With British Science week happening last week, it is a great time to celebrate some of the many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine) offers our Upper 6 pupils have received from the most selective UK universities. STEM is very strong at Norwich School with consistently large numbers of both girls and boys choosing Sciences, Maths and Further Maths for A level: 80 of last year’s Upper 6 cohort took Maths A level (the most popular A level subject) with over 40 taking each of the three Sciences and 17 taking Further Maths. There is so much going on in STEM areas within school; the pupil led Med Soc (Medical Society) have recently enjoyed learning surgical suturing and practising this on pigs’ trotters, Upper 6 pupil Adit Raje has just gained a ‘Top Gold’ in the British Physics Olympiad coming in the top 69 of the 9000 entrants and Upper 6 pupil Emmanuel Milne’s gold in the British Biology Olympiad placed him in the top 5% of the 18,800 pupils who took part nationally. Both of these performances qualified the pupils for Round 2 of these Olympiads whilst the lower 4 and lower 5 VEX Robotics team’s recent regional and then national success qualified them for the international finals that will take place in St. Louis, Missouri, USA in April. The school’s Apply+ Programme is run by Mr Pearce. It supports pupils applying to academic courses that require admissions tests and/or interviews. STEM Oxbridge offers: Of the 10 Norwich School pupils with offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge Universities this cycle, 5 are for STEM subjects: Thomas Irvine – Medicine at the University of Cambridge Georgia Lloyd – Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Cambridge Adit Raje – Physics at the University of Oxford Freya Simmonds – Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge Emile Verschoor – Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge Other Apply+ STEM offers received so far this cycle: Thomas Cahir – Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Manchester Isaac Chan – Physics with Theoretical Physics at Imperial Arthur Dannatt – Mathematics at the University of Warwick Katerina Di Maria – Biochemistry at Imperial Thomas Hsia – Computer Science at University of Warwick Leon Liu – Physics at the University of Manchester Maya Peart – Microbiology at Imperial Adit Raje – Physics at Imperial Emile Verschoor – Physics at Imperial Halvard Yip – Data Science at the University of Warwick  Medicine and Veterinary medicine: We are delighted that all of our pupils who have applied for medicine and veterinary medicine this cycle have gained offers to study these highly competitive courses: Omar Alfiky Isio Emore India-Rose Fox Lizzie Henson

The Choristers visited London on Wednesday 4 March to sing Evensong with the Temple Church Choir. We left from Norwich train station at 9.30am after a quick rehearsal, and arrived in London in time for lunch at Zizzi. We were then shown around St Paul’s Cathedral and enjoyed testing out the acoustics in the Whispering Gallery. After braving the narrow spiral staircases all the way up to the Golden Gallery, we admired the spectacular views over London. At the end of the tour we had a group photo on an amazing cantilever staircase (used in the Harry Potter films as the way to the Divination classroom), and then walked to the Temple Church. Following a rehearsal with their choir, they all sang Evensong together at 6pm. The standard of singing was breathtaking, a testament to the hard work and dedication these young musicians display on a daily basis. We caught the 8pm train and arrived back in Norwich just before 10pm, tired but happy after a rewarding and fulfilling day. Pupil Highlights: “The whole day was 10/10. I especially enjoyed seeing the spiral staircase in St Paul’s used in the Harry Potter films!” “My favourite part was singing at the Temple Church with the other choir. I also liked the view from the top of St Paul’s Cathedral, even if it was very high up - I’m not great with heights!”

On 12 March, Upper 1 embarked on a fascinating journey back in time with a visit to Castle Rising, bringing their learning about medieval castles to life. During the trip, the children discovered that Castle Rising Castle is one of the finest surviving examples of a Norman motte and bailey castle in the UK. They learned about the huge earthwork defences that were carefully constructed around the castle, along with the imposing gatehouse and towering stone walls designed to protect it from attack. The children also discovered how a wide moat once completely surrounded the castle, forming a powerful and intimidating barrier that made it extremely difficult for enemies to approach. The drawbridge and portcullis were also vital features in controlling who could enter! Upper 1 learnt about the Murder Hole, a clever defensive feature used by castle guards to drop boiling water, stones, or other objects onto attackers below. The children also explored the remains of the castle kitchen and stepped into the magnificent Great Hall, imagining the feasts, meetings, and celebrations that would once have filled the room. They listened to stories about a bedchamber believed to be one of the most haunted rooms in the UK, explored the original church built 200 years before the castle, and looked at the ruins of the bailey buildings. The trip was a wonderful opportunity for the children to consolidate their learning of life in a medieval castle.