Headteacher of Netherthorpe School

Netherthorpe is truly thriving at the moment and I am extremely proud of the staff and the students who work and attend here. Standards of teaching are higher than they have ever been and students are achieving remarkable results. The new buildings have provided us with facilities that are a match for any in the area, and our refurbished old buildings still lie at the heart of the school, as they have done for many decades.

This school can trace its existence back to 1572 when three local families, the Sitwell family, the De Rodes family and the Frechville family decided to set up a school to serve the local people of Staveley, with the aim of providing extra-ordinary opportunities for ordinary children. Whilst I think our children are anything but ordinary, I can identify with these sentiments and we are still trying to do exactly this 400 years later.

Whether you are visiting this website because you are considering sending your child here to be educated, because you are considering applying for a job here, or because of some other connection with us, I hope you leave with a sense of what this school is really about.

Netherthorpe is special. Our ‘Care, Guidance and Support’ is outstanding and has been recognised as such on consecutive OFSTED inspections. We aim to develop each child that comes to us in a welcoming and safe environment, so that they achieve highly and enjoy doing so. Our motto ‘Learn, Enjoy, Succeed’ is at the heart of all we do and children thrive because of the exceptionally strong relationships that exist between the staff here and the students. Our Sixth form is thriving and we attract around 90 applications from other local schools each year, as well as our own Year 11 students. Our experience in supporting students post-18 has led to many students continuing their education at Universities all over the country (including Oxford and Cambridge), whilst others have gained worthwhile employment, apprenticeships or college places after being carefully mentored and prepared for interviews by our careers team.

Student Leadership is a particularly strong feature of student life here. We encourage students to take responsibility, have a voice on school matters and get involved in the organisation of events. We have a School Council, a School Parliament, Sports Leaders, a Charity Committee, a Prefect system and Year Group committees to mention but a few. We are as keen to produce confident leaders who show initiative and are willing to get involved, as we are to produce students with high qualifications. We work hard at both.

Netherthorpe has by no means achieved all that it is capable of and our ambition is to be recognised as one of the best schools in the country - we aim to be a truly outstanding school in every aspect of our work. We constantly seek to improve our practice and we expect all staff who come to work here to do the same.

I hope you find the information you are looking for in visiting our website. Should you visit the school in the near future, I am confident that you will sense for yourself the ambition we have for every student, as well as the warmth and support we provide for them.