Confidence
“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
WELCOME___P.5
MADE BY GIRLS___P.6
OUR ENVIRONMENT___P.8
GDST___P.10
ACHIEVEMENTS___P.12
SENIOR SCHOOL
CONFIDENCE MADE BY GIRLS___P.14
ACADEMIC PROGRESS___P.16
PASTORAL CARE___P.19
SPORT___P.20
PERFORMING AND CREATIVE ARTS___P.21
OPPORTUNITIES___P.22
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE___P.23
JOIN OUR SCHOOL
VISITS AND OPEN DAYS__P.24
HOW TO JOIN___P.25
SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES___P.26
ADMISSIONS___P.27
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
is our way of celebrating the bold, curious and confident young women who make our school what it is.
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.
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 Crinkle-Crankle 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 and spacious environment where girls can commit to their learning, but also relax in a space where they can work collaboratively and socialise with new friends. In 2023, the ground floor of the Sixth Form Centre had a complete makeover, with new organic and natural interior design elements creating a modern workplace cafe-vibe feel.
Sports provision is extensive and comprehensive. Sporting facilities include a 25m indoor heated swimming pool, two on site multi use games areas and an astro turf hockey pitch, tennis courts, a dedicated sports hall, rowing gym and fitness suite.
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.
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.
Confidence
As our girls grow and their AWARENESS of the world changes, often the PRESSURES they feel (both real and imagined) begin to grow too.
Issues with self-confidence that develop at this stage can impact young women for life, and it’s our MISSION to create an environment as FREE FROM CHALLENGES to the development of SELF-CONFIDENCE as possible.
Our girls are ENCOURAGED to keep playing keep asking questions – keep speaking up – safe in the knowledge that the girls and the staff around them will SUPPORT them to do so.
We place a HUGE EMPHASIS on wellbeing and support, and treat every girl as the INDIVIDUAL that they are – with INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS, STRENGTHS, DREAMS and CAPABILITIES.
Every girl has a voice – we’re here to help them use it, CONFIDENTLY.
Academic progress
What does it mean to us?
Our curriculum embeds not only the knowledge that our students need to succeed but, crucially, the skills. We place a great deal of importance on problem solving and creative thinking alongside subjectspecific skills. Technology is embedded in our curriculum, with each student having their own iPad provided by the school. This helps to ensure that lessons are well-structured and tailored for every student to make good progress.
Our dedicated teachers are committed to ensuring that every student makes progress and our Girls-first approach means that our students are at the core of every decision we make.
At Key Stage 3 our students have the opportunity to try French, German and Spanish as well as Latin and Classics alongside their other subjects.
At GCSE, all students study English, Mathematics and Science, alongside options chosen from a broad range of subjects. Where possible, we aim to give girls the flexibility in their timetable to follow the subjects they are interested in.
At Sixth Form, we recommend students take three A Levels and an EPQ. The Extended Project Qualification gives them a chance to follow their own particular area of interest, to pose and answer a question in a manner that is akin to a university dissertation. Each student has a member of staff as their mentor and whom they meet weekly to discuss the development of their project.
With a strong emphasis on encouraging our students to move well-beyond the confines of the curriculum, our extensive co-curricular programme of clubs seeks to support and nurture their growth. Throughout their time in school, students have plentiful opportunities to take part in academic competitions from the science olympiads, school STEM award, to maths challenges and the Annandale Reading Prize to name a few. There are opportunities for each student to flourish. With a commitment to ensuring students are real-world-ready, careers activities and talks ensure that students have access to a wide range of employer and career pathways. Utilising the power of the GDST to network and pool resources and expertise ensure that our Sixth Formers, in particular, are not just ready for the next stage but they are ready to fly.
Pastoral care and wellbeing
Our pastoral care and wellbeing programme is built with three themes and is tailored to the way girls learn, grow and develop.
1. KNOW YOURSELF
Accepting their unique ways and being happy with who they are. Understanding how they can get the best out of themselves. Know yourself, be happy with who you are. Flourish and grow.
2. LOOK AFTER YOURSELF
Learning and understanding tools which equip girls to have the knowledge and resources to support their wellbeing and positive mental health.
3. MAKE IT HAPPEN
So that they have the confidence and a positive mind-set, we encourage girls to explore horizons and go make it happen with the additional support of our careers department, leadership opportunities and alumnae connections. We will encourage your daughters to set their bar high, be bold and follow their dreams. Girls have a sense of belonging and connectedness.
PEER TO PEER SUPPORT
Research shows that pupils will most often turn to a friend or older peer to seek support. To support that we have developed a “Big Sister” programme – a buddy system for lower school pupils to be supported by a Sixth Former. This programme is led by a team of Sixth Formers who meet regularly to ensure that they have essential training, including an understanding of safeguarding issues.
SCHOOL NURSE
Our full-time onsite School Nurse supports the physical and mental health of all students and is also fully involved in teaching and supporting the PSHE programme.
SCHOOL COUNSELLOR
Our school counsellor offers a number of pathways into counselling and therapeutic support. Students are able to self refer confidentially and, when in school, can access ongoing face-to-face counselling sessions during the school day. These take place in a quiet space away from the main school. We also offer dropin, or ‘Chat Room’ sessions which are shorter, one off appointments.
POSITIVE PROGRAMME
Norwich High School for Girls and the GDST have long recognised the importance of taking a proactive approach to psychological health, building emotional intelligence and resilience in teachers and pupils and giving them a sense of their own agency. Since 2016, this has included working with The Positive Group to develop and roll out the Positive Programme across all our schools. The Positive Schools Programme is a whole-school initiative that aims to promote and maintain wellbeing and resilience of all school members, particularly teachers and pupils. The project uses a range of different tools as well as appbased technology that is targeted towards creating a culture of emotional literacy.
GIRLS ON BOARD PROGRAMME –HAPPIER GIRLS DO BETTER
Girls on Board is an approach adopted by Norwich High School for Girls to help students between the ages of 7 and 18 navigate the often troubled waters of friendship problems. It helps girls, their parents and their teachers to understand the complexities and dynamics of girl friendships. The language, methods and ideas empower girls to solve their own friendship problems and recognises that they are usually the only ones who can. By empowering girls to find their own solutions, parents need worry less, schools can focus more on the curriculum and the girls learn more effectively – because they are happier.
Sport
Sport is an integral part of any girl’s time at Norwich High; we want girls to reap the benefits of a balanced and healthy approach and to realise their full sporting potential.
All-girls sport allows girls to develop talent without a fear of judgement from boys. Team players have many opportunities to represent the school in a range of sports during Games afternoons, after school and occasionally on Saturdays. A comprehensive fixture programme is organised for A, B, C & D teams in sports such as hockey, netball and cricket. Teams are entered into Area, County, Regional and National tournaments, along with GDST sports rallies, which incorporate all GDST schools across the country. Our netball, hockey and equestrian teams all have the opportunity to take part in weekend tournaments and events and Sports Tours are organised biannually to places such as South Africa, Malta and Italy.
Our partnership with Norwich Swan swimming club supports the provision of swimming across the school. The involvement of professional swimming coaches has been a great boost to this side of school sport, with three after school swimming clubs to train the competitive swimmers (Prep to Sixth Form) as well as a pool
lifesaving (NPLQ) award for Sixth Formers during their Games afternoon session. Our rowing provision has developed over the last few years. Extensive training is offered throughout the week with many local, regional and national events entered throughout the year. InterHouse Sports enables all girls to experience competitive team sport. In the summer girls take part in Infants, Junior and Senior Sports Day, a celebration of girls’ athletics.
Each year, many girls reach Regional and National level; here they are offered a place on our Elite Athlete Programme to support them with nutrition, injury prevention and further training programmes, as well as a mentor from the PE Department.
Girls in the Senior School come together to celebrate the sporting year at the annual Sports Dinner, a celebration of women in sport, when an elite sports performer presents over 90 awards and trophies during the evening and shares their own sporting experiences.
Performing and creative arts
We believe every girl should have the opportunity to experience and explore the power of the Performing and Creative Arts.
The Music and Drama Departments are passionate about offering every girl at Norwich High School for Girls the chance to express themselves creatively through performances. The departments offer something to everyone and we are certain that our rich culture of music-making and drama will excite and inspire girls of all ages.
All Senior School girls are invited to sing in choir where they will perform a variety of repertoire from classical and popular styles. Our aim is to build-up every singer’s confidence and vocal technique. Ambitious girls will also be able to audition for our Junior and Senior Chamber Choirs. These choirs lead the singing during our annual Carol Service in Norwich Cathedral and will also join with our adult choir of parents, teachers and friends of the school, accompanied by our Senior Orchestra, to sing our Choral Concert in March. There is also a student-led Sixth Form Choir who sing a variety of styles of music.
Instrumentalists of all ages can join the orchestra, which performs music from the Classical, Modern and Film genres as well as Concert Band (for woodwind, brass and percussion) who explore popular repertoire such as arrangements of music from theatre, film and television. Swing Band is a small specialist group of instrumentalists and vocalists by invitation (saxophonists, trumpeters
and trombonists are particularly encouraged to express their interest). In addition to our large ensembles, girls regularly perform as part of smaller chamber ensembles.
Our string, wind and vocal quartets, flute choir and percussion ensemble are some of the groups on offer and are especially chosen to match performing ability. All of these are run by instrumental specialists. Performance opportunities are many and varied and range from informal school concerts to sell-out whole school performances. In addition to regular masterclasses and workshops, we hold two vocal evenings (a European Art Song Evening and a Music Theatre Cabaret Evening) which are specially designed to give our singing students further performance opportunities. The department regularly offers music tours abroad and recent destinations have included Lake Garda, Barcelona, Prague and Tuscany.
The Drama Department produces a variety of performances including a Senior School play, an intermediate school play, a performance for the Shakespeare Schools Festival and Showstopper, which is a showcase of dance, drama and music. Girls get involved with performing, directing, producing, choreographing and hosting – developing transferable skills which are invaluable across all areas and in their lives beyond school.
Opportunities beyond the classroom
Learning takes place beyond the classroom, be it outdoor lessons using our beautiful school grounds, field trips in the local region or overseas educational visits.
Our school site is always being developed to facilitate opportunities beyond the classroom. Our allotments, Heritage Orchard and the adjacent large wildlife pond at Dingly Dell, both enable and encourage more girls to engage with the outdoors. In addition, we have a thriving Forest Schools programme, a polytunnel in our Prep School which has been instrumental in teaching young girls the skills of horticulture, a Woodlanders Society which teaches girls the theory of plant succession and practical skills of woodland management, and our outdoor theatre provides more opportunities for drama performances.
The annual Year 9 bushcraft camping trip to Whitwell Hall helps build girls’ resilience and teamwork skills within their form groups, as well as learning important life skills.
We fully recognise the boost to personal wellbeing that is to be had from actively engaging with the natural world; it is an important strand to our outdoor education.
School trips offer excellent enrichment opportunities at Norwich High School for Girls. Some are for whole year groups, such as the Year 8 French trip to Normandy; others are for smaller groups and might take you further afield. Recent years have seen girls going as far as Iceland (Geography), Barcelona (Music tour), Geneva (Science) and Berlin (History and Art) to name just a few.
Far-flung destinations however, are not a prerequisite for challenge and new experiences; the residential visits within the UK, such as field work in Wales and the Peak District or locally in Norfolk too, can stimulate a keen interest in subjects and develop skills not possible in the classroom. The rich variety of these trips is a strength of a Norwich High School for Girls education and we are proud to be offering such diversity throughout the year.
As a school, we actively engage both students and staff in outreach opportunities with local schools and the wider community. Girls work alongside staff to deliver introductory lessons in French and Latin, to team-teach Science to local primary schools; to work alongside students with additional needs at the Parkside School, helping with our drama workshops, and supporting an annual Year 5 Science day. Our girls flourish in these scenarios, developing their skills of empathy and leadership and growing in self confidence.
Our Duke of Edinburgh award programme is particularly active. The majority of our Year 9 cohort is involved in completing the Bronze Award and many continue onto their Silver (in Year 10) and Gold Award (starting at 16 years old). In recent years, we have emerged as one of the most successful centres for Gold completion in the East region. A significant number of girls complete all three levels of award whilst still a student at school which is truly impressive!
Looking to the future
Joining Sixth Form
Having found her voice through being a Form Leader and Year 7 buddy in the Senior School, Nikitha went on to lead the Big Sister team through lockdown and was elected to the role of Deputy Head Girl.
Nikitha was also instrumental in the work of the Biology Inclusion Group who sought to create a more diverse and inclusive science curriculum.
With a genuine interest in the wellbeing of others, it was no surprise that Nikitha’s ambitions lay in the service of others. Alongside her A Levels and roles of responsibility in school, she gained plentiful work experience, including volunteering at covid vaccination clinics, to support her application to read Medicine at university. Nikitha is reading Medicine at Keele University.
Connie was an active member of the Sixth Form, competing in the first teams for hockey, netball and cricket, as well as pursuing her keen interest in drama, which she studied for A Level. She led theatre workshops for other students at school and performed her original darkly comic play, ‘CAT’ at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Connie also has a passion for music and was part of several choirs and instrumental groups in school. She embraced the many opportunities offered by our Music Department, which saw her perform in a wide variety of incredible locations across Norwich, such as St Andrew’s Hall, the Roman Catholic Cathedral and St Peter Mancroft. Her musical skills allowed her to lead the school choirs in original arrangements of Lana Del Ray’s ‘Video Games’ and Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’, and the choir also annually performs her original carols in Norwich Cathedral. The recipient of a Head’s, academic and music scholarship, she has taken up a scholarship in composition at the Royal College of Music.
NIKITHA’S STORY
CONNIE’S STORY
NIKITHA
CONNIE
Visits and open days
Come and visit us!
We warmly welcome you to visit our school – either for our annual Open Morning in the autumn, or at a time that suits your family.
At our annual Open Morning
You will see exhibitions of girls’ work, practical demonstrations and have guided tours led by current students. The classrooms will be open and our students and teachers will be on hand to answer any of your questions. All prospective parents will meet with Miss Sefton, Head of Norwich High School for Girls, as part of their tour.
At our annual Sixth Form Open Evening Year 11 students have the opportunity to explore the Sixth Form Centre and Senior School and meet with subject teachers and students to find out about A Level study. They will also be introduced
to the broad extra curricular programme on offer at Norwich High School for Girls Sixth Form.
Taster sessions and individual visits
We will be happy to work with you to find suitable times for you and your daughter to visit.
Girls joining Year 7 or Year 9 will be invited to a taster day in November. For students joining other year groups, these will be arranged on an individual basis.
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. Where applications are made after the closing date, and vacancies exist, girls are assessed on an individual basis. Applying to join Norwich High School for Girls is straightforward. Complete the online application form which can be found on our website.
BY
MADE
GIRLS
Scholarships and bursaries
Nearly 20% of students at GDST Senior Schools receive a bursary or scholarship.
We aim to be an access enabler: seeking out talented girls who can benefit from an excellent girls only Norwich High School for Girls Senior School education. Many of our bursaries and scholarships are funded via charitable partnerships and by donations and legacies from our alumnae, their parents and other friends of Norwich High School for Girls and the GDST.
Scholarships are awarded based on an assessment of student merit without reference to family financial circumstances.
A bursary is a reduction in fees based on an assessment of the merit of a student and the financial circumstances of the family. This is a means-tested award and may be awarded in addition to a scholarship.
More details can be found on our website.
Admissions
We offer scholarships for entry into Year 7, 9 and 12 as well as means tested bursaries for Year 7 and 12. For further details please see the Admissions Guide on our website which also lists application closing dates and the dates for upcoming Open Days and assessments: 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
Admissions Registrar 01603 453 265 admissions@nor.gdst.net
