Westfield School, Newcastle upon Tyne

Westfield School is a private day school for girls aged 3 to 19 in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is a Round Square school and a member of the Girls' Schools Association.

History
Westfield School was founded in 1960 by a group of parents who saw the need for a new type of girls' independent school with a broader curriculum than those offered at the time by other Newcastle schools. They decided to establish a girls' school on the Gordonstoun model. Henry Brereton, a former Headmaster of Gordonstoun, was a founder trustee consultant and an adviser from the beginning. He remained a Governor of Westfield after retirement from Gordonstoun.

Miss Ellen Bicknell's Parents' National Education Union School, situated at 1 and 3 Westfield Grove, Gosforth, was purchased and became the Junior House. Demand for places grew rapidly. Within a year Oakfield House, the former home of local MP Sir Cecil Cochrane, was purchased for the Senior House.

Westfield continued to grow rapidly throughout the 1990s. It became a member of the international Round Square in 1991. In 1996 the acquisition of Ashfield Towers on Kenton Road, adjacent to Senior House, led to the relocation of Junior House allowing Westfield to offer an all-through education for girls from three to eighteen on a single six-acre site in the heart of Gosforth.

In 2017, the Ashfield Towers site was sold and a new science block built on the footprint of the gardeners sheds and workshops. The old science wing was converted into custom designed premises for the Junior House who moved in in September 2019. Recognising that academic development does not follow a precise linear pattern, Westfield’s Junior House is divided into three sections: Early Years (from age 3 upwards); BrightStart (Reception and Key Stage 1) and Prep (Key Stage 2). BrightStart are taught in mixed age groups depending on aptitude and development with movement between the groups during the day and as development happens. By Year 3, girls are on a more even academic level and are then taught in traditional year groups going forwards.

The current school is now made up of three divisions: Junior House (Early Years, BrightStart and Prep), Senior House, and Sixth Form.

Uniform
The school's uniform consists of a tartan blue and pink kilt with a pink shirt and a navy blue V-neck jumper, whilst the sixth form uniform consists of a navy suit along with the same pink and navy blue pullover as the rest of the school.

Programmes

As a Round Square school, Westfield frequently participates in exchange programmes and service projects with other member schools. Girls from most Senior year groups have the opportunity to visit other Round Square schools. There are also opportunities for younger students to participate in Junior Round Square conferences aimed specifically at their own age groups and usually held in the UK or Europe. Most recently, Westfield hosted a Junior Adventure conference in June 2024 with attendance from12 schools from 9 countries, 4 continents and across 11 time zones.

Westfield School is non-academically selective and acknowledges that all girls can achieve highly in the right conditions. A vibrant and active Stretch and Challenge programme runs that encourages pupils to be involved in activities outside the core curriculum. Challenge days are held at least termly to encourage teamwork and leadership development; public speaking and problem solving; learning how to fail and bounce back – all crucial skills for future education and employment.

Westfield has a BYOD policy and is a Microsoft school. Much of the teaching in Senior House is blended with resources and assignments stored on teams.

Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular Activities[edit]

A wide variety of activities are available ranging from sport to interest clubs to performing arts. Outdoor pursuits for Duke of Edinburgh Award participants offers girls the opportunity to experience the outdoors through expeditions and camping trips.

Westfield is an active member of UNESCO ASPNet. and the annual letter writing day for Amnesty International is a highlight of the year.

Girls are encouraged to remain physically active and elite sportswomen (most recently from golf, gymnastics, sailing, etc.) are supported and encouraged through their schooling.

Creative and performing arts are strong at Westfield with annual performances often using professional theatres in town. There is an annual World Women’s Day art competition, art exhibition and photography competition. Girls have gone on to study at RADA, London School of Musical Theatre & various art colleges.

Notable former pupils

 * Julia Barrow, historian and academic
 * Sally-Ann Hart, politician
 * Rose Ridley, wife of Owen Paterson, secretary of state
 * Susie Appleby, 64 caps for England women's rugby and current coach of Exeter Chiefs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wifi/Susie_Appleby
 * Lucy Winskell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_winskell