LETTER FROM THE CHAIR OF GOVERNORS

Iam delighted and honoured to have been asked to become Chairman of Governors at NLCS and pleased to contribute to this year’s Annual Review.

NLCS has a proud record as one of the country’s leading schools for girls, with a particularly strong academic tradition, a culture of inquisitive scholarship and a determination to inspire and stretch its students in all areas.

Academic activities this year have, of course, like so many others, been overshadowed by the COVID-19 crisis. The Governing Body monitored closely what Sarah Clark and her team did to respond to the unprecedented challenges that the pandemic has thrown up. The hard work and effort put in were exceptional and we have been very impressed by what has been achieved. New methods of teaching and learning had to be implemented at short notice and, whilst some teething problems were inevitable, we are confident that what NLCS put in place bears comparison with any other school in the country.

This term has thrown up new challenges and again we are pleased that the response has enabled the day-to-day experience of being at school to be as close to normal as possible. We are also very conscious that girls and their families remain under a variety of pressures in these difficult times. We place a particular emphasis on pastoral care and student welfare and so are keeping a close eye on these. We aim to help wherever we can.

The cancellation of public exams this year means that results in 2019-20, based as they were on predicted grades, are not strictly comparable with other years. Nonetheless, we are pleased by the results achieved – in headline terms, record results. These are reflected in the range and quality of universities to which our leavers are going, including impressive success rates in entries to Oxford and Cambridge and the Ivy League. It goes, I hope, without saying that there is so much more to an education at NLCS than academic success, however important. The Annual Review gives a good flavour of the extraordinary range of societies, lectures, drama, music and sports that the School offers. We aim to find and develop our students’ interests, whatever they may be, and believe this is critical in encouraging and developing confident and independent young women able to take their place in, and make a strong contribution to, the rapidly changing world in which we live. With this in mind, we were particularly encouraged by the enthusiasm and dedication with which so many girls worked with charities to raise money and help others over the year and during the pandemic, in particular.

We were delighted to find this year that the quality of education, in its broadest sense, that NLCS offers was recognised externally. The full ISI Inspection rated the School as ‘Excellent’ – the highest grade possible. We are, nonetheless, far from complacent and the Governors will continue work with Sarah and her team to enhance and strengthen further what we offer our students.

Thank you, in turn, for choosing NLCS and for the confidence you place in us.

ROBERT HINGLEY Chairman of Governors

Canons, Canons Drive, Edgware Middlesex HA8 7RJ T +44 (0)20 8952 0912 www.nlcs.org.uk