Ages 
A prep where industriousness and serenity coexist with unlikely ease. Space is at a premium, yet for a school threaded together by improbable staircases, it is remarkably calm – more Zen monastery than high-octane prep. That composure clearly stems from an ethos built on kindness, curiosity and community. The word ‘nurturing’ comes up repeatedly and there is a sense of everyone pulling in the same direction – supportive, pleasantly unsnobby and far less anxiously competitive than some.
Why read our school review?
Unlike other websites, schools can't pay to be included in The Good Schools Guide. This means our review of this school is independent, critical and fair, and written with parents' best interests at heart.
Unlock to access
Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 289 ·
- Religion
- None
- Fees
- £15,981 pa
- Local authority
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council
Headteacher
Head teacher
Gemma Strong
Since 2022, Gemma Strong, previously deputy head and before that a year 6 teacher and maths lead. Having grown up in the wilds of Weardale, Gemma ventured south to the University of York, where she gained a degree in psychology before completing a
Entrance
Main entry points are nursery, reception and year 3, with occasional places in later years. Selection is genuinely non-selective. Children spend a morning in school, take part in light-touch activities and references are sought. Rarely is someone
- Open days
- Personal visits can be arranged by contacting the school
Exit
Most pupils move on to Newcastle’s day schools – RGS, Dame Allan’s, Newcastle High School for Girls and The Newcastle School – with a handful heading further afield to Durham, Bootham, Cheetham’s and a recent music scholar to St Mary’s Ascot. The RGS
Latest results
There are no results to show for this school. Find out more.
Learning support & SEN
Pupils
Money matters
Means-tested bursaries from five to 100 per cent are available from year 3 and a 15 per cent sibling discount applies from the third child onwards. One parent mentioned sensitive support from the school when uniform costs became difficult – small
- Fee information
- £15,981 pa
Our view
Those with a taste for sprawling campuses may blink and walk away when they arrive at the interlocking terraces that make up NPS but ingenious use of every square inch turns constraint into character. Situated in the heart of Jesmond, the school is
The last word
A prep where industriousness and serenity coexist with unlikely ease. Space is at a premium, yet for a school threaded together by improbable staircases, it is remarkably calm – more Zen monastery than high-octane prep. That composure clearly stems
