To celebrate their achievements and commitment to the school, we are interviewing long-serving staff members to find out what has kept them at Norwich School and what they have loved about their time with us.
On a sunny afternoon, Richard W. Peters, Head of Sixth Form & Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, shares his experiences of Norwich School with us:
What has your role at Norwich School entailed?
“Well as Head of Sixth Form, I oversee all aspects of Sixth Form life. One of my main priorities is pastoral care and safeguarding which is a considerable part of my job. It also involves working with the team in Admissions in terms of helping in welcoming students to the Sixth Form and their onward steps to life beyond Norwich School such as careers guidance and UCAS guidance.”
How long have you been working at the school?
“20 years - I joined in 2003.”
What drew you to the school initially?
“At the time I was living in New Zealand and my wife asked us to move home so we could be closer to her family in Cambridge. So, a big draw initially was proximity to Cambridge.”
What do you like most about your career?
“I like the variety, in that every day, every week and every term is different. Throughout the course of my career, I would say that no two years have been the same.”
What is your favourite event of the year at Norwich School?
“I struggle with this one; I love the carol service it is a real highlight for me. In good conscience, I would be hard-pressed to choose a favourite.”
What has been your most memorable experience at the school?
“What I take from it is the relationships which I have built, with colleagues, pupils, and parents. It’s lovely meeting someone you taught some time ago and finding out how they’re getting on.”
What do you like about the community of Norwich School and Norwich as a whole?
“I really like the fact that Norwich and Norfolk are quite small places. You get the sense that Norwich School is well embedded with city life and the wider county; I feel comfortable here. Norwich School is relatively widespread, and it is a lovely thing to be a part of the wider community.”
If you could choose anyone to visit the school, who would it be? And why?
“I'd love to invite Katherine Johnson, the American mathematician whose work at NASA was crucial to space exploration. From the early Project Mercury missions, through to the Apollo moon landings and the work of the space shuttle, Katherine’s mathematical and computational brilliance helped NASA’s many successes. She was an inspirational woman, and it would be wonderful to welcome a world-renowned mathematician to the school. Her story was immortalised in the book and film Hidden Figures.”
Which house do you think will win sports day this year?
“Before I was head of Sixth Form I was involved with Valpy for many years and I’d love to see Valpy do well.”
What’s your greatest professional achievement?
“As I said earlier, one of the things I really enjoy is meeting ONs and seeing where they are now. For example, just last month I met somebody who I taught 15 years ago who is now a mathematics teacher and as his teacher I take some pride in that. I would not like to pinpoint that as a ‘personal’ achievement as this young man has gone on to a great career which is his own achievement. However, I believe that seeing people flourish like that is wonderful and it’s lovely to be a part of those journeys.”