Northampton High School（北安普顿高中）is an independent girls’ school in Northampton, England, founded in 1878 and part of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST). It educates girls from Nursery, aged 2, to Sixth Form, aged 18, under the motto “Made for Girls”. This guide for international families is compiled from the school’s official website as checked on 5 August 2026. Where the website does not publish a figure or condition, this guide says so instead of estimating, and the latest official pages prevail.
School profile and location
Northampton High Schoolis based at Newport Pagnell Road, Hardingstone, Northampton NN4 6UU. The school describes its current site as opened by Queen Elizabeth II and reports an “Excellent” rating from its most recent Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspection. The school is organised in four stages: Early Years for ages 2 to 4, Junior School for ages 4 to 11, Senior School for ages 11 to 16 and Sixth Form for ages 16 to 18. The Head is Dr Lee, and Mr James Earp is Director of Sixth Form. The school’s website notes that Northampton is a multicultural town roughly an hour from London by train, and that the school was shortlisted in the Girls’ School of the Year category of the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2025.
Programs across the school
Northampton High Schoolpublishes a curriculum that builds stage by stage. In the Junior School, girls follow a broad programme with a structured approach to reading, comprehension and writing, and the school notes that entry at Reception involves no assessment. In the Senior School, all pupils take both IGCSE English Language and Literature papers; science subjects are taught separately from Year 9; Further Mathematics is available at GCSE and A Level; French is a core language in Years 7 and 8 alongside a choice of Spanish or German, with Latin complemented by Classical Civilisation, and every pupil takes a modern language to GCSE. Humanities and creative subjects in Years 7 to 9 include History, Geography, Theology and Philosophy, Music, Art, Textiles, Drama and Food, and the Games programme runs from Reception through to Sixth Form.
The Sixth Form programme at Northampton High School is built around each student’s choices. The school says it creates the timetable from scratch every year so that every Year 12 student can study the A Level combination that suits them. Students take three A Levels from a range of 23 subjects, plus a compulsory Advanced Study Skills course that many extend into AQA’s Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). They also choose two or three electives from examined courses such as Core Maths, non-examined academic courses such as Politics and International Relations or STEMSoc, and practical options such as Food Skills, Photography, Yoga and Young Philanthropy. University guidance includes individual and small-group tutorials, with specialist provision for dentistry, medicine and veterinary applicants as well as Oxbridge.
Entry requirements and assessment
Northampton High Schoolhas main entry points at 11+ (Year 7) and 13+ (Year 9), with occasional spaces in other year groups. For Year 7 and Year 9, the school’s Entrance Assessment Days include short online assessments in English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Creative Comprehension and Puzzles. The assessments are based on the National Curriculum; the school states that it does not provide practice papers and that applicants do not need to prepare. In the Junior School, Reception entry involves a tour and meeting rather than an assessment; Years 1 to 4 involve one or two taster days with gentle observation; and Years 5 to 6 add short computer-based assessments in English, Mathematics and Reasoning lasting around one hour. Sixth Form applicants need at least five GCSEs at grades 7 to 9, including a minimum of grade 6 in English and Mathematics, or the equivalent in international qualifications, and are invited to a bespoke taster day.
For international applicants, the school’s website sets out two routes. Girls moving to the UK with their family, or holding a UK passport, follow the standard entry procedures, and entrance assessments may be completed at the girl’s current school before the family relocates. For a small number of girls coming to the UK without their parents, Northampton High School sponsors their stay through its Tier 4 Child Sponsor licence; these applicants are asked to be proficient in English with an overall IELTS score of 5.5 or equivalent, and girls with English as an additional language take EAL lessons in school, charged separately, alongside weekly EAL support and one-to-one sessions. Visa and statutory eligibility conditions should always be checked against the latest official information.
Fees and international costs
Northampton High Schoolpublishes 2026/27 fees per term. Nursery/Pre-School is £5,179 per term for the 50-week all-year option or £4,406 per term for term-time only; Reception is £4,935 per term; Years 1 and 2 are £5,149 per term; Years 3 to 6 are £5,582 per term; and Years 7 to 13 are £7,080 per term. Lunch is mandatory for all students and prepared on site, charged separately: £294 per term for term-time Nursery, Reception, Years 1 and 2; £315 per term for Years 3 to 6; and £336 per term for Years 7 to 13. Additional exam fees apply in Year 11 and Year 13. Fees can be paid monthly, termly or yearly, with discounts for advance payment, and an optional all-year-round provision for Reception to Year 2 costs £682 per term.
International fees are listed on the school’s international applications page. A £240 international registration fee, inclusive of VAT, is payable upon application; a deposit of one term’s fees is payable upon acceptance of an offer; and students requiring visa sponsorship pay an international enrolment fee of £3,240, inclusive of VAT, together with the first term’s fees and lunches before sponsorship is assigned. The standard registration fee is £120 and a £500 deposit secures a place after an offer. All amounts should be checked against the latest official pages, as fee structures are reviewed regularly.
Scholarships, bursaries and application timing
Northampton High Schooloffers three scholarship categories: Reach for academic excellence, Flair for talent, and Spirit for character and community contribution. The school states that scholarships do not provide fee remission and are not means-tested, and that they may be held alongside a bursary. Bursaries are means-tested on parental income and assets, can cover up to 100 per cent of tuition fees, and are offered to girls entering Year 7 or Year 12. For September 2026 entry, the school recommended registering by mid-October 2025 to allow time for scholarship and bursary applications; the closing date for Year 7 and Year 9 scholarship and bursary applications was 30 November 2025, and for Year 12 it was 3 November 2025.
The published 2026 entry timeline for Year 7 runs: Entrance Assessment Day on Friday 16 January 2026, scholarship interviews in the week of 19 January, Reach Scholarship assessment on Saturday 24 January, offers on the admissions parent portal on Friday 13 February 2026, and the deadline to accept an offer on Monday 9 March 2026. For Year 9, the Entrance Assessment Day is Wednesday 14 January 2026 with the same offer and acceptance dates. For Year 12, conditional offers were made on 12 December 2025, the acceptance deadline was 5 January 2026, bursary outcomes were published on 13 February 2026 and the bursary acceptance deadline is 9 March 2026. Autumn open events are a whole-school open morning on Saturday 26 September and Friday 2 October, and a Sixth Form information evening on Thursday 15 October from 6.00pm to 8.00pm; personal tours can be booked throughout the year.
FAQ
Does Northampton High School accept international students? Yes, the school says it welcomes international students every year; girls moving to the UK with family follow standard entry, while a small number of girls without family are sponsored through the school’s Tier 4 Child Sponsor licence. Are there entrance tests? Year 5 to 6, Year 7 and Year 9 involve assessments; Reception and Years 1 to 4 rely on visits and taster days, and the school says the assessments need no preparation. How much are the fees? For 2026/27, term fees start at £4,406 for term-time Nursery and rise to £7,080 for Years 7 to 13, with mandatory lunch charged separately and exam fees in Years 11 and 13. Is financial help available? Reach, Flair and Spirit scholarships carry no fee remission, while means-tested bursaries can cover up to 100 per cent of tuition for Year 7 and Year 12 entrants. When should we apply? The school recommends registering by mid-October for a September start so that scholarship and bursary deadlines can be met.
Summary
Northampton High Schoolsuits families looking for a girls’ day school in central England with a continuous path from age 2 to 18, a tailored A Level timetable, and structured university guidance including specialist support for medicine, dentistry, veterinary and Oxbridge applications. International families should note the two entry routes, the IELTS 5.5 expectation for girls coming without family, and the separate international fee structure. Application deadlines, fees and conditions are reviewed regularly, so the latest official pages prevail. All figures in this guide come from the school’s official website as of 5 August 2026. If you would like to plan your daughter’s entry year, English preparation and application timeline against what Northampton High School requires, our advisers can talk through your specific situation.