Alumnae newsletter 2022/2023

Dr Ellie Cannon GDST Alumna of the Year 2022

Dear Alumnae,

We start this edition with excellent news! You will remember that NHSG alumnae regularly appear on the GDST Alumna of the Year shortlist, and that Anna Appleby flew the flag for Newcastle when she won the GDST Trailblazer of the Year in 2018. I am absolutely thrilled therefore to report that Dr Ellie Cannon has been awarded GDST Alumna of the Year 2022. Her work and contribution to public health is outstanding and you can read more about her on pages 6-9.

I am also very pleased that we were able to host, here at NHSG, our first in-person reunion since 2019, and to bring all our alumnae groups together for the first time. The Grand Reunion was held in October and proved a great success. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in October 2023. We are still including our popular online reunions in our schedule, and you’ll find details in this newsletter on how to book for the next online event on 10th February.

This year’s alumnae newsletter is packed full of interesting articles, from Glorious Food to Inspiring Engineers and a World Champion no less! My thanks go to the contributors; we are really very fortunate to have such a rich source of content through our amazing alumnae. In addition, my thanks to Polly De Giorgi and Isobel Care who have done all the hard work in creating this wonderful edition.

I hope it entertains and warms your hearts during these winter months.

With my very best wishes for Christmas and 2023, Janice Graves Director of Marketing, NHSG

Dear A

My reflections for this year’s edition of the Alumnae Newsletter are very different to those of this time last year.

In the Autumn Term of 2021 school life was still being profoundly affected by the impact of Covid-19, causing the illness and absence of staff and pupils and imposing restrictions on what we could do, and in particular on how we could come together for large events.

As I write in December 2022, the picture, thankfully is of a school that has returned, in the main, to pre-pandemic norms.

As 2022 progressed we were able to reinstate our usual patten of activities, including the Senior School’s production of ‘High School Musical’ at the Northern Stage early in the year. The Summer Term of 2022 brought the biggest change with far more events being held in school and our doors open once again to parents, for example as we said farewell to Year 13 whose latter years of Senior School education had been significantly affected by the pandemic. In June, the Senior School Hall also hosted our first ever Junior School musical, a stunning and heartwarming rendition of ‘Wizard of Oz’ which left audiences in awe of the abilities and burgeoning confidence of girls in Years 4 to 6. And we rounded off the academic year with an impressive Sports Celebration Evening, entirely led by our Sixth Form pupils.

This was a theme we continued as we launched headlong into our first ‘normal’ Autumn Term since 2019, with the Head Girl Team acting as the masters of ceremonies at our revamped Prizegiving at the Sage Gateshead.

lumnae,

For that event we had taken the hiatus caused by Covid as an opportunity to reshape the event to align it more with our friendly and forward-thinking ethos and ensure more pupils were involved in performances on the stage; we found the time to do this by stripping away all the lengthy speeches of its previous incarnations meaning that the focus of the event was entirely on the pupils –prizewinners and performers. Although this felt like a risky strategy in the run-up to the event, and led to more complex rehearsals on the day than we had been used to, all the feedback received after the event from staff, parents, and especially the pupils, was hugely positive and we now have a new model on which to build in future years.

The rest of the Autumn Term has also been characterised by the rejuvenation of events and activities we had to curtail or adapt hugely over the last three years and the feeling of positivity (not of the Covid variety) and optimism has been palpable. I was delighted to meet so many of you on one of these relaunched events – our Grand Alumnae Reunion on 1st October – and to welcome you back into the school which is proud to be the ‘home’ of all the alumnae of Central High, Church High and Newcastle High.

I look forward to catching up with you at future alumnae events in 2023 and beyond. In the meantime, do enjoy this selection of news and informative and entertaining pages which this edition of the Alumnae Newsletter contains.

With best wishes, Mr M. Tippett Head, NHSG

Dr Ellie Cannon

GDST Alumna of the Year 2022

INTERVIEW WITH DR ELLIE CANNONGDST ALUMNA OF THE YEAR

Every year the GDST recognises the impact and achievements of its alumnae through its Alumna of the Year competition.

All members of the GDST school community have the opportunity to nominate an alumna for the award, from which a shortlist is announced. This year there were 13 finalists for the GDST wide community to vote for, and the winner was announced at the Trust’s 150th Celebration Evening at the Science Museum, London in November. We are delighted therefore that it was a Newcastle alumna who collected this award, Dr Ellie Cannon. Thank you to everyone who cast their vote!

Dr Cannon, commenting on the award, said: “It’s such an honour to be recognised by the GDST and to be able to celebrate

the all-girls education I enjoyed in the North East.”

Dr Cannon is being recognised for her continued and significant contribution to public health, including her advocacy work. We chat to her to find out more about how her education shaped her future.

A familiar face on TV and in the media, Dr Ellie Cannon is a hugely successful GP, health campaigner and columnist –and a former pupil of Central Newcastle High School. Not only is she the on-screen GP for ITV This Morning, she also writes a medical column in the Mail on Sunday and is a regular voice on BBC Breakfast, Sky News and BBC Radio. So, what inspired this illustrious career?

“My education at Central Newcastle High was profound.” Ellie told us. “It was a really strong education that went far beyond just passing exams and picking up qualifications. We were always encouraged to go further - through voluntary work or entering national science competitions or taking

part in debating. I feel that my education was really quite broad and that’s something to be celebrated.”

After finishing her A Levels, Ellie was accepted into Cambridge University, where she acknowledges that her exam results played a significant role – but feels that extra-curricular activity also helped her stand out. She said: “I wasn’t somebody who had a traditionally rounded CV as a teenager. I didn’t particularly do music to any high level, and I wasn’t into sport. But being encouraged to take part in various science competitions at school – as well as the debating activities in Sixth Form – really helped me to prepare and added something extra to my CV when it came to applying for a place at Cambridge.”

Ellie comes from a family of medics, however, she noted that many of her Central peers went on to do medicine at university, something she believes is outstanding. She said: “There’s no doubt that my experience in Senior School absolutely blew open the world of science to me, both as an educational discipline, but also in the wider context. The teaching staff certainly knew what they

were doing, and having the opportunity to take part in national science competitions was a real highlight. We took part in, and made the finals of, two of the Science Olympiads, and we actually won the British Association of Science’s national competition. As my children will tell you - because I’m always talking about it to this day - I’m still incredibly proud of that. It was also nice to be part of a team, because, as I mentioned, music and sports weren’t really my thing, so having the opportunity to work together as a group on these competitions really filled that gap for me.”

Outside of academic study, Ellie has many fond memories of extra-curricular activities during her time at school. She said: “I went on two French exchange trips with school and a skiing trip, but we also spent a lot of time exploring the North East, which of course was my home when I was growing up. I remember there were many outings to Hadrian’s Wall, which I loved. I think if you grow up in the North East it stays very much in your heart, and I’m so glad we got to spend time exploring the area closer to home in addition to those overseas trips.”

In being named GDST Alumna of the Year, Ellie is being recognised for her continued and significant contribution to public health, including her advocacy work during the pandemic – a collaboration with the Cabinet Office, Department of Health, and NHS England.

She has been praised for speaking openly about her own health struggles in a bid to de-stigmatise mental illness, and has shared a stage with Prince William discussing trauma. She is also an acclaimed published author and, in 2019, was voted by UK GPs as the 15th most influential GP in the UK. She volunteers her time and expertise to several lesser known charities, supporting causes including pancreatic cancer awareness, BAME girls’ menstrual dignity and the UK Women in Gambling prevention campaign.

Ellie added: “I very much feel defined by my school years, and it has probably affected many decisions I’ve made for my own kids too. It was a hugely positive experience for me. It really is such an honour to be recognised by the GDST and to be able to celebrate the all-girls education I enjoyed. I think one of the reasons I was keen to work so holistically in medicine –stepping beyond the realms of GP practice and into advocacy and public health – was due to my education as well as the influence of my family and peers growing up.

“School definitely broadened my horizons in terms of what a role in medicine might entail. It was a profound learning experience and one that I cherish to this day.”

Many congratulations Ellie!

Quick-fire questions with Dr Ellie Cannon:

How old were you when you first arrived at Central?

I was six, starting in Year 1 (so I was young for my year), and I remember my teacher was Mrs Thomas. I also remember that I started on the same day as my best friend to this day, Julia.

Favourite teacher?

Easily, Dr Coapes, the chemistry teacher and my form teacher from Year 7. I felt like she saw my interest from early on, even before I did, and encouraged me to run with it.

Favourite subject?

I loved all the sciences – but if I had to pick one, I’d say Chemistry.

If you had your time over, what would you do differently?

I think rather than playing the piano, as I did, I think I would have asked my parents if I could learn a different instrument that would involve playing in an orchestra – to get more of that team spirit that I loved so much.

What advice would you give pupils at NHSG now?

Go with your gut – trust your instincts.

NHSG SCHOOL NEWS

Here we document just some of the news highlights of 2022.

The Three Peaks Challenge gets underway at NHSG

Year 12 pupils at NHSG have decided to make their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award a little more adventurous this year, and so have set a challenge to raise money for Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF), our school charity this year.

The NHSG Gold expeditions are always based in the mountainous areas of the Lake District and the High Pennines with girls historically summiting Helvellyn and Skiddaw for the qualifying expedition.

Taking it that next step further this year, the Gold practice and qualifying expeditions will form part of the ‘Three Peaks challenge’ i.e. climbing Scafell Pike, Snowdon, and Ben Nevis (the three highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland) over the whole year.

The first of the three peaks is already in the bag after the team successfully climbed Scafell Pike (978m, a 7 mile walk), on Saturday 12th November.

The girls intend to travel to Wales and scale the Snowdon peak for their Gold Practice Expedition in April 2023 and to Scotland and summit Ben Nevis as part of their Gold Qualifying Expeditions in June 2023.

We are very grateful for any donations to support these girls on their expeditions while also providing valuable funds for this wonderful charity. If you would like to, please donate here:

We’re all in this together!

The talented Performing Arts pupils of Newcastle High were thrilled to return to the bright lights of the big stage for four staggering shows of ‘High School Musical’ on Thursday 3rd February - Saturday 5th February 2022. ‘High School Musical’ (HSM) at Newcastle’s Northern Stage was NHSG’s first major production since ‘Grease’ which took place in early January 2020 at school, just before Covid struck. Time away from Musicals made our school community appreciate it all the more and ‘High School Musical’, with it’s fast paced, feel-good energy, proved to be the perfect choice to get the audience back in the spirit of live entertainment.

The story follows two high school students, Troy Bolton, captain of East High School’s basketball team, nicknamed the Wildcats, and Gabriella Montez, a shy top student. Both of them try out for the lead roles in their school’s musical (and quickly fall in love in the process) despite the lack of support from the rest of their classmates, one of them being Sharpay Evans and her brother, sidekick Ryan Evans.

Over 75 pupils from different Year Groups in Senior School worked together to produce the spectacular show resulting in two equally brilliant casts: Team Tiger and Team Lion. Families and friends flooded to the Northern Stage for the four performances in Northern Stage’s main 450 seat auditorium and had the pleasure of watching the pupils sing and dance to their heart’s content...Something that Zoom could never recreate!

Mrs Dobson, Head of Drama and Director of the musical, had her reservations about this Disney-based musical comedy until she remembered just how catchy the uplifting numbers were and the power they have in bringing everyone together. “On the surface it may seem like an easy, cheesy little show but this has been one of our most challenging musicals to date! Not a day goes by when one of us isn’t singing as we walk down the corridor.

It may not be Ibsen, but it is a tale about friendship and being true to yourself. What’s so bad about that?”

We look forward to NHSG’s next musical production of Les Misérables on February 2nd, 3rd and 4th 2023 with great anticipation.

Junior pupils stun audience with their outstanding production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’

In June 2022, there was an excited buzz in the air. With the Junior School’s very first musical production, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, being aired on 9th and 10th June.

After three intensive days of rehearsing with Mrs Robson, Mrs Dobson and Mr Newey, as well as working with a professional technical team, the show was ready. The girls performed in front of a packed house of parents and friends. The production featured two casts of Year 6 in the speaking roles, with Year 5 as the Ensemble and Year 4 as the Choir.

As everyone gathered at Senior School for the performances, the audience of parents, family, friends and staff added further to the sense of excitement on both evenings. It was apparent by their reaction to the performances that the Junior School pupils had enraptured them with the outstanding quality of their acting and singing as well as their energy. Congratulations to everyone involved. It’s safe to say that Years 4-6 will be back on the Senior School stage in Summer 2023.

Celebrations for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

On Friday 27th June, the last day of the first half of the Summer Term, we held our School Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Staff and pupils wore red, white and blue in the spirit of Great Britain, and enjoyed an afternoon of picnic-style lunch, games and ice-cream.

As part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, we planted two commemorative trees (one at Senior School and one at Junior School). We also buried a time capsule with each tree! Pupils took part in a competition where Year Groups were assigned a decade of the Queen’s reign, and they produced entries for the time capsule. The winning entries were placed into the time capsules. The plan is to dig these up in 100 years time!

By land, sea and air for Senior School STEM Club

With no challenge too big for NHSG pupils, girls who attend the NHSG’s weekly STEM Club had their creative engineering skills put to the test as they explored means of travel by land, sea and air (and space). We have loved seeing STEM Club grow in popularity this year. The first engineering challenge was to design the best paper boat, next up was to create rockets and launch them to see whose travelled furthest. Then the girls designed and made their own cars and raced them to determine whose compressed air-powered car could cover the greatest distance. The winner was Martha, whose car travelled the furthest along the science corridor – which is quite someway considering we have a lot of Science Labs!

What goes up, must come down (or so the saying goes), so the girls also designed and made their own parachutes. Each parachute gently

cradled a mini-muffin and was launched from the balcony and down into the School’s Main Hall. The girls did a great job of ensuring that the mini-muffins fell gracefully to the floor with the help of their excellently engineered parachutes! Challenging, memorable and great fun.

upward trajectory of academic attainment at GCSE and A Level in 2020 and 2021.

In the Summer of 2022, further excellent results have been reported. At A Level we saw approximately a quarter of grades (24%) at the highest possible grade of A*, and over half (51%) were at the top grades of A - A*, while 73% of grades were at A* - B. Pupils have consequently had their places confirmed at universities including Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, UCL and Central St Martins and are studying a wide range of courses from history and politics to medicine and dentistry as well as art and dance.

For GCSE, we were also delighted to report that 20 of our pupils received all grades 9 - 7 and 65% of all grades were at the highest grades 9 - 7, with just under a quarter of grades (44%) at the equivalent of an A* - ie Grades 9 - 8. Overall, 86% of GCSE grades were awarded at grades 9 - 6 and the girls’ impressive achievements at GCSE have provided them with an excellent foundation for their studies in Sixth Form at NHSG.

The return of Prizegiving

Exemplary record on examination results

Our public examination results have been consistently impressive year on year reflecting our aim to continually improve upon the academic attainment of our pupils. In our last published GCSE and A Level results in 2019 (pre-pandemic), we reported a significant increase in top grades at both GCSE and A Level. This was one of the reasons we were awarded the prestigious Sunday Times North East Independent School of the Year Award in 2020. Since that time, we have continued on an

On Tuesday 13th September, we enjoyed a superb Prizegiving event at the Sage Gateshead. After our last Prizegiving event in 2019, we have come back this year with a format that really represents the warm and buzzing nature of our NHSG community. With performances from a fashion show, to dance, to music, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We celebrated as girls across the school were awarded prizes for their academic achievements and for other endeavours in 2021-22 including, Duke of Edinburgh, LAMDA awards and many more. We are very much looking forward to the individual successes that this year will bring, and the Prizegiving celebrations that will follow in September next year.

Debating Digest

At the end of the academic year 2021-22, we were delighted to report that NHSG was the top debating school in the North East, after a successful year competing in Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh and Durham.

On Saturday 5th March, our Senior Debating Team won the Cambridge qualifying event (featuring 60 teams) outright, to gain a place at the Finals Day, a mere two weeks later.

On the weekend of 19th March, two girls from the Senior Team continued their run of Finals of the International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD), the Northern Junior Debating Championships (NJDC), and Lancaster at Oxford, having a tremendous day at the Oxford Union coming 20th in an event comprising 100 UK and international top debaters. This was NHSG’s best ever result.

Meanwhile, our youngest debaters (Years 7 and 8) tried out their first ever event, an online ICYD qualifier, run from London (and judged by our very own alumna and ex-debating captain, Liv Urwin).

The following weekend, one half of the Senior Team trumped their Oxford success by winning the Edinburgh Schools’ event (a huge, prestigious competition; Scotland is noted for its strong

debating tradition). Meanwhile, at the other end of the country, the other half of our Senior Team debated in person at the Cambridge Finals. These girls also far exceeded our previous best result at the mammoth Durham weekend by breaking the quarters, winning and only being eliminated in the semi-final, thus coming in the top 8 out of 128 teams.

This was NHSG’s most successful year of debating, and made us the North East’s top debating school. We are very proud of how hard our debaters worked to achieve this.

Our very own International Netballer

Our School Netball Captain, Gracie Larsen, Year 13, has recently been selected for the Scotland Under 19 Netball Squad for the 2022/2023 season. Gracie will attend training camps throughout the year as well as be in contention for international match selection. We wish her the best as her season gets underway.

completed the requirements of a unique joint initiative between The Queen’s Green Canopy programme and the Royal Forestry Society. The Junior Forester Award included activities linked to The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which marked Her Majesty’s 70 years of service.

As well as planting an English oak in the grounds of the Junior School for The Queen’s Green Canopy, the NHSG pupils got involved in a wide range of activities that provided an insight into the skills needed for a career in Forestry, as well as equipping them with the practical ability to assist in woodland management in their schools and local communities.

able to focus on why woodland and forests are so important and how these can be protected in the future.

Deputy Lord Lieutenant Presents Junior School Pupils with Forester Award

One of The Queen’s representatives came to Junior School in June to present every one of our pupils with a specially minted Queen’s Jubilee coin to commemorate their achievement of a Junior Forester Award.

The special visit was made by Mrs Sarah Stewart, Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Tyne and Wear, after we registered, and

Our Eco Warrior representatives collected the awards on behalf of all pupils from Mrs Stewart at a memorable assembly, where, as well as congratulating the girls for their hard work, she also explained the role of the Lord Lieutenant in representing The Queen at special events. We were fascinated to learn that Lord Lieutenants were established by Henry VIII in order to raise taxes for the King and stand in for him on the battle fields. Fortunately the role is not quite so dangerous today; it now includes attending events and making arrangements for royal visits among other duties.

The Junior Forester Award has been a brilliant programme where the pupils have been

Girls from Nursery to Year 6 spent the eight week programme exploring the School’s extensive grounds to gain a greater understanding of our woodland as well as considering what they can do to protect woodlands. Our youngest pupils were encouraged to develop a real love for the outdoor environment by learning about the living creatures found in woodland, as well as considering how they can increase awareness about the importance of saving our planet. Older girls explored the special attributes of the woodland and the habitats as well as using their mathematical skills to survey the ages of the trees on the school site.

Congratulations to all the girls on their award; they are the next generation of eco warriors! Projects like the Junior Forester Award will ensure that they grow up wanting to take care of the environment, and we all know how important that is for the future of our planet.

NHSG GIRLS ARE REDEFINING THE MEANING OF LEADERSHIP

Following the publication of the GDST’s landmark new Girls’ Futures Report 2022, Michael Tippett, Head of NHSG, has reflected on the changing views of girls on leadership

At NHSG we empower girls to be leaders, trailblazers and world shapers – so it’s only right that we listen to their views on what true leadership really means.

Long gone are the days when leadership was measured simply by salary and organisational hierarchy. In fact, a major new survey from the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), of which NHSG is a member, demonstrates that girls see leadership as being able to make a difference to the world and being happy – with one Sixth Form respondent saying, ‘there’s no point in calling yourself successful if you can reach the top level in your job, but you just aren’t happy.’

In fact, almost a decade ago in 2014, a Forbes article ran with the headline ‘millennials work for purpose, not paycheck’ – and that seems to be a trend that Generation Z are

continuing to embody.

Two thirds of respondents to GDST’s survey said they wanted a career that would enable them to make a difference to society. Of course salary is important –particularly in today’s cost of living crisis - and 75% of respondents acknowledged that they wanted a job that ‘pays well’ too.

But passion alone is not enough for success, and girls need to feel confident enough to pursue the careers that will give them the best opportunity to effect change and therefore garner the professional satisfaction they crave.

In fact, GDST survey respondents were more likely to feel confident in maintaining and defending

their own beliefs during challenging discussions – so there’s no wonder we saw so much positivity in our Sixth Form cohort this summer as they headed off to study at their chosen universities, with students such as Emma acknowledging her school debating experience and passion for feminism in her decision to study politics at Edinburgh.

Surveying girls who attend a range of schools nationally, as well as pupils in GDST schools, the research found that those who attend a GDST member school are more likely to want to work in a leadership position (53% compared to 42% nationally), more likely to want to be their own boss (37% compared to 33% nationally) and more likely to feel comfortable and interested in taking risks (66% compared to 52% nationally). This is testament to the

impact of an all-girl education, specifically its empowerment of girls to learn without limits and be whoever they want to be – something we have long championed at NHSG.

“Attending an all girl school encourages girls to be confident and take up leadership roles without questioning themselves.” Sanya, Year 9, NHSG

True leadership is not about fitting into the constructs that society has created – but about challenging those constructs. Debating the norm, breaking down barriers and re-shaping our response to the world. That’s where we believe NHSG girls are going to make a real difference – because they’ve never had to deal with gender stereotyping within the school environment, and as such have had the freedom to always be themselves - so they leave us with palpable self-belief. They are not merely aspiring to do well in a male dominated world, they aspire to approach society’s problems in their own way and with their own brand of leadership.

“I wouldn’t have taken STEM subjects for A Level in a mixed school as I would have been in the minority.” Elizabeth, Year 13, NHSG

We are still fighting for gender equality in the wider world, and our emerging female leaders will not only tip the scales in its favour, they will also be the shining light for those whose confidence has been stifled due to

stereotypes and inequality. As the only GDST member school in the North East, we’re proud of these new survey results that demonstrate the impressive confidence and self-belief our students clearly have.

DEDICATION TO SUSTAINABILITY

The GDST are aiming to reduce their carbon emissions by 42% by 2030, and they hope that this reduction is as close to 100% as humanly possible by 2050. In the Academic Year of 2021/2022, the GDST proudly became Carbon Neutral. The big goal is to become carbon positive by 2050.

NHSG are very proud to be a part of this movement towards sustainability, and we know that we can make a big difference. The three main focuses for our school, particularly this year, are recycling, education/ awareness, and energy usage. To help us achieve this, we have created pupil leadership roles by introducing our Sustainability Group. These girls work alongside staff to educate and engage others, and to raise awareness of how we can individually take responsibility for climate change and work collectively towards a more sustainable future. We want to lead by example within the local community, ensuring that at school we are taking all possible steps to reducing our impact on the environment.

What we achieved in the academic year 2021-2022

It was a busy year building foundations for our future plans. We joined a GDST group of sustainability leaders to work together as a family of schools. We also had the honour of working with University College London (UCL) on a Case Study to research the variation of secondary schools’ engagement with climate change and sustainability education in England. Education is the best way to raise awareness and bring about change, and so we are grateful we were able to be a part of this Case Study.

In the Summer Term we held our first annual ‘Touch of Green Week’ with great success. Staff, parents, and pupils were encouraged to use public transport, walk, or cycle to school where possible. Our Go Green Group led a litter picking trip around our local area every lunchtime, and everyone in School was encouraged to monitor their energy usage throughout the week. We also held a food waste competition between the four Houses to see

which House collected the least food waste over the week. It proved very effective in getting our community thinking about all our choices and actions, and how every little bit adds up to having a big impact, both positive and negative. After extensive consultation, we also introduced ‘Meatless Wednesdays’ at NHSG, with the help of our great catering team at Holroyd Howe. This has enabled us to help reduce oil, water and land resources used in the food industry for meat production, and therefore we have saved a lot of pollution as a result.

Another positive impact we had last year was that some pupils also had the brilliant opportunity to attend a Youth Climate Summit in Newcastle where they were able to discuss how we can tackle climate change on a local level.

What’s coming up for 2022-2023

As we are now well underway with the new academic year, we have set out an ambitious set of sustainability goals for school. Here are our aims for this year:

1. To establish sustainability subgroups in the School Forum to focus on important sustainability issues and expand our Sustainability Group so more girls are involved at Senior School.

2. Introduce Eco reps at Junior School to enthuse girls from an early stage.

3. Finalise the NHSG School Sustainability Policy.

4. Improve recycling through recycling stations on every floor of the School.

5. Continue to reduce food waste through the half-termly House food waste challenge.

6. Reduce use of paper, particularly printing and photocopying.

7. Plan a second annual “Touch of Green Week”.

8. Promote confidence in riding a bike with Junior School pupils.

9. Introduce a PSHE module for Year 8 on sustainability to continue to raise awareness through education.

10. Introduce a trial meat-free day at Junior school after the success at Senior School.

11. Take part in the Junior school GDST Film competition for Sustainability focusing on how to promote awareness.

12. Introduce a carbon offsetting option for parents to contribute towards for School trips.

We can already see our sustainability efforts from last year are having a positive impact on the school community: we have reduced photocopying from 224,844 copies over one half-term (September to October 2022) to 146,059 for the same period this year, and by introducing Meatless Wednesdays in March, we estimate we have saved about 5000-10000kg of CO2

We look forward to seeing how far we’ve come one year from now, as we continue to work towards becoming a more green and sustainable community.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE ROLE OF SCHOOL NURSE

Being a school nurse isn’t just cold compresses and plasters...

The poor health of army recruits in the 1890s is thought to have created the need for nurses to look after the health of children and young people. In the early 1900s, these public health nurses were concerned with hygiene and the spread of disease, frequently dealing with outbreaks of flu and cholera. The role of School Nurse has changed immeasurably in the years since and expanded far beyond traditional nursing. School nurses are vital to the school environment and to the health and wellbeing of the young people in their care.

We talked to Vicki Wilson, Consultant Nurse for the GDST and School Nurse at Newcastle High School for Girls:

Have you always worked in a school?

No, this job was the first time I had worked in a school. It is completely different to anything I have done in the past. I have worked in intensive care, in Accident and Emergency in the UK and in Australia, in general paediatrics and in paediatric cardiology. All of the jobs I have had have contributed to the work I do now in School.

What is the role of the consultant nurse?

My role includes supporting the nurses, policies and liaising with GDST schools to help support pupils. I have also recently been on the GDST podcast and have been asked to be a speaker at an eating disorders event for the Chartered College of Teaching.

What does a typical day involve?

Who knows?! My day can involve all sorts. Teaching lessons, talking to pupils, arranging support and help, talking to parents, paracetamol and ice packs!

What is the most dramatic medical emergency you have dealt with?

Things like allergic reactions and asthma attacks are scary in a school setting. Luckily they don’t happen too often (touch wood). Things like a pupil knocking themselves out from swinging off a chair can also be quite dramatic. It can be a big concern when a pupil is not in school and contacts me for help, or if a pupil is struggling with their mental health.

What made you want to become a school nurse?

I was working in Paediatric Intensive Care and was ready for a change. I saw an advert for this job as a School Nurse and thought that looks lovely and something different. I have gone from looking after very unwell children to very healthy children, which brings it’s own challenges. I had no idea what the job would involve, it is very different to anything I had done before.

What is the most rewarding thing about being a School Nurse?

I love watching the girls grow through their school career. The girls that were in Nursery when I started here are now in Year 10, and it is a privilege to see them grow up. I also love talking to the girls about their lives and being able to help them, if I can. I really enjoy being with teenagers!

What is the most challenging aspect of your role?

Working with teachers! (joking). Big challenges for me are working on my own. As a nurse, we always work in a team and have others to rely on in a clinical setting. In school however, I work closely with the pastoral team and we support each other.

What is the most important thing you do as a school nurse?

Being available for the girls to talk to, and as I am not a teacher it means I am more accessible. It is really important that I am in school every day so that the girls can access help at the time that they really need it. I work hard at changing perceptions of the school nurses, in my day to day role and in my role as Trust Consultant Nurse.

If you weren’t a School Nurse what would you be?

I always wanted to be a pilot, but whenever I completed those tests at school about future careers and I got nurse! I enjoy working with people too much, so I can’t think of any better job than a nurse.

How has your job changed over the years?

I am always striving to improve and develop the role of School Nurse. It has changed hugely; mental health is now a main focus of my role. Relationship education has also changed. Being able to teach PSHE lessons is great. Year 7 are learning about self-esteem at the moment.

Who is your nursing role model?

I don’t have a famous one. I have worked with incredible nurses in my career, and they are my role models.

What are you most proud of achieving during your time at NHSG?

I think I am proud of changing the perception of the nurse in school, and being an integral

member of staff. I hope that I am approachable for all of the pupils to come and get help.

What do you wish the pupils would stop doing?

Putting too much pressure on themselves. They are amazing young people.

NHSG are proud to have recently opened our dedicated pastoral area called ‘The Hub’. This is a space where girls can go to feel safe and calm, and to focus on their wellbeing. The Hub also has a room called the ‘Zen Den’, which is there for self-regulation if anyone is ever feeling overwhelmed.

Check out the GDST’s Podcast Raise Her Up, Season 2 Episode 4, The Lowdown on Breasts featuring Vicki at: https://pod.link/1584135296

NHSG STAFF LEAVERS

Gillian Lord,

Head’s PA

Gillian joined Central Newcastle High School 22 years ago as PA to Mrs Lindsey Jane Griffin. From the minute she started she was impressed with the GDST who were so caring of the staff they employed but essentially it was the staff and the girls who made it such a special place to work.

As her responsibilities expanded to include HR Manager and Office Manager her role within the school became pivotal to the smooth running of the School and over the years she saw and

was involved in many changes. She said that having worked for three different Heads, all of whom had very different expectations and ideas of what a PA should be was, at times, not without its challenges! It goes without saying that she was sorry to leave NHSG however she is thoroughly enjoying the next phase her life – where every day is Saturday!!

Johanna McEvedy, English Teacher

at NHSG, she had a number of other interests, including starting the School’s successful Debating Society from scratch, running the Public Speaking programme, instituting the English Department’s residential English Experience, founding Knit Soc and playing sax in the Jazz Band. She remains grateful to NHSG for 21 wonderful years which gave her the chance to have such a range of enjoyable experiences with the girls.

Geoff Mason-Carr, Junior School Chef

Jo taught English at Central High and later, NHSG, since 2001. She also latterly taught Classics, which she enjoyed so much she has just applied to study it at Durham University at undergraduate level. While

Geoff, who was employed by our catering partner Holroyd Howe, has been the steady hand on the tiller of the Chapman House kitchen since February 2010. Many of us throughout the school, staff and pupils, have enjoyed the pleasure of Geoff’s cuisine over the years and will miss not only his culinary skills and his “ever presence” but also his affable nature and willingness to go the extra mile.

Sadly we said farewell to some members of staff this summer. We wish them all the very best.

Adam Bosworth, Junior School Teacher

Adam left after four years in post as Junior School teacher which also included the English Co-ordinator role for a while; he has taken up a post at Westerhope Primary School and we wish him well.

Laura Ridley, Junior School Teacher

Mrs Ridley left NHSG after almost seven years working with us as EYFS and KS1 teacher. We wish Mrs Ridley all the best as she steps away from education for a period of time.

Nick

Packard, Director of ICT Development

Nick joined NHSG in September 2014 and most recently was our Director of ICT Development and helped steer the Senior School to become a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ school in 2019, something which stood us in very good stead to face the pandemic and the lockdowns which began in March 2020.

He formerly combined this role with that of Teacher of ICT and the School SENDCO. In his time with NHSG, Nick made a positive impact on the educational experiences of a large number of our pupils, directly through his own teaching and roles, and indirectly through his training and development of the teaching staff. We wish him every success as he focuses on a private business venture.

ADVICE FROM A HEAD GIRL

Isabelle Evans NHSG Head Girl, 2021-2022

Being Head Girl from 2021-2022 was a truly memorable experience in many ways. I was given the opportunity to work with girls from all through the school in order to encourage positive change in our school environment. I was able to see how much our voice matters in the school community and how simply speaking up can lead to big changes. When I applied to be Head Girl, I knew that creating change would be the primary focus of what I would do, but what I didn’t realise was how much I was going to develop as a person.

I was given opportunities to develop time management and organisation which, at the end of the year, I could see had largely improved. I also gained more confidence in myself, with regards to public speaking, managing groups and completing tasks.

I was lucky to have such a brilliant group of friends to work with during our year as the Sixth Form Leadership Team. Being a part of the team made the experience so much more special. Although at the start of the year we were all friends, by the end of the year we were so close with one another. We knew each other’s strengths and knew how to help and be there for each other when things got difficult or overwhelming.

It was lovely to see how much we were able to accomplish over the year and how much of that was done through our collaborative work. As a team we were able to have a healthy balance of getting jobs done but equally having fun with each other along the way.

As a group, we all had a lot going on day to day, so asking for advice on time management and how to do the best in the role is something I found myself doing a lot. I can say that the most useful thing I found was listening to the words and advice of previous Head Girls of NHSG, as no one knows the role better than those who have been in it. I reached out to a few of the past Head Girls over my time in the role, and they all helped me with each individual query. Specifically, I remember Sam Rocks, the previous Head Girl, told me to not lose myself in the jobs I did. She spoke about how adding a personal touch to any task allows you to connect more deeply with what you are doing, and the end product will be something you feel represents you and what you stand for. I found this to be the best way to connect with people in the rest of the school, as when you are open and honest, it allows other people to be as well. This always allowed for productive conversation where people felt comfortable to express their thoughts on improvements in school, allowing us to do the best we could to help.

From what I learnt, my biggest piece of advice would be don’t be afraid to say no. Sticking to that, I know from personal experience, is difficult at times. However, it’s so important to allow yourself time to breathe. In the role you are managing new responsibilities, A Levels and no doubt other commitments. The best thing I did for myself was learning that it is okay to say no, or to offer to find someone else to do a job. In the end it meant that the jobs I did take on were completed thoroughly and to the best that I could, instead of taking on too much and the result not being the best it could be. I learnt I could be completely in control of how much I wanted to take on and everyone would support me in the choices I made.

Before I started, I wish I would have known how fast time would go! It felt like I blinked and it was over. Even though I was told this at the start of the year, I didn’t fully appreciate how quickly it would go until it was over. Although knowing this at the start wouldn’t have had an impact on anything I did, I wish I was able to pause time at certain moments so I could fully appreciate what I was given the opportunity to do.

As the year came to an end, the whole of the Sixth Form Leadership Team and myself were saddened to have to say goodbye to our roles, but at the same time excited to see what the new team would do in this coming year. Being part of the Leadership Team and Head Girl Team is something I will forever be grateful for.

Isabelle is now at Durham University reading Geography.

ALUMNAE NEWS

Queen’s Jubilee Honours for Central Newcastle High Alumna

We were delighted to learn that leading cancer researcher Professor Ruth Plummer’s dedication to raising the profile of cancer research and her instrumental role in establishing the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation was recognised in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours.

Ruth Plummer is Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine at Newcastle University and an honorary consultant medical oncologist in Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She is Director of the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre within the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, which is a dedicated clinical trials unit based within the regional cancer centre. She leads the Newcastle Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre and also the Cancer Research UK’s (CRUK) Newcastle Cancer Centre and at a national level, she chairs the MRC Experimental Medicine Panel, and sits on CRUK Research Careers and Clinical Research Committees as well and the NCRI Strategy Advisory Board.

Ruth attended Central Newcastle High School from 1970 to 1983. She trained at Cambridge and Oxford Universities obtaining both a medical degree and scientific PhD before moving to Newcastle to train in medical oncology and cancer drug development. She was appointed Senior Lecturer and Consultant Medical Oncologist in 2004 and Professor in 2008.

Her clinical practice involves running the early phase cancer trials unit as well as treating patients with skin cancer. Her research interests are in the field of DNA repair and early phase clinical trials of novel agents, taking the first in class PARP inhibitor into the clinic in 2003, ATR inhibitor in 2012 and MCT1 inhibitor in 2014, as well as investigating potential causes of the toxicities of novel cancer agents.

She has made a significant contribution towards extending and enhancing the lives of those with cancer, including being part of a Newcastle team which developed Rubraca®, an ovarian cancer drug that has been approved for use on the NHS. A further medical advance has been her assistance in developing the drug, vismodegib, which

provides enhanced treatment for patients with a cancer that causes tumours to grow on the face and neck.

Ruth was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2018 for her work developing PARP inhibitors as novel cancer treatments and in 2021 was awarded the ESMO-TAT Lifetime Achievement award for her work in early phase trials.

Research like Ruth’s is vital in translating scientists‘ drug discovery research from the lab into real patient benefit. Finding new, more efficient cancer treatments will be crucial to boosting the number of people surviving the disease. Much of this research is carried out at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle which Ruth launched fourteen years ago with the legendary former Newcastle United and England football manager.

In her letter of support for Ruth’s nomination, Sir Bobby Robson’s wife, Lady Elsie Robson wrote describing the beginning of their relationship: “Professor Ruth Plummer was my husband’s oncologist and Bob, and I trusted her judgement implicitly as she

guided us through those terrible months. She is also the reason we began the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. Or, as my husband jokingly put it during one particularly dull charity legal meeting, This is all your fault.’’ It was Professor Plummer’s dedication to raising £500,000 to set up the cancer trials centre which inspired her late husband to set up the charity which Ruth now fronts. The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has now raised more than £16 million since 2008, far exceeding its initial target of £500,000.

Described as a woman of ‘tremendous empathy, courage and professionalism’ she is a worldleader in her field, admired among her profession for her unwavering commitment to fighting the disease, and who successfully manages to juggle family life in Northumberland with an extremely demanding work schedule that takes her across the world – and still manages to give her time as a Governor of Newcastle High School for Girls.

Professor Plummer has been awarded a richly deserved MBE in recognition of her outstanding service and contribution.

ALUMNAE NEWS

A University Challenge Appearance

Congratulations to Hannah Bowen, NHSG Class of 2017, for her appearance in November on University Challenge. Hannah and her team represented Newnham College, Cambridge, and they put in a great performance and proceeded to the next round! You can watch this episode (2022/23 - Episode 13) on BBC iPlayer up until November 2023.

since 2019. With alumnae ranging from the class of 1949 to the class of 2017, there was much to discuss, reminisce and catch up on. The morning began with teas, coffee, and reconnecting with old friends. Some of the extensive school archive collection was available to view, including school uniform, photographs, and magazines. This was followed by tours of the Senior School, which for many guests was the first time that they had ever seen the new NHSG Senior School site. It was so interesting to hear stories of what classrooms used to look like, and how much they have changed.

memories. We even enjoyed a few renditions of the old school songs, and everyone attempted to complete a Year 7 entrance exam from 1952 (which proved harder than initially anticipated!).

Thank you to all the alumnae and former staff that attended and made this reunion so special. We look forward to continuing the tradition of hosting a Grand Reunion for all our alumnae every year in October. The next inperson reunion will be held on Saturday 7th October 2023. Start planning now and more details will follow soon.

The Grand Alumnae Reunion 2022

On Saturday 1st October, we hosted our very first Grand Alumnae Reunion. Alumnae from both of our founding schools, Newcastle Upon Tyne Church High School and Central Newcastle High School, as well as NHSG alumnae, joined us for a delightful day. Due to the pandemic, this is the first alumnae event that we have been able to host in person

It was particularly fascinating to compare all of the amazing opportunities that girls have available to them today at NHSG, compared to the opportunities that were available to girls in the past. We heard stories of how girls in the 1950s only had the option of university to become an academic, otherwise they could be a teacher, a nurse or a secretary. The possibilities for girls today are endless and without limits, but we are reminded of just how recent those changes are.

Lunch was a delicious affair and alumnae were able to celebrate and look back on their time at school with such fond

ALUMNAE NEWS

CNHS 50 Year Reunion

The 1972 Leavers enjoyed a wonderful 50 Year Reunion this year. A very special and memorable weekend.

Just under 40 of the group of around 55 that are still in touch with each other, signed up and apart from three, who sadly cancelled the day before, due to illness, all descended on Newcastle one weekend in September, with many coming from out of the area to visit friends, relations and explore Newcastle and Northumberland.

Having had two previous reunions at Eskdale Terrace, it was definitely time for a very different informal neutral venue, somewhere that resembled a 21st Century Sixth Form Common Room, as opposed to the Eslington Tower Sixth Form Common Room, that we all knew of the 1970s.

The Three Mile in Gosforth was perfect, it ticked all the boxes with weekend accommodation, parking and a private lounge, aka a Sixth Form Common Room!

With drinks on arrival and Central High shrieks of amazement that we were all together again, age 68, it got off to a great start.

A lovely buffet and more drinks were provided and then gradually the decibels lowered slightly as we moved around reminiscing about our School days, those special and funny moments and exchanging news and hugs.

Before long it was time for the group photo, followed by a very loud rendition of The Keel Row!

“As I came thro’ Sandgate, thro’ Sandgate, thro’ Sandgate. As I came thro’ Sandgate, I heard a lassie sing:

“O, weel may the keel row, the keel row, the keel row. O, weel may the keel row that my laddie’s in.

“He wears a blue bonnet, blue bonnet, blue bonnet. He wears a blue bonnet, a dimple in his chin.

And weel may the keel row, the keel row, the keel row. And weel may the keel row that my laddie’s in.”

Then the celebration CNHS 50 Year Reunion Cake was cut and enjoyed by everyone with further refreshments. And still the chatter continued for a few more hours, until it was time for the goodbye hugs and promises to do it all again, in five years!

All retired, or almost all, and now enjoying lives away from the many varied careers that everyone had and appreciative of their Central High education but far more grateful for the friendships made during the years at both West Avenue and Eskdale Terrace. Friendships that have stood the test of time, and a very special bond that our lovely Year Group has between us.

Thank you very much, Central High!

By Helen Turnbull (Central High, Class of 1972).

NEWS FROM THE GDST

GDST 150

This year the GDST celebrated a milestone in girls’ education. The GDST, or GPDST as it was then, was founded 150 years ago by four pioneering women who dedicated themselves to giving girls a first-class education. These four brave women – Lady Stanley of Alderley, Maria Grey, Mary Gurney and Emily Shirreff – dedicated their lives to making sure that girls were given the same opportunities as their brothers, at a time when opportunities for girls to be educated were scarce and hard won.

In 1872, the four founders of the Girls’ Day School Trust embarked on a mission that would change the course of girls’ education forever and their mission has burned bright ever since.

In today’s complex, contradictory and pressurised world, girls’ education has never been more important. The GDST has remained at the forefront of girls education and every aspect of a GDST education is dedicated to creating environments where girls are free from stereotypes and preconceptions, where they can express their ideas

and know that they will be listened to. GDST girls can step out into the world with the confidence and creativity to take on the world as they wish and make a positive impact on others.

An Evening of Celebration

On Monday 28th November 2022, the GDST held the 150 Evening of Celebration at the Science Museum in London to mark this significant milestone in girls’ education and to kickstart the GDST’s 150th Bursary Campaign. It was also where our Alumna Ellie Cannon was awarded the prestigious ‘GDST Alumna of the Year’ 2022. Dr Grace Spence-Green (South Hampstead High School alumna) won the Trailblazer Award, given to an alumna who is achieving outstanding

early acclaim in her career. Pictured left to right: Juliet Humphries (Chair of GDST Trustees), Cheryl Giovannoni (GDST Chief Executive), Dr Ellie Cannon, Dr Grace Spence-Green.

The International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS)

This year the GDST became a founding member of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS). The ICGS represents over 300,000 female students across the globe to create a community of shared identity, potential and power amongst girls and women and to forge a path to empower them to be ethical, globally minded change makers who lead with courage, competence and empathy. Our girls are the change-makers, the leaders and the bridge-builders, our girls are the future.

PUZZLE CORNER

Taken from the Central High 1982 magazine, courtesy of Joanne Philips and Fiona Wilson, LIVS

USELESS FACTS

courtesy of Joanne Philips and Fiona Wilson, LIVS

1. It takes 40 minutes to boil an ostrich egg. 50 minutes soft boil, one and a half hours hard boil.

2. There are 3 times as many acres in Yorkshire as there are words in the Bible. Apparently true!

3. There is no Arabic word for camel. Not true!

4. A tribe in North Africa believe that eating lettuce is a mortal sin. Can’t find any evidence of this.

5. The banana is a herb. True.

6. Mary Queen of Scots was a great snooker player. True – she was called ‘Mary Queen of Shots’. Plenty of time incarcerated in various castles enabled her to become a formidable billiards player. The earliest recognised version of the game was invented in the 1340s in France. Played as an outdoor game similar to croquet it eventually moved indoors and onto a wooden table with green cloth to resemble the grass on which it had previously been played.

7. There are 1,200 species of buttercup. Not true, estimated at 600.

8. There are 22 miles more canal in Birmingham than Venice. Yes, there are more miles of canal in Birmingham but the exact amount of how much more is uncertain.

9. A cockroach can live for several weeks even with its head cut off. Not for several weeks but for one and it would die of thirst.

10. An early American death certificate:- He went to bed feeling well but woke up dead.

11. George Washington’s false teeth were made of ivory and tasted so horrible he soaked them in port each night. Possibly true or possibly American legend… Dentistry Today do record Washington’s Dentist, Dr. Greenwood, advising that Washington desist from soaking his dentures in port wine to minimise staining.

12. It is illegal to drink beer in a toilet in Canada. True but this has been lifted in some parts of Canada to enable women to take their drinks with them to ‘washrooms, hallways and stairwells’ to prevent drinks being tampered with.

13. In 1918 sand eels fell from the sky for 10 minutes near Sunderland.

True!

14. 7,500,000 tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea every day.

True.

15. The killer whale is classed as a dolphin.

True

16. There is enough lime in the human body to whitewash a chicken coop.

True according to Guy Murchie’s book, The Seven Mysteries of Life, published in 1999.

17. Only 6 people died in the Great Fire of London. Only 6 were recorded but the actual death toll was more likely to be several hundred and possibly several thousand. The fire probably destroyed the bodies, and the deaths of the poor and middle classes were probably never recorded.

18. There is enough fat in the body to make 7 bars of soap. True.

19. A ball made of glass will bounce higher than one made of rubber.

True – if it doesn’t smash!

20. Sir Walter Raleigh’s wife had her husband’s head embalmed after his execution and carried it everywhere with her until her own death 29 years later.

True!

KEEP IN TOUCH

You can now update your contact details and personal information directly using the new alumnae self-service portal, via the web address below or by scanning the QR code: https://gdstprod. smartmembership.net/

If we have an email address for you then please ‘Log in’ using this same address. If you have never received alumnae communications via email, then please ‘Sign up’ to the portal and create a new record.

If you know of friends or colleagues who are not receiving our communications but would like to, please share this link with them to ‘Sign up’ or ask them to contact the NHSG Alumnae Team (i.care@ncl.gdst.net).

Please also use this email address if you are having any issues with the portal.

Another good place to keep an eye on any upcoming events is via our dedicated alumnae Facebook pages. Please see the back cover of the magazine for information on which Facebook page to follow for Church High, Central High and NHSG.

We are currently building our LinkedIn network to support our alumnae. Please do connect with us!: www.linkedin.com/school/ newcastle-high-school-for-girls/

Old friends are really important to us, so please do let us know of any news, achievements and updates that come your way. We would love to keep in touch with you.

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

OLIVIA POTTS, Central High, Class of 2006 and former Head Girl Olivia talks us through how to make Clementine Sussex Pond Pudding, from her new book, ‘Butter: A Celebration’.

A Sussex pond pudding is so full of butter that at one point it was known simply as a ‘butter pond pudding’ – and the citrus element, the gorgeous surprise in the centre, is relatively new. The first recorded recipe for the pudding describes it as a piece of pastry wrapped around a ‘great piece of Butter’. It wasn’t until Jane Grigson’s recipe in English Food in 1974 that the Sussex pond pudding began habitually to include a lemon.

I agree with Grigson that the inclusion of citrus is essential: that contrast of bitter and sour with the rich, sweet butter sauce is the joy of the dish, but the thin-skinned clementine is a delightful alternative to the now traditional lemon. As they steam, the clementines almost candy inside, bathed in the spiced melted butter and sugar sauce, and the pastry is suffused with butter and infused with the fragrant spiced clementine.

The pudding should stand proudly when turned out, but will collapse when cut into, giving up its spiced citrus – and

the combination of spectacle and spiced clementine make this a beautiful alternative to a Christmas pudding.

Serves: 4 Hands-on time: 20 minutes Total time: 3 hours 20 minutes 200g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 100g shredded suet (vegetarian is fine)

1⁄2 teaspoon fine salt 125ml whole milk 100g butter, cut into small dice, plus extra for greasing 100g light soft brown sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon ground mixed spice 2 clementines

1. First, generously grease a 600ml pudding basin (approx. 16cm diameter) with butter, and put a full kettle on to boil.

2. Whisk together the selfraising flour, suet, and salt in a bowl. Add the milk and bring it together into a dough, first with a knife, then, as the mixture becomes more cohesive, with your hands.

3. Reserve a quarter of the pastry for the lid and roll out the rest using a floured rolling pin to make a large circle. Ease this into the greased pudding basin and smooth it so it is flush against the side of the pudding basin.

4. Toss the diced butter, sugar and mixed spice together in a bowl, and place a layer in the bottom of the pastry-lined basin.

5. Prick the clementines all over with a sharp skewer. Place them in the pudding basin, side by side, and fill the rest of the cavity with the remaining spiced butter and sugar. Roll the reserved pastry into a 16cm circle, for the lid. Wet the edges of the pastry case with a little water, then place the lid on top, pressing gently to seal.

6. To prepare the pudding basin, place a piece of baking paper on top of a piece of tin foil, and fold both along the middle to create a pleat (this is so when the pudding expands, it doesn’t burst out of the paper). Place these two folded sheets over the top of the pudding basin,

centring the pleat. Tie tightly with string. Alternatively, if you have heat-safe clingfilm, you can place a pleated disc of baking paper over the top of the pudding basin, and wrap the whole pudding basin twice-round in heat-safe clingfilm.

7. To steam, place a clean tea towel in the base of a large saucepan. Fill the pan halfway up with boiling water. Lower the prepared pudding into the pan: the water should come about two-thirds of the way up the pudding basin. Put the pan over a very low heat and cover with a lid. Steam for 3 hours. Keep an eye on the water level, checking every 30 minutes or so: it is dangerous

for the pan to boil dry, so top up with boiling water from the kettle, if needed.

8. To serve, lift the basin carefully from the pan of water, and remove the wrappings and any string. Run a knife around the edge of the basin, being careful not to cut into the pastry. Place a serving plate over the top of the pudding, and swiftly invert.

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

ANNA HEDWORTH, Central High, Class of 1988

My name is Anna Hedworth, my passion is food, cooking, creating, and bringing people together. I love cooking so much, it’s a joy to me. I currently own two busy and successful restaurants in Newcastle upon Tyne, Michelin rated Cook House and newly opened Long Friday, where I cook at and run both. I have recently opened an exciting new Test Kitchen & Event Space alongside my restaurants, bringing talks, classes and education to the city. I have also launched our Cook House Online product range, delicious condiments, sauces, drinks, and hampers from the restaurant, spreading our delicious message far and wide. Now available nationwide and with plans to branch into crockery and homeware for the kitchen in the pipeline.

I am very passionate about food provenance, providing people with better food, and teaching people how to cook interesting yet delicious food that doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.

I am kept quite busy by all of the above, but am driven by new exciting projects, improving my life, my community and my city. I love writing and I published my first book in 2019, ‘Recipes and Stories from Cook House – how to leave your job and open a restaurant even when you don’t know how’, named a Sunday Times Food Book of the Year and a Telegraph Food Book of Autumn 2019, among other awards. I started life as an architect and designer but jumped headfirst into the world of food in 2014 and haven’t looked back.

They make a great weekend breakfast at home if you fancy something indulgent on a Sunday morning.

160g Plain Flour

10g Baking Powder

A pinch of Fine Salt 20g Caster Sugar Half tsp Cinnamon Half tsp Nutmeg

40g Melted Butter

2 Free Range Eggs

75g Yoghurt

150ml Whole Milk

For the Pancakes, mix all of the wet ingredients together in a bowl, and then mix all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Next sieve the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly. It is ok if there are still a few lumps.

Spiced Pancakes with Toffee Apple Caramel Sauce - Serves 4

We have served these pancakes since day one at Cook House, people come back for them time and time again. We change the toppings season to season, poached rhubarb and raspberry, warm roast peaches, plum and ginger compote, and this Toffee Apple Caramel which is a perfect warmer for Winter.

To cook the pancakes melt a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan and heat till sizzling, swirl to cover the whole pan and add more butter if it is shy. Add dollops of pancake mix, a large, heaped serving spoon per pancake, they will expand quite a lot, so leave space, 3 in a pan at a time is ideal. Cook for around 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown, flip and repeat, they should be springy to the touch when done. You can keep them in a low oven while you prepare them in batches.

Toffee

Apple Caramel

Sauce (Makes 1 small jar, approx.)

As well as pouring this over your pancakes, this sauce jarred up makes brilliant little Christmas gifts!

60g Soft Brown Sugar

60g Caster Sugar

2 tbsp Organic Apple Juice 100ml Double Cream

25g Salted Butter, room temperature, cut into cubes ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg

For the Toffee Apple Caramel Sauce, add apple juice and the sugars to a heavy based pan and stir together until combined. Place over a medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved (do not stir, just swirl the pan around if needed). Once the sugar has dissolved turn up the heat and allow to bubble for 4 minutes until it starts to look like caramel, in texture and colour. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the remaining ingredients (take care as it can rise up or spit, just keep stirring) Any you don’t pour over your pancakes will keep for weeks in the fridge.

Serve your pancakes warm with diced apple, Greek yoghurt and plenty of warm caramel.

CHARLOTTE HARBOTTLE, Church High, Class of 2006

Charlotte established her own Butcher’s in Newcastle and is one of only a handful of female butchers in the country. She shares some expert advice on steak.

Which cut of steak is the best?

This is a question I get asked all the time. The answer is ‘it depends’.

Initially ask yourself if you’re looking for flavour or texture? Are you wanting something that packs a punch or something that is melt in the mouth?

Recommended cuts

Flavour: Rib eye, Sirloin, Rump, Bavette, Cote de Bœuf, Onglet

Texture: Fillet, Fillet Tail, Châteaubriand, Flat Iron, T-Bone

Sirloin and rump are meaty cuts with a band of fat on the outside with rump having a slightly more irony flavour and it’s better if it’s cut quite thick.

Rib eye has a pocket of fat in the centre which means it’s best to be served medium to well done just to make sure that the fat renders nicely.

These cuts can be more expensive and if you’re wanting something a bit cheaper Bavette/Flank steak or even Chuck work well after they have been in a marinade, using beer or red wine vinegar can also add to the texture being softer. These steaks work well if they are cooked in oil but you can use different fats or butters to make them even juicier. With all meat, giving it the chance to rest is always a good idea as is making sure it’s at room temperature before you cook it.

For the softer cuts of steak, it’s best if you cook these in butter or beef dripping just to inject some flavour into these tender cuts. Fillet is notorious for being quite expensive but often the

tail end is a lot cheaper – it’s not as uniform in size but you get the same experience without going overboard price wise.

Sharing cuts like T-Bone, Cote de Boeuf and Chateaubriand are also a great way of having steak as they are designed for sharing and it’s best to roast them and carve and serve in the middle of the table.

It’s not about being right or wrong when it comes to steak –it’s about working out what you’re looking for and then pairing the right cut with the dish you want.

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

Catherine Smith, Central High, Class of 2003

Slight curveball after describing what I really loved doing!

However, I had an enjoyable time and, as much of the course focused on sustainability, I learnt about the charity Sustrans, whose aim is to encourage more walking and cycling. I secured a job in their Newcastle branch and while working there I seemed to fall into the trap of baking for staff birthdays!

desserts and petit fours and this is where I started to develop my own style and recipes. Then in 2020…the pandemic hit and I was put on furlough.

I spent eleven happy years at Central High from 1992 until 2003. My favourite subjects were Religious Studies and Philosophy with Mrs Robson and Mr Wilson, Art, and later Textiles in Sixth Form. I loved the big questions we discussed in RS and Philosophy and I loved the creative freedom and the fantastic facilities of the Art Department (and of course the fashion show was amazing!).

I vividly remember the school charity cake sales held during some lunchtimes. One year, I and my friend Claire Slater, (now Winton), organised a cake sale for Children in Need and I remember how much I loved baking for it, promoting it and then selling on the actual day. From a very early age I baked at home with my Granny and my Mum, and it had always been something I enjoyed as a hobby, but never thought of as a career path.

Having struggled to decide what to do at university, I ended up at Aberystwyth studying Countryside Management.

I had enrolled on an evening class in Business Administration at Gateshead College and while there I noticed their teaching kitchens. It wasn’t long before I had swapped my bike helmet for a chef’s apron! In 2012, I left my full time job and embarked on a course in Professional Cookery. It was fantastic, and I knew at last I had found my calling, particularly as I was named the catering department’s Student of the Year! I knew I wanted to specialise in Patisserie and for the best opportunities set my sights on London where I was very lucky to secure a job at the Ritz Hotel as a commis pastry chef. I worked there for four years helping to produce 400 Afternoon Teas each day, so my skills increased rapidly. The Ritz gained their first Michelin Star during this time and it was great to be a part of this experience. Around my work, I studied at the University of West London and gained a Foundation Degree in Patisserie.

I ventured north again, to work at Betty’s Cookery School in Harrogate as a tutor, before going back into a kitchen as Head Pastry Chef at The Alice Hawthorn, a restaurant near York. I had complete free rein on their

This was an opportunity to rethink where I wanted to take my career and it led me to realise I should start my own business. I moved back to Newcastle at the start of the 2021 lockdown and decided to jump on the food delivery bandwagon! Catherine’s Cake House was born! My first offering was a Valentine’s heart shaped personalised cookie and it was a success! Requests for birthday and celebration cakes soon followed - I love designing and creating these cakes, using all the professional patisserie skills and techniques which I learnt at the Ritz. I do also enjoy attending local markets in order to promote my business and now have an online shop on my website where you can see my designs - including my Christmas offerings!

My next goal is to offer exquisite Afternoon Teas in the North East; and I am planning my first pop up Christmas Afternoon Tea in December…with more planned next year! Ultimately, I would like my own premises, but for now, I am happy to “pop up” and also deliver to my customers’ homes or venues.

Tia Maria, Mascarpone and Chocolate Swiss Roll

To find out more about Catherine’s Cake House, see my designs and book your Afternoon Tea please go to my website (www.catherinescakehouse.com) . Catherine’s Cake House is also on Facebook and Instagram @catherinescakehouse

This Christmas, one of my speciality cakes in my online shop (for delivery in the North East) is a Chocolate Orange Yule Log. So on the Yule Log theme, I thought I would share with you my Tiramisu Swiss Roll. Perfect with a hot drink…or delicious with an espresso martini f you want a real coffe pick-me-up!

Coffee Swiss Roll Sponge

140g egg whites (around 3 - 4 eggs)

60g caster sugar 60g egg yolks (around 3 large eggs)

40g plain flour Pinch of salt 60g vegetable/flavourless oil 5g coffee granules dissolved in 1tbsp hot water

Mascarpone filling 250g tub mascarpone 200ml double cream 50g icing sugar Coffee syrup (see below) to taste

Coffee syrup

200ml water

80g sugar

10g coffee granules 20ml Tia Maria

Chocolate ganache 225ml double cream 30g glucose syrup or golden syrup

90g dark chocolate 135g milk chocolate 35g butter

Chocolate ganache (best made the day before for the best piping consistency…or if you haven’t

made it in time…it can just be poured for a decadent dessert!)

1. Heat 225ml double cream and 2 tbsp glucose syrup OR golden syrup in a pan until hot.

2. In a microwave, carefully melt 90g dark, 135g milk chocolate and 35g butter.

3. In stages, pour the hot cream over the chocolate carefully combining after each addition of cream. You should end up with a shiny fairly runny chocolate mixture.

4. Leave to cool at room temperature, and set aside while you make the coffee syrup.

Coffee Syrup

1. Dissolve 10g coffee granules with 2 tbsp hot water.

2. Bring 200ml water and 80g sugar to the boil, and add the coffee above and 20ml Tia Maria (more if you wish!). Set aside.

Swiss Roll

1. Line a Swiss roll tin (Lakeland do a good one!) or tin (with sides) measuring approx. 32cm x 24cm with silicone/non-stick baking paper. TIP: brush the tray with oil first so the paper sticks inside nicely. Don’t forget to line the sides too. Then lightly brush the paper with oil too.

2. Heat the oven to 180 Celsius (fan) or 200 Celsius (conventional).

3. Separate your eggs and measure 140g egg whites and 60g yolks.

4. Dissolve 5g of coffee granules with 1 tbsp hot water.

5. Lightly whisk together the 60g egg yolks with 60g vegetable oil and the coffee mixture and a pinch of salt.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk the 140g egg whites until fluffy and add 60g caster sugar.

7. Add the oil/egg yolk/coffee/salt mixture and whisk very gently until incorporated.

8. Sieve 40g plain flour and fold into your whipped mixture very carefully. Try not to let the mixture deflate too much.

9. Spoon the mixture carefully into your prepared tin.

10. Cook in the pre-heated oven for 8 - 10 minutes. The sponge is ready when it springs back when touched.

11. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

12. Once the sponge is slightly cooler it is very strong so don’t be scared of breaking it!

13. Lie a piece of non-stick baking paper on a bench and tip the sponge onto this, peel back the baking paper underneath the sponge.

14. Lightly soak the sponge with some of the coffee syrup. Leaving some for the mascarpone cream mixture.

15. While the sponge is cooling, make the mascarpone filling.

Mascarpone filling

1. Mix together 250g of mascarpone with 200 ml double cream with 50g icing sugar and add the coffee syrup mixture to taste…you may also want to add more Tia Maria at this stage! Do not over mix or the mixture will split.

2. Once the sponge is cool, spread this mixture all over the sponge.

3. And now start to roll up your sponge (you can do this either portrait or landscape…it just depends on how long you want your roll and how chunky you want your pieces!).

Decoration and serving

1. Put the ganache in a piping bag with a nozzle and pipe along the top of the sponge, or use a palette knife to spread all over the roll… or gently re-heat the ganache and pour it over each portion for a decadent dessert. Lots of options!

2. Slice and serve. Gorgeous alongside a dessert wine or an espresso martini!

WOMEN IN STEM

Women have been underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for years.

In the UK women are in the minority in the STEM sector workforce, the percentage of women STEM employees has increased from 21% in 2016 to 24% in 2019. The gender split difference for engineering professionals ranks lowest with 10% women engineers in 2019 and science professionals much higher with 46% women.

Engineering is part of everybody’s lives and should be open to everyone. Together, NHSG and The Reece Foundation are widening access to careers in engineering. Gender stereotypes should not dictate the outcome of women’s career potential or the direction it takes.

Engineers are helping solve some of the world’s biggest problems. By overlooking half of the population of potential engineers we are overlooking huge potential talent and restricting diversity of thought.

NHSG is uniquely placed to support the next generation of young female engineers and with thanks to The Reece Foundation we are able to offer the brightest and most able potential engineers access

to an outstanding education without financial barriers. Together we are delivering their mission to improve access to education in engineering and prepare future engineers for a flourishing career in the field for the benefit of not just the North East but our global society.

The Reece Foundation

Alan Reece (1927 – 2012) stood in the grand tradition of northern-based engineers whose practical inventions brought commercial success and an international manufacturing reputation to the region.

Born in London, Reece attended Harrow School which he left during the second world war to become a tractor driver on a nearby farm before enrolling aged 17 at King’s College, Newcastle (now Newcastle University) to study mechanical engineering. His apprenticeship took place at the mighty Vickers-Armstrong works, once dubbed ‘the workshop of the world’ it was responsible for countless feats of engineering and industrial development.

With substantial industrial experience and a deeply embedded passion for engineering, Alan Reece returned to work at Newcastle

University. He taught there for nearly 30 years, gaining a reputation as an encouraging teacher and imaginative researcher. His research led him to invent a pioneering subsea plough that cut the costs of installation and provided greater protection for subsea cables, increasing the reliability of international telephone connections and leading to a huge contract with the US construction and oil services giant Brown and Root.

The contract to design and build a complete subsea trenching machine in 1983 could not be accommodated under the university’s arrangements, then much less alive to the benefits of entrepreneurial spin-offs. At the age of 57, Reece reluctantly left to set up his own company, Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD), to deliver the project.

Starting with a three-person team operating from his front room, SMD turned over £100,000 in its first year and £1.5m in its second. Alan Reece was a pioneering engineer who had the rare ability to develop engineering ideas through to successful business enterprises. From the age of 57 through to his death at 85 in 2012 he built the highly successful Reece Group of innovative engineering companies, operating across the globe in defence, oil and gas, subsea

and road construction. An extraordinary man, Alan Reece was a gifted educator, innovative researcher, prolific inventor, pioneering entrepreneur and philanthropist. One of the most successful entrepreneur engineers of his generation, Alan was a passionate believer in engineering as a provider of prosperity and enjoyable employment and in 2007 set up the Reece Foundation to: ‘increase the long term and sustainable prosperity of the North East of England primarily through the promotion of engineering and manufacturing with a particular focus on the improvement of education in engineering and related scientific and mathematical subjects, training in engineering skills, and the development of employment opportunities’.

In 2011 Alan Reece was named the third biggest philanthropist

in the UK, just before his death in 2012. His family has carried on running the family business as well as the Reece Foundation.

The Foundation has given millions of pounds to support engineering education and touched the lives of thousands of potential engineers.

The Trustees feel that it is vital to encourage a new generation of engineers by supporting education in engineering and enterprise in the North East and we are proud to work in partnership with the Reece Foundation to continue to deliver Reece’s extraordinary vision for engineering education.

Every year at NHSG, we welcome applicants for our Reece Awards, Sixth Form bursary places for girls from maintained schools wishing to take a higher education course and pursue a STEM related career. If you know someone who would be interested in this opportunity, or you would like further information about making an application then please get in touch with our Admissions Manager Julia Howe at j.howe@ncl.gdst.net or on 0191 281 1768.

HM Queen Elizabeth II, 1926 -2022

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8th September 2022. At School, we commemorated her life through school assemblies and by opening a book of condolence. Here are some of the very many entries.

Her majesty dedicated over 70 years to the people of this country and the Commonwealth. Her death marks the end of a significant period of history which has given us an important opportunity to reflect on both her life and the changes this country and the world have seen since she became Queen in 1952.

We reflect on her life of service and the inspirational example of commitment and dedication that she provided to us all. May she rest in peace.

Carey (Central High, Class of 1952)

Margaret writes of her memories from school days on the news of King George VI’s death in 1952.

Mid-afternoon on Thursday 8th September when the news broke of the death of our Queen, I expect almost everyone was immediately reminded of some event in her life, and for those people who had had the honour of actually meeting her – they would be remembering that occasion. My own thoughts went back to that day in February 1952 when we heard that her father, King George VI, had died.

I was in Upper Sixth at Central High, my final year, and we prefects were summoned to Miss Belton’s office. She told us that since there was a flagpole on the library roof she planned to fly a flag to mark the death of the King. She wanted some fairly athletic prefects to do this, so of course I was one of those willing volunteers.

Access to the library roof was via one of the classrooms on the first floor – the one in the southwest corner with its main windows overlooking Eskdale Terrace and the RGS. This room also had a large sash window facing south, looking over the library and playground towards Hiley House.

Pushing up the bottom part of the window we climbed out on to the library roof to the flagpole. Miss Belton had checked the etiquette for flags – since the flag was not already flying, we had to raise it to full mast first and then lower to half-mast! To quote 007- ‘not a lot of people know that!’ – that’s a useless piece of knowledge which has been in my brain for 70 years.

On Proclamation Day, when the Queen was proclaimed our new monarch, we had to climb out and

raise the flag to full mast then the following day, climb out again and bring it back down to half-mast. Finally, the day after the King’s funeral we climbed out once more to remove the flag. (I often wonder if it ever flew again?)

I was glad to learn from Mr Tippett that the new school does not have a flagpole, so at least he would not have Health and Safety breathing down his neck – they did not exist in 1952!

Margaret

100 YEARS AGO

In 1922 both Central Newcastle High School and the Newcastle Church High School introduced the House System. At Central Blue, Yellow, Green and Red Houses and at Church Blue, Orange, Red and White Houses.

Meanwhile in the rest of the world...

• The first successful insulin treatment of diabetes is made.

• The Five Power Naval Disarmament Treaty is signed between the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France and Italy.

• The British Broadcasting Company is incorporated, the Prince of Wales becomes the first Royal to speak on radio while in the US the President of the United States Warren Harding makes his first speech on the radio.

• The inaugural session of the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) is held in The Hague.

• The British Civil Aviation Authority is established.

• The silent horror film Nosferatu is premièred at the Berlin Zoological Garden in Germany and Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, actor famed for his roles in horror movies, including Dracula was born in London.

• Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay and imprisoned for sedition.

• The State of Massachusetts opens all public offices to women.

• Sergei Diaghilev, Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Proust, James Joyce, Erik Satie and Clive Bell dine together at the Hotel Majestic in Paris, their only joint meeting.

• The Hollywood Bowl openair music venue opens.

• Joseph Stalin is appointed General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party.

• The last hunted California grizzly bear is shot.

• Rebecca Latimer Felton becomes the first female US senator.

• The National Fascist Party and Benito Mussolini, Italy’s youngest ever Prime Minister come to power beginning a period of dictatorship that lasts until the end of the Second World War.

• The Ottoman Empire is abolished after 600 years, and its last sultan, Mehmed VI abdicates and leaves for exile in Italy on 17th November.

• In Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter and his men discover the entrance to Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

• Labour becomes the main opposition party for the first time.

• The Irish Free State officially comes into existence while the Parliament of Northern Ireland votes to remain part of the United Kingdom.

• The largest trade union in Britain is formed – the Transport and General Workers’ Union.

• Branston Pickle began production.

• Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, the HMS Victory is permanently dry docked at Portsmouth.

• Declaration of Egyptian Independence by the United Kingdom, giving the country nominal independence, reserving control of military and diplomatic matters.

• Ivy Williams becomes the first woman member of the English Bar.

• Launch of the iconic Austin 7 car, produced at Longbridge. The car will inspire numerous other automotive designs and remain in production for another seventeen years until 1939.

• Barbara Cartland publishes her first novel ‘Jigsaw’.

• James Joyce’s novel ‘Ulysses’ is published.

• Fenwick opened on Northumberland Street.

SPORTING SUCCESS WITH BETH GILL

Central High (Class of 2014) Alumna, Beth Gill, has had great success this year with British Canoeing. Her achievements include winning the Gold and World Champion title in the C1 Women’s Short Course at the 2022 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships. At the same competition, she also won Bronze in the C1 Women’s Standard Distance Race. Beth also won Silver in the Women’s C1 Short Distance Final at the Marathon European Championships.

Why did you/your parents choose CNHS?

I remember listening to the Head Teacher, describing to potential new students how ‘If there were a table to be lifted, or chairs to be put away, the girls would do it’, referring to the all-girls education. This struck a chord with me, along with the warm and friendly

environment, high achieving sports department and enthusiasm across all areas of school life.

How old were you when you first arrived at CNHS?

I joined CNHS at 11 years old in Year 7.

What do you wish you had known on your first day at CNHS?

Don’t be nervous! Be yourself, work hard and do what makes you happy. One of the best things I did was fill my lunchtimes with activities and clubs!

How did CNHS prepare you for your future career in sport?

CNHS provided me with a multitude of opportunities. Teachers and staff were so supportive in enabling me to find what I enjoy most, whilst also guiding me through my academics and finding a balance that got the most out of me as a person.

There were times at school where things made me nervous or uneasy, but this was because we were encouraged to push towards goals that seemed difficult to achieve. I think that the ability to set high achieving

goals and then go after them, although putting yourself in uneasy situations, is something that is so important in any future career, not only in sport.

When I look back on my time at CNHS, I can’t recall a time I was told I can’t achieve something. The philosophy always seemed to follow the lines that anything is possible if you put your mind towards it.

What skills or knowledge did you learn at CNHS that you found most useful in your sporting career?

Definitely time management and organisation. But also, decision making, in that there will always be things you want to do more than the other, but you have to make choices on what to prioritise. No one can make those decisions for you therefore you learn to make them yourself.

How did sports at CNHS help you kickstart your sporting career?

The sports department at CNHS was incredible! I can’t think of any way of describing just how incredible it was. There were numerous sports activities before, during and after school. I found myself trying to fit multiple clubs into one lunch time which, although hectic, helped with both my organisation and time management skills! We’d travel all around the country whether that be for GDST Rallies or the

numerous National Finals we qualified for across a variety of sports from cross country to athletics, trampolining to hockey. By Year 13, I became quite proficient at packing a bag!

From my first memories in Year 7 at Monday morning cross country with the then Head of PE, Jackie Atkinson, to sitting in the PE office answering the final round of questions before being accepted onto the GB Canoeing programme in my last few weeks at CNHS; the sports department really did kickstart my sporting career.

I look back on my CNHS sporting path with both pride and gratitude.

What are you most proud of from your CNHS experience?

As Sports Captain I presented the end of year Sports Celebration of Achievement. The evening used to be held in the main sports hall in front of students, staff, parents and invited guests from across the GDST and sports world. It was really daunting! This is something that I would never have dreamed of doing when I joined the school in Year 7, but I now look back on as one of my proudest achievements whilst at the school.

What is something at CNHS that you absolutely loved being a part of?

Sports teams! Sport enables you to be part of a group of people with a common passion and determination. It really does bring people together and creates long lasting friendships. As a pupil in Year 7 I knew many girls in the years above me through training and competing in various sports. A fond memory would be attending the National Cross Country and Athletics Finals in Year 7. The team would be made up of a small number of Year 7s all the way up to Sixth Form and over the years we’d spend a lot of time together training and competing across the country. Being able to learn from and talk to others of different ages was so important both whilst I was at school but also an important skill for later life. For me, I wanted to continue this as I became one of the older girls and pass this on through the School. I enjoyed being able to have conversations with younger pupils to help them if needed and support in coaching at various sports clubs.

SPORTING SUCCESS WITH BETH GILL CONTINUED

Do you keep in touch with friends from CNHS?

Yes. I think what’s lovely is that although we’ve all gone off to do such a wide variety of things across the world, we can still come together and have a conversation continuing from where we left off.

Who was your favourite teacher at CNHS and why?

Oh gosh, I couldn’t say! I got away with a lot as I always had sport on my mind and the teachers were so encouraging of what I wanted to do, but also supported me along with my academics. My form teachers too, Mrs Edmonds and Ms Clare, they were always there to help me with anything and everything! Of course, I’d also have to say the entire PE department, they not only had huge enthusiasm and dedication for sport, but also helped shape me to be the athlete and person I am today. What I also found special was that it wasn’t just the teachers in the subjects I was good at that encouraged me, but also those that I wasn’t so good at such as German! My German teacher and Head of Year, Mr Fox, was incredibly helpful and supportive of me.

What was your favourite subject at CNHS?

Definitely PE and Sport! I also enjoyed the sciences, which I now study at university. Specifically, the environment and river pollution, which is so important and prominent right now, but also where I spend most of my time training and competing.

When did you discover your passion for sport?

A very young age! I remember setting out a racetrack on the beach or at play parks and racing my brother and sister for hours! The sports department at CNHS really helped me to experience a

wide range of sports. I didn’t start playing hockey until Year 9, which I then went on to play internationally by Year 11. I think this experience really opened my eyes to how much I wanted to compete at a high level in sport.

How/when did you find your passion for canoeing?

I started canoeing at 18. Before then I didn’t really have an idea of what canoeing was! I signed up to a UK Sport talent ID programme called Girls4Gold. A few thousand applied and by the end of several selection rounds there was a small group of us from a range of sports. In the summer after finishing school, I went from hockey-

obsessed Beth about to start at Loughborough University, to falling out of a boat into a cold river in Nottingham! Since then, it’s snowballed, and I now compete and train across the world doing what I love.

What advice would you give pupils at NHSG now?

Open as many doors as you can, go through those that excite you the most, then start the process again! That way you’ll work 100% (and more!) in whatever it is you’re doing, and most importantly enjoy doing it!

SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

Women’s football is generally traced back to 1869 and has had a tumultuous history. Tolerated and accepted as a hobby, any effort to establish women’s football as a regulated, potentially even monetised sport, faced huge resistance.

The first recorded women’s football match took place on 9th May 1881, when two teams competed at Easter Road Stadium in Edinburgh. It was advertised as a Scotland v England international match with a recorded score of 7 – 1 to Scotland.

Despite wearing corsets, everyday heeled boots and even bonnets, so they weren’t considered to be breaking the Victorian standards of decency, players were harassed on and off the pitch to the extent that many were driven to hiding their real identities.

Over a decade later in 1894, another attempt at establishing a formal ladies football team re-emerged. The British Ladies Football Club, was formed with Nettie Honeyball (another pseudonym) as captain and figurehead. Under the patronage of Lady Florence Dixie, the Scottish writer and feminist, Honeyball advertised the team publicly, issuing a call-out for players. Asked about her motives for establishing the team she responded:

‘Why not? Aren’t women as good as men? We ladies have too long borne the degradation of presumed

inferiority to the other sex. The subject has been in my mind for years. If men can play football so can women.’

On March 23, 1895, Honeyball led her team on to the pitch at Crouch End for the first official women’s association football match. This intensely controversial event had been widely publicised and some 10,000 people, almost all men, turned out to leer, cheer or jeer.

The newspapers echoed the public’s derision aimed at women’s football, and every aspect of the match was criticised including the players’ appearance, clothing and the standard of play, concluding that football was a ‘man’s game’ and that ‘girls are totally unfitted for rough work of the football-field’.

Honeyball attempted to keep the team going but by 1896, while men’s football was quickly becoming the most popular sport in the world, lack of support and funds drove women’s football into decline.

Around 20 years later, women’s football saw a dramatic resurgence, reaching a popularity that was only dreamt of a generation before – but the same prejudices against it soon re-emerged.

Between 1914 and 1918 the lives of millions of women in Britain were overturned by the First World War. With hundreds of thousands of men away from home, women filled manufacturing positions on

the home front. These women played football on their breaks and began to form teams. Local interest grew, and fixtures were arranged on town grounds.

In 1915 – with so many men away fighting in the First World War – the (men’s) Football Association (FA) suspended the men’s leagues and women’s matches surged in popularity in their absence. Supported by the FA as a means of fundraising for the war effort, women’s teams were allowed to use league grounds for matches and training and were often assisted by male players and coaches. Matches drew crowds of tens of thousands to stadiums across England.

Reports of women’s matches in the contemporary Football Special Magazine highlighted the initial reaction to women’s football in this era. Women’s teams had centre spread features alongside men’s, with no sign that it was unusual or extraordinary.

(Above) Wallsend Slipway Ladies, 1917.

(Page 59 top left) The British Ladies’ Football Club - North Team, 1985.

(Page 59 top right) Rosy Rapids

FC Wheatley Hill County Durham, 1909.

As the war ended and men returned home, the popularity of the women’s game did not wane. At a record-breaking match on Boxing Day 1920 played at Goodison Park, the Dick Kerr Ladies and St Helens Ladies (the top two women’s teams in England) played to 53,000 spectators, with over 10,000 turned away at the gates.

The continued success of women’s football became a threat to the men’s game. Equivalent league matches between men’s teams drew nowhere near as many crowds or headlines. Though the fundraising effort had been welcome during the war, the popular view was that it was time for women to leave the pitches.

In 1921, the FA claimed that football was ‘unsuitable for women’ and banned its members from allowing women’s football at their grounds and forbade its members from acting as referees or linesmen at women’s games, effectively killing the game overnight. Explaining their decision, the FA released a statement in which it concluded that football was ‘quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged’.

It wasn’t until Mexico held an unofficial women’s tournament in 1970 that attracted huge crowds and lucrative sponsorship deals that the FA

overturned its ban in 1971, fifty years later. It would take a further twenty years for a women’s World Cup to take place in 1991 and England did not have a fully professional women’s football league until 2018.

On the 31st July 2022 the England Women’s National Football Team, also known as the Lionesses, won their first major title, the European Championship, defeating Germany 2 – 1 in extra time in front of a record breaking crowd of 87,192 at Wembley Stadium.

The win secured England’s first major international success since the men’s team won the World Cup in 1966.

For decades, the leaders and gatekeepers of football declared that women were less capable, less suited, and ultimately less important to the sport, an attitude that poisoned public perception and convinced girls it wasn’t for them. Decades of women have fought the misogyny surrounding women’s football to make it the sport it is today and we should recognise them for their solidarity, integrity and determination to fight for equality.

Our own Georgia Gibson who teaches PE and Maths at NHSG is now in her second season with the Lady Magpies. After growing up in Dubai, where she first began playing football,

she joined Sunderland Ladies’ development team when she moved back to England in 2015. She progressed to the first team three years later, before joining Newcastle United Women in the summer of 2020. She is an outstanding ambassador for women’s football and an inspiration for NHSG pupils.

“Playing and representing NUFC is a real honour for me. I’ve grown up supporting Newcastle United and wanted to kick a ball around from the minute I could walk so to step out onto St James’ Park in May was a real privilege and a moment I will never forget. To proudly say I have scored in the Gallowgate, played in front of over 22,000 fans and for many of our girls from NHSG to be there is fantastic. I never imagined having the impact I have had on the girls in our school community, that is the reason I love doing what I am doing and hopefully I can inspire and be a role model for them to achieve even greater things in the future.”

NHSG teacher and NUFC Women’s Number 10, Georgia Gibson, pictured below.

SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

Jess Lienard is a current pupil at NHSG, and she has a strong passion for football. At NHSG, we are very lucky to have Georgia Gibson as a PE Teacher. Miss Gibson is also Number 10 on the Newcastle United Women’s First Team, and so she is a huge inspiration to the girls, particularly Jess.

Georgia will be instrumental in teaching Jess Lienard who joined us with a Sports Exhibition in Year 7 in 2021.

Jess has played football since she was four years old and trained with the Newcastle Community Foundation every Saturday between the ages of four and seven. We interviewed Jess to find out more about her football journey.

When did you start playing football?

I started playing football for a club when I was about 8 years old, but I always used to play football in my garden with my brother for as long as I can remember.

What is it about football that makes you love it more than any other sport?

I love how it’s a team sport so everyone supports each other even if you are losing in a football match everyone around you will be encouraging you.

What is your best skill in football?

Unlike many other players, I can kick with both feet.

What skills do you learn on the pitch that you can apply off the pitch?

Teamwork, resilience and to always work hard.

What has been your greatest achievement as a football player so far?

Being offered a place in the Sunderland Regional Talent Centre, which is the girls’ equivalent of a boys’ academy.

Do you play for any teams outside of school?

I play for Sunderland U12s RTC and for the U13 Newcastle District Girls’ team.

What is the most important aspect of being a member of a team?

To be supportive and to be friendly with them off the pitch to have a better connection on the pitch.

Which football team do you support?

Newcastle United, I’ve got a season ticket, even though I play for Sunderland!

Can you give an example of when you overcame adversity as a football player?

COVID was definitely a setback, but I kept on practising with my brother in the garden.

What has been your favourite football moment?

Scoring a freekick with my left foot in the top corner for Newcastle district.

If you could change one thing about football, what would it be?

Nothing, I love it the way it is.

Who is your biggest role model in football?

Beth Mead because she played for Sunderland and then became the top scorer at the

Euros, and my brother and Miss Gibson of course!

What is the best advice someone gave you about playing football?

Keep your eye on the ball! My dad used to say this after every match, or still does...

Football is a popular sport for women and girls, what do you want girls to learn from you?

Don’t listen to the boys in the playground, you can play football, often better than them.

How do you balance playing sport against academic work?

I organise my week by setting homework days when I try to do most of my homework, and I sometimes use the school library before and after school.

What are your goals for your football career?

I want to be an England player, a Lioness!

What do you think it takes to be a successful football player?

A lot of hard work and resilience to become a professional.

If someone told you that you couldn’t play football because you are a girl, what would you say to them?

Get a life! And I’ll prove them wrong on the pitch.

BURSARY APPEAL

Towards 150 and Beyond

Opening doors, hearts and minds since 1876

Be part of our next 150 years – give the gift of opportunity

Since we opened our doors in 1876, we have 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 committed to the advancement of women’s rights and equality through education. Bursaries help overcome the hurdles imposed by economic circumstance and break down the barriers to achievement faced by girls and young women. 15% of pupils at NHSG Senior School today are in receipt of a bursary award. This far exceeds the national average across the independent school sector of just over 1.5%. It is the extraordinary generosity, foresight and understanding of our school community that makes this possible.

We are immensely proud of our distinguished history and of our important contribution to the education and emancipation of women. Since our earliest foundation in 1876, 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, kindness and resilience that have characterised our schools. We are proud of the intelligent, fearless young women we have taught, who grasped the opportunities offered to them. These women have come from all walks of life.

Since we first opened our doors, bursaries have been fundamental to the ethos of the school. Hundreds of girls since have received their education here thanks to financial assistance. Our bursary programme remains an integral part of our School today and it is our mission to continue to make this educational opportunity accessible to girls and young women with potential and determination. We want to do this for even more pupils in the future – regardless of their economic circumstances or other hurdles they may face.

We are enormously grateful for the generosity of the individuals and organisations who have made it possible for us to teach, inspire and enable generations of bright, talented young women whatever their backgrounds. We are committed to continuing this opportunity. Bursaries do transform lives and can have a lasting impact on social mobility and outcomes. To the individuals that receive them, bursaries offer a lifechanging opportunity; to the School community, our bursary holders bring different life experiences, perspectives and ideas. Our campaign mission is to open doors, hearts and minds. A NHSG education offers access to an education founded on excellence, integrity, opportunity, individuality, family and community which makes a brighter future for everyone. If you believe in the importance of girls’ education like we do, then please consider making a gift to secure bursary places for future generations.

To find out more please contact our Philanthropy Manager, Polly De Giorgi on 0191 201 6549 or at p.degiorgi@ncl.gdst.net

To make a donation please scan this QR code or visit the GDST’s giving page at: www.gdst.net/donate/Newcastle and select Newcastle High School for Girls.

IN MEMORIAM

Margaret Rochester

Alumna of Central High 1940-2022

Margaret Annabel Rochester was born in Hong Kong on 24th January 1940. Her father was a tugboat captain and always used the title ‘Captain Rochester’ even when he retired to Selsey. Just before the Japanese invaded Hong Kong in WW2, Margaret and her mother got away to Australia. At the end of the war, the family came back to their roots in the North East of England where Margaret attended Central Newcastle High School from 1951 at the age of 11 to 17 in 1958.

Margaret was intelligent and did well at school. An accomplished oboist, she played in the school orchestra throughout her time at Central, but it was languages that she truly excelled at, going on to become a German teacher at several schools. Margaret’s last teaching post was in Horsham which she gave up to look after her Mother in Selsey, Chichester, taking a job in County Hall to support them both.

She was very firm in her ideas and was always phoning people up at all hours to discuss media reports or newspaper articles, including the school. We will miss her telephone calls to bring articles and events to our attention that she thought would be of interest to us. Once Margaret phoned the German Embassy in London wishing to discuss some news item involving Germany. She asked to speak to the then Chancellor Angela Merkel and was rather astonished to be put through to her in Germany. They had a long conversation in German.

Margaret was very talented in craftwork of all kinds –furnishing dolls’ houses as well as embroidery to exhibition standard. Margaret also loved animals and once went to London to collect a canary in a cage and then brought it home on the train. Margaret’s circle of friends were mainly single, professional ladies who have died or she lost touch with and she had no living relatives. She lived quietly, alone with her little dog (who is now with her friend Min Flowers).

More recently, Margaret suffered poor health and was hospitalised on several occasions. She died on 6th October at St Richard’s. Margaret gifted her entire estate to a variety of charities including the RNLI, Cancer Research, the Woodland Trust, the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, the Dogs’ Trust, the British Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Newcastle High School for Girls.

Gillian Coop

Former teacher at Central High 1942-2012

Gillian was the first female conductor for the Northumberland Orchestral Society.

She was born in Leeds, and spent most of her school days in Cheshire, attending Altrincham Grammar School where she learned piano and violin and performed in choirs, orchestras and music ensembles. She studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music and then came to Newcastle to teach music at Central Newcastle High School where, as Director of Music, she taught music (including piano and violin) to 12 to 18 year-olds, and directed choirs, orchestras and chamber music.

Since the last newsletter we have been advised of sad news about the following alumnae and staff.

Gill is top left in the photograph below.

@centralhighalumnaeandfriends @tankervillehouse @NHSGAlumnae

newcastlehigh.gdst.net/alumnae/