At Newstead we provide opportunities and support to nurture the gifts and talents of all students, both in terms of academic achievement and personal and social development
We believe that students of high ability need every opportunity to develop their creativity and their personal interests and therefore our enrichment programme is especially wide.

Newstead backs initiatives from its students at all levels in the school and provides a vast range of opportunities for the development of leadership skills. This is evident in our programme of extra-curricular activities for which students take responsibility, from clubs for the junior part of the school - art, chess, creative writing, debating and drama, for example - to charity events led by the house captains and outreach opportunities for partner primary schools. Our senior school societies, over twenty in number, are a forum for extending knowledge and understanding  both within and beyond the curriculum.

Newstead students frequently achieve success in national competitions : the debating skills of students throughout the school flourish under the guidance of the Debating Society ensuring that  Newstead’s profile is maintained at debating competitions organised by universities – Bristol, Cambridge, Durham and Oxford; participation in the Bar Mock Trial competitions is also well established.  Our sports teams are always busy and a considerable number of students play sport at county or national level. There are many opportunities to develop talents in music as well and new genres are always encouraged. Newstead has long-standing links with schools in Sweden, France, Germany and Spain and is now reaching out as far as Ecuador, Singapore and Japan. Both our engineering and languages specialisms provide a particular forum for masterclasses and enrichment projects.

Enrichment Week in March is an honoured tradition. The timetable is suspended so that all students have the chance to tackle problem solving, new learning and challenges in depth. Activities range from designing a building that could be built on London’s South Bank to self defence and cryptic crosswords. Visits from specialists are co-ordinated with trips out of school. Economic awareness, citizenship and preparation for the world of work are particular features of the week.