Northwood College

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Northwood College
Established	1878
Type	Independent All-female
Headmistress	Mrs. R. Mercer
Grades	Kindergarten-Sixth Form
Location	Northwood, England

Northwood College, situated on Maxwell Road, Northwood, England, is an independent school for girls aged 3 to 18.

Headmistress: Mrs. R Mercer

Deputy head: Mrs. E Skelton

Head of the junior school: Mrs. J Johnson

[edit] Ethos

At Northwood College, girls develop independence of thought and initiative as their curiosity and desire to learn are stimulated by excellent teaching. The broad educational experience provided by the College enables each girl to develop her talents, be they academic, sporting or creative.

A supportive system of pastoral care, involving staff and parents, is central to the ethos and ensures each girl is valued as an individual within our community.

At 18, girls leave Northwood College with an awareness of their self-worth, a sense of responsibility towards others and the skills which equip them to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. They are encouraged to become confident, articulate and generous young women of high stature.

Northwood College is unique in that it has its own Advanced Cognitive Development Program, directed by Mrs. J Simister.

Northwood College has not yet introduced the IB diploma, although many other schools in the area have (e.g. St. Helen's School, North London Collegiate School). However, Northwood College is not alone in having A-Level as the only public exam for Year 13's, as Haberdashers' Aske's School in Elstree is also proud to stick to A- Levels.

School trips are arranged frequently, although different classes may do different things. In Year 4, there is an annual trip to Ivinghoe, near Tring. Year 5 girls have recently started going to PGL camp, although this has only happened in the last year. The annual trip for Year 6's is to the Isle of Wight for a week. All of these trips are residential.

Northwood College has an extensive history. Founded in 1878, Northwood College has been providing a high quality of education for girls for 125 years. The modern education demanded, and deserved by girls today, is of course very different from that of their Victorian predecessors, but the underlying values of integrity, responsibility and service have always been the basis of their ethos, and is substantially well done.

[edit] Facilities

During the 1990s, the school grew considerably and the existing facilities were modernised and new ones added.

Changes included:

• 25 metre swimming pool and sports hall
• The Centenary Library
• Three new laboratories
• Two new Technology rooms
• A second computer room
• A third Art room, dedicated to Graphics
• A new Junior School, Pre-prep and Nursery accommodation

The new Performing Arts Centre provides state of the art facilities including a Recital Hall, a Drama Studio, a Music Technology Suite, two music teaching rooms, ten practice rooms, a Recording Studio and a Conservatory. It was officially opened in March 2005 and this will allow the school to make further changes to the existing buildings. The school is now at its optimum size: big enough to offer a wide variety of subjects and activities and so cater for individual choices, but also small enough to care for each individual's needs.

[edit] Clubs

The school offers a wide variety of extra curricular activities including:

• Art or Photography Club
• Art Club
• Bridge Club
• Classical Theatre
• Drama Club
• Greek Club
• Judo
• Mathematics Club/Surgery
• Second Orchestra
• Jazz Group
• Senior Chamber Choir
• Physical Education
• SPARK
• History Club
• Art History Club
• 6th form Book Club
• Chess
• Computer Club
• Expedition Training/Walking Club
• Jewish Society
• Literary Society Book Club
• Modern Languages
• First Orchestra
• Northwood Singers
• Lunchtime Recitals
• Science Club
• Technology Club
• Sound Recording Club