By Geoffrey Stanford, Headmaster, RGS Newcastle.
While Royal Grammar School (RGS) Newcastle students enjoy a well-earned summer break, plans are underway for the next chapter in our 500th anniversary celebrations.
As we prepare to welcome the 500th cohort of RGS students this September, we are also looking forward to a rich programme of events that continue to honour our remarkable legacy – and look boldly to the future.
From the launch of The Story of Our School – a beautiful modern retelling of our history – to a series of uplifting celebratory events including our Founder’s Service (welcoming our Year 7s and introducing them to Thomas Horsley’s enduring legacy) to our magical Winter Wonderland community event – there is something for everyone to enjoy. Our alumni community will gather for special dinners in Newcastle and London, while a commemorative edition of the ONA Magazine will honour stories from across the decades. In September, Northern Insight readers and our community can explore five new themes – People, The Arts, Sport, Co-curricular and the school’s impact on Newcastle – through our dedicated 500th microsite.
As we celebrate the legacy and community that have shaped RGS over five centuries, it is also a timely moment to reflect on the values and achievements that continue to define us today. One of our latest achievements came in the Telegraph’s ‘Value for Money’ league tables, where RGS was the only independent school in the North East rated ‘Very Good’ for both GCSEs and A levels. While such rankings offer one perspective, we place greater value on measures like those from Alps Education, which in 2024 placed our students in the top 1% nationally for GCSE and top 10% at A level for value added, a measure of outcomes relative to cohorts of equivalent ability elsewhere. Yet, academic success is just one part of the story – at RGS, we believe great results should be the outcome of a rich, values-led education, not its sole purpose.
To that end, we were delighted that the RGS was recently recognised at the TES Awards in London, where we were named Independent Senior School of the Year and our Junior School Headmaster, Mr Miller, was shortlisted for Independent Headteacher of the Year. This proud moment reflects not only our academic excellence but also the enduring values that have shaped RGS – a sense of belonging, belief in each other, a love for learning and the ambition to succeed. The judges commended our strong value-added performance, alongside our clear focus on values and our “absolute commitment to diversity and giving back to the community”. To receive this recognition in our Quincentenary year makes it all the more special.
While celebrating the past, we remain firmly focused on the future – on equipping our students not just with strong academic outcomes but with the skills, values and adaptability they will need in a rapidly evolving world. One powerful example of this is our partnership with Microsoft, which has seen Surface devices embedded across teaching and learning at RGS. Microsoft has featured our work as a case study of effective practice, sharing our story across its U.S. channels and planning to showcase it at future education events. Over the past three years, our one-to-one Surface programme has transformed classroom dynamics, enabling collaboration, creativity and critical thinking.
Academic results may open doors, but they are no guarantee of success. At RGS, we believe true education lies in nurturing critical thinking, problem-solving and the soft skills needed to collaborate, lead and adapt. Just as generations before have stepped into careers unimaginable at the time, today’s students must be ready to embrace opportunities we cannot yet foresee – as we look towards the next 500 years.
www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/500th