The future’s looking bright
Durham High School combines a rich history with progressive and forward-thinking initiatives to prepare its girls for the 21st century
Durham High School was proud to be one of the rst schools in the north-east to take girls’ education seriously. It has been a school for girls since 1884, and is proud to continue that tradition today. is is an inclusive school that takes its role in encouraging pupils to develop their interests – as well as develop leadership skills, resilience and con dence – very seriously.
Pupils are at the forefront of everything at Durham High School. e school educates children from nursery to sixth form, and their practices are centred exclusively around nurturing and developing girls. Durham High School helps pupils to immerse themselves in a high quality, modern and forward-thinking education, ensuring they leave as well-rounded, independent and con dent young adults, with top- ight academic quali cations.
e school’s results speak for themselves. is summer, almost 60 per cent of A-level results were graded A*-A, with the A*-B grades at 91.8 per cent. ese outstanding results would be commendable at any time, but are even more remarkable considering the context under which the students sat their examinations this year. Similarly at GCSE, two thirds of entries were awarded Grade 7 and above, which is more than double the national average of 26.3 per cent.
While results are incredibly important, two years of Covid-19 restrictions has taught that a broad and balanced curriculum is key to developing the individual. ere’s an extensive programme of activities year-round, with something for every girl, including sport, art, drama, debating and coding – and this list is not exhaustive. ere’s also the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, eco council, school council and a variety of charity programmes to get involved with. e school’s excellence in these areas was highlighted with a shortlisting in two categories, Student Wellbeing and Student Careers, in the Independent Schools of the Year 2022 Awards.
is academic year, the school is introducing some exciting brand updates, including the renaming on the junior years to pre-prep and prep. e name itself re ects what the school o ers as an educational experience. Teachers help to prepare their youngest pupils by providing them with the skills, knowledge and direction that they need for secondary education and beyond. e school also has its
rst-ever Principal, meaning a title change for the Headmistress Simone Niblock, to help re ect a more modern, forward-thinking educational environment.
Despite these timely changes as the school approaches its 140th anniversary, its constant drive for opportunities and excellence in education for girls remains as strong as it was at the very beginning.
Booking is now open for Durham High School’s October open events. e whole school open day is on Saturday 1 October at 10am; the sixth form open evening is on Tuesday 4 October at 6pm. Register for these events at dhsfg.org.uk
THERE’S AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAMME of activities year-round, with something for every girl, including SPORT, ART, DRAMA, DEBATING AND CODING AND THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE