Please click on the boxes for more information
Northgate is a caring school. Our ethos is based on support for all pupils. New pupils settle in very quickly.
We have a commitment to academic success for all pupils.
We hold the Artsmark Gold Award for achievement in the Arts. We also hold the RE Gold Quality Mark. This is a fantastic award that very few secondary schools achieve.
We have a fine track record of sporting achievement, having been awarded the Sportsmark Gold and the FA Charter Mark for sporting excellence.
We have established a School Family Partnership Centre to support our cluster family of schools for the services and agencies who work with young people and parents in the wider Dereham area to utilise as a base for their valuable work.
We believe in firm discipline. This is based on respect for people and property.
Musical opportunities – more pupils than ever are receiving instrumental tuition under the direction of our Head of Music. An extensive range of extra-curricular activities is on offer.
The European Dimension. We have links with a range of schools throughout Europe and participate in exchange programmes with schools in France, Spain and Holland. Able linguists have the opportunity to study two Modern Foreign Languages to GCSE and beyond.
We have excellent facilities. Our recent building projects have enhanced learning environments in Music and outdoor learning, Drama, the Learning Hub, Science, Religious Education, Computing and Food Technology. An all-weather, floodlit football pitch, along with a suite of changing rooms, provide high-quality facilities. A six-classroom block, including Performing Arts and Media provide a fantastic environment for learning. A refurbishment of our technology block enables students to have in-depth opportunities to experience textiles and fashion education. We are committed to developing the use of technology to enhance learners’ experience and we utilise visualiser equipment, iPads, interactive boards and touch screens.
Since September 2014, a new Student Services Team has existed to provide the very best pastoral support for our students and their parents/carers.
We celebrate achievement and praise pupils at every opportunity.
Drama opportunities – our stage productions are famous throughout the county. Recent performances include ‘Bugsy Malone’, ‘Oliver!’ and ‘Grease’. Our pupils acquire tremendous self-confidence through participation in such events.
We have received the prestigious Schools Eco-Award on three occasions, underlining our commitment to environmental education. We now hold the award outright.
We have refurbished our school library to create a state-of-the-art 21st Century Learning Hub where traditional library materials are available alongside the new technologies of iPads and Kindles to support today’s learners. With extended hours and a high quality environment, we are providing our students with an outstanding research facility that they can be proud of and enjoy.
In Spring 2015 we began a prestigious project to develop an External Learning Facility (ELF) comprising animal and land management areas, a World War I trench and World War II Anderson Shelter alongside a fantastic outdoor stage and amphitheatre seating area for drama and music performances. The ELF is going from strength to strength with animals now comprising of minature Kune Kune pigs, pygmy goats, rabbits, canaries, Japanese quails, cockerels and hens. Children support staff in caring for and learning about animals, and students from our cluster schools have visited and enjoyed the area. We are excited about the opportunities for learners that the area provides across a wide range of subjects in which the environment enhances the learning in the curriculum.
