North London Collegiate School has been named Independent Girls’ School of the Year 2025, an honour that reflects the spirit and ambition of our entire community.
The judges recognised NLCS for its “eye-catching initiatives like the Raising Voices programme, the Surge Academy and the Ideas Hub, which seek to nurture independent thinking, mitigate the pressure on girls and promote aspiration.”
Raising Voices is designed to help students develop the kind of verbal confidence that enables them not only to express what they know, but to explore what they don’t.
Despite consistently outperforming boys in literacy, girls remain less likely to take the floor in classroom discussions, speak publicly, or assert themselves in disagreement. Raising Voices responds to that imbalance by shifting how and why students are encouraged to speak. The programme places as much emphasis on listening as talking. Girls are supported to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and develop their own thinking by engaging actively with the ideas of others.
Running in parallel, Surge, our new entrepreneurship programme offers Sixth Formers a practical introduction to start-up thinking. With sessions led by female founders, brand strategists and investors, students explore how to turn an idea into something people believe in. They work through real-world concepts like product-market fit, brand storytelling, ethical disruption and how to pitch with conviction.
The Ideas Hub has opened new possibilities for collaboration and creativity across our community and beyond from hosting events with partner schools to interdisciplinary learning, teaching and research for our students and staff.
These initiatives, developed in our 175th year, reflect a commitment that reaches back to our founder, Frances Mary Buss, a pioneer of girls’ education who believed that young women deserved intellectual challenge and the freedom to shape their own futures. That spirit continues to guide us, ensuring that every student leaves school not only intellectually accomplished but ready to step onto any stage or into any boardroom with confidence and clarity.
This recognition belongs to our students, who approach every challenge with determination. It belongs to our teachers, whose dedication inspires excellence every day. It belongs to our parents, governors and alumnae, whose belief in what we stand for has never faltered.
We also send our warmest congratulations to the many other exceptional schools recognised at the awards, especially St Helen’s and St Katharine’s who won in the same category. We were particularly delighted to see Alleyn’s School, whose Headmistress is an Old North Londoner and a wonderful example of the enduring impact of an NLCS education. Special mention must also go to Haberdashers School for Girls, where our former Deputy Head leads with distinction, and whose commitment to partnerships mirrors our own values.
It is a privilege to be part of a sector that evolves and inspires. This award celebrates where we are but also reminds us of the responsibility, we carry to keep making waves and championing the kind of education that empowers girls to think freely and shape the world around them.
