NHSG Alumnae Newsletter 2023-2024 by ncl38

Newcastle High Alumnae Newsletter | 2023/24

Dame Justice Christina Lambert Finalist for GDST Alumna of the Year 2023

CONTENTS 06

GDST Alumna of the Year 2023 finalist

Evolution of the swimming costume

NHSG Staff Leavers

NHSG School News

Stay in touch

Farewell Mr Tippett

Games and quiz

Spotlight on Careers

Advice from a Head Girl

Trailblazing Alumnae

100 Years Ago Today

Spotlight on the LRC

Girls First - Archive Plea

Focus on Alumnae

Sporting Success with Phillipa Williams

Focus on Alumnae

Empowering Girls to be Trailblazers at NHSG

Alumnae in the Press

In Memoriam

An Interview with Lyza

Bursary Recipient News

The Adamson Family Legacy

Towards 150 and Beyond

Dame Justice Christina Lambert

Becca Meadows, Church High

Sue Hurst, Central High

Rachel Parsons, Central High

Alumnae in the Press Elizabeth Gibson Cheyne, Gateshead High

Alumnae Reunions

Back to the shops

Rachel Bowlby, Central High

Towards 150 and beyond

Dear Alumnae, I am delighted to share with you this year’s edition of our Alumnae Newsletter which is packed to the brim with wonderful articles detailing the news and achievements of our school and alumnae from the past 12 months and more. Yet again, a Newcastle alumna was selected as a finalist for the GDST Alumna of the Year Award. Nominated by a Barrister and former Head Girl Isabel McArdle (class of 2004), Dame Christina Lambert is a High Court Judge who has presided over a number of high-profile cases. You can learn more from Isabel’s interview with Dame Christina on pages 6 – 9. Two other former Head Girls have articles published in the newsletter this year - Becca Meadows who was Head Girl at Church High 2004/2005 and who writes of her career journey from the Armed Forces to selfemployment as a leadership and life coach, on pages 26 – 27, while Eleanor Francis, NHSG Head Girl 2022/2023, shares some words of wisdom about her tenure on pages 52 – 53. There are too many articles of interest to mention here but among them I particularly enjoyed the ‘Evolution of the Swimming Costume’ starting on page 42. Stored carefully within our school archive is a Central High woollen swimsuit, which we always enjoy displaying at reunions with alumnae expressing deep concern for those who had the misfortune of having to wear it!

I wanted to draw your attention to an article on pages 16 - 18. Sadly we said our farewells to Michael Tippett in the summer as he left NHSG. After five years as Head and 28 years in total at NHSG and Central High before that, he has many a tale to tell - some of which he shared with Alumna and NHSG Governor, Jasmine Summers (NHSG Class of 2014). It’s always a joy to meet up with so many of our Alumnae at events and we are holding a London Gathering on the 23rd May 2024 and our next Grand Reunion at school on 5th October. I do hope you can make one or both. My thanks as ever go to all the contributors to our magazine, and to Polly De Giorgi and Isobel Care for their hard work and endeavours in creating this edition. I hope you enjoy reading it and may feel inspired to contribute to next year’s edition, attend a reunion or just get in touch for a chat! With my best wishes for 2024.

Janice Graves Director of Marketing and Communications, NHSG

Dear Alumnae, I am delighted to share with you the highlights of the last 12 months here at Newcastle High School for Girls. Since December 2022, there have been lots of exciting events taking place across Senior and Junior School for our school community to enjoy. We started 2023 with rehearsals for our Senior School musical, Les Misérables, well underway. The show was a huge success, with performances worthy of the West End! This was followed by our Junior School musical production, Annie Jnr, which took place in the Senior School Hall and was a joyful experience for all involved.

All girls in Years 4, 5 and 6 took part and the standard of performance was exceptional. We are very much looking forward to Legally Blonde and The Lion King in 2024. They are set to be sell out shows! In July 2023, a number of pupils in Key Stage 3 took part in a residential trip to the Opal Coast in France. They practised their language skills and enjoyed the immersion in French culture. Shortly after, pupils in Year 10 through to Year 13 had the amazing opportunity to take part in a sports tour to South Africa. Alongside playing a number of competitive hockey and netball matches during their three week stay and experiencing South African hospitality across a variety of schools,

they took part in many thrilling experiences such as an evening and early morning game drive, zip-lining through Hottentots Holland Mountains, penguinwatching and feeding ostriches at an ostrich farm. They got to see the world’s top four netball teams in action at the Netball World Cup and were courtside as England beat Australia for the first time ever at a World Cup. Perhaps the most moving experience was a visit to a primary school in Langa Township, where the girls played tag rugby with local primary school children. It was an amazing adventure, and the girls made memories to last a lifetime. It was a busy start to the academic year in September, with Prizegiving at Sage Gateshead to mark the academic and broader success of individual pupils across Senior School. During the proceedings we were treated to a number of pupil performances, including excerpts from Les Misérables and Annie Jnr. NHSG Prizegiving was the last event to take place at the venue under the name of Sage Gateshead, as the following morning it was re-named as The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. The evening was a huge success and it was such a pleasure to see the hard

work of girls culminating in so many awards and prizes. We had only just gathered our breath after Prizegiving when we had the call to say ISI inspectors were in school for a scheduled whole school inspection. We were one of the first schools in the country to be inspected under the new inspection framework, so it was new territory for the inspectors and the school! Never-theless, it all went swimmingly well and our report is due to be published soon. It was a very positive experience for the whole staff team and we are proud of what we have achieved together. A recent curriculum development has seen Mandarin introduced as a GCSE option for pupils when they enter Year 10. As part of their study of Mandarin, girls in Years 8, 9 and 10 travelled to Singapore in October 2023 where they spent a week developing their spoken Mandarin and experiencing the sights and sounds of this exciting country. They had an amazing time and came back with many tales of their experience. As the year continues unabated, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our donors for your generous contributions to our Bursary

Fund. Your support continues to make a profound difference to the lives of our pupils and enables us to continue to play a crucial role in offering a life transforming opportunity to bright, talented and determined girls regardless of their financial circumstance. As we move forward, we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that funds are used wisely and effectively, making the most significant impact possible and fulfilling our mission to offer life changing full bursaries. Thank you for believing in us and what we do, we are deeply grateful for your commitment to the school and the education we offer. It has been a busy academic year so far, with plenty more to look forward to between now and the summer! I hope that you enjoy this edition of the Alumnae Newsletter and I wish you every happiness in 2024.

Amanda Hardie Acting Head

Dame Justice Christina Lambert

Nataberori intre rem temovit. Rem aveheba tortas patum conicus cre quo vivendame int. Ahaet et inatque nirmant ereconime in no. Coendacit, ficonsulis cam dem invercem senenica; ina, nis nunum etint? Nihicautemus conitala Sp. Evisse clut pulabuntia iam quam comnes re condentior labulis me for iam patil vius condam us virmaiorei ia di peri cludem postrum huidicatil hilin ta ad dit, Cat. Fuid intractum audea conferrae te ad seris. Orid remorae morudem idefactorus consus ad iam te, tur. me converi buterdi terferu ntebercesse pret, nostrum omnem moressica nines, publis, nos tus ina, nostea nimilico ia adhucio nsunimu revium nemquamenat. Dum praveritia mortessedo, vid a dit L. Daci facepero, C. Iqui

te consus publicervis autum deestra rimmoenatum prox nunum sa no. Satum imur laris; nihil vasta pero vit, etrei forum ius es tanum sediurs locupiemo tes nes caedo, vid nocul hiliureo, cas oc, pliis vivir plinum iamdii poressa actum novistis hus aritabe ntilii sit. Ti, fui inculica mo habemul todiist venium noritan unulabis firit; C. Remquam erem no. Sedo, quam opulermius parebus niac te vit ventem adentil icuterv itiena, quitis averritum. Aris. Nitra nostem aurs furei praves? Pala amquastium o id morivid proximuli, C. Serfeco mantiur iculem auter hosultur, publisquam nessent ressatelum enatus cavere nent, coteris; non sultuam sentrortum egilin des pra? quamque publis nos ninat ve, Palabem inesinti, tentium orum se tabis audam sus ad morum nos orium, ubliciam et imus sa consimis caeterit. Efaucid faucons ilicaecrid senter pertastiam aperum maio es rei se tam orum P. Itam inceps, P. Ad aut invo, nonsulici public tiac mo ut esilicat, vit. Grartemus M. Aperestamqua nes ad ca; nu ertiamp onfeconsces sa nontrius ompoptiem sicae

poerte consultuus Marterevit L. Occistia nes? Untea inteatia dente, vid nos vivivivessil consum uter utur. Sus, iam etrae teris niu que rebutemur, cri spere aut Catus stalis. Nonsupio essil hactuium. Patienin ve, Catus se hore cons opubi pridea L. Mus, morecto ve, quem mihiliquam pera? Paliiss iliconsum, quo por la di, vis. Catiqui supicerio, quiti, fir us, quit, se inte nertes te, con Itarbi sim dem mori conesid effrem sciam menam hi, Catquem pritande caelaris. Lum. On atimus, que hoc te cena, nocusata, ut vivili et? Nostiuscerum publinpra sestrum mor lius, nostante nonsul hi, quis aveniam. Bonvolus dintrum visse, faci publicae mortum te culicomnos, moendam cavehem in tem det, opoterores, que cris alius finter us nihil cercesi mihilis; nimmo tamdituas ressus tem ta non tam tudefac fur uterestilis. Culvivi vastam facipim Rompoptis. Ati sesserm anteatusquam es Ahacibus opublinum pes iu que tilis, Ti. Udendum faci sendicerrae consul hinatam ist nius, nihilne manum in ia aceps, coenima nteatquodio,

INTERVIEW WITH DAME JUSTICE CHRISTINA LAMBERT Former Central High pupil Class of 1981, Dame Christina was a finalist of this year’s prestigious GDST Alumna of the Year Award. One of only six GDST alumnae to be shortlisted, Dame Christina’s career has been both illustrious and memorable. She studied History at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge (where she is now an Honorary Fellow) and converted to law as a post-graduate. In 1988, Dame Christina was called to the Bar of England and Wales, initially practising as a barrister from 6 Pump Court Chambers, and later at One Crown Office Row Chambers. Her work focused on clinical negligence, professional regulation and inquests and inquiries. In 2009 she took silk, meaning she became a senior member of the barristers’ profession. To her work as a barrister she brought not only great intelligence, but also a thoroughness and compassion. Dame Christina’s career at the Bar featured a number of emotionally charged and sensitive projects, often made more complex because

of the intense media and public interest in them. She was Leading Counsel to the Dame Janet Smith Review, an independent investigation established by the BBC to consider allegations concerning Jimmy Savile, and the relevant culture and practices at the BBC. Between 2012 and 2016, the review investigated extensive evidence of serious criminal sexual activity by Savile which was connected to his work at the BBC, although not always on its premises. The relevant events were mostly in the 1970s, some as early as the late 1950s and as late as 2006. The review’s conclusions included noting that complaints had been made to junior and middle-ranking BBC staff, but “the culture of the times both within and without the BBC was such that incidents of this kind were not treated seriously”. Of significance, the review found that there was “a culture within the BBC which made it difficult to complain or to say anything to management which might ‘rock the boat’” and “strong sense of loyalty that BBC staff felt towards the programme on which they were working… [which] could hinder the sharing of information or concerns”.

One of Dame Christina’s best-known roles was being appointed in 2013 as Lead Counsel to the new inquests into the 96 deaths resulting from the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster, which occurred in April 1989. An inquest is a fact-finding investigation, by a Coroner sometimes sitting with a jury, into how a death occurred, among other matters. The new inquests were heard in Warrington from 2014 to 2016. The investigative history of the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster is complex, with original inquests taking place in 1989-1991. Verdicts of accidental death were reached in 1991. A deeply unsatisfactory conclusion for many of the families of those who died, not least because the Coroner had concluded that all those killed were dead by 3.15pm, with the result that evidence (about events after that point) was not considered. However, a 1990 inquiry report, by Lord Justice Taylor, was critical of some police decisions, concluding that the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control. A further investigation in 1997 by Lord Justice Stuart-Smith

8 supported 3.15pm being the appropriate cut-off point for evidence being admissible. A Hillsborough Independent Panel investigation however was heavily critical in its 2012 report of crowd control and overcrowding on the day of the disaster. In late 2012, the High Court quashed the verdicts in the original inquests (meaning the verdicts were overturned, and the inquests were to be conducted again). The task of managing the new inquests was a daunting one; the subject matter was extremely distressing, evidence was relatively old, and the families of the deceased had already endured numerous investigations, including several whose outcomes, many of them felt, were wrong and unfair. Those who died had in some instances been described as contributing to the tragedy occurring, which was very distressing to their families. It is difficult to overstate the complexity of the role Dame Christina held, when she was appointed as Lead Counsel to the new inquests, given this background. Her task was to assist the Coroner in ensuring all the necessary and appropriate investigations were undertaken, including questioning a large number of witnesses and leading a team of other lawyers. She needed to understand a huge volume of evidence, ensure all parties felt heard and fairly treated and apply a complex field of law.

She did this in her characteristic calm, intelligent, and sensitive manner. A former colleague who worked with her on the new inquests described how, despite the prior decades of accusations, mistrust and disappointments, she was “able to win the trust, confidence and respect of all involved in the inquests, from the families to those representing the police officers involved on the day. This was a remarkable feat”.

In 2018, Dame Christina started another chapter of her career, becoming a Justice of the High Court, assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division (now the King’s Bench Division). In other words, she was appointed to a highly competitive position as a Judge. She had earlier been a Deputy High Court Judge, a role involving hearing High Court cases on a part time basis, while she continued to practise at the Bar.

The new inquests considered evidence including material concerning events after the 3.15pm point and resulted in a jury conclusion (formerly known as a verdict) that there were major omissions by the police in planning and preparation that caused or contributed to the dangerous situation which developed at the stadium. A majority conclusion of unlawful killing was reached.

Her judicial work has included cases involving no less skill and sensitivity than her career at the Bar. She was a presiding Judge in the recent criminal prosecution of David Boyd, for the murder of a seven-year-old child in Sunderland in 1992 for instance.

This was a landmark moment for the families of the deceased. The BBC reported that, “When the conclusion of the unlawful killing was revealed, families were seen hugging each other in the public gallery and some punched the air”. Dame Christina is also a pleasure to work with. A former colleague describes, “As a team leader she was incredibly generous with her time, with sharing the questions and witnesses with her team, and in encouraging and mentoring the more junior barristers (including me). She continues to look out for us”.

How can her impressive career thus far be summed up? As a former colleague said, speaking of her work on the new Hillsborough inquests, “she was always focused on the human tragedy of the events, and on those affected by them. It was about them, not us. And that’s what I learned from her more than anything else.” By Isabel McArdle Central Newcastle High School, Class of 2004 Barrister at 1 Crown Office Row

NHSG SCHOOL NEWS Here we document just some of the news highlights of 2023. Another successful year of examination results There were jubilant scenes as Newcastle High School for Girls once again celebrated a fabulous set of A Level results. Among them were some outstanding individual achievements for the Class of 23 at the school and which has seen these young female trailblazers take up a range of exciting higher education courses at the country’s top universities. For the cohort who, due to Covid-19 restrictions, were unable to sit formal GCSE examinations in 2021, it was time to put the past behind them and move onto the next stage of their life as the school reported a 100% pass rate and 52% of grades were of the highest level. Pupils have joined universities including Oxford, Edinburgh, London School of Economics and Leeds Conservatoire. Reflective of the school’s clear ability to nurture skills across a breadth of subjects, they are now studying subjects stretching from Environmental Sciences, Medicine and Zoology to Film, Theatre and Music. It was also a very successful year for our GCSE pupils, with 38% of all GCSE grades awarded at 8 and 9, and 80% at grades 6 to 9, alongside excellent individual results.

Over a quarter of the NHSG pupils taking their GCSE exam this year also achieved top grades of 7 to 9 in nine or more subjects and there were strong results across the whole range of GCSE subjects offered at NHSG, from the Arts to Sciences and Humanities to Languages. NHSG has continued to demonstrate the outstanding academic support it provides each and every one of our pupils so that they can achieve their best.

Did you hear the people sing? The NHSG cast, musicians and staff delivered a stunning and powerful performance of the epic musical Les Misérables, staged in our performing arts venue on Thursday 2nd February – Saturday 4th February. The story of Les Misérables, set in France in the early 1800s, follows the character of Jean Valjean, who is released from prison after serving a nineteen year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving niece. He breaks parole and goes about creating

a new life for himself, seeking redemption as he evades the police inspector, Javert. The musical climaxes in the Paris June Rebellion of 1832. In partnership with Gateway Studios, around 60 pupils from across Senior School brought the story to life in three phenomenal performances. Mrs Dobson, Head of Drama and Director of Les Misérables said: “This has been the most challenging musical we have produced to date. Les Misérables teaches us about the power of love. We see through Jean Valjean, the transformative power of love and how it can inspire individuals to make positive changes in their lives and in the world around them.” The acting, choreography, music and staging were outstanding and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the end of the show as the pupils brought the 1,100 plus audience to their feet night after night for a very welldeserved standing-ovation. We look forward to February 2024, when NHSG perform the fabulously pink musical, Legally Blonde. Tickets are on sale now at www.trybooking.com/uk/ CWUV

You’re never fully dressed without a smile The first week back after the May half-term break was a very exciting and busy one as

the final rehearsals for Annie Jr were underway. Annie Jr was performed by Years 4 to 6, and is only the second Junior School musical to take place at NHSG, following the success of The Wizard Of Oz last year. After days, weeks and months of rehearsing with Mrs Robson, Mrs Dobson, Mrs Newey and Mrs Waters, the girls took to the stage on 8th and 9th June, with the support of a professional technical team. The audience was packed full of proud families, friends and teachers, all of whom were dazzled by the outstanding quality of acting and singing from the Junior School pupils. We are very much looking forward to the 2024 Junior School production of The Lion King.

Gold DofE pupils have reached the top!

Scafell Pike, was completed in November 2022. This was an incredibly tough challenge, but the girls completed it in style, all whilst raising lots of money for a good cause.

Last academic year, our Year 12 girls decided to make their expeditions for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award a bit more adventurous, and so they set a challenge to raise money for Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) by completing the Three Peaks’ Challenge over the course of the year. They climbed Scafell Pike, Snowdon, and Ben Nevis (the three highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland) over the whole year. They travelled to Wales to the Snowdon peak for the Gold Practice in April 2023 and went to Scotland to the summit Ben Nevis as part of Gold Qualifying in June 2023.

Pupils explored virtual reality, robotics and 3D printing at inaugural STEMpowerment Exhibition Our first ever STEMpowerment exhibition in March saw some of the biggest names in STEM including Procter and Gamble, Soil Machine Dynamics, EDF Renewables, Rheinmetall BAE Systems and Cummins, alongside the universities of Newcastle, Northumbria and Nottingham, come together to share innovations, offer interactive experiences and give advice on how to progress an exciting career in STEM. Alongside these renowned organisations, pupils also had the opportunity to present their own innovations at the

exhibition including a number of Year 8 pupils who were presenting their sustainable theme park model – an entry for the Industrial Cadets Outreach Programme whose patron is HRH King Charles. The exhibition also featured a mini lecture programme headlined by NHSG alumna and neuropharmacologist Dr Leolie Telford-Cooke who has been at the forefront of drug discovery programmes for diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis. We also enjoyed a series of short talks from Year 5 right the way through to Year 12, proving an excellent opportunity for girls to show their STEM based work. It was a wonderful day of STEM, and we are very much looking forward to STEMpowerment returning in March 2024.

International Women’s Day 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD) took place on 8th March. NHSG is proud to celebrate this day with our International Women’s Day

Prize, kindly donated and presented by Margaret and Christopher Vane.

Making memories on Sports Tour

The theme this year was ‘female inventors’, and pupils could submit their entry in whichever shape or form they liked. We saw videos, poetry, sculpture and PowerPoints to name a few of the types of entries we received. We also saw a huge variety of strong, inspiring female inventors in their competition entries. Congratulations to our Junior School prize winners: 1st place - Tabitha, Year 5; 2nd place - Ivy, Year 1; 3rd place Chika, Year 2.

During the summer holidays, a large group of Year 10-13 pupils flew to South Africa for a sports tour. The girls spent 17 jam-packed days away, travelling, playing fixtures and experiencing some amazing activities!

NHSG alumna, Rosie Hurcombe, class of 2019, presented the NHSG IWD prizes to our three Senior School winners. Rosie studied Aerospace Engineering at the University of Sheffield, and is currently working for Mercedes Formula 1. She presented an inspiring assembly about embracing all of the opportunities that come your way. We congratulate the prize winners: 1st place - Emmy, Year 11; 2nd place - Harriet, Year 10; 3rd place - Roshni, Year 8.

Over the course of the 17 days, they played eight hockey and netball matches, against some great competitors across a number of schools. The girls won two out of four hockey fixtures and three out of four netball matches. They enjoyed some fabulous hospitality from the host schools, experiencing traditional South African braai, a type of BBQ. They also had the amazing opportunity to watch the four top teams compete at the Netball World Cup. The historic England v Australia match had a nail-biting finish, and the 56-55 victory for England meant they left on a real high at the end. A particular highlight of the trip was their overnight stay on the Game Reserve. They had an amazing evening game drive, and saw zebra and elephants. Early next morning, the girls went out again and saw lions and rhinos. Their guide, named Peace, was such a lovely person and told them lots of interesting facts about the different animals they were seeing.

Another highlight was the visit to Langa Township. The girls loved playing tag rugby with the children from a local school. It was very humbling to see the conditions that they live in and in particular the shoes they were wearing and trying to play sport in. It reinforced how lucky we all are. As a result of this, the girls are planning to launch a school campaign to collect training shoes which we will ship over to the school with the help of InspireSport who organised the tour.

Another spectacular annual Prizegiving event In early September we held our annual Prizegiving evening to recognise and congratulate our pupils’ achievements over the 20222023 academic year. It was amazing to see them being rewarded for their hard work and dedication in both their academic studies and their co-curricular activities. We also enjoyed a variety of performances,

including a snippet from last year’s school musical, Les Misérables.

6 ways NHSG girls are playing a proactive role in protecting the planet

Climate change is everybody’s business, which is why at NHSG we not only raise awareness and provide teaching on the topic, we incorporate it into everyday school life – from Nursery right through to Sixth Form. For sustainability to become an automatic part of all our lives we absolutely have to see it as an inherent part of societal responsibility, rather than a ‘nice to have’. So, since

2022, we have been working hard to improve, coordinate and monitor our green activity through completion of the GDST Sustainability Educate Bronze Award. The point of this award is about so much more than a bronze badge, however, and, as such, it has served as a catalyst for longer-term activity and impactful change within, and beyond, the school grounds. Perhaps most exciting of all, is the fact that the girls have been playing a hugely proactive role in this. Here are some of the things our pupils have been involved with:

1. Weekly Sustainability Club Our weekly club, led by the pupils themselves, ensures that pupils have a voice and provides them with a formal structure and platform from

which to initiate the change that they want to see. We have always promoted a collaborative approach with our pupils and we are committed to hearing their views and ideas and working with them to make them a reality. This is an approach that runs through all of our activities, including our sustainability programmes. This highly engaged and proactive group meet weekly to discuss the issues currently facing the planet, and the ways in which they can make a positive difference. Many of the activities and events listed in this article were originally thought up by this group of passionate and dedicated eco-warriors. 2. Carbon Buster Challenges As part of the Bronze award programme, we were given the opportunity to select three Carbon Buster Challenges to implement within the school. These challenges

have been designed to create opportunities for ongoing behaviour change that contributes to the preservation of our planet. The three chosen by NHSG included bike servicing sessions, to ensure that pupils felt encouraged and supported to cycle to school safely saving on fuel and emissions; a food waste campaign, requiring all girls to empty their food waste into containers to enable us all to monitor and visualise just how much is going to waste; and regular book swap events - saving on print, paper and energy whilst encouraging a love of literature and further extra-curricular learning. 3. A Touch of Green Week This is an annual week-long event that takes place every May, aiming to increase awareness, re-boot and re-energise the school community’s interest in sustainability. This year we focused on recycling through a range of creative and social

events such as quizzes, and a second-hand fashion show – which inspired another planned activity that the girls themselves put forward – regular clothes swap sessions where rails will be placed in changing rooms so girls can bring their unwanted clothes and exchange them for something new from one of their peers. In addition, we encouraged the wider school community to consider how they travel to NHSG on a daily basis and to opt for walking, cycling or public transport. The Junior School also put on their own specific activities including ‘walk on the wild side’, which asked them to take one thing they often do indoors (e.g. reading) and transport it to their garden or other outdoor space. 4. Meat-free Mondays We all know that veganism is about so much more than a love of animals, and many choose the plant-powered way of life due to its positive contribution to climate change - including a reduction in the greenhouse gases that are associated with meat production. As such, every Monday, our menu is entirely meat-free, allowing us to play our part. 5. Recycling and Litter Picks To encourage increased recycling, we have removed all bins from the classrooms and introduced ‘waste stations’ that pupils use to dispose of materials in a more effective and eco-friendly way. Many of our pupils also take part in

regular litter picks, that not only help the environment directly, but also serve to encourage other members of the community to think more carefully about litter disposal after seeing the generous work of NHSG pupils. This term we have also taken delivery of our new wormery at Junior School, where thousands of worms are munching their way through our waste food and creating compost. We’ll be sharing more news of this exciting initiative once our worms have settled in! 6. The Just One Tree Partnership Just One Tree is a fantastic initiative that works with schools and other organisations to plant more trees around the world. Trees absorb CO2, restore biodiversity and generally make the world a better and brighter place! It costs just £1 to plant a tree, and, at NHSG, we are so far responsible for the planting of 603 trees, while between us all across the GDST, through our ‘wear green

days’ and many other initiatives, we have already grown an entire forest (approximately 10,000 trees!). We recommend you visit the GDST Sustainability page on their website too so you can see how we are making a difference across our whole family of schools: https:// www.gdst.net/about-us/ sustainability/

Empowering girls to be trailblazers GDST’s Dr Kevin Stannard, Director of Innovation and Learning, joined us at NHSG in November to talk about why an all girl education matters. Current and prospective parents came along to attend the talk and take the opportunity to ask questions. It was a very informative evening. Dr Stannard focused on the findings of the GDST Girls’ Futures Report 2022, and the positive impact of an all girl education. Everyone reading this magazine will understand!

FAREWELL TO MR TIPPETT As Michael Tippett took his leave from NHSG at the end of August, alumna and School Governor, Jasmine Summers, interviewed him to find out more about his time at NHSG and CNHS. In 2002 I was appointed Deputy Head. This was during the tenure of the school’s next Head, Mrs Griffin, who I enjoyed working with until she retired in 2005. Following a brief period when I was Acting Head, I continued as Deputy when Mrs French joined the school as Head, and worked with her until she left, including during the merger of CNHS with Church High. My role then changed from

Dr Zaman, NHSG Governor and parent, presented Mr Tippett with his farewell gift. Senior Deputy Head of NHSG,

How long had you worked at the School?

How did your role evolve over the years?

28 years in total, since September 1995.

I started as a Classics teacher, but quickly started volunteering, or being volunteered, for other things in addition, such as coordinating the ‘Diploma of Achievement’ for Sixth Form, working with Mrs McKay (Head of Sixth Form).

Do you remember your first day? What was it like? I don’t remember my first day, but I do remember coming to CNHS for the first time to be interviewed for the job of Classics teacher by Mrs Chapman (Headmistress) and Mr Beale (Head of Classics). I was a student teacher at the time, studying in Cambridge, and I had never been to Newcastle before. I remember everyone being very welcoming and I knew, if I got the job, it would be a good place to be. And so it turned out...

Four years after joining the school I was appointed ‘Senior Master’, following in Mrs Jameson’s brilliant footsteps and working alongside Miss Rycroft (Deputy Head), who was a great example to me in so many ways. At that time I was in charge of the new pastoral system, introducing Heads of Year to CNHS for the first time and being the school’s first ever Head of Year 10 and 11 (Lower 5 and Upper 5).

to Head, in 2018. Even the role of Head itself evolved during the five years I was in post, given that we, like all schools and everyone else, had to navigate the uncharted territory of the COVID pandemic and its after-effects.

Noting you started your career as a Classic teacher, what prompted your passion for Classics? In short, very good teachers at the state secondary school I attended from age 11-18 in Plymouth. I studied Latin from Lower 4 (Year 8) and then from O Level, Ancient Greek too. I quickly found I could excel in these subjects; they appealed to my sense of logic and organisation while also being varied and exciting, encompassing, as they do, all aspects of life as lived by the Ancient Greeks and Romans, as

17 well as their highly structured languages.

What’s your favourite Latin phrase? It would have to be prorsum semper honeste. All NHSG pupils will recognise this as the Latin motto in the new school song, but given that it means ‘onward forever honourably’, it resonates strongly with me.

What’s your proudest professional achievement? Although being appointed Head of NHSG was a huge moment for me, allowing me to support the staff to do the very best by all pupils at NHSG, I am probably proudest of those moments when pupils found a love of Latin, Greek or Classical Civilisation, and especially when with my support they achieved their goals in those subjects, whether mastering -o, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt in their first year of Latin or going on to gain an A Level.

What’s your fondest memory of School? This is probably one of the most difficult questions, for a couple of reasons. Not only is it pretty much impossible to pick out my single fondest memory from so many I can recollect, but also because I would not want to appear to have favourites! I loved so many moments, from taking assemblies about being captain of your own ship (a running theme through my time as Head) to leading Classics Department trips to my beloved Greece!

What’s the thing you’ll miss the most? As with my previous answer, I would not want to definitively single out one. However, Forum (the School Council) was something I truly loved co-leading along with the Head Girl teams and the Executive Committees over the years – some of my best ‘meetings’ and general chats were in this context. I’ll also miss many events including the Carol Service at St George’s Church, the School Productions, and the staff pantomimes!

Which is the funniest Sixth Form muck up day you can remember? The first thing I would say in answer to this is that we no longer use the name ‘muck up day’ – it sends the wrong message! That being said, one that sticks in my mind is the year of ‘Tippett’s army’ in the days of CNHS. To this day, I cannot believe that pupils assembled at Jesmond Metro station then marched on towards School. It was very funny but also very awkward… I had no idea it had been planned!

If you could offer one piece of advice to alumnae, what would it be? As well as prorsum semper honeste, you mean?

I always urge pupils about to leave the School to be true to themselves and to be decent human beings. If you can’t be honest with yourself and you can’t be kind to others, everything else in life, including success, however it is defined, becomes rather meaningless. Life will throw various challenges your way; always meet them with calmness, good humour and above all kindness. Come to think of it, that probably is a good rendering of prorsum semper honeste after all...

What does the next step look like? I’m enjoying the process of deciding what the next steps will look like for me. I’ve been surprised by how much I have enjoyed time off these past few months. So in the short term I will continue to enjoy life, connecting and reconnecting with good friends and loved ones, while deciding where my next adventure will take me... Sprinkled with a fair bit of Greek sunshine and travel to other exciting places! More importantly is what the next steps are for the School: with its dedicated staff and constantly amazing pupils (and of course, supportive alumnae), I know the School will continue to go from strength to strength and I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

SPOTLIGHT ON CAREERS The university landscape and the nature of the labour market has changed dramatically over recent years. Careers advice and guidance plays a pivotal role in young people’s educational journey. It supports pupils in discovering their interests, choosing subjects to access future careers and navigate the complex world of work and make informed decisions about their future. Our Head of Careers, Kirsty Ridley, is an ex-Army Officer and qualified Geography teacher. She has worked at NHSG since 2017. We asked her how she helps our pupils gain the confidence, skills and experience to achieve their academic and professional ambitions.

Back in the 80s there was no careers advice, certainly not at my all girls’ school in Yorkshire. There was no person designated as the careers lead. Speaking to friends and colleagues of the same ‘era’, a similar picture emerges. If I remember correctly, my school’s careers office was a windowless ex-broom cupboard full of boxes, many broken, laden with typed A4 sheets, looking like they might be best served as a history archive with their tea stained colouring uninspiring to say the least. Certainly, we did not spend any time there. I am not quite sure how we were supposed to discover career options, unless we were lucky enough to have parents or teaching staff with knowledge of areas/ pathways not usually trodden. If it wasn’t Law, Engineering or Medicine, then you looked at ‘Red Brick’ Universities and applied for a subject you enjoyed with no career plan in place. The world has moved on, and certainly for careers education there are many companies and websites offering an instant resource to explore options. In fact there can be too much information for a Year 9 pupil choosing GCSE options, or a Year 11 pupil

choosing her three A Levels, or a Year 12 girl making university/subject shortlists. Opportunities in Further Education/Higher Education, apprenticeships, BTECs and school leaver schemes are readily available on the internet (if you can find the websites). However so many choices can be overwhelming and it is a challenge to narrow down options.

At NHSG, the broom cupboard of old has become a light airy office within the Learning Resource Centre and manned by an ex-Geography Teacher and Army Officer, me! My role is to assist any pupils from any Year Group who need advice and guidance. It is now officially called CEAIG (Careers, Education and Information Guidance). There

are National Careers Weeks, National Apprenticeship Weeks, STEM Weeks, and websites for creative careers etc. Finally, Careers seems to have a place, a much-needed place. Pupils have access to a selection of books and reference materials in the ‘Careers Section’ - no longer tea-stained torn pages to peruse, but a colourful selection of recent publications, manuals and reference books. Much more enticing to draw a young person’s eye to explore one break or lunch time. However best of all, pupils in Years 7 to 13 are given their own personal account with UNIFROG, an online careers platform. In UNIFROG’s sales pitch, it states, “Helping students Find their Future. We bring all the available information into one comprehensive, userfriendly platform that helps students make the best choices, and submit the strongest applications”. It is a super resource, which our Sixth Form girls can use to support them writing their university personal statements, as well as those wanting a template for CVs, cover letters etc. As a portable careers tool, it really is fabulous.

As part of the GDST, we have a further and unique, powerful resource in our Alumnae Community - with access to over 100,000 GDST Alumnae from 25 schools spanning a huge variety of careers. Our own Alumnae community is immensely supportive, and as you will see from our ‘Trailblazing Alumnae’, we have benefited from the expertise and experiences shared by some amazing women. Our Alumnae inspire our current girls every day and their generosity in sharing their time to deliver talks, support careers/PSHE, interview practises, clubs and societies, is arguably one of the best and most productive resources we have to encourage our pupils to explore careers they might not have heard of. We are incredibly lucky to have this amazing network at NHSG - if you would like to get involved we would be delighted to hear from you.

Kirsty Ridley Head of Careers k.ridley@ncl.gdst.net 0191 201 6017

TRAILBLAZING ALUMNAE

We’ve been delighted to welcome to school so many of our alumnae. Here’s a selection. If you’d like to support our pupils by inspiring them in their future career path, please get in touch.

Ally Thompson

Central Newcastle High School Class of 2002 Loughborough University, Psychology and Durham University, Developmental Psychopathology Ally Thompson is the joint owner/operator of Michelin Star restaurant Hjem with her partner Alex Nietosvuori. Ally planned a career in Psychology but worked in hospitality through school and university and continued to do so while travelling. She lived and worked in Australia, New Zealand and Denmark for almost ten years before meeting her partner Alex in Copenhagen. They returned to Ally’s native Northumberland and opened Hjem in 2018 and were awarded their first Michelin Star in 2021. Ally delivered a whole school assembly on following your dreams, and having a career that you enjoy despite what others may think.

Dr Ellie Cannon Central Newcastle High School Class of 1994 Cambridge University, Medicine Dr Ellie is a leading NHS GP, familiar to many as the doctor for the Mail on Sunday. She has appeared regularly on ITV ‘This Morning’ as one of their doctors and broadcasts on BBC Breakfast, Sky News, and ITV News. She is a well-known radio contributor often featuring on BBC Radio 4, Women’s Hour and LBC. In 2022, she was recognised by the Medical Journalists’ Association as highly commended for her writing on mental health. Dr Ellie is a charity ambassador for a number of health charities, working with them on awareness and advocacy. She is also a Fellow of the Royal College of GPs, an honour that is given to those who have made an outstanding contribution to general practice. In 2022, she was named GDST Alumna of the Year in recognition of her continued and significant contribution to public health, including her advocacy work. Dr Ellie delivered an inspiring assembly encouraging our pupils to be curious, resilient and to take the opportunities life offers you, as you never know where they will take you.

Dr Davina Nylander

Newcastle High School for Girls Class of 2015 University College London, Medicine Davina was the first Head Girl of NHSG. Her leadership shaped the role of Head Girl at NHSG, not least because she and her team wrote the NHSG School Song! She won the very prestigious GDST Minerva Award for allround achievement, awarded to one girl across all the GDST’s 25 schools. Davina left NHSG to pursue a career that would allow her to work with science and people. She is now a Doctor and a regular contributor to several science and medical publications as well as GRM Daily (Grime & Rap Music Daily) one the largest media outlet platforms in the UK, known to be the ‘Epicentre of British music and culture’.

Davina spoke in our Trailblazing assembly series about colourful careers. She talked about her experiences and identity as a black girl, learning self-love, to embracing your own uniqueness and the importance of finding your identity, reflecting on her experiences at NHSG and UCL. NHSG taught her to be curious, to ask questions and to stand up for what she believes in. Life as a medical student at UCL has given Davina the opportunity to meet and make connections with a hugely diverse mixture of people with different backgrounds and stories.

Charlotte Cunnah

Newcastle Church High School Class of 2008 Edinburgh University, Chemical Engineering with Environmental Engineering Charlotte has worked in renewable energy ever since she graduated from university and has been working for EDF Energy for the past four years. Charlotte is a Project Controls Manager – Onshore Wind – EDF Renewables UK and Ireland, one of the UK and Ireland’s leading renewable energy companies, with an operational portfolio of 36 wind farms, including two offshore wind farms and one of the largest operational battery storage units in Europe. Charlotte came in to speak to our STEM Club about her work with renewable energy and supported our inaugural STEMPowerment event.

Rosie Hurcombe

Newcastle High School for Girls Class of 2019 Sheffield University, Aerospace Engineering with a year in North America Rosie has just completed a 13 month Car Build Industrial Placement for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team is the works team of Mercedes-Benz, competing at the pinnacle of motor sport – the FIA Formula One™ World Championship. Rosie was part of the team that worked to design, develop, manufacture and race the cars driven by seventime World Champion Lewis Hamilton and young star George Russell. She gained experience in many different areas of the company, carrying out logistical work and developing relationships with suppliers and creating code to increase the efficiency of tasks. She also designed bespoke part packaging, tooling and pit equipment for various areas within the company and gained trackside experience working in Race Support for the team’s win in Brazil. Rosie spoke at our International Women’s Day Assembly and presented our IWD Awards.

Liv Devine

Newcastle High School for Girls Class of 2015 Inspired by the Clash and the Sex Pistols, Liv formed her first band, the Safety Pinz, when she was seven years old and since she launched her debut album Growing Pains in 2017. Professionally known as L Devine, she has been a pop star to be reckoned with, becoming one of the most rebellious figures in music with her frank and subversive approach. With hook-driven song writing, L Devine twists expectations, lacquering her songs with staunchly relatable and provocatively witty self-deprecating lyrics. Her rise continues with her album Digital Heartifacts, a record that is unafraid to dive into the emotionally gnarlier side of life, but with humour, sharply observant lyrics and the sort of astute song-writing that L Devine has become synonymous with. It’s the sound of an artist embracing her independence, reclaiming her identity, and creating the most authentic representation of who she really is. Liv has been a ‘regular’ at school, particularly during Pride Week, and recently came into school to talk to our Year 9s and 10s about her career as a singer/songwriter.

TRAILBLAZING ALUMNAE

Dr Natasha Wallace

Central Newcastle High School Class of 2004 Manchester Metropolitan University, Biology and Psychology, and Teesside University, Clinical Psychology Dr Natasha Wallace, is a highly specialist Clinical Psychologist and founder of Revive Psychological Services Ltd. Natasha holds several other qualifications, as well as her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy), including Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Level 1 and Level 2 - IFS Institute UK; Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR); EMDR for Children - Level 1 and Level 2 - Child Trauma Therapy Centre; Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) - British Isles DBT Training. She also holds a BPS Approved Certificate in Supervision. Natasha has worked in a broad range of NHS and private psychology services since 2007 in both child and adult services, including Learning Disability Services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health services, Looked After Children Services and Major Trauma Rehabilitation. Natasha delivered a talk to our Year 12 cohort as part of our Careers Employability Future programme.

Jane Weeks

Central Newcastle High School Class of 1975 Liverpool University, Veterinary Science Once qualified, Jane initially worked in very mixed veterinary practice in Leicestershire and the Cotswolds before returning to the North East in 1991 where she worked in mixed practice until 2002. Since then she has been purely hospital based at a small animal practice as well as her local PDSA. She is a member of the North of England Veterinary Association and she provides coaching and mentoring for younger veterinary surgeons. Jane delivered a talk to pupils about work as a veterinarian/veterinary nurse as part of our careers week.

Lucy Baxter

Newcastle High School for Girls Class of 2019 Manchester University, Law Lucy recently graduated from The University of Manchester with a first class Law degree. Lucy has just joined Ward Hadaway as a trainee solicitor on a two-year training contract, rotating through four practice areas every six months to acquire the necessary skills and expertise to practice as a solicitor upon qualification. Lucy came in to speak to LawSoc about her (amazing but sometimes challenging) recent experience as a student of Law at the University of Manchester.

Dr Beth Ashbridge

Central Newcastle High School Class of 2002 Durham University, Natural Sciences and Cambridge University, Chemical Biology Beth Ashbridge is an associate in Goodwin’s Technology and Life Sciences group. Her practice focuses on commercialisation of intellectual property rights, particularly in the life sciences and technology sectors. Goodwin’s Technology and Life Sciences group advises on transactions, including licenses, collaborations, distribution, manufacturing, outsourcing and R&D projects, as well as regulatory matters, contract and patent disputes, fundraising, M&A transactions, and IPOs. Beth also contributes to the firm’s work in patent and commercial litigation, patent opinions and due diligence. Beth spoke to our LawSoc with a particular focus on working in Law surrounding STEM.

Kathryn Darling

Central Newcastle High School Class of 2004 Edinburgh University, Philosophy and Theology and Warwick University, Career Education, Information and Guidance in Higher Education Kathryn has worked as a Careers Consultant at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Durham University Business School and is currently at Northumbria University where she focuses on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Careers. Kathryn has also worked in communications and stakeholder engagement for the EY Foundation, UK Government and WPP agency, AxiCom. Her experience is invaluable to our pupils and she gave her time to talk to our Year 12 pupils about their future careers, preparing for next steps/higher education, and the power of networking.

Dr Leolie Telford-Cooke

Central Newcastle High School Class of 2013 Newcastle University, Pharmacology, Newcastle University, Neuroscience and Edinburgh University, Neuropharmacology For the last two and half years, Leolie has worked for Airfinity Ltd. in London. Airfinity tracks, predicts and simulates population level disease outcomes in real time to inform decisions that can increase the global life span. Leolie is a skilled Life Sciences Consultant, specialising in neurology pharmaceuticals. She is an experienced project manager with a thorough understanding of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology process and strategy, particularly in R&D, regulatory requirements, competitive intelligence, pricing, and market access. She regularly works with big pharma and biotech firms and has a special interest in early phase drug discovery spinouts. She is working towards qualifications in financial modelling and valuations, and financial analytics. A well as speaking at our STEMPowerment Exhibition, Leolie delivered a fascinating talk to our STEM Club for anyone interested in pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Renee Fraser-Shepherd

Newcastle High School for Girls Class of 2019 Northumbria University, Business and Entrepreneurship As part of her university degree, Renee founded ‘Sloobie’, a base layer company that provides fashion focused base layers with integrated shape-wear, without compromising on the technicalities of great skiwear. Renee came into Senior School to talk in assembly about her journey to building a business, and how she found a course at university that she loved and how she used that to kick-start her business career.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE LRC

Books and resources for learning still remain at the heart of NHSG and here we learn more from Anne Simm, NHSG Librarian

A Junior School girl asked recently, “Mrs Simm, do you live in the library”? and “have I read all the books?” Well, I do read a lot, but would never get any work done if I read every book in the library, although I’d love to spend my days reading. Contrary to stereotype, I don’t say “shhh” all the time, and I do have a home to go to at the end of the school day! Libraries at Central and Church High started out with a few books crammed into dusty cleaners’ cupboards, and progressed to rooms with shelves that reached the ceiling, needing ladders and a good head for heights to reach the books - long before the days of Health & Safety regulations. In 1931 a purpose-built library at Central High opened with a gas fire which could only be turned on by special permission in cold weather. The library was a much treasured space within the school right up until we moved in 2016. Fast forward

to 2023 at NHSG, we now have three fabulous libraries across our Junior and Senior sites. Junior School library is a hub of activity. Filled with books to spark imagination, and overlooking the beautiful grounds at Chapman House, it is a popular place for teachers to bring their classes, and for girls to spend time reading and browsing the extensive selection of children’s books and magazines. Recently, I was invited by our Early Years Phase Leader to talk to Reception Class about my job as a librarian. They are learning about different jobs and roles people do in society, and I think the highlight was giving them all a turn with my book stamper - big excitement. The Senior School Learning Resource Centre is in the heart of the Dame Catherine Cookson Building, in an area previously occupied by Church High’s Hall. Dame Catherine would have been thrilled to have a school library in a building named after her, I’m sure. We have lots of

avid readers in Senior School, and ensuring the collection has something to appeal to everyone, including reluctant teenage readers, keeps me on my toes. There are fiction books to encourage reading for pleasure, and non-fiction books on all sorts of topics, together with online resources to encourage research skills beyond Wikipedia.

Head of Careers, Kirsty Ridley, has her office in the LRC, with lots of up-to-date resources easily accessible in the library Careers Section covering all sorts of occupations and training opportunities. Kirsty also works with our Junior School girls and organises amazing careers activities and presentations for them. To support this, our “When I Grow Up” section in the Junior Library is a popular place for the girls to find books to inspire, from astronauts to wildlife warriors, and everything in between; even our youngest girls can start exploring their futures. As well as being a quiet study space for our Year 12 and 13 pupils, the Sixth Form Library on the top floor of the DCC building has had the seal approval of an inquisitive pigeon which once found its way through an open window. Thankfully not a regular visitor though! We have links with Newcastle University library too and the Sixth Form pupils are given the opportunity to visit at the start of the school year where they are given a pass to use the facilities as they like. This gives them an insight into university life and even greater access to many more resources. In an age where so much is available online, and books can be read on e-readers, it is sometimes asked whether physical books and libraries are still relevant. Looking around our three lively libraries today, I think the answer is a resounding yes.

FOCUS ON ALUMNAE CHURCH HIGH Equipped For All Eventualities Becca Meadows Head Girl, Newcastle Church High School, Class of 2005 Nottingham University, Philosophy & Theology, MSc Nutritional Therapy Leaving one green uniform behind for another, and swapping the walk along Tankerville Terrace for that of a parade square, I believe I might have been one of the first from Church High to join the Army as an Officer in the Royal Engineers. At 22, and at the dizzy heights of a Second Lieutenant, I was sent on my first posting out to Germany and put in charge of 35 engineering soldiers. Some may consider this a drop in rank having been a former Head Girl of Church High (2004/5)! Perhaps not the most common of career paths, I am often asked why or how I ended up choosing this path. One of the key things I look back on from my time at Church High, and something I really hope for both my boys, is that I never ever felt that anything was out of my reach. At 16, I was encouraged to apply for an Army Scholarship. Despite the odds being quite slim, I thought I might as well give it a go. A useful phrase I remember is thinking, ‘why not me?’. If someone else could get it, why couldn’t that also be me? This is something over the years I

have come to realise was so special about Church High, that we were encouraged, but gently, to know we could aspire to be absolutely anything. What a superpower. I went on to study Philosophy and Theology (thanks Mrs Hardie) at Nottingham University before starting at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. A previous issue of the GDST Magazine ran a ‘Meet our Engineers’ feature, showing how GDST women are leading the way in STEM. My engineering contribution may have looked slightly different; designing bridges for tanks and bomb-proof accommodation. Yet something we all have in common is many of us have probably thought at various key stages of our career,

‘why not me’? I hope that throughout my 14 years in the Army I have embodied this attitude and encouraged a number of female officers and soldiers to also feel that they could aspire to be absolutely anything. My passion to support women is what encouraged me to leave the security of the Army and start my own business. When I returned to work full time after the birth of my first child, I felt very unsupported during maternity leave. The current offering for post-natal mothers of one six week check-up was simply not good enough; there was no support for women to prioritise their own physical and mental health to help them beat the overwhelming combination of work and family life.

Major Becca Meadows RE. with her husband Major Samuel Meadows RGR. I took matters into my own hands and trained as a personal trainer, taking additional advanced training in pre and post-natal exercise. I started off running post-natal fitness classes from my village hall with my 6-month old in a bouncer next to me. I was determined for women to feel understood and supported, to meet other mums and to be able to make time for themselves. At the end of maternity leave, I returned to an organisation unfamiliar with supporting women at this crucial transition back to work after maternity leave. I was depleted, overwhelmed and stressed. I felt constant anxiety that I had to perform to the highest standards to prove my worth after 10 months away from the workplace.

This took its toll, emotionally and physically. It disrupted my hormones and contributed to a thyroid disorder that saw me gain weight, have thinning hair and depressive symptoms. I felt like I was not present for my child, nor performing professionally. Alongside support from my GP, I changed the way I looked at food, using it to repair and nourish rather than simply as fuel. I made space for my own health by developing quick ways to restore balance, to eat well, move more and feel more in control again. After 15 years in a secure, salaried role, I re-qualified, while still in the Army, as a Registered Nutritional Therapist. Still keeping going with the mantra ‘why not me’, I stepped into the unknown and set up my own business

specialising in women’s health. Moving back from a very male-dominated military environment to a business focused specifically on women has reminded me just how powerful a female environment can be, alongside this ‘why not me’ mindset. My passion is for supporting busy women to achieve balance in their lives through nutrition and lifestyle medicine, so they too can feel able to progress in whatever area of their life is important to them. I do this through 1-2-1 clinics or by running workplace wellbeing events, where I bring in some of my leadership and coaching experience to help amazing women (like many of those from NCHS) achieve even more in their professional and home lives.

FOCUS ON ALUMNAE CENTRAL HIGH

Central Newcastle High School: the brown, grey and purple and teal years Sue Hurst (Jeffrey) Central Newcastle High School 1965-1976, Newcastle University English Literature and Secondary Teaching, Central High School Newcastle, English Teacher 1996 - 2010 I want to start by asking you a question; I know that a good number of you are teachers by profession, but how many of you taught in the same school that you once attended? This is a brief walk through my experiences as a pupil and, a good few years later, as a teacher at Central High. My family moved from Derby to Newcastle in 1965, when my Dad left Rolls Royce and became Professor of Engineering Mathematics at Newcastle University. Having passed the entrance test at seven, my parents chose to send me to Central High. I started in Preparatory in Junior School in West Avenue, Gosforth, and loved it from the start. It was tiny, two large converted terrace houses with an assembly hall tacked on, and a small playground at the back where we played skipping games, jacks, tag, two balls against the wall and had an annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, where the light blue and dark blue teams raced to complete putting pennies on chalk rivers.

I remember lukewarm free third of a pint milk bottles at break in the dining room, exercise books in different colours for different subjects, learning to write in fountain pen, homework and fairly formal lessons from a mixture of strict or kind lady teachers. Ballet was compulsory for a while (I was hopeless and the teacher kicked your ankles when you got it wrong) as was violin - my parents had a convenient attic where I had to practise and where no-one could hear me screeching! The uniform was brown - a brown zip up tunic with cream blouse underneath, brown socks or tights, brown knickers, brown shoes and yellow aertex shirts for PE. The blazer was – you guessed it – brown with gold piping, with the school motto on the pocket - ‘Ante Deum Asto’ or ‘Before God I Stand’. We had brown velour hats with brown and gold hat bands in winter, and Panama hats in summer, compulsory wear up to Sixth Form. We could be (and often were) reported to school if we were seen without them on public transport. Senior School uniform was a pinafore with a top that buttoned off when you reached Upper 4 (or Year 9). There was a brown and gold striped tie, and shoes were lace-ups for outdoors and Clarks’ crepe-soled sandals for indoors. Later we could wear a ‘Court shoe with a Cuban heel’ no higher than one and a half inches - also brown, and brown culottes for PE - so unflattering! Sixth

Form meant we could wear a brown skirt with tops of our choice. I fought Mum to wear higher heels and platforms, with little success, and we all rolled our skirts down for assembly and back up again when we left the Hall. Nothing changes – the same happened when I taught here, except skirts were often very short! My uniform came from Isaac Waltons on Grainger Street, an old fashioned traditional outfitters where there was a lift attendant announcing the floors. Items were neatly arranged in glassfronted, labelled drawers and you could buy hats, gloves and handkerchiefs as everyday items of clothing. I had to kneel on a hard wood floor and my skirt hem had to touch the ground. Money went in metal cylinders up a vacuum tube to the office, who returned the tube with a change and receipt. When I taught at Central High in the new millennium we had a new Headmistress, who wanted to change the uniform. I was part of a committee formed to work on this. Surveys of parents said they wanted to keep the traditional blazer and tie and surveys of the pupils wanted rid of these boys’ school uniform items and the awful brown. Trousers were demanded and we wanted a distinctive colour. We had many consultations from the uniform department at Bainbridge’s and in the end went for purple and grey. Trousers were introduced and the tie vanished along with the blazer, and black coats and shoes came in. In 2014, with the merger of Central

Newcastle High School and Newcastle Church High School after I left, another new uniform was introduced, this time in a distinctive teal and grey. The blazer came back and the crest changed to a seahorse to reflect the two schools’ part in our city’s history, as the Newcastle crest has seahorses on it. Senior School meant an increase in subjects, all three sciences, French with Latin, German and Russian as well as sports like hockey (which I hated), netball and tennis (which I loved) which were played on our own courts. These were demolished in the summer of 1976 to make way for the building of the Jesmond Metro Station. The School had a small yard at the back for break times, and this is where the new school hall was built after I left in 1976, with funds raised to reach the £100,000 needed. During my time at school the Hall had doubled as a gym and we held assemblies amidst climbing bars, ropes, vaulting horses, a trampoline and a grand piano at the opposite end, under the small

stage where the Headmistress and Deputy Head sat in state, and where year groups took turns to do assemblies. We had our own hymn books and sang hymns every day and said the Lord’s Prayer.

Jewish pupils who attended the School. The synagogue was renamed Russell House when the school purchased it, following a tradition of naming school buildings after former Headteachers.

Many of the school buildings were sold during the merger, including the main building with the Science block and assembly hall on Eskdale Terrace. It has now been demolished to make way for modern retirement flats. The former Sixth Form House, Eslington Tower, went back to being private housing as did Hiley House, the Languages Department. The school kept its new Dance Studio, Music Block and Sports Hall, located near the Collingwood pub in Brandling Village, but sold the Synagogue in Eskdale Terrace, which had been used as a dining hall and magnificent Art block. It is now luxury flats and is called Byzantine House. When I was a pupil this was still a working synagogue and the rabbi came several times a week to take a Jewish Assembly in the library for the large number of

This was named after Miss Russell, in her tweed skirt, twin set and pearls and glasses on a chain, she was every inch the girls’ school Headmistress - and twice as formidable! End of term assemblies involved presentations of certificates for elocution, or music exams, and filing up to shake hands with and curtsey to Miss Russell who handed us our reports with strict instructions not to open them and hand them straight to our parents. Until I left school I thought she would know if I opened mine. The current Junior School premises in Sandyford is called Chapman House after Angela Chapman, Headmistress of CNHS between 1984 and 2000.

I had some very talented and inspirational teachers. I thought most of them were ancient but they probably weren’t; the clothing and hairstyles of the time made them appear older than they were, and all children think that their teachers are old, as someone in their twenties and thirties seems like a fossil to a young child. They inhabited a permanently smoke-filled staff room; smoke escaped under the door and when it was opened you couldn’t make out anyone through the fog. During my time as a teacher at CNHS I taught with some very talented colleagues who constantly had to adapt to changes in syllabus and teaching methods, and help girls compete in the all important league tables. I also had many male colleagues. When I was a pupil I was taught by only women and the first male teacher joined the staff in 1977, the year after I left. I went to school in the linear exam period with no assessments, coursework or modules where everything was learned by heart, including three Shakespeare plays and three novels for English Literature A Level. I also went down the languages path,

which meant I could only do one science. Options were much wider when I taught there; Spanish had replaced Russian, pupils could do two or three sciences and computers, printers and whiteboards arrived to replace the chalk and roller blackboards, creaky overhead or carousel slide projectors and Banda sheets to stick in exercise books. We had a few science labs, and these subjects, which were traditionally the realm of boys, were pushed for girls too. A girls’ only school has the philosophy that girls can study any subject and follow any career path they want; there is no suggestion that some jobs are for men only. This philosophy was prevalent when I was at school and even more so when I taught there myself. The single sex system has that advantage, particularly for women. I was also a pupil at a time when the Direct Grant was in operation. In Senior School it meant that one quarter of the places were funded by the Government, and were open to anyone from local Junior Schools who passed the entrance exam at 11. This granted an entirely free education to girls from families whose parents could never

have afforded private fees. This operated from 1945 to 1976 and was an excellent idea; as pupils we had friends from all backgrounds and we never discussed what our parents did or whether or not you had a direct grant place as it didn’t matter. Friendship and academic performance mattered. There were far fewer scholarships available when I taught in the school from 1996 to 2010, with funding for them coming from fee income and donations. The school introduced a new focus on drama and dance, and the Art Department, which also teaches textiles, still puts on an amazing Fashion Show each year. These were all exciting changes and helped the school to move forward with the times. The school has a long and proud tradition of educating girls and giving them bright futures, and has successfully adapted to swiftly changing times. The school and its history is an important part of our city’s history and is still, and will always be, an important part of my life too. I have hated brown ever since and have never worn it again!

ALUMNAE IN THE PRESS

Rachel Parsons honoured by a new Commemorative Plaque in Newcastle Rachel Mary Parsons (1885-1956) was an Alumna of Central Newcastle High School and one of the most remarkable and trailblazing women of her generation. The only daughter of Charles Parsons, whose invention of the steam turbine in the 1880s revolutionised not only the propulsion of ships but also the efficiency of electricity generation. Rachel was on board Charles Parsons’ ship, the Turbinia (now housed in Newcastle’s Discovery Museum) when it set the record for the world’s fastest ship in 1897. Charles Parsons encouraged his daughter’s interest in engineering and she was further influenced by the legacy of a grandmother, Mary Rosse, who had herself been an astronomer and engineer, as well as a pioneer of early photography, and her mother, Katharine Parsons, who was a leading campaigner in the north of England for women’s rights. From both sides of her family Rachel inherited brilliance, ingenuity, a fearless iconoclasm and an aptitude for science, becoming the first woman to read Mechanical Sciences at Cambridge University in 1910. Parsons studied engineering at Cambridge from 1910 until late 1912

under Professor Bertram Hopkinson. Her course consisted of papers in mathematics, mechanics, strength of materials and theory of structures, heat and heat engines, and electricity and magnetism. Although she consolidated the engineering skills she had absorbed in her father’s workshop and added theoretical knowledge to practical experience, Parsons was barred from becoming a full member of the university, which made her ineligible for a degree. (This situation, which applied to all female students, was not rectified until 1948.) On the outbreak of war in August 1914, Rachel’s brother joined the Royal Field Artillery and she took his place as Director of her Father’s Newcastle based Engineering firm, C.A. Parsons. She was instrumental in instructing the thousands of women in the factories of Tyneside who took the place of fighting men. When a Ministry of Munitions was created under David Lloyd George, she joined the training department and travelled to other parts of Britain, helping to teach factory workers how to do everything from assembling aircraft parts to installing electrical wiring on battleships. Some 800,000 women were recruited into Britain’s engineering works during the war, reflecting a much larger increase of female employees than in any other trade or profession.

Lloyd George, meanwhile, had struck an infamous deal with the engineering trade unions. To persuade them to accept the ‘dilution’ of labour - the entry of unskilled workers of both sexes into jobs traditionally held by skilled men - he agreed that, when the war ended, all women in engineering would be obliged to give up their jobs to men unless they worked for firms that had employed women before the war. This became law in 1919 as the Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act. Rachel was forced to leave her role as Director of C.A. Parsons. Several important victories in female emancipation were achieved during this period. Women were allowed to vote and to stand for Parliament for the first time, and the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act allowed them to enter certain professions, such as medicine and law. But those who wanted to be engineers found doors slammed in their faces. The trade unions were intransigent in their refusal to admit women, making it virtually impossible for them to get jobs in the profession.

Impressed by the talent and skills she had witnessed in the female workforce during the war, Rachel campaigned tirelessly for ‘fair play for women in the industrial world’ and in January 1919, she and her mother, Katharine, established the Women’s Engineering Society, with Rachel as the first president. In the same year she became one of the first three women to be admitted to the Royal Institution of Naval Architects and a year later founded Atlanta Ltd, an all-female engineering company. Rachel Parsons was one of the great unsung heroes of early 20th Century feminism. She stood for Parliament in the 1923 election when there were only two women MPs and for over twenty years she devoted much of her energy to campaigning for women’s employment rights. Her political philosophy was encapsulated in an article of 1919 published in National Review Magazine:

‘Women must organise - this is the only royal road to victory in the industrial world. Women have won their political independence; now is the time for them to achieve their economic freedom too.’ Highly intelligent and fiercely independent, she was a fascinating woman who refused to conform to social convention. With her flame-red hair, often festooned in furs and jewels, she loved fast cars, fast boats and fast horses, the latter leading to her tragic death at Newmarket on the 2nd July 1956 when she was tragically murdered by her former stableman. Her determination to make herself heard and to stand up for the intellectual, innovative, scientific and technical abilities of women paved the way for female engineers today. The plaque in her memory was unveiled on Tuesday 24th October 2023 at 6 Windsor

Terrace, Newcastle, now part of Newcastle University’s halls of residence. Unveiling it was the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Cllr Veronica Dunn, who said: “Rachel Parsons was a remarkable woman.” “In a male dominated profession, she fought for women to follow their dreams and did more than just about any other person to encourage women into engineering. She went on to employ women engineers and fight for fairer employment rights for women. I am proud that she lived in Newcastle for at least part of her life. She attended Central Newcastle High School for Girls and later worked in a prominent role at her father’s Heaton factory. She was a trailblazer in every sense of the word, and I am delighted we are honouring her considerable contribution today.”

ALUMNAE IN THE PRESS Elizabeth Gibson Cheyne 1869-1931, Suffragist, Socialist and Freethinker We are delighted that an Alumna of Gateshead High School, the very first iteration of Newcastle High School for Girls established in 1876, now has an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, with thanks to her biographer Judy Greenway. Poet and writer Elizabeth Gibson (later known as Elizabeth Gibson Cheyne), wrote approximately forty books of prose and poetry between 1899 and 1918. During her lifetime her poems also appeared in publications ranging from mainstream journals to the little magazines of literary modernism, from the radical press to publications by Theosophists, Freemasons, and Ethical Societies. Though her books had limited circulation, they were noticed in The Times Literary Supplement as well as tiny specialist journals. Her poems were quoted by social reformers, set to music, used as alternatives to traditional religious services, and read out at protest meetings. By

the end of the First World War, however, her work was largely forgotten. Elizabeth Gibson was born in 1869 into a large family in Hexham, Northumberland, where she lived for the first forty years of her life. Her father, John Pattison Gibson, was the town chemist, notable also as a photographer and antiquarian. Elizabeth attended Gateshead High School before working as a day-governess and typist. She was also responsible for helping to educate her younger brother Wilfrid Gibson (1878-1962) who was strongly influenced by her and also became a poet. Her relationship with Wilfrid remained one of the most important in her life. She had a turbulent personal life, loving both men and women. In 1899, she became engaged to fellow poet William Henry Phelps, but sometime after 1902, the relationship broke down. In 1910, she suffered a period of suicidal depression. In 1911 she married Thomas Kelly Cheyne (1841-1915) a leading Biblical scholar, and moved to Oxford. As well as a shared commitment to social change, both she and her husband challenged religious

orthodoxies, searching for truth in all religions, interconnections rather than differences. Thomas, while still an ordained Anglican priest, became a member of the Bahá’í faith soon after their marriage, but Elizabeth, though profoundly religious, continued to reject organised religion. Elizabeth called herself a suffragist, a socialist, and a freethinker. She supported the militant suffragette organisation the W.S.P.U. (Women’s Social and Political Union) and was a member of the Women Writers Suffrage League. In 1914, following the outbreak of the First World War, she was one of the signatories of the Open Christmas Letter to the Women of Germany, calling for women internationally to unite for peace. However, some of her later poems indicate that she came to change her views on the war.

After her husband’s death in 1915, she moved to London, where she worked as a volunteer visiting wounded soldiers. She became interested in Spiritualism under the influence of Bishop Basil Wilberforce and founded a group called The Order of the Spirit. She published her last book in 1918. The following year, she enrolled on a Theology course at King’s College London. After a deterioration in her mental health, she was admitted to Bethlem Royal hospital in 1920, subsequently moving to Camberwell House Asylum where she remained a patient until her death in 1931. She is buried in Oxford, with her husband.

Judy Greenway You can read more from Judy at www.judygreenway.org.uk

ALUMNAE REUNIONS The Grand Alumnae Reunion At the beginning of October, we held our Grand Alumnae Reunion at Senior School, welcoming back alumnae and former staff from Church High and Central High. It was a wonderful event catching up with old friends, and we really appreciate the effort from everyone who made the time and journey to come back and visit us. This is a highly anticipated event in our calendar every year, and we are already looking forward to seeing everyone again who can make it on Saturday 5th October 2024.

‘81 ‘We are Sixty’ Judith Clare (Anderson) and Heather Stewart (Connell), Central Newcastle High School Class of 1981, organised a ‘60th Birthday’ celebration at As You Like It on the 30th September. The event was a great success, with thirty Old Girls coming from as far away as South Wales - old friendships renewed and new ones forged.

Cake made by Confetti Cake Company http://www.confetticakecompany.com http://www.facebook.com/66confetticakeco http://www.instagram.com/confetti_cake_company

Central High Class of

Central High Class of ‘81 (above) Last day for Central High Class of ‘81 (left)

Newcastle upon Tyne Church High School Class of 1973: 50 Year Reunion Fifty years is a long time! Twenty of us met up for our reunion in Newcastle in October 2023. Having travelled from Norway, France and all parts of the UK, the overriding feeling was one of how on earth was it possible that we left school so long ago. We had a brilliant day. We started off with a tour of the school, almost unrecognisable since our day. Where once was the Assembly Hall, is now the Sixth Form Common Room, with comfy seating and a welcoming coffee and cake. What was our gym on the ground floor, including changing room, is now a glorious looking library. Sadly though, but understandable since the amalgamation of Church High and Central High to form the new school, gone are the Honours Boards, and all those traditional school year photos taken over the decades which lined the walls of the corridors. Following on, some of us went for lunch on Clayton Road, keeping it local, and reminiscing on what was once there. We saw the house where Butch Cassidy’s mother was born, something one of our group only discovered this summer. A stone’s throw from the school, we wondered why none of us had known this fact

back in the day, when most of us remember, as teenagers, having the iconic poster from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on our bedroom walls!

up to in the intervening fifty years. We have all travelled different paths, but for this evening we were celebrating a time that brought us together in the first place.

We then went for a wander around town, which was an eye opener for those who had not been back to Newcastle for thirty or forty years, it’s changed quite a bit!

To quote one of our group “What a fabulous day - so much warmth, so much laughter … it felt good to be ‘home’.

The main event in the evening was a meal at Blackfriars Banquet Hall in Newcastle. A private room, it meant we could mingle and catch up on what everyone has been

By the end of the night there were promises of “let’s not leave it so long next time”. The WhatsApp group has been buzzing with messages and further updates since.

BACK TO THE SHOPS

The Supermarket, the Department Store – and the Sausage Roll Rachel Bowlby Central Newcastle High School, Class of 1975, University of Oxford,

- no more chats across the counter.

English BA,

you. You have a look and you see what there is. You maybe pick up something unexpected that you didn’t come in to buy. In this way going round the supermarket almost appears as a kind of leisure shopping. Here you can forget that buying the food is a daily chore (not many fridges yet in the 1950s). Instead it’s a pleasurable diversion.

One day in the late 1950s the Journal had a double-page feature about the opening of a new branch of Laws Stores supermarkets in Gateshead. No big deal, you might think. But this was the very early days of supermarkets and selfservice, a strange new way of shopping at the time. In this new kind of shop you didn’t go up to the counter and ask for what you wanted. Instead you walked round the store and picked out the things yourself, putting them into a special basket that you carried around on your arm.

From the present-day perspective of big national supermarket chains, another striking feature of the article is that Laws Stores is strongly presented as a local business. Many of the ads that surround the feature are placed by other local firms eager to demonstrate their connection. At this time - and going as far back as the nineteenth century - there were already national high street chains with hundreds of branches, some still well known names today: Boots, M&S, WH Smith. But small local chains were common too, especially for food retailers.

Yale University, Comparative Literature PhD, Professor of Comparative Literature at UCL

In 1958 a new shop of this type is still novel enough to be worth a story, framed with a nice little human interest detail about the manager. This Mr John Wilkin is ‘a curly-headed young man’ who is ‘smiling’. Why wouldn’t he be? Here he is in his smart new store, and by ‘pure coincidence’, we are told, the opening day is his birthday. What else does the article tell us about the new store? There is clearly a background concern that people may think that self-service is impersonal

The relatable young manager does something to fend off that worry. The staff, he says - ‘there are 12 of us’ - are no longer ‘chained behind a counter’. Put like that, it’s as if they’ve been let out of jail. Now they can move freely about the store and give assistance when and where it is needed. The same picture of liberation applies to the shopper herself. No longer stuck in a queue, she is blessed with the sound of ‘taped background music’ to make her ‘look round the store even more pleasant’. The muzak is one thing - one very new thing at the time. But what’s also notable here is that the customer is having a ‘look round’. In other words, she is neither focused nor fast - and this vagueness in fact is another vital change that self-service brings in. With the old style of shopping you wait your turn and you decide what you want before asking for it. With self-service, there is no one queueing behind

Like almost every region of the UK, Tyneside can boast some nationally familiar retail names that began there before they branched out beyond. Fenwick department store, for instance, had a London branch from its early days at the end of the nineteenth century (and there were and are other branches elsewhere). This satellite ‘Fenwick of Bond Street’ (in fact, New Bond Street) was regularly and wrongly taken to be the original. Now the London store is set to close; but ‘Fenwick Newcastle’ – Fenwick

of Northumberland Street (and Eldon Square) – goes on. And then there is Greggs. How did this local bakery on Gosforth High Street become thousands of little shops, on just about every high street in the country? As with all stories of retail rise and fall, you can only provide a hindsight account, describing the stages of how one company came to succeed across the decades. Going back to the point of origin, the place or the time, you can never really explain that this one rather than that one was bound to be the one. Could anyone have predicted that, in the age of fridge freezers and microwaves, the warm sausage roll bought across the counter would have its long twenty-first century moment - every day and everywhere? Could anyone have predicted that a suburb on the outskirts of Newcastle would be the take-off point for a tiny takeaway revolution? Greggs, it’s been said, marks the north-south division of England post-Brexit - a yeast wall with a Pret baguette on one side and a Greggs sausage

roll on the other. The muchmunched roll-out of the vegan version in 2019 was a brilliant bit of free publicity. These tasters of Tyneside shopping history come out of my book about the history and future of high streets, Back to the Shops. I’d been doing the research for years, but I wrote most of it during the Covid-19 lockdowns three years ago. When I began the book, I knew that I wanted to argue for keeping - and using - local shops, never mind all the rhetoric - whether resigned or otherwise - that seemed to make that a lost cause. What hope for the high street when faced with the onslaught of online shopping? ‘Bricks and mortar’ shops, so called, were surely doomed - doomed not least by that unappealing name, which paints a picture of the windowless shut-down dark holes that so many shops had now become.

Many people lamented the decline of (actual) shops but in practical terms, it was hard to see what could halt it. But then the lockdowns, somehow, did just that. In those suddenly different times people started to value not only the goods that the shops down the road still supplied, but also the walk to a real place to get them and the human interaction once you were there. At the same time, these same local shops started to do home deliveries - and so the link between online shopping and long distance or large business was broken. Why had it ever been made? Until the 1950s home delivery from local shops was normal. After the Covid-19 period an online shopping future no longer looked like the only future. The lockdowns showed us a new way forward by taking us back to the shops.

EVOLUTION OF THE SWIMMING COSTUME

‘A category of garment often worn when participating in aquatic activities and first invented in the mid-1800s.’ With many alumnae regarding the 1950s woollen swimsuit held in the school archives with some degree of horror for those who had to wear them, we take a look at the evolution of swimwear.

From the eighteenth century to the present day, women’s swimwear has undergone an unparalleled transformation giving us an insight into fashion trends, technological advancements in materials and design and an exploration of female liberation.

Central High 1950s knitted swimming costume In classical antiquity, swimming or bathing was carried out in the privacy of your own home or with other women in bathhouses and was done either in the nude or occasionally in a bandeau style top with a pair of briefs (sound familiar?).

Public baths remained popular until the 16th century when widespread disease, particularly syphilis, caused their decline. People feared that diseases were spread not just in the water itself but also that the hot water opened the pores, giving air borne infections easier access to the body. Bathing, particularly in bath houses, fell out of popularity. While people endeavoured to remain clean and fragrant through washing using basins, changing their linen undergarments more frequently and carried small bags containing fragrant herbs – bay leaves and hyssop were commonly rubbed under the armpits for use as deodorant. Despite these endeavours, the lack of bathing, particularly throughout Europe, was noted, even among the nobility. One Russian ambassador to France wrote, “His Majesty [Louis XIV] stunk like a wild animal.” Russians were not so finicky about bathing and tended to bathe regularly even after their European brethren had largely abandoned bath houses. King Louis XIV’s stench is likely attributed to the fact that his physicians advised him to bathe as infrequently as possible to maintain good health. He is said to have only bathed in a bath twice in his lifetime, as was true of Queen Isabella I of Spain who claimed that she had taken a full body bath only twice in her lifetime,

when she was first born and when she got married. Whatever the case, amazingly, these post-medieval attitudes against regular full body bathing lingered in certain pockets of Europe until around the mid-19th century. It wasn’t until the end of the 18th century in Britain that inland spa towns began to attract wealthy visitors and improvements in the railway and other transportation methods made sea bathing an increasingly accessible and desirable recreational activity. Men at this time usually swam naked while women, (allocated a separate part of the beach to avoid ‘moral dangers’) partially immersed themselves decoratively (full immersion was discouraged as unfeminine) in acceptably modest attire consisting of a full length bathing dress with weights sewn into the garment to ensure that the dress did not float up, drawers and stockings. The Victorian era’s adversity to immodesty encouraged the popularity of the bathing machine, these contraptions would be drawn in and out of deeper water by horses. These provided women with a place to change in privacy before making their way directly into the sea and allowed bathing costumes to become less cumbersome although they still featured high-necks, longsleeves and knee-length skirts

with bloomer-like trousers. Novelist Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976) spent her early years on the English Riviera in the coastal town of Torquay, Devon. When Agatha was a young girl, the beaches in Torquay were segregated by sex, an 1899 bylaw stated that ‘no person of the male sex shall at any time bathe within 50 yards of a ladies’ bathing machine’. Men and boys swam at the Gentleman’s Cove where there was no dress code. Men swam in the nude or, as Agatha recalled ‘in their scanty triangles, disporting themselves as they pleased’ while the women and girls were restricted to bathing in pantaloons and frilly dresses, swimming at the small, stony and steeply sloping Ladies’ Bathing Cove. In 1903, when Agatha was 13, the Torquay Council approved mixed bathing on its beaches. Although allowing the sexes to mingle was considered to be a very progressive social move, ironically, it placed an even heavier burden on the women. To properly mix with men on the beach, Victorian standards of modesty dictated that

women had to wear far more clothing than before. It was strictly forbidden for women to let their bare legs show. To caps, dresses, bloomers and shoes they added thick, black stockings. Agatha recalls ‘Three or four vigorous kicks when swimming, and my stockings were dangling a long way beyond my toes; they were either sucked off altogether or else wrapped round my ankles like fetters’. It was however stockings that became the foundation of the modern bathing suit. Annette Kellerman ‘the Australian Mermaid’, record breaking swimmer, vaudeville star, film actress, best-selling author and entrepreneur challenged legal restrictions on bathing suits, stating that pantaloons and skirts prohibited free movement. Kellerman was invited to perform for the British Royal Family in 1905 but was told that her tight-fitting swimming costume, with its bare arms and legs, was unsuitable. Kellerman refused

to appear in the inconvenient and ill-fitting garment that met their modesty standards and instead sewed black stockings onto her swimsuit. Kellerman went on to commercialise this design into her own swimwear line the ‘Annette Kellermans’ and made the first step towards modern swimwear, designed for practical use rather than the preservation of modesty. Women were permitted to complete in the 1912 Olympics for the first time and by 1914 a company called Speedo began to experiment in all-in-one swimming costumes with short sleeve or vest style tops with long legs. The first ‘Miss America’ contest was held in 1921 and beauty pageants of women in bathing costumes, although not respectable, became increasingly popular. During the 1920s and 30s, as sunbathing became fashionable, swimsuits shrank further. Necklines plunged, sleeves disappeared, sides

were cut away and new materials such as latex and nylon meant figure hugging suits with shoulder straps that could be lowered for tanning. In 1932, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli patented a backless swimsuit with built in brassiere for the sole purpose of avoiding tan lines. One of the most significant moments in the history of women’s swimwear was the creation of the bikini in 1946. Credited to two French designers, Jacques Heim who created a minimalist two-piece swimming garment featuring a bra-like top and bottoms which covered the bottom and navel, and Louis Réard, who’s skimpy design, consisted of only four triangles of material that were held together with string. Both designers named their creations after the new atomic bomb and whilst Heim’s garment, the Atome, was the first to be worn on a beach, it was Réard’s creation, the Bikini, whose name stuck named after the Bikini Atoll in the US Marshall Islands where nuclear weapons were first tested.

At first outrageous and shocking, Bridget Bardot’s appearances in the 1952 film Manina, The Girl in the Bikini and the 1956 film And God Created Women brought the bikini into mainstream media, thus beginning the garment’s transition to everyday swim wear until according to Vogue, by the mid-1950s swimwear was seen more as a “state of dress, not undress”. Since 1914, Speedo had continued to research and develop better and better fabrics, first introducing nylon into swimwear for the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and elastane in the 1970s, a combination that significantly improved durability and reduced water drag. The technology improved so much that in 2008 Speedo launched the controversial LZR Racer, a body-length swimsuit made from elastanenylon and polyurethane with hydrodynamic properties. Following their use in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where athletes who wore the LZR performed exceptionally well,

the suits were deemed to give an unfair advantage to the wearer and regulations for swimwear in the Olympic games were revised. It was concluded that the women’s regulation swimwear must not be larger in size that from the shoulders to the knees. How times have changed, and changed again, but thankfully NHSG girls no longer suffer the indignity of a soggy woollen costume!

NHSG STAFF LEAVERS Sadly we said farewell to some members of staff this year. We wish them all the very best. Michael Tippett, Head

We bid Mr Tippett farewell after 28 years’ service to NHSG and Central Newcastle High School throughout which he demonstrated commitment and genuine love for the school. Mr Tippett was appointed as a Classics Teacher at Central High in 1995 after graduating in Classics at Keble College Oxford and a two year period in Greece teaching English to Greek pupils. Four years later in 1999, he became Senior Master with pastoral responsibilities and joined the Senior Management Team. In September 2002 he was appointed as Deputy Head, and then following the merger with Church High was appointed Senior Deputy Head in 2014, before taking up the role of Head of NHSG in September 2018. We thank Mr Tippett for all that he has given to the school, and we wish him every happiness, enjoyment and success in the next stage of his journey.

Lesley Freeman, Junior School Teaching Assistant

Mrs Freeman joined Central Newcastle High School in January 2003, and dedicated just over 20 years in service to the pupils and colleagues at the Junior School. Mrs Freeman was known for being proactive in supporting the needs of the girls; she was always busy but unstinting in her offers of help to colleagues and pupils alike. She supported many Junior School residential trips and is missed by pupils and staff alike as she heads into retirement. We wish her good health and every happiness.

Kathryn Cooper, Junior School Secretary

We bid farewell to Mrs Cooper after 17 years of service. She decided to take a well-deserved retirement from her role. We are immensely grateful for the service Mrs Cooper has given the school in her various roles, and she is hugely missed at Chapman House. She was a favourite with staff, girls and parents alike. We wish her a long and happy retirement.

David Newey, Head of Music

Hanna Reimold, Junior School Teaching Assistant

Olivia Chakraborty, Art Technician

Mr Newey first joined Central High in September 2012. He inspired so many girls to develop their appreciation of and skills in music during his time in school. We will miss his energy and his incredible contribution to the Performing Arts Department, particularly for the annual Senior School musicals. We wish him all the very best in his new endeavours.

Miss Reimold joined the team in December 2021 and has provided invaluable support to girls and staff alike, including accompanying the Lower Key Stage 2 residential trip for the last two years. She has moved, with her daughter, to Germany and goes with our best wishes.

Miss Chakraborty joined the NHSG Art Department in 2021. Olivia will be a huge miss to not only the Art Department but also to all of the girls at NHSG. She has moved to Hull to continue with Higher Education. We wish her all the very best.

NHSG STAFF LEAVERS Mark Allender, History Teacher

Dr David Raymond, Head of Chemistry

Vaughan Gordon, Biology Teacher

Mr Allender retired in the summer after 35 years of dedicated service to Central Newcastle High School, which he joined in 1988, and NHSG. Mr Allender was the Head of History from September 2005 and Subject Leader when NHSG was formed until he stepped down from that role in 2016 continuing as a part-time teacher of History. Mr Allender is a skilled and adaptable teacher who has also taught Classical Civilisation in recent years. He’s an NHSG institution in his own right, as he was at Central High before that, held in high esteem by the pupils he has taught and those who had the benefit of his care and wisdom over the years; he has been calm, measured, hugely passionate about his subjects and totally dedicated to the progress and development of the pupils in his care. Mr Allender is looking forward to a well-deserved retirement and we wish him all the very best as he ends his long career with us.

Dr Raymond joined Newcastle Church High School in 1997 as a teacher of Chemistry. Over his career here he has seen much change and evolution, including the merger with Central High, after which he became Subject Leader and then Head of Department. Dr Raymond’s contributions to the academic achievements of pupils studying Chemistry and Science, at all levels in the School including GCSE and A Level, are greatly appreciated and he has inspired many to pursue Chemistry and related subjects at university and into their careers. As well as running activities such as the Chemistry Book Club, Dr Raymond has also accompanied a very large number of DofE expeditions, which the staff team and countless pupils have really valued. Dr Raymond goes into retirement with our very best wishes.

Mr Gordon came to work at NHSG in November 2014 and has been a great asset to the Biology and Science Departments. As well as teaching Year 6 on their Friday mornings at Senior School and coaching them in hockey, he has accompanied the A Level field trip to Cranedale as well as countless DofE Award expeditions. Mr Gordon is an extremely passionate Biologist and we have been delighted that he has been able to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with our pupils, and colleagues, over the last 8 and a half years. We wish him good health and happiness in his retirement.

Dr Raymond (left), Mark Allender (mid centre), Vaughan Gordon (right)

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Hockey Team 1897

Please circle your answers, and send a picture to alumnae@ncl.gdst.net There are 5 differences to find. Those with all the correct answers will go into a prize draw for a GDST tote bag.

ADVICE FROM A HEAD GIRL Eleanor Francis NHSG Head Girl, 2022-2023

What was the most challenging thing about being Head Girl?

What was your favourite thing about being Head Girl?

I would say that the most challenging part was recognising that although me and the Deputy Head Girls had many ideas and things which we hoped to implement into school life, that the time frame was unfortunately too short for us to do it all. We had to try and squeeze in a lot of ideas into a short period of time and set up the foundations for our ideas to be implemented and carried out after our time as the Head Girl Team.

My favourite thing about being Head Girl was being able to form close bonds and connections to many people I did not know before. For example, it gave me the opportunity to reach out and become a friendly face to those all across the school, including girls in Junior School. It really made me smile when younger girls would recognise me and come up to me for little chats, whether that be inside of school or sometimes outside of school. This was one thing that I loved about NHSG, that it really felt like a family, and I believe that being Head Girl made that even more prevalent and allowed me to try and get all pupils (and staff) involved and feeling the same way.

Did you receive any valuable advice from your predecessor? To remember to have fun and enjoy my time as Head Girl as well as to remember that it is okay to say no. Everyone has different opinions, and you will never be able to please everyone, and don’t get disheartened if someone isn’t happy with a choice you made. You are doing the best you can and that most people are supporting you and proud of what you are doing, and if that means you might have to say no to doing something, asking someone else to do it or even changing what the person is asking to a more reasonable request, then that is okay.

What advice would you give to future Head Girls? That whatever happens and whatever doubts and challenges you face, you were chosen for a reason, you need to remember that. You are amazing and there are other people around you to help you along the way. You need to remember that although you want to do everything, you don’t have the time, you need to delegate and that is okay and is part of being Head Girl. Use your leadership team, Mrs Harrison and others, and remember that you need a rest sometimes, and that is more than okay.

How do you feel that being Head Girl has set you up for life beyond school? Whilst being Head Girl I gained a new understanding of my own confidence and of responsibility and this has really followed me to university. As Head Girl I was put in positions where I would be in a room full of people I did not know and had to introduce myself to them and get to know them. This has really helped when

coming to university and not knowing anyone. I really have had the confidence to meet new people and dive into new opportunities which I wouldn’t have thought I would have the confidence to try. Also, the position of Head Girl helped me learn better time management and gain a sense of responsibility for myself and for others. I understand that if I want to achieve something, I need to motivate myself and be determined to achieve what I want to achieve - which again has become an important skill at university.

Eleanor is now at the University of St Andrews reading Theology.

100 YEARS AGO TODAY The year was 1923...

GIRLS FIRST – TOWARDS 150 YEARS AND BEYOND In 2026 we will be celebrating 150 years of educating girls in Newcastle. During these 150 years we have withstood some extraordinary challenges: War, pandemics, economic depression, strikes, nuclear threat and immense social change have all been met with the adaptability, courage and resilience that have characterised our schools. We are immensely proud of our heritage and the vital part we have played in the emancipation of women. We are proud of the intelligent, fearless young women who grasped the opportunities an education offered them and we are proud to continue to be champions of excellence in all-girl education, empowering girls to be leaders, trailblazers, and world-shapers. We will be installing a permanent heritage exhibition in the school that will serve to remind our school community of our heritage and the changes we have wrought for women. We would be delighted to receive any items you would like to donate to the school archive and if you have any photographs you can share we would be very grateful. Please send any items to: Polly De Giorgi, Newcastle High School for Girls, Tankerville Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4LH or by email to p.degiorgi@ncl.gdst.net

SPORTING SUCCESS WITH PHILLIPA WILLIAMS CENTRAL HIGH ALUMNA, CLASS OF 2012

Phillipa Williams (far right) GB athlete and alumna Phillipa Williams raced in the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in InnsbruckStubai, Austria in June 2023. She was one of the GB runners selected for the women’s Uphill Only (vertical) Race as well as the women’s Up and Down Classic Mountain Race. The Uphill Only Race involved the Senior Teams running 1050m of ascent and 7km in distance. The Up and Down Classic Mountain Race involved running 15.5km with 750m of ascent and descent. The senior women’s team won Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s first medal of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships on the opening day of competition in Innsbruck-Stubai in Austria in the Uphill Only Race. Phillipa finished 23rd in the race, helping the Team to secure a place on the podium. With just two points between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Italy in the team standings, the quartet battled for every position to secure their place on the podium behind Kenya and Germany.

There was more success during the competition, with a World Team Silver Medal for Great Britain and Northern Ireland Senior Women in the Classic Mountain Running race to round-off the championships.

Another of Phillipa’s sporting successes this year was winning the Bath Half Marathon in October, one of the country’s most attended half marathons after the Great North Run.

Phillipa Williams (far left)

Alongside being an international athlete, Phillipa is also a GP. We were extremely pleased and grateful to welcome Phillipa to NHSG in June, as our guest speaker at our annual Sports Celebration Evening. Phillipa’s inspiring words about finding something you love and sticking to it, as well as the message that you are capable of anything that you put your mind to, really struck a chord with the pupils. These are messages that embody what it means to be a pupil or alumna of NHSG and our founding schools, Church High and Central High.

EMPOWERING GIRLS TO BE TRAILBLAZERS AT NHSG Why an All Girl Education Matters. By Amanda Hardie, Acting Head, Newcastle High School for Girls In November, we were delighted to host GDST’s Director of Innovation and Learning, Dr Kevin Stannard who, as the author of multiple research reports, presented and spoke passionately to parents about the positive, life-changing consequences of an all-girl education and particularly an all-girl education in a GDST school such as Newcastle High School for Girls. Naturally, this is something we consistently bang the drum for at NHSG, as we know that being in an all-girl learning environment nurtures confidence, happiness and success. What Kevin was able to relay in his presentation was the indisputable evidence with regards to this and I wanted to use this article to both reflect on and to reiterate some of his most powerful messages. First of all, I think it’s important to remind ourselves about the history of the GDST. In 1872 four radical women, fighting for the right of girls to have an education, not only set up a group of girls’ schools, including ours, they transformed the educational

landscape for girls in an era when it was virtually unheard of for any girls to have a formal education after the age of 11, let alone go to university. Fast forward 150 years and much has changed. Kevin therefore posed the question, “Is there still a place and a role for girls only education in the 21st Century?” Echoing Kevin’s answer to his own question, I passionately believe that not only is there a place for girls only education, but it’s only in schools like ours that we can truly tackle issues relating to gender equality and drive societal change. The simple and sad fact is that gender inequality still exists in the UK in all walks of life - in society, careers, leadership and pay. We read about inequality in our national media almost every day. At NHSG, and in all GDST Schools, we remain as focused on bringing about equal opportunities for girls as our founders were in the 1870s, and what’s more, Kevin shared clear evidence of the significant impact an education at a GDST school is having on girls and young women today. We CAN and DO make a difference.

The astonishing findings from the GDST’s Futures Report 2022 evidence pervasive inequality. Focusing on just some aspects of the overall report, which surveyed 1358 nationally representative children from across the country, Kevin explained that the survey found significant gender differences in confidence. In fact, boys scored much more highly than girls in every single statement made about how they feel about the future. For example, feeling optimistic about getting their desired job, or generally being positive about the future. The vast majority of girls in this survey attended coeducational schools, and the findings reflect the wider societal landscape and the gender gap we know exists. What was fascinating, however, is that when 3000 GDST girls from across the country, including from the two academies within the GDST family, were asked the same questions, the survey showed GDST girls to be more confident, more self-assured, more politically aware, more empowered, better able to pursue their ambitions, and feel unhindered by their

gender, more comfortable taking risks and more willing to embrace flexible careers when compared to girls at other schools. Indeed, GDST girls’ scores were much more closely aligned to the boys, and in some cases scores were better than the boys. Kevin then went on to share further findings from the report, with equally concerning results for boys as well as girls, flagging the inequalities that exist at both Primary and Sixth Form stage. When faced with the statement “I avoid some activities, subjects and hobbies because of my gender”, at the tender age of 9, 37% of girls and 31% of boys agreed with this statement. I find that heartbreaking. It’s telling that only 6% of GDST girls agreed with this statement. The significance of the GDST scores cannot be underestimated.

Is there a place for girls only schools in the 21st century? Too right there is! Does an all-girl education support gender equality? Without a doubt. As Kevin explained in his presentation, when touching on the reasons for the GDST difference, GDST schools are girls’ schools by design. I couldn’t agree more. NHSG is an all-girl school by design. Everything we do is focused on ensuring our girls have every opportunity for future success by building their confidence, encouraging them to take risks, providing them with the space to develop and learn, preventing them from being drowned out in the classroom, and ensuring they know that nothing is off limits in terms of their future career choices. This is how we deliver on our vision to empower girls to be the next generation of leaders and

trailblazers and to understand they have an equal and important role in shaping our world for a better future. Girls need to know that they have a fair and equal chance, they deserve to be in leadership positions, to be paid as much as their male counterparts and to have their voices heard. Once they understand their own potential, and truly believe in it, there’s really no stopping them from being the girl they want to be. And our world will be a better place as a result. If you would like to read the GDST Futures 2022 report, visit the GDST website at: www.gdst.net/education/thegirls-futures-report/

IN MEMORIAM

Since the last newsletter we have been advised of sad news about the following alumnae and staff. Anne Marsh Alumna of Central High 1943-2023

Despite having to move to Darlington just prior to taking her O Levels, the friendships formed at CNHS endured all her life, with regular meet-ups of her cohort taking place from 2002 onwards. After taking A Levels, Anne wished to spread her wings so travelled to Algeria where she looked after the children of the French Ambassador in Algiers. During the Algerian War of Independence from France, she and his family had to secretly escape to Switzerland.

By 1965 Anne was working as a secretary in Cholsey near Anne was born in 1943 at The Hunter Memorial Hospital, The Wallingford. Here she met Jon Marsh and in 1968 he and Anne Green, Wallsend to parents: were married in Jesmond. Anne Muriel, nee Embleton, and and Jon had two daughters, Robert Kellie. During the war, Victoria born in 1971 and Joanna whilst her father was in the born in 1973. By 1977 the Marsh army, Anne and Muriel lived family had moved to Kimpton in with the Embletons in King’s Hertfordshire and when the girls Road. After Anne’s father started school, Anne returned to was de-mobbed, he bought work. Despite having qualified a new house in West Moor, as a French teacher, Anne found Killingworth. As his career at she preferred secretarial work the Midland Bank progressed, to teaching. An avid reader, she this was later followed by a also worked for many years until further move to Jesmond. retirement, in libraries across Anne attained a scholarship and attended Central Newcastle Hertfordshire. Anne’s great loves were books, dancing and High School where she swimming in the sea. flourished. Anne sadly died in 2023 after 58 years with Jon.

Catharine Maya Colton Haines Alumna of Central High 1939-2023

Catharine joined Central Newcastle High School in 1944 before going on to take Library Studies at University College London in 1957. She also studied at the University of Durham, B.S.C. (honours), 1960; the Institute of Education, London, the Open University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Reading, the University of Central Lancashire, and the University of Manchester. A professional writer specialising in scientific research, teaching and librarianship, Catharine’s first employment was a children’s

librarian in Vancouver City Library where she learned the art of storytelling and gained a wide experience of children’s literature. Catharine returned to England and became an inspirational and dedicated teacher of Biology. Under her tutelage, her students participated in the Young Scientists of the Year competition on the BBC and were then invited to the Royal Society’s annual Conversazione - the first time high school students had been invited to such an event. For twenty years between 1963 and 1983, Catharine taught Biology and was Head of Biology at four schools and, for a further 10 years, worked as a supply teacher as well as an assistant examiner for several boards in Biology, Physics, and Natural Economy. She was also a private tutor and a tutor for the Rapid Results College. Catharine then turned her hand to writing, publishing International Women in Science in 2001. a comprehensive biographical guide to the scientific achievements, personal lives, and struggles of women scientists from around the globe. The book presents

the enormous contributions of women outside North America in fields ranging from Aviation to Computer Science to Zoology. It provides fascinating profiles of nearly 400 women scientists, both renowned figures like Florence Nightingale and Marie Curie and women we should know better, like Rosalind Franklin, who, along with James Watson and Francis Crick, uncovered the structure of DNA. A work of unprecedented scope and richness, this book shows how the lives of these remarkable women unfolded and how they made their place in fields, often stubbornly guarded by men, overcoming everything from limited education and professional opportunities, to indifference, ridicule and cultural prejudice, to outright hostility and discrimination. Included are a number of living scientists, many of whom provide insights into their lives and scientific times. She was a member of the Society of Authors, the Chartered Institute of Library Information Professionals, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the Institute of Biology, the British Society for

the History of Science, the Freshwater Biology Association, the Marine Biological Association and Lancashire Authors’ Association.

Cecily Mills (nee Nicholson) Alumna of Central High 1934-2022

Cecily Mills attended Central Newcastle High School from 1945 to 1952. A school Prefect, she also excelled at sport, winning the Senior School Tennis Championship for Plantagenet House in 1950 and the Diving trophy in the 1952 Inter-School Swimming Gala. From her friend Helen Davison: I had known Cecily since we met at Central Newcastle High School in 1945, aged 11.

IN MEMORIAM Our little group included Margaret Carey (McLachlan), Freda Arkless (Wightman) and Eileen Chape (who died on 22nd September 2022). We played tennis, hockey and netball together and went out on trips. Cecily trained as a nurse at Guy’s Hospital, then worked in Nottingham and Leeds, where she became a Health Visitor, which was very demanding. I didn’t see her for several years, then met up with her when she returned to the North East, buying a house in South Shields.

venturing out of the care home grounds – much to the dismay of the care home staff – but Cecily was very self-willed and independent! Cecily loved to help people when she could, and she will be missed by her many friends. She died in hospital on 28th July 2022.

Edna Deirdre Callanan Alumna of Central High 1937-2023

We had some lovely trips out to historic houses, art galleries and her love of classical music took us to Sage, Gateshead and the City Hall, Newcastle. She was also involved with a music group which performed in many places. Unfortunately Cecily had to go into St Cuthbert’s Nursing Home in the West End of Newcastle. She had extremely bad arthritis which immobilised her from above the waist to her feet, so she was unable to move or walk. She had an electric wheelchair which she moved around in, even

On leaving Central High, Edna set out on a career in librarianship. Edna held positions in various libraries. Firstly, she took a post in the library of King’s College in Newcastle University. Following this, she moved to an industrial library, C A Parsons Ltd, Newcastle, then Reference Librarian at Gateshead Public Library and then Deputy Librarian in Tynemouth Public Library. Finally she became Librarian at Ulverston Victoria High School where she enjoyed working with the children for 33 years. Edna passed away on 15th January 2023.

Gillian Featonby (nee Young) Alumna of Central High 1944-2022 Edna joined Central Newcastle High School on a scholarship following excellent 11+ results. Edna was very proud of having been a pupil at the school where she made lasting friends.

Gill attended Central Newcastle High School from 1952 to 1962. She went on to study Agriculture at King’s College Newcastle, graduating with First Class Honors in 1965, the same year she married David Featonby of Featonby’s

Auctioneers in Whitley Bay. Gill acted as Vice Chairman of The Northumberland National Park and County Joint Local Access Forum. She was a ‘very small farmer’ with interests including Parish Councils, equestrian access, fell walking and taking her dog into the countryside. We are extremely grateful to Gillian for remembering Newcastle High School for Girls in her will. Her legacy will help us in our endeavours to offer life changing education to the most exceptional young women of the North East, regardless of financial circumstance.

Jacqui Simpson Staff at NHSG 1956-2023

Jacqui joined Central Newcastle High School as a member of the administrative team in 2008 and was appointed Humanities Faculty Technician at NHSG following the CNHS/NCHS merger in 2014. She moved to the role of Senior School Administrator in 2019 and was a dedicated, conscientious and hard-working member of staff. She touched the lives of the whole School community in her many roles - providing support with lesson resources, event and travel arrangements, as Bus Chaperone for our Durham service, assisting at Seahorse Holiday Club at Junior School as well as supervising Senior School pupils on numerous school trips over the years. Outside of work, Jacqui was a keen thespian and a member of the Newcastle Musical Theatre Company. She was heavily involved in their annual performances at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle and loved to serenade her colleagues with whatever song she was rehearsing. Jacqui will be greatly missed by her wide circle of friends. She will be remembered for her cheekiness, great sense of

humour, and for the kindness and concern she showed to those closest to her.

Shirley Haggie (nee Mawer) Alumna of Central High 1928-2022

Shirley attended Central Newcastle High School from 1933 to 1945. She was Captain of Lion House, Hockey and Rounders and served as Deputy Head Girl before leaving school to study Dental Surgery at Durham University’s King’s College in Newcastle. Shirley passed away peacefully on September 19th 2022, aged 94 years. She was a beloved wife of the late Bill Haggie, mother to Jane, Knox and David, grandmother and great grandmother. She will be very greatly missed.

AN INTERVIEW WITH LYZA

As war broke out between Ukraine and Russia, we welcomed five Ukrainian refugee pupils into the NHSG community in 2022. Their places are fully funded by the GDST, and as part of our pastoral framework, all pupils have access to counselling and EAL (English as an Additional Language) support. We interviewed Lyza, now in Year 10 at NHSG, about her experiences so far.

Where are you from? Originally, I’m from Kyiv, Ukraine.

When did you arrive in the UK? I arrived in the UK on 13th of April 2022.

How long have you been at NHSG? I joined NHSG in the Summer Term 2022, therefore I’m a pupil of this school for one full academic year and two terms.

What do you think of the school so far? Comparing the experience in different schools I have had so far, I am confident enough to say that I enjoy being at NHSG the most. In my opinion, this school is a brilliant place not just to learn a variety of different things you are personally interested in, but also to develop skills that you already have.

What do you like most about the school? The support provided by the members of staff and pupils

massively helps me to build my own character. As well as this, personally, I find the variety of contrasting cocurricular activities that you can do at NHSG absolutely outstanding and very useful, as they help to explore the world around you without even leaving the school. For example, I am very passionate about the Humanities subjects, Languages and Music, so during my lunch time, almost every day, I do a club – it may be on Ancient Greek, Classics Society or a Music lesson (clarinet). Also, I find the extra English lessons for Ukrainian girls with Mr Franks extremely beneficial, especially in the way they develop my understanding, speaking and writing in English as it’s not my first language.

What was the most difficult thing about changing schools to NHSG? For me, one of the main difficulties was the cultural difference. Before I came to the UK, I didn’t have much knowledge about the traditions and beliefs of other cultures, because Ukraine is not a multicultural country. However, NHSG does a lot of diversity talks and presentations that

really help me to get to know those cultures better. The other most difficult thing for me was the language since I’m not an English native speaker, it was quite challenging in the beginning to perform my best in the lessons.

What is most different between NHSG and your former school? Besides the language and cultural differences, my former schools weren’t so developed in regard to the use of technology in teaching and learning.

What has made you feel most at home at NHSG? The pleasant atmosphere in school, where everyone is welcome and valued, as well as a deep understanding of my personal situation by the teachers and their honest human attitude toward me.

PUPILS EXCEL WITH BURSARY SUPPORT

We are delighted that two of our pupils in Year 12, Ecko Wei and Barakah Khairdeen have each been awarded a highly prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship for 2023. The Arkwright Scholarship programme is the most esteemed scholarship of its type in the UK, designed to inspire pupils to pursue their dreams and change the world as an outstanding engineer of the future. All applicants undertake a rigorous application process, consisting of an application form, evidence of a problem-solving project, a written aptitude exam and an interview with a panel of judges from areas of engineering. As a result of the Arkwright Scholarship, Ecko and Barakah will each be awarded £600 per year to be spent on their studies at school and at University. They will also receive mentoring and guidance from a sponsor with links to professional engineering to help them reach their aspirations of becoming an engineer. Ecko’s sponsor is the ‘Harper Adams University’ and Barakah’s sponsor is the ‘Maurice Hatter Foundation’. Arkwright Scholars also have access to a wide variety of support including valuable hands-on work experience and support for curriculum projects. They have both done extremely well in achieving the Arkwright scholarships in a highly competitive field and we are

very proud of their success. We look forward to seeing them progress and develop through the mentorship and can’t wait to see the contributions they make as successful engineers in the future. Ecko (E) and Barakah (B) are also both NHSG Bursary recipients. We asked them about their school experience so far.

When did you join NHSG? E: I joined in Year 7. B: I joined NHSG in Year 7

and I’m currently in Year 12. I’ve been at this school for the entirety of my Senior School life and I have absolutely loved it.

What do you enjoy most about school? E: I really enjoy all the

opportunities I’ve had to volunteer and help out, it’s really fun.

B: I enjoy all of the

opportunities provided to me, whether it is academic, social or volunteering based. There are so many co-curricular activities which enable me to broaden my knowledge and gain new perspectives. Also, the pastoral support here is great: whenever anyone has a problem all members of the NHSG community are ready to step in and help. I think the addition of The Pastoral Hub was a great decision

and it helps provide support when pupils require it and destigmatises mental health which is a staple in NHSG. Another thing I enjoy is how diverse and inclusive NHSG is: we celebrate festivals from a lot of cultures such as Diwali and Eid. As a Muslim, it is so nice to see the representation of my faith presented to the whole school so everyone can enjoy it.

What do you think you have done differently because you are at school at NHSG rather than anywhere else? E: I feel like I wouldn’t be

active in many school activities if I went anywhere else. There’s just something about the way they present options here that makes you want to get involved. I’m always looking for something to do.

B: I think this school has given me so much confidence as the Year Groups are so much smaller than other schools, so I was able to get to know everyone: each Year Group forms a community. If I was in another school, I think I would have felt quite disconnected to other people as I’m quite a quiet and shy person, but this school allows me to come out of my shell. I think I have been able to reach my academic potential in this school because of the quality of teaching here and the support of the staff. I have

been challenged and pushed to do better every time and I’m really thankful of that as it has allowed me to grow my knowledge and solve things from a different perspective.

What opportunities are you offered here that you wouldn’t have had elsewhere? B: This school offers so

much: clubs, volunteering, competitions and more and I have thankfully been able to take part in quite a few things. For example, I was able to go to NASA Space Camp in October 2021 where I met a lot of really interesting people. It was a very select event, so if I wasn’t in this school, I doubt I would have had the opportunity to go.

What do you find most challenging about school? E: I think remembering content

for subjects is something I find quite challenging at times but with practice and time hopefully I’m able to improve.

I was also awarded the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship after a rigorous process: it consisted of a seven part application, an aptitude exam and a high-pressure interview, but luckily I was able to get the scholarship.

What has been your greatest achievement at school so far?

Do you play any sports or instruments or have any hobbies?

E: The Arkwright Scholarship

E: I play badminton and I

for sure, I wouldn’t have even known about such an amazing opportunity if it wasn’t for the School’s connections.

B: Due to the multitude of

opportunities this school provides, I have been able to achieve so much. I was awarded the NHSG Scholar Award in Year 7 and then in Year 12 which I am really proud of.

really enjoy playing the drums. I absolutely love it. I also love music in general.

B: I love to draw, paint and

create, so I took Art GCSE which enabled me to express myself freely. Even after my GCSE was finished I was still able to show the Art teachers my creations and receive feedback and recognition from them. For example I showed my crocheted cardigan to my teacher and she loved it.

What are your fellow pupils like? Are they competitive, supportive, do they inspire you to do better? E: They are very supportive,

kind, and all-round great individuals; they make me want to be a better person.

B: Since each year is relatively

small, I am able to get to know all of my peers personally and create different friendships with each. I’d say everyone is supportive, kind and caring towards one another and we all have a natural chemistry with everyone else which makes my year feel almost familial. I feel like I am pushed to do better and reach my potential by my peers.

What would you say to potential donors who might be willing to fund bursaries for other girls? E: If it weren’t for those who

funded mine, I wouldn’t have been able to do half the things I’ve managed to do here and it’s been surreal. I think girls on bursaries really benefit from them, they get to do great things here and go on to do the incredible in the future.

B: I would say that you are

making a direct difference to someone’s life. Without a bursary I would be a completely different person living a completely different life, most likely for the worse. Thanks to generous donors, I am able to live up to my potential and potentially in the future make

a difference to the world. I really don’t know what I would be doing if I wasn’t in this school and that was only made possible due to my bursary. I am genuinely so grateful for these opportunities as they come around once in a lifetime and I am so thankful as my bursary has made me who I am today.

What do you want to study when you leave NHSG and what career path would you like to take? E: I would love a career

in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, anything in that field would be awesome.

B: I am taking Physics, Maths

and Psychology for A Level so that opens quite a lot of doors for me, so I’m unsure of what exactly I want to do in the future. I am leaning towards engineering as I was awarded the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship and I will receive mentoring and work experience which I am excited for. Another path I could go down is Psychology which could lead into Forensic Psychology. I am really interested in the criminal justice system and criminal behaviour, and I think the job is so varied and interesting. I’m doing my EPQ on criminal investigations and what tactics they use and the psychology behind it.

How has the School impacted your education? Has your experience here at NHSG changed the way you view the world or what you want to study? E: It has definitely made

me see that there’s always something to learn, whether that’s learning from your mistakes or achievements. It’s made me have a more positive outlook on things in general too. And it’s increased my already big passion for STEM.

We also spoke to Jess Spearman, Class of 2022, who received a bursary when she joined NHSG in Year 7: Being unable to ride a bike, I was worried about how prepared I would be for life in Cambridge. Being at a Hill College, I knew everyone else would be cycling to lectures, to the supermarket, and probably the pub. Then the imposter syndrome kicked in, was I in the right place? Would I be out of my intellectual depth? Would men interrupt me in supervisions? I soon realised, once I arrived, that I needn’t worry about these things. My time at NHSG made me confident in my ability to do things and have faith in my academic achievements. The all-girl environment I enjoyed at NHSG meant that I did not shy away from speaking in my first supervisions when it came to it.

As a second-year History student at the University of Cambridge, I’ve had over a year to reflect on my time there, and all of the things I have achieved, both academically and socially. From Year 7, I was a keen debater, competing up and down the country, and this did not change when I got to Cambridge. I was placed in the advanced debating stream at the Cambridge Union, based on my previous experience, where I’ve had the opportunity to judge the various competitions I competed in myself. I also took part in a ‘Thursday Night Debate’, in a packed chamber, where I used my knowledge of A Level Religious Studies to win the debate of ‘This House Believes in a Loving God’ on side opposition. The information you learn at NHSG is important in ways you cannot imagine in a classroom.

Currently, I’m part of ten different committees in Cambridge: President of FemSoc, Women’s Officer at Medwards, Events Officer at the History Society, a writer for the Tab, Guest Liaison at the Cambridge Union, Equalities and Social Events Subcommittees, Winter Ball Committee, Freshers’ Rep, and Socials Officer at Taylor Swift Society (very serious stuff happening here). My time at NHSG prepared me for all of these committees: at NHSG, I ran the FemSoc and History Society, as well as being a House Captain and part of the leadership team. These shaped my interests in feminism, history, and being part of a team, achieving real changes. Academically, my EPQ in Sixth Form prepared me for a life of bibliographies and referencing, making me more competent when it came to my weekly referenced essays. This project made me familiar with more academic reading, which is essential for the 15 weekly readings. NHSG nurtured my academic interests, especially

my history teachers in Sixth Form, who gave me a plethora of extra readings to do, both for my personal statement and my own interest. They introduced me to historiography, which became increasingly important in my degree. Many of these extra readings influenced my choice of papers in first year, including the English Civil War, and the French Revolution. NHSG encouraged me to speak in classrooms, to contribute meaningfully to discussions, and this has definitely helped in my supervisions, which are often 1-1 with a leading academic. Cambridge has definitely changed my life, and I don’t think I have ever been happier! However, if I didn’t have the NHSG experience to prepare me, I think my time at Cambridge would have been different. Having been encouraged to take part in societies, and to nurture my own academic interests at NHSG, I have kept this attitude with me at Cambridge, which is helping me flourish every day that I’m there.

THE ADAMSON FAMILY’S LEGACY LIVES ON

The Adamson family made a very generous donation to bursaries at NHSG which has impacted the lives of many girls. Now, NHSG has recognised their support by naming our iconic copper building the ‘Adamson Building’. The Adamson family’s connection to NHSG started in 1895 when Mrs Selena Young, a champion of female education, enrolled her daughter, Florence, in Central Newcastle Preparatory School. Florence (Florrie) was greatly influenced by the School’s Headmistress, Miss Moberley. A woman of strong character, the ethos of the School was built around her belief in friendship, loyalty, integrity, tolerance and generosity. Florrie Young became one of the School’s very first Head Girls and maintained a strong interest in its welfare as Head of the Old Girls’ Guild. Florrie enrolled both her children at the Central High Kindergarten, Fred until he was six and the school became single sex, and Yvonne until her graduation from Sixth Form, following in her Mother’s footsteps when she became Head Girl in 1934. The Adamsons were a close knit, happy family who shared their time between their family home in Jesmond and their cottage near Alston. Yvonne Adamson graduated from Oxford University with an honours degree in French and German in 1938, the same year that Fred Adamson took his place at Brasenose College, Oxford.

On 3rd September 1939 the outbreak of War was declared and Fred was conscripted into the 50th Northumberland Regiment, trained and posted to Africa. Captured at El Alamein in 1942, Fred spent over three years as a POW. In our school archives, we have a collection of Fred’s letters home during the War. They tell a sad story of his struggles in conditions of cold, constant hunger, loneliness and unimaginable mental pain. Fred’s gratitude for letters, photographs and parcels sent from home and his deep longing for his family and his Northumberland home are clear on every page and postcard he wrote. Fred, a much reduced man in both mind and body was finally liberated by the 30th American Division of the US Army at 0921 Hours on the 12th April 1945. He returned to his beloved family cottage near Alston and slowly recovered. By the end of the war Yvonne Adamson had established herself as a freelance journalist and was working for the BBC in Newcastle. Yvonne became a highly respected script writer and producer.

The War and the aftermath affected Fred and Yvonne Adamson deeply. They went on to leave a legacy - a large amount of money to the school they loved. The school that is now NHSG. It was made because they believed that the education we offer holds at its heart values they believed in, those of friendship, loyalty, generosity and integrity and because we teach our girls the importance of communication, to understand and respect other cultures and that this will bring a more peaceful future for all people. Their legacy to our School was made in 2004 to support bursaries for intelligent, determined girls to receive an education they believed would help make the world a better place. Their gift has thus far supported 28 girls. There are five girls attending NHSG today supported by Fred and Yvonne Adamson’s legacy to the School. As the ethos of friendship, loyalty, generosity and integrity remains part of the School, so does the friendship and support of the Adamson family as their legacy will continue to fund bursaries here at NHSG and well into the future.

It was therefore fitting that during the November, in the week which culminates with Remembrance Sunday, a time when we reflect on the sacrifice made by servicemen and women across the world fighting to defend our liberty and our values, that we remembered the sacrifice made by Fred Adamson and the impact that the war had on

both him and on his sister, that we celebrated the generous gift Yvonne and Fred Adamson gave our School. As a mark of our gratitude, and to commemorate their generosity, we announced the naming of part of Senior School as the Adamson Building.

We hope that when pupils and visitors start to use the building, they will remember the personal sacrifice of Yvonne and Fred Adamson and will think of the values that they stood for, and that we stand for today. It is an honour for us to remember them in this way.

Yvonne (second from the left), Florrie (second from the right) and Fred Adamson (far right)

TOWARDS 150 AND BEYOND

We first opened our doors to girls in 1876 and we have been opening doors for girls ever since. We have always made the education of girls our priority and our bursaries have made this education accessible to girls from all walks of life for nearly 150 years. Bursaries are embedded in our history, and we are, as we always have been, committed to the advancement of women’s rights and equality through education. Since 2014 we have awarded 210 bursary places and fulfilled our mission to offer primarily 100% bursaries, ensuring that we are opening our doors to girls for whom these bursaries offer a life changing opportunity.

GATESHEAD HIGH SCHOOL, EST. 1876 (above) Bursaries do transform lives and can have a lasting impact on social mobility and outcomes. We offer an education founded on excellence, integrity, opportunity, individuality, family and community which makes a brighter future for everyone. From donations of tadpoles and guinea pigs, sold for shillings and pence, to an extraordinary legacy of £800,000, it is the generosity, foresight and understanding of our school community that makes this possible. As we approach our 150th Anniversary, we would like to appeal to our Alumnae and Friends of the School to work with us to secure our bursary programme into the future and continue to build on our founding principle to advance the fortunes of the young women of the North East.

If you would like to know more about Legacy Giving and for further information on our bursary programme, please scan the black QR code below to access our Legacies Publication.

If you would like to make a donation to our bursary programme, please scan the teal QR code below to access our Donations page. Any amount makes a difference.

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