Nurturing by design: where girls feel safe to shine
October 7, 2026
Each morning, the girls in our Early Years (Nursery and Reception), are welcomed by their teachers and come happily in through the school gates.
Our staff are on hand to make sure the girls are greeted, safe, and feel at home from the moment they arrive to start their day.
We understand that for our parents, knowing that their daughter is going to be well looked after, means everything to them.
Reception parent Lucinda Lyall, says: “Genevieve has absolutely blossomed since joining the school. She has grown so much in confidence and happiness, and every morning she runs through the gates excited to start her day. As a parent, I genuinely feel she is in the best hands possible and I could not ask for a better school for our daughter. Seeing her so happy, settled, confident and eager to learn really means the world to us.”
For any parent considering their Early Years options, “is my child going to be happy here?” is a question that really matters.
In an Early Years setting, it’s about the feeling that you just get; welcome, comfortable and at ease. Beneath all the practical considerations of choosing a first school, is something deeply emotional. When your little girl is going to Nursery or Reception, it’s a big milestone for them, but also a big milestone for you as a parent.
At Newcastle High School for Girls, we never underestimate that. We know that it’s tough for parents entrusting their daughters’ care in someone else’s hands. That’s why we take an approach where we’re with you for every step, supporting you, and helping your girl to settle in at her own pace.
When you picture her walking into school, you want to know she feels good. You want her to trust the adults caring for her, make strong friendships, and feel that she belongs.
The environment we have designed here is calming, inspiring, nurturing, creative. Our girls enjoy structure and routine, mixed expertly with freedom and independence. It’s that blend we feel really makes NHSG stand apart.
A nurturing school environment
School should be a place where you develop a lifelong love of learning, and when you look back, you have fond memories.
We want our girls to enjoy the best possible start to their school career. We offer a warm, purposeful school setting, where girls can begin to develop a sense of independence, while knowing that trusted adults are always close by.
The classrooms are calm and welcoming. There are comfortable spaces to read and talk, areas for imaginative and sensory play, and direct access to outdoor provision, which is open throughout the day.
The Reading Den offers a quiet corner where girls can share stories, listen, pause and get lost in a book.
Elsewhere, there is movement, conversation, music, playful maths, phonics and creative activity. We have a Forest School area and Woodland Kitchen, where outdoor learning takes place, and the girls develop a love of nature and the environment from a young age.
When you’re growing up, you’re absorbing so much all the time. We want to teach our girls resilience and how to find solutions. Our aim isn’t to remove every hurdle from a child’s day and do everything for them. It’s important to give them the confidence and emotional security to learn how to work through things for themselves.
Safe spaces for learning
Our teachers notice when a girl needs reassurance, but also when she’s ready to take the next step independently.
We take an individual approach, get to know each girl, how they like to communicate, what interests her, when she’s likely to need encouragement, and when she needs space to work something out for herself.
One parent, Sunita Kohli, describes the difference this approach makes: “The attention to detail given to each child's individual needs is fantastic. The teachers do an excellent job of supporting both the learning and development of the children, often picking up on very subtle things and providing helpful, supportive solutions that may not necessarily be noticed in larger class settings. My daughter absolutely loves school, and as a parent it is so reassuring to see her running in each day excited and engaged. Watching her grow in confidence has been wonderful to see. Thank you to all the staff for the care, support, and dedication you show every day.”
Our girls enjoy a nurturing environment, which is also ambitious and supports their growth in confidence. After all, our girls deserve to believe that they can become anything that they want to be. When they come to us, they’re ready to take part in stimulating activities, benefit from our expert teaching, and have the opportunity to use their imaginations.
Our parents tell us what a joy it is to watch their love of learning and independence grow; girls who go home excited to share what they’ve experienced and learned.
Parents Luke and Becca Bird, share: “The teaching staff in Reception have such a great balance of nurturing support, fun and challenge, which has helped Bea to take big steps forward academically and in terms of her self-confidence. We’re sad to be coming to the end of the year but know that this year has given her a brilliant foundation to take forward into Year 1.”
That’s the thing about our Early Years setting, particularly in an all-girl environment, where girls can learn in their own way. Our nurturing culture actively creates the conditions in which learning, ambition and curiosity thrive.
Strong relationships start before school
Before girls even start school, the process of welcoming both parents and girls to our school community starts.
We offer parents to join us in October for our Early Years Information Morning, an opportunity to fully explore how our Nursery and Reception girls thrive in our Nursery and Reception and see our curriculum in action.
Alongside this our programme of “Stay and Play” sessions, each with a different focus, help parents connect with one another, meet the staff, and for the girls to become familiar with the school in a gentle, low-pressure way. The Stay and Play sessions take place throughout the academic year and start in November with a Stay and Play in the Forest – taking full advantage of the School’s amazing grounds, followed by ‘Santa Stay and Play’ in December.
Parents can ask questions and build a relationship with our Early Years team. It’s also great for them to meet other families going through the same transition.
The girls become familiar with the place they’re going to school, and we find that the sessions are effective in getting them ready.
Getting started and soft landings
Once parents decide they would like to apply for a place in our Nursery, we invite you and your daughter into school for a personal meeting with Mrs Gibson, our EYFS Lead, with the aim of us building further on our relationship with you and getting to know your daughter.
We want to make sure that a girl’s first days set the foundation for her whole school journey and for those joining us in Nursery we arrange bespoke soft-landing sessions tailored to a girl’s individual needs, so that they become familiar with the classroom they will be in, meet the staff and get a taste for school life.
Once term begins, our communication with parents continues through conversations at drop-off and pick-up, as well as regular updates shared through our app, Tapestry.
This relationship between school and family helps ensure that each girl is understood as a whole person.
A nurturing environment is also about the relationships the girls build with each other and the first friendships they form.
Nursery and Reception is the time where girls grow their understanding of other people’s feelings and ideas. They learn empathy, communication and emotional regulation, which is so important for their future social skills.
It’s always lovely to receive glowing feedback from parents, and we thought we’d share some below, which highlight the nurturing environment we offer here at NHSG. Huge thanks to all our Early Years team for making our girls’ start to school life such a joyful one.
Xiao Yang: “We have had a very positive experience of Reception at NHSG. The teachers have been incredibly patient and caring, especially with younger children who are still developing their concentration and confidence. We really appreciate the gentle and consistent support they give the children every day. Reception has also offered such a rich variety of activities and experiences, from theatre visits and museum trips to special events in school. We also love receiving regular updates through Tapestry, as it helps us feel closely connected to our daughter’s learning, activities and daily life at school.”
Andromaqe Duka: “Our daughter’s experience in Reception at NHSG has been wonderful. She has grown so much in confidence, independence, and curiosity throughout the year. The care, encouragement, and support from the reception team have helped her develop both academically and socially, and she looks forward to coming to school every day.”
Steph Tristram: “Our daughter is truly flourishing in Reception. She absolutely loves every day and has grown so much in confidence. The EYFS team are wonderful, very nurturing and help each child grow to their own potential. We have also enjoyed parent events such as the Afternoon Tea following the Teddy Bear trail. We very much feel a part of the Newcastle High School for Girls family.”
Katherine MacGregor: “The EYFS facilities are outstanding, our daughter has been welcomed into NHSG from nursery and has grown leaps and bounds both academically and socially. The support from the teaching staff is excellent, for both our daughter and ourselves as parents, with multiple opportunities to be involved with the experiences our daughter has at school. Mrs Gibson is a credit to the school and leads the EYFS department with an unrivalled passion. Our daughter has flourished during her time at the school and we would not hesitate to recommend NHSG to any prospective parents.”
Get in touch on juniorschooloffice@ncl.gdst.net to find out more about our Early Years provision.
