News from NHSG

A 12 mile walk yesterday as part of her National Citizenship Scheme programme proved to be just the ticket to keep Phoebe Black’s mind off her GCSE results. This morning however she walked in to school to discover that she had gained a superb set of GCSE results which included nine grade 9s and a grade 8.

Commenting today Phoebe said: “I feel pretty happy with these results and am particularly surprised about my grade in German.  Even though this year’s assessment process was long, I actually preferred it to the exam system. It meant that if you knew you hadn’t done well in one of your assessments you had a chance to recover.  I felt quite confident therefore about my results and it was not as stressful waiting for the results to come out as it would have been if we had sat exams.”

In addition to Phoebe’s excellent GCSE results, her family have also been celebrating her brother’s A Level results which he collected on Tuesday.  Phoebe was looking forward to a little bit of friendly sibling rivalry on whose results were better!

She is also looking forward to greater independence in the Sixth Form at NHSG as she embarks on the next stage of her education, and has opted for A Levels in Physics, Maths, Further Maths and History.

“I chose these subjects because I want to study aeronautical engineering or astrophysics at university. I have always like Space and knew I wanted to do something in Science ever since Year 4. I am thinking about applying to Imperial College London after Sixth Form.”

Phoebe’s top tip for girls taking their GCSEs is: “Reduce the stress by counting down to the tests being over rather than counting down to when the tests are, and remember you will be able to say for some subjects – I will never have to study that again!”

Katie Haskin achieved a phenomenal five 9s, four 8s and one 7 in her GCSEs today. “I was so surprised, in a good way, to see I achieved more 9s than 8s. I thought it would be the other way around! I think those type of nerves always creep in and you start to think ‘what if?”.

Katie adopted a cool, calm, collected mentality after finishing her exams and said: “I tried not to stress too much once the exams were over as I knew I had done everything I could and from then on it was out of my control. That would be my biggest piece of advice to younger pupils preparing for exams, try not to let the work take over your life. It’s easier said than done, I know, but too much cramming and focus on one thing becomes unproductive.”

Katie is looking forward to immersing herself in fewer subjects that she enjoys come September, particularly Mathematics. She has chosen to study French, Psychology, Maths and Further Maths in Sixth Form. She explains her choices a little further:

“I really enjoy French and I have done well in my assessments so far. It’s important to choose subjects you enjoy as it makes learning easier. Psychology is a new subject for me but I was intrigued during the bridging sessions so I decided to go for it. I am taking Maths and Further Maths because it is my strongest subject – it just makes sense to me! I like that you can apply the same logic to new challenges and the way the learning just connects to so many areas.”

It sounds like Katie has made excellent choices and looking ahead to university, she is thinking of combining the two disciplines of Psychology and Maths. Statistical rigour plays a huge part in the field of social science so this is an inspired idea!

We hope Katie enjoys celebrations with family today and keeps up the brilliant work when she returns as a Sixth Former.

It took Liyanah Riyaz, understandably, a few moments to compose herself on discovering she had achieved the highest possible grade in every one of her GCSE examinations, setting a sterling foundation for A Level studies. Speaking about how she felt on the morning of results day, she said: “So excited! I couldn’t wait to get here and find out, regardless of the results. I am so impatient, I just needed to know!”

Liyanah knew she had worked hard in preparation for her internal examinations but was a little apprehensive for her French result. “The listening test on the last day of term was really difficult so I left school feeling really unsure about how I had done.” She also explained how she found revising over the lockdown period: “It was tough to stay motivated when I knew I wasn’t going to be sitting formal exams. Also without the routine of school it was hard to know when to revise and also when to stop. I would put my phone on do not disturb mode but then I would burn out after intense revision periods. It was a tricky balance to get right.” Her best advice for those sitting GCSEs in future would be making your revision materials as you go and not leaving it until study leave as you end up spending too much time creating and not enough time revising.

Liyanah is going to be studying English Literature, History and Politics at A Level and is looking forward to focusing on interesting subjects under what she hopes will be “normal circumstances.” Speaking about her time in Year 11 she says “It all happened so fast, it’s a bit of a blur! I was using the same four classrooms on one corridor for nearly a year so I can’t wait to be moving around school normally.”

In the future she hopes to enter into either Journalism, Law or Politics as she really enjoys essay-based subjects. We’re very confident that Liyanah is going to achieve everything she wants to and more!

Eleanor Francis was absolutely thrilled to find she had achieved eight grade 9s, one grade 8 and one grade 7 when she opened her GCSE results surrounded by family today.

“I just feel so happy! I have struggled to get to sleep over the holidays – I think it’s taken me an extra half an hour to just switch off each night and stop thinking about my results.”

While Eleanor’s approach to revision has clearly worked, she admitted it took a little bit of trial and error to figure out the best techniques for her, especially over lockdown. “It’s easy to try and copy the way your friends are revising but there were certain things that just didn’t work for me. In the classroom I would have tested my knowledge on teachers so at home I began to teach myself in the mirror, talking through my notes. I just had to adapt the things that usually work well for me in school.” Her biggest piece of advice for the next cohort sitting their exams would be to “go at your own pace and don’t avoid your worst subjects – you just have to knuckle down with them and overcome your fear.”

Eleanor has chosen to study Economics, Religious Studies and Geography at A Level, and looks forward to life in Sixth Form with optimism: “I am really looking forward to more independent learning and focussing my attention on my favourite subjects.”. Eleanor’s true passion lies in Religious Studies and has big dreams to study Theology at Cambridge with a view to going into the field of Law.

Big dreams call for big celebrations – Eleanor thought she was spending the rest of the day helping in her parents’ office but little did she know she was about to be whisked away for a surprise meal at Six with her family. Enjoy every moment Eleanor, you deserve it!

Chloe Summers was “over the moon” when she opened her A Level Results envelope this morning, to discover she had achieved a sensational three A*s. “I walked into school this morning with such butterflies but it’s just such a relief to know my hard work has paid off.”

Chloe will be heading to Newcastle University to study History, a subject she realised her true passion for after a deeply moving trip to Auschwitz concentration camp in Birkenau. “It was during this experience that I decided I wanted to explore the past further. I am delighted to be studying History in Newcastle, a city which is so rich in history itself.” With most universities only offering virtual tours, she feels lucky she is so familiar with the campus already, having seen it many times in the city centre.

While Chloe says she is looking forward to the changes that living in Halls will bring about, she is happy to be staying close to home after what has been a rather turbulent year. “I think it will be comforting knowing that I am still near family. I will miss school a lot and I’ll be running back through the gates at the very next opportunity!”

You will always be welcome at NHSG, Chloe! Good luck with your next chapter and it sounds like we’ll see you at the Carol Service at Christmas!

Performing, whether it is acting, dancing or singing, has been a huge passion throughout her time at school for Deputy Head Girl Maya Torres, so it’s no surprise that she will be continuing to develop her skills in Acting at the Leeds Conservatoire from September.

As well as winning a much coveted place at drama school, Maya also has collected two A*s in Spanish and Dance and an A in History at A Level, meaning that she ends her school career at NHSG on a high.

Reacting to the news of the results Maya said: “I am feeling shocked – it’s so easy to catastrophise, and obviously the pressure was off in many ways because I had already confirmed my place at Leeds Conservatoire, but obviously I still wanted to do well.  I feel really proud to be able to complete school with these results.”

Alongside coping with the challenges of Covid-19 throughout the past 18 months, Maya has had the added responsibility of being one of the Head Girl Team at NHSG and playing a role in helping the other girls in the school cope during these unprecedented times.  Maya said:

“It’s been a lot of pressure to be part of the Head Girl Team particularly during this time, but it has also been a source of motivation.  I have had a front line view of how hard everyone has been working so it has motivated me too.”

When talking about a career in acting, Maya added:

Initially I had always considered that my interest in Acting would be a hobby and wasn’t sure if it was a viable career, but as I got older I have been able to explore the options and in the future I am hoping to have the opportunity to perform in other people’s work as well as creating my own work – really whatever it takes to pay my rent!”