Jaime Edmonds

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

Miss Abbott

Heads up! PE and Games topics after the Easter holiday will be tennis, cricket and athletics with the following kit required in school all week:

Performance polo shirt

Skort or shorts

White socks

Trainers

Tracksuit bottoms

Mid-layer

Storm jacket (optional)

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