Independence
“We give each girl the very best opportunities to find her strengths, explore the whole breadth of subject options, and tailor all that we do around her needs as she develops into a young woman.”
ALISON SEFTON HEAD OF NORWICH HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
Contents
WELCOME___P.5
MADE BY GIRLS___P.6
OUR ENVIRONMENT___P.8
GDST___P.10
ACHIEVEMENTS___P.12
PREP SCHOOL
WELCOME___P.15
INDEPENDENCE MADE BY GIRLS___P16
PREP SCHOOL___P18
ACADEMIC PROGRESS___P.20
PASTORAL CARE___P.23
OPPORTUNITIES___P.25
MOVING UP TO THE SENIOR SCHOOL___P.27
JOIN OUR SCHOOL
VISITS AND OPEN DAYS__P.28
HOW TO JOIN___P.29
ADMISSIONS___P.30
Welcome to Norwich High School for Girls
At Norwich High School for Girls, we believe passionately in putting girls first. We give each girl the very best opportunities to find her strengths, explore the whole breadth of subject options, and tailor all that we do around her needs as she develops into a young woman. We are a large enough school to provide rich opportunities, but yet small enough that every girl is known and valued.
How girls grow and how they learn is different.
Girls and boys are equal – but they’re not the same. Co-educational environments can place a huge pressure on girls, whose confidence and curiosity can suffer as a result.
Negative impacts on girls during their education can have much longer repercussions as they navigate Higher Education, careers and the decisions they inevitably face around balancing the demands of modern life.
Our school exists to rebalance the odds in your daughter’s favour. We create an environment where they are free to be themselves and can learn without limits.
Where they support each other to be curious and confident, where there are no limits to what they can discover about the world – and themselves.
Our girls leave us resilient, passionate, and unapologetic – ready to lead, ready to explore what makes them happy, ready to follow their own paths.
What I believe really makes Norwich High School for Girls special is the exceptionally strong sense of community; a community which lasts throughout their time here and long after girls have left the school.
Alison Sefton HEAD OF NORWICH HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
CONFIDENCE AMBITION
is our way of celebrating the bold, curious and confident young women who make our school what it is.
FRIENDS
We believe that our role as a school is to PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENT for your girls to be themselves – and that their successes are testament to what happens when they have a PLACE OF THEIR OWN in which to THRIVE.
Where they are SUPPORTED by each other, CELEBRATED by each other, PUSHED FORWARD by each other.
Where they can SPEAK UP without fear of judgement – PLAY without fear of ridicule LEARN COMPLETELY WITHOUT LIMITS.
When you visit us we are sure you’ll feel the difference it makes to be in a place
Our environment
Our expansive site gives each girl the space to grow, explore and develop a healthy approach to their life.
Stafford House is home to our youngest girls, from Nursery to Year 6, and they have their own dedicated space with well lit, airy classrooms along with a spacious Art studio, STEM Lab and fully equipped Food Technology Room.
In all classrooms, round tables promote communication and collaboration and it is not unusual to see girls spilling out into the corridors and communal spaces to use the green screens or record evidence of their learning. The outdoor space is well utilised and the woodland playground, outdoor theatre and polytunnel are often busy with groups of girls re-enacting the Roman invasion, acting out an extract of their literature spine text, roasting marshmallows over a campfire or watering and weeding their produce.
The Early Years Hub in Stafford House allows us to prioritise the kind of active and imaginative play that is so vital for girls. Outside a large wooden deck provides a platform for the playhouses with a newly tarmacked kart track to one side and a large barked area filled with mud kitchens, STEM workshops and even a potions lab to the other.
There is a seamless transition from the dynamic outdoor play area to the airy and bright indoor spaces. For the Nursery children, there is a dedicated room where girls can feel safe and supported, and have fun exploring a large play loft with an upstairs area. Moving through the shared area for cooking, construction and messy play into Reception, there are zoned areas for role play, small world and a comfortable corner cave, all of which the girls can explore during their free-flow independent learning time.
Eaton Grove, the home to our senior girls, celebrates all that is truly special about an education at Norwich High School for Girls. A beautiful regency building, surrounded by 14 acres of expansive woodland, green space and many original features such as our CrinkleCrankle wall, there is always something to inspire or excite every girl within our community.
Our classrooms have all been developed into dynamic educational spaces, designed to facilitate best educational practice.
Lanchester House is home to our Sixth Form centre – a superb, spacious, modern environment where girls can commit to their learning, but also relax in a space where they can work collaboratively and socialise with new friends.
Performance and music is extremely well catered for with a state-of-the-art theatre space,
a picturesque outdoor theatre and a dedicated Music School building for rehearsals and music lessons.
Sports provision is extensive and comprehensive. Sporting facilities include a 25m indoor heated swimming pool, two on site multiuse games areas and an astro turf hockey pitch, tennis courts, a dedicated sports hall, rowing gym and new fitness suite.
Outdoor learning areas surround the main buildings of Norwich High School for Girls –there is a dedicated Forest Schools area as well as many large open spaces and pitches. Dingly Dell is home to the heritage orchard, a pond, House allotments and open space for outdoor activities. It has even been used for an archaeological dig using tools made by the girls in a Product Design workshop.
GDST
Girls’ Day School Trust
We are proud to be part of the Girls’ Day School Trust, a family of 26 girls’ schools across England and Wales, established 150 years ago. As experts and pioneers of girls’ education, GDST schools are designed for girls who go on to design the future.
The GDST works closely with schools to ensure they are at the forefront of innovation, ensuring an outstanding education for your daughter. In all GDST schools, and as we will talk to you about here at Norwich, academic excellence is a given, but we are also focused on developing character beyond the curriculum.
Schools are designed to create environments where girls thrive, where physical and emotional wellbeing is paramount.
Throughout the academic year, the GDST runs a series of events and initiatives for girls at all ages, so they can come together to collaborate and learn from each other – from the Junior Maths Conference to Leadership initiatives for our Senior and Sixth Form students.
GDST Undivided represents the GDST commitment to diversity and inclusion and is a golden thread that runs through everything we do at the GDST and in each school.
Achievements and recognition
A LEVEL RESULTS 2024
94% A*-C / 26% A* / 66% A*-A / 80% A*-B
GCSE RESULTS 2024
23% 9 / 40% 9-8 / 58% 9-7 / 76% 9-6 / 97% 9-4
Sunday Times Schools Guide
Norwich High School for Girls was ranked as the Best Independent Secondary School in Norfolk in the Sunday Times Parent Power League 2024. The Parent Power League is the guide to the best national and regional schools of the year. We were ranked as fourth overall in East Anglia and 116th nationally.
ISI Report
Following our ISI routine inspection in April 2024 by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, the inspectors judged Norwich High to be meeting the required Independent School Standards in every area and commented positively on all aspects of the provision covered by the report.
Independent Girls’ School of the Year Finalist
Norwich High School for Girls was named as a finalist in the Independent Girls’ School of the Year category and shortlisted in the Independent Pre-Prep School of the Year category in the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2024.
Muddy Stilettos Best Schools Awards
In 2024, Norwich High School for Girls Senior School was Highly Commended in two categories in the Muddy Stilettos 2024 Best Schools Awards: Passionate About Sport and Most Inclusive School.
Norfolk Education Awards
Norwich High School for Girls were selected as a finalist for ‘Outstanding Support for Students’ in the 2024 EDP Norfolk Education Awards.
Welcome to Norwich High Prep School and Nursery
At Norwich High Prep School and Nursery everything is designed to bring out the best in our girls. Whether they are just starting out on their school journey or preparing for transition into our Senior School, our girls thrive in the comfortable, family atmosphere that can be felt throughout the school. The warmth of the relationships between the staff and the pupils and between the girls themselves has shaped an inclusive and caring community where every girl is valued and every individual success is celebrated.
Our curriculum is forward thinking, focused on developing the skills and character our girls will need to prepare them for their future.
We are passionate about tailoring our academic experience to the needs of our girls and have designed a curriculum that not only provides the necessary academic rigour but also challenges the girls to become active thinkers and learners. They thrive in a classroom culture where mistakes are valued, resilience is encouraged and independence is developed.
I am sure, when you discover our amazing school for yourself, you will find it to be a place where your daughter will be nurtured, challenged and learn to spread her wings.
Susan Roberts HEAD OF PREP SCHOOL AND NURSERY
Independence
As our girls find their feet in the Prep School we want to give them the tools to DISCOVER who they are and the CONFIDENCE to be THEMSELVES. We give them the SUPPORT and encouragement they need to make decisions, to FIND THEIR OWN WAY and, when it all goes wrong, to have the RESILIENCE to pick themselves up and start again.
It doesn’t matter whether it is getting to grips with a difficult maths problem, sorting out a friendship issue, or taking the lead in a class assembly, our girls are ENCOURAGED to embrace EVERY OPPORTUNITY that comes their way, to push the boundaries and SPREAD THEIR WINGS AND FLYwith COURAGE, with DETERMINATION and, most importantly, with INDEPENDENCE.
Prep School
We have developed an educational journey uniquely tailored to help girls grow academically and personally.
Through the four C’s of our Compass Approach and our Qualities for Learning, which represent the characteristics needed for success, we provide our girls with a route map to navigate their development as learners throughout their time at Norwich High Prep School. We encourage them to take risks rather than staying in their comfort zones. We give them the assurance to stand up and be heard, teaching them to have confidence in their own opinion whilst being able to weigh up both sides of an argument. We help them see value in the mistakes they make, have a positive approach to failure and the determination to keep going when things get tough.
Our broad curriculum, designed to bring out the best in girls, is specifically suited to both enhance and challenge their natural preferences. Enjoyment of learning is key and our experienced teachers plan stimulating
and engaging activities which promote active participation to develop the girls’ thinking and decision making. In lessons, where little time is wasted on classroom management and a culture of collaboration and affirmation abounds, our girls are able to flourish as learners and, as they move through the Prep School, they thrive.
Within small classes, the girls have the space and the individual attention to develop their enthusiasm for learning and they look forward to coming into school each day. The freedom of a single sex environment enables our girls to have the confidence to develop their individual personalities without being constrained by convention. You are just as likely to see our Year 6 girls playing football or climbing trees at break time as doing handstands and chatting with their friends and we are keen to let them enjoy their childhood for as long as possible.
Academic progress
We are passionate about tailoring our curriculum to not only allow girls to flourish throughout their education, but to embrace it.
Our Norwich High Prep School girls enjoy a tailor-made curriculum that offers a combination of focused teaching and inquirybased learning designed to unlock every girl’s potential and to develop her curiosity. By actively engaging our girls in the process, learning becomes an adventure making it exciting and motivating, taking the girls from passive observer to involved participant. We know that by providing creative and active learning experiences we can spark our learners’ curiosity, enabling them to develop their knowledge and skills and take their achievement much further than they thought possible, in an environment where they can express themselves uninhibitedly.
Our curriculum is underpinned by an emphasis on the core skills in both English and Maths and we use a wide variety of activities and techniques to help the girls gain confidence in their literacy
and numeracy skills. The majority of our comprehension and creative writing is taught through the study of good quality children’s literature but you will just as often see a piece of drama, film or art work being used as a stimulus for writing. By layering the different writing structures and techniques repeatedly throughout the units of work, the girls’ understanding is deepened and they are able to bring these components into their own writing with confidence.
Small class sizes enable teachers to meet the needs of all learners in Maths, allowing support to be provided where necessary alongside extension activities for those who are ready for a challenge. Apps such as Times Table Rockstars and DoodleMaths support the retention of key concepts, allowing pupils to practise key skills through an individualised programme.
Our girls broaden their knowledge and understanding of the world through Science, French and Global Perspectives, which combines Geography, History and RE. Creativity is fostered through their work in Art, Music and Drama and our girls benefit from many dedicated opportunities throughout the year to express themselves through the arts.
Our STEM curriculum pulls together learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, allowing our girls to develop problem solving strategies and coding techniques in practical, collaborative sessions. Our fully equipped Food Technology Room has enabled us to extend our curriculum offer to include cooking and baking. Not only is this very popular with the girls, it also allows them to practise their reading comprehension, measuring and budgeting skills in a real life context.
From Year 1 girls are provided with their own school iPad and digital literacy becomes part of everyday life at school. Our girls see the iPad as another tool, like their pencil case or books and they use open ended apps across a range of subjects to share their learning, developing impressive competence in their use of technology.
Outdoor learning is very important in all age groups and classes can often be found outside involved in practical tasks. Whether that’s planting and growing their own fruits and vegetables in the polytunnel or making rope swings in a Forest Schools session, the girls develop their confidence and self-esteem through hands-on outdoor learning experiences.
Sport is an integral part of the curriculum and the girls develop their skills in hockey, netball, cricket and swimming as they progress through the Prep School. There are plenty of sporting clubs as well as numerous fixtures and tournaments throughout the year.
Pastoral care and wellbeing
Pastoral care at Norwich High Prep School for Girls centres on our whole school ethos of putting girls first, placing the development of each individual at the heart of everything that we do.
Webelieve that girls need to feel happy and secure in their learning environment in order to ensure that they become the best possible versions of themselves. This encompasses everything from instilling our girls with the morals and values that will sustain their wellbeing through the rest of their life, through to making sure there is someone to talk to at break time if they fall out with a friend.
In order for pastoral care to be effective it has to be embedded in the very fabric of a school, from its policies through to the way the staff and girls interact. At Norwich High Prep School, our pastoral care structure is threaded through our assemblies and form times and can be found in our lesson planning and books. However, it is most obvious in the warmth of the relationships between the staff and the girls, making communication so natural that when the girls need to talk they know they can turn to someone who knows them well and will understand and listen to them.
Core to our pastoral approach is our Compass Approach which consists of four directions that underpin all we do as a school community – Building Community, Nurturing Confidence, Embracing Challenge and Inspiring Change.
Each direction has a set of values to which the whole Prep School community aspires and these are threaded through our assemblies, form times and learning. As the girls embrace the four directions, they begin to be shaped as individuals, in the relationships that they have with each other and with the staff and this encourages our students to become self aware, develop their resilience and continue on a constant journey of inner growth.
We use our mental health toolbox to help the girls monitor and understand their wellbeing and emotions. Explicitly teaching about topics such as positive self talk and the worry-filter has made talking about our mental health normal. Our emphasis on the outdoors promotes wellbeing and interacting with our school guinea pigs, Pepsi, Cinnamon Twix and Vanilla, allows the girls to learn the benefits of caring for animals.
Our excellent staff treat all of our girls with the highest level of care, attention and respect at all times and we work closely with families to ensure that girls receive all the support they need to thrive.
Opportunities beyond the classroom
We are proud to provide a wide variety of experiences to extend the girls’ learning beyond the classroom.
Day trips to events and places of interest, both local and further afield, inspire the girls, igniting their curiosity and enabling them to bring their learning to life. Residential visits take place in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 and these provide valuable learning experiences and build the girls’ confidence, as well as helping them develop new friendships. Further opportunities include a GDST ski trip to France in Year 6 for those who are looking for more adventure.
Our regular House Days build a sense of community as the girls work together in their Houses on projects and challenges. A Spring term highlight is our annual Winter Arts Festival, an immersive week of events, when we welcome artists, dancers and writers into school to share their passion with the pupils. In 2024, WAF Week was themed around ‘Find Your Rhythm’, and events inlcuded skateboarding, beatboxing and street dancing.
An extensive programme of clubs and activities run each day at lunchtime and after school, with enough variety to appeal to all manner of different tastes. Music and sports clubs run alongside activities such as photography and circus skills and many choose to belong to our
school Brownie pack as well. Alongside our breakfast club and after school care, they enable us to provide quality wraparound care from 7:30am until 6:00pm each day.
As part of the Girls’ Day School Trust (‘GDST’) we are members of a wider network of schools which allows our girls to connect with their peers from the other 25 GDST schools across the country for trips, events and competitions. They have benefited from visits to the Royal Institution in London, a Techathon at Brunel University, a GDST wide football tournament, a Shakespeare day at the Globe Theatre and a Maths day at Oxford University to name just a few. We value the friendships and opportunities being part of a wider community of learners brings.
We realise that the girls need meaningful opportunities to understand service to others and this could mean organising a stall for a charity sale, taking part in a sponsored event or even growing a pound through their own entrepreneurial endeavour. This helps our girls develop a sense of empathy and compassion towards others.
Moving up to the Senior School
Being an all through school gives our girls advantages at the natural transition points in their education.
Although each stage of their educational journey is designed to be different to ensure the girls feel the uniqueness of each part of the school, there are enough similarities to make those transitions smooth. Familiar staff and facilities ease girls from one stage to the next and a comprehensive plan of transition events help to get the girls ready for the change by building a clear picture of what to expect.
Of course moving up to the Senior School with your friends is one of the advantages of coming from the Prep School but new girls are welcomed into the school throughout the year in almost every year group and our girls are particularly adept at making sure that newcomers feel at home as quickly as possible. Over the course of the Prep School our year groups can double in size and it is testament to the open friendliness and inclusivity of our pupils that our new girls generally feel at home within days of arriving.
We believe that Year 6 should be more than preparing for SATS tests or sitting entrance exams. In fact our oldest girls are normally on their residential trip while other girls of their age are undergoing a week of testing in May. Our policy of automatic entry into the Senior School from the Prep School gives the girls the room to grow in maturity and leadership in their final year in the Prep School. We expect every girl in Year 6 to have a number of roles throughout the year, each bringing its challenges and responsibilities. These might involve working as part of a committee to better the school environment on the School Council or Eco-Committee. It might be a voted for responsibility such as a house captain or form leader but could equally be a position they have submitted a written application for, such as a digital leader. Opportunities to lead and interact with younger girls are plentiful and our Year 6 girls are very much seen as role models by the year groups below them.
Visits and open days
Come and visit us!
We warmly welcome you to visit our school – either for our annual open day in the autumn, or at a time that suits your family. In the Prep School and Nursery a member of staff will take you on a guided tour of the school, from our state of the art Early Years Hub to our specialist teaching rooms for STEM, Languages, Music and Art.
You will be able to watch sample lessons and have the opportunity to talk to students, staff and current parents about your curriculum and pastoral queries.
Your tour will include the facilities we share with the Senior School such as the Forest Schools area, the swimming pool and the sports hall. All prospective parents will meet with Mrs Roberts, Head of the Prep School and Nursery as part of their tour.
Taster sessions and individual visits
We will be happy to work with you to find suitable times for you and your daughter to visit.
How to join
Norwich High School for Girls is a selective school where girls can achieve academic success in a safe and happy environment which offers a broad range of enrichment opportunities.
Places are awarded throughout the school on merit and potential. Assessments are made with every effort to put the girls at ease so they can relax, perform well and enjoy the experience. Once you have made an application via the form on our website, your daughter will be invited to have a taster day at the Prep School. She will be assigned buddies to look after her throughout the day and she will enjoy lessons and activities, such as playtime and lunch with her peers. At some point during the day your daughter will sit written assessments in Maths and English and will have a short interview with Mrs Roberts, Head of the Prep School. An offer of a place would be made following a successful taster day.
MADE BY GIRLS
Admissions
In the Prep School there are no specific assessment days as girls can join at any point throughout the year. It is not uncommon for there to be new starters after every holiday and our girls are very used to integrating newcomers into their friendship groups. Progression from the Prep School to the Senior School is automatic and girls will only be required to take entrance assessments if they wish to apply for a scholarship or bursary. Further details of the assessment process can be found in our Admissions Guide on our website which also lists dates of upcoming Open Days: www.norwichhigh.gdst.net/join-our-school
If you would like to arrange to visit, please contact our Registrar who would be happy to help you.
CONTACT DETAILS
Miss Ali Ready 01603 453 265
admissions@nor.gdst.net
