News from NHSG

Lucy's phenomenal results of A*A*A (Chemistry, Geography and Maths) have secured her place to study Chemistry at the University of Bristol following a planned gap year. Despite her outstanding achievement, Lucy admits she spent most of the summer convinced she would be disappointed by her grades. Talking on results day, she said: "I found the first maths paper so difficult, so difficult and it panicked me for all the other exams, so I became convinced myself they all hadn’t gone well." Lucy even arrived later than many of her classmates to collect her results. "I came late this morning when it was a bit quieter and was expecting the worst," she said. "I had looked at UCAS and knew I had got into Bristol, but I couldn’t believe it!” Opening her results envelope was an emotional moment. "I was terrified opening the paper. I'm still in shock. I couldn’t believe they were my results. I still can’t believe it." Lucy will eventually head to Bristol to study Chemistry, a subject that she says has always been her true passion. "I applied for Economics by default, but I really knew I wanted to do Chemistry deep down. I've always been drawn to it and it has been my favourite subject, so I changed my choice and I am really pleased I did so.." Before university, Lucy is taking a gap year to gain new experiences. "I'm working and saving for travelling, and taking a year to breathe," she said. "It will also give me the chance to look at university with a fresh perspective and take the pressure off." Looking back on her time at NHSG, Lucy says she made the most of every opportunity available to her. "The school has given me everything," she said. "I loved Year 12 and all the extra opportunities. I was a language and mental health ambassador, helped at lots of events, was part of the pupil  leadership team and completed an EPQ on Rishi Sunak's proposal for maths to 18, which received full marks!" Having joined NHSG in Year 9, Lucy says the school helped her realise her full potential. "I just loved it," she said. "It meant that I wasn't limited by anything and could do my best without any hold-backs. I can't believe we're leaving."

Jasmine is taking her love of Geography to prestigious Russell Group university, Durham, this September, having achieved a full complement of A*s in Biology, Chemistry and Geography. Reflecting on opening her results, Jasmine said: "I felt initially overwhelmed but obviously very happy. I found some of the exam papers this year challenging, so wasn’t expecting to achieve the grades I did." Jasmine chose to study Geography to pursue her interest in how interactions between people and the environment affect the way the world works. "I'm looking forward to doing Geography at Durham, my first-choice university, and can’t wait to see what the future holds." Having attended NHSG since Nursery, Jasmine credits the school with providing a supportive environment throughout her education and providing with her many treasured memories. "I loved studying at NHSG," she said. "It was such a special atmosphere, so supportive, and the all-girls environment means everyone is really there for each other. I'm so thankful to everyone who has helped me on this journey." "I have so many fond memories of NHSG to take with me" she said. "The moments that stand out most were the incredible school trips, particularly the South Africa sports trip. I've seen recent posts of the younger years on this year's trip, which has brought back some amazing memories. I will also never forget the fantastic Trust sports trips to other GDST sister schools throughout my time at NHSG." Jasmine also looks back proudly on the opportunities she was given to develop her confidence and leadership skills during her time at the school. A moment that sticks out for me was helping to present Prizegiving as part of the Head Girl team," she said. "Speaking in front of so many people was something I was initially apprehensive about, but I was proud to have the opportunity." “I'm also immensely proud to have represented NHSG on many sports teams, competing across the country alongside my friends."

We look forward to hearing news of Jasmine’s time at Durham and wish her every success in the future.

Aleena admits she was more excited than nervous ahead of A Level Results Day, with the nerves only beginning to kick in late the night before.

“I had worked so hard during last year, so I was actually excited to see how I had done and whether my efforts had paid off.”

Her hard work certainly did pay off. After securing her place to study Medicine at Newcastle University, Aleena collected an impressive set of A Level results, achieving grades in Biology (A), Spanish (A), Chemistry (B) and Maths (B).

“I was running a bit late this morning, so I actually checked UCAS in the car on the way to school – both my mum and I screamed when we saw the news!”

Aleena's ambition to study Medicine can be traced back many years and was inspired by her experiences in healthcare settings.

“I have a big family so I was quite often in out of hospital – new babies arriving or family members being unwell – I saw a lot of doctors and I was always interested in what they were doing.”

A personal experience further strengthened her desire to pursue a medical career.

“I also had a spell in hospital, and as a scared 10-year-old girl, the doctors made me feel seen and a priority. It made me feel that I wanted to be like them in the future.”

As she progressed through NHSG, Aleena's strengths in science subjects reinforced her interest in Medicine. Opportunities provided through school, including a webinar series that allowed her to virtually shadow medical professionals, helped confirm that she had found the right career path.

Aleena thought: “That’s going to be me.”

Family remains at the heart of Aleena's decision-making. While Newcastle University offered an excellent place to study Medicine, its proximity to home was also an important factor.

“I chose Newcastle, not just because it is a great university”, but because I want to stay close to home and spend as much time as possible with my family before I qualify because I know that I will have to move around a lot”.

Looking ahead to university life, Aleena is excited about the opportunities that await, from joining new societies to meeting new people. However, she admits that leaving NHSG still feels a little unreal.

“It hasn’t hit me yet – I still think I will be coming back to School in September - I’m going to miss the teachers a lot. I have loved being at NHSG, being part of a Year Group where we all care about each other. It’s such an uplifting environment.”

NHSG’s Head Girl, Inari, is celebrating outstanding A Level success having achieved one A* in Chemistry and three As in Economics, French and Maths.

Inari has secured a place with Bristol University to study Economics, however, after two years of hard work, she’s decided to take a year out to travel internationally before getting back into her studies. “I’m going travelling with some friends to South East Asia” Inari explained. “And then after that I’m doing Everest Base Camp with some of my family. I’m so excited – although I know I’ll need to do a lot of training.”

On her choice of degree course, Inari said: “I think Economics is a really interesting subject because it encapsulates so much. I’ll be learning about how monetary policies and government decisions affect everything else. It’s all inter-connected and I think that’s fascinating.”

When reflecting on her time with NHSG, Inari speaks fondly of her time as Head Girl. “It’s an extra layer of responsibility where you learn leadership skills and how to stay organised, and it’s really nice being able to communicate with the School’s senior leadership team as well and be involved in what happens in the School. It’s really helped me develop my skills and my main takeaways are confidence, teamwork, leadership and public speaking.”

Being in an all-girl school is also something that Inari learnt a lot from. She said: “I’ve been with NHSG since Nursery and it’s such a nurturing environment and everyone is so supportive of one another. I’ve loved getting involved in sports and musicals too – doing Les Misérables was a particular highlight.”

Inari says she felt a little nervous before opening her results but was so relieved and happy when she did. She added: “I’m so excited now because I can chill for a bit and I don’t need to worry anymore, but I’m really looking forward to travel and university and everything that comes next.”

Myla is delighted to have achieved a phenomenal set of results including two A*s (Biology, Geography) and one A (Chemistry). This September she’ll be heading to The University of Nottingham to study Veterinary Medicine and is looking forward to exploring the different career pathways on offer.

Myla said: “My interest in Veterinary Medicine comes from my work experience in a veterinary practice. I love the fact that it isn’t a static career and there are so many options – from wildlife conservation to exotics, and horses to agriculture and small animals. However, at the moment, I’m really keen on the idea of pursuing a career in veterinary surgery.”

Having checked her UCAS offer before opening her results, Myla knew she’d secured her place, but she was delighted to see that she’d achieved higher grades than she’d expected. Myla said: “The support I got from school was so brilliant. I found my A Level year quite difficult, but I had so much support from my teachers and school friends who would call me when I needed to study and arrange one to ones when I needed them.”

Myla says her all-girl education has also had a really positive impact on her. She added: “It’s so tight knit, and I think we will all stay connected after leaving. And our leavers’ assembly was so beautiful. We put together a slide show of our favourite memories and we were all singing and dancing and it was just so wholesome and lovely. It was such a special day that I’ll never forget.”

After gaining top grades in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, Erin was absolutely delighted to discover she had secured her place to study Dentistry at Cardiff University, her first choice. She said: “After a very sleepless night, I’m so shocked and relieved. I sat in the car outside of school and checked UCAS so I knew I had my place before I saw my actual results. Even then both me and my mum were crying.” Erin joined NHSG in Sixth Form and credits the School with helping her find the confidence and direction to pursue her chosen career. “Coming to NHSG was the best decision I could have ever made. It’s felt a lot more supportive and has built my confidence. I don’t think I would have chosen dentistry if I had not been here. It’s definitely changed my life.” She added: “I had originally planned to apply for Medicine and I changed my mind part way through the UCAS process, so it was all a bit of a rush. After talking it through with Mrs Harrison, I realised that Dentistry was the pathway I preferred, and Mrs Ridley was really very supportive as I needed to get work experience ahead of my application." Erin completed her work experience in the nick of time, spending time at a local dental practice and gaining valuable insight into the profession. "The dentists were great at making sure I understood everything while I was working there.” Alongside her work experience, Erin also benefited from opportunities offered through NHSG’s Med Soc programme, which helped her explore the practical skills and patient-focused nature of dentistry. “In one Med Soc session we learned how to suture using fake skin and this helped me to test out my manual dexterity. Overall, Med Soc helped me to further cement my decision to go for Dentistry, where you can build longer lasting relationships with patients." Erin will be heading to Cardiff in September, having been impressed by the dental school's friendly, family feel, and is looking forward to beginning the next stage of her journey.

Nabiha is looking forward to a bright career in medicine after achieving two As in Biology and Religious Studies, and a B in Chemistry.

With a place secured at the University of Sunderland, Nabiha says she has learned how to have faith in herself thanks to NHSG’s all-girl education. She said: “I was really nervous before opening my results and I kept refreshing my UCAS page. But I knew I had to have faith in myself. When I finally opened my results, I knew that all my hard work had paid off.”Nabiha added: “I had some great support from my Head of Year when I felt nervous about applying for university, and my Religious Studies teacher helped me with so much. She’d advise me how to relax for upcoming exams and was always there for me. I really hope to stay in touch with her. Teachers at NHSG are there for so much more than simply teaching their subject.”

One of Nabiha’s teachers also put her onto a young people’s group within the NHS that would meet up regularly to chat about NHS research projects. Nabiha said: “I found my own work experience and volunteering opportunities, but the teachers at NHSG supported me with finding relevant groups to join and helping me to write my personal statement for UCAS, which was really helpful.”

Nabiha hopes to become a doctor but wants to explore her options. She said: “I love the idea of helping people and, at the moment, I’m quite interested in the field of dermatology, but I’m going to keep my options open for now.”

Nabiha added: “NHSG constantly celebrates the achievements of girls as individuals so that, by the time you leave, you don’t need anyone else to celebrate you, because you’ve learnt how to celebrate yourself.”

NHSG pupil, Flo, was delighted to achieve an A* in Religious Studies, an A in Politics and an A in History.

These outstanding results will see her heading to the University of Manchester in September to study Philosophy and Politics. Flo said: “Politics affects everyday life and it’s always evolving, so it’s a really exciting subject to study because it’s always fresh and new – especially with a new Prime Minister in post. It’s also quite cool to study in Manchester with the new Number 10 North opening. I think people are ready for a change and I’m excited to see what happens.”

Flo credits NHSG for supporting her with interview preparation through its Careers Education Future course. She said: “There are thousands of students heading to university, so interview techniques and learning how to find and grab opportunities is so helpful and helps you to be more competitive.”

Speaking about being in an all-girl environment after moving to NHSG from a mixed school, Flo said: “I think an all-girl environment is more tight-knit and supportive. It’s a really nice community and one where you can be yourself. I only joined NHSG in Sixth Form but it was so welcoming and I felt that I bonded really well with my teachers. Being in smaller classes also means your teachers really get to know you and can build relationships with you, understanding which areas you need more support in.”Flo has many fond memories of NHSG, but perhaps her most treasured memories are from her Religious Studies class. Flo said: “My sister who also came to NHSG suggested I take RS because of the teacher, Mrs Dodd, who is just brilliant. Mrs Dodd arranged a special end of year event for us where we all brought in food and spent time together which was just lovely. I’ll always remember that.”