1ST XI GIRLS FOOTBALL CAPTAIN, LILA EDEN, REPORTS ON THE 2024 SEASON

May 2, 2024

After a strong return to girls’ football last season, the sport proved even more popular this year with the group almost doubling in size. Many girls had returned from last year; however, some were new to the game and had the urge to learn. We started with high tempo training sessions to quickly select the new and improved 1st XI squad to start preparing for the upcoming fixtures.


The girls quickly become comfortable playing with one and other, the spirit and confidence levels rose as our first match approached. We saw ourselves facing Wymondham college at home and had high hopes of getting our first win. With a strong starting line-up, Lizzie Henson and Eliza Prior proved their dominance in the centre midfield, providing great links to Freya Tyack upfront. Although we started on top of the game, with a couple of crucial mistakes we found ourselves down 2-0, however lizzie Henson brought back hope scoring just before half time. A few positional rotations during the break saw George Flatt coming into centre back and Lila Eden moving to a forward position, scoring a second half hat trick. This combined with another amazing goal from lizzie Henson saw the girls achieve the comeback they deserved. Supporting this Mia Norris stayed strong at right back, using Mitzie Lewis on the wing to work beautifully as a pair, keeping us on top, followed by Anais Kotter working hard to link the ball to midfield. Final score 5-2 to Norwich, man of match went to Mia Norris.


Our second game saw us facing Gresham’s away after a long year since our last unfortunate defeat to them, however this year we came back stronger and more ready than ever. This match saw the move of Freya Tyack to midfield to work in a pair with lizzie Henson, the two accepting no threat from the opposition. Lizzie scored her first goal followed by Freya getting two. The pair worked effortlessly to get the ball up to Lila Eden and Jemima Curtis upfront, showing 2 goals from Lila and one from Jemima. Jess Sargent proved herself worthy in defence alongside India Fox who made her first appearance, stopping every attack that came her way. Half time saw Liv Tighe and George Flatt coming on providing fresh energy into the attack. Through all the oppositions attacks we only conceded 2 goals, proving a huge improvement from last year. Lizzie Henson scored two more goals to gain herself a hat trick, ending the match with a score of 8-2 to Norwich. Man of match went to India Fox.


With our team only improving throughout the season, upon facing Wymondham for the second time away, we started the game with high hopes of a different first half outcome compared to the first match. After a tense first half with many missed opportunities, Freya Tyack finally scored just before half time to put us on top. The second half showed a different attitude from our squad with the desire to score more goals and win this game. Edie Martin showed dominance on the wing, effortlessly going through the opposition with great link ups with George Flatt, earning Edie her first goal. With our confidence now improving, Lizzie Henson and Freya Tyack combined well together providing endless through balls to Lila Eden upfront, where she scored a seven minute hat trick. With the Wymondham side clearly falling apart under pressure, Liv Tighe used this to her advantage and scored one past their defence. Special mentions go to our defence keeping a clean sheet, with many amazing saves from our keeper Freya Osborne, and Colette Maxwell-Preston at centre back stopping any counter attacks and working well to clear the ball from our own half. Final score 6-0 to Norwich. Man of match went to Colette Maxwell-Preston.


With our final game of the season approaching, our technical training had improved, and we were ready to end the season on a high. As Gresham’s arrived it was clear they brought a different squad, possibly posing a bigger threat than the previous game. With Lizzie Henson out injured, Eliza prior came back into centre mid to keep the squad strong, easing our nerves for the match ahead. The first half proved difficult as the game started end to end. Thankfully Lila Eden got an early goal to secure the lead and show we were here to win once again.


As Gresham’s clearly worked hard to equalise before half time, this brought tension and even more determination to come back on top. As the second half started we once again found our rhythm and Freya Tyack, from two strong solo runs, scored 2 goals and continued to dominate that area of the pitch. Special mention to Izzy Kirby for her ability to stop any potential attack from Gresham’s and Mia Norris for her relentless attacking at pace which ended with Jemima Curtis finding herself clear on goal and slotting the ball right in the bottom corner, securing us a 4-1 win to end the season. Man of the match went to Mia Norris.


It was clear that the hard work every single player put in this season gave them the outcome they deserved. For just the second year of girls football back since covid, the squad had just continued to improve every single week, leaving such an incredible and strong team at the end. With many crucial upper 6 players sadly saying goodbye to football at Norwich School, we hope that the remaining players can take the experience from this season and give it their best for their remaining years to come. The girls all thank Mr Cole for giving us the opportunity to shine this season, which we couldn’t have done without him and his endless support and encouragement.

- Lila Eden (U6V) 1st XI Girls Captain

Tom Little KC, ON 82-91, Returns to Norwich School

By Sonja Mitchell • September 26, 2025
We are very grateful to Tom Little for being our guest speaker at Prizegiving this year.

Professor Charles Forsdick, ON 78-87, on the Role of Languages to Build a Better World.

By Sonja Mitchell • September 26, 2025
We were delighted to hear Professor Charles Forsdick speak about the importance of languages in society at a recent Norfolk Cambridge Society lecture at Norwich School.

Girls Mentorship Programme Returns for New Academic Year

September 24, 2025
The school's first female peer-mentoring meeting of the academic year brought together fourth form students with sixth form mentors in an initiative designed to promote sisterhood and establish a strong sense of community within our female cohorts. During the session, younger students shared their academic and personal goals for the year in small discussion groups, with sixth form mentors offering guidance and encouragement drawn from their own experiences. The collaborative atmosphere allowed students to explore practical strategies for achieving their aspirations while building meaningful cross-year relationships. The session concluded with discussions surrounding the name of the programme, with students proposing to honour an inspirational woman who holds significance for them. This programme aims to foster positive female role models within the school while empowering students to support one another's growth and success. Regular meetings throughout the year will continue and this initiative represents the school's ongoing commitment to developing confident and brave young women.

Pupils from the Friedrich-Leopold-Woeste-Gymnasium Visit the Close

By Eleanor Lewis • September 22, 2025
On Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 September, 28 pupils from the Friedrich-Leopold-Woeste-Gymnasium visited Norwich School as part of their Languages trip to Norwich. On Monday, they were treated to a tour of the school in German by our U5 GCSE class and on Tuesday, the two classes were excited to see each other again and spent the afternoon speaking German and English to each other at a Language cafe in UKS, where they ended the afternoon by playing board games together. The pupils enjoyed getting to know each other and speaking each other's languages. They will keep in contact privately now that the German group has departed. Quotes from pupils are as follows: 'We were laughing with them the whole time!' 'We made some strong connections with them and will talk with them online' 'It was very nice to meet them and make some new friends!' 'It was very enjoyable and a lovely opportunity to practise our German and make new friends.' 'It was nice to meet and talk to them while practising our German.' 'We went to the city with them and loved it!' 'We learnt so much about their home in Germany.'

On the Front of the Book - An Assembly from Rev Child

By Eleanor Lewis • September 19, 2025
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27) There’s a saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Years ago I met someone who doesn’t like that saying very much. That’s because his job is to design book covers. I watched him lead a really interesting seminar where he showed us some of his designs. He explained how his artwork was trying to sum up – on just one piece of laminated, folded paper - the message and themes of all the other pages in the book. Just occasionally, some book covers do this by choosing a key phrase from the book and putting it in large letters on the front. A famous example is Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, where some editions had a cover that read: ‘Big Brother is Watching You’. If you know the story then you’ll recognise that as the sinister propaganda message that no-one can get away from. Some copies of the Lord of the Rings had printed on the front ‘One ring to rule them all’. And The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams had just two words on the cover of some editions – ‘DON’T PANIC’. It begins to make sense when you discover that some of the characters in the story are using a space travel guide (the Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) which is designed to help you through any difficult situation. And what makes the guide so successful and popular is that its first principle is on the front cover. Whatever happens – DON’T PANIC. Have a look at the cover of your hymn book for a moment. What do you think? We’ve gone for a pretty classic look. The name of our school in gold embossed lettering, and the school crest complete with a motto in Latin for a classy finish. Sometimes I wonder – entirely hypothetically – how we might redesign the cover. If you were going to put a few words on the front, one essential message that everyone in the school was going to see at the beginning of every day, what would it be? Here are a few suggestions I got from people around the school, some more serious than others: · “Show Love” · “Shine Bright!” · “Treat others as you would like to be treated” · “Do some work in your study periods” · “Wake Up!” Actually, I think the words ‘DON’T PANIC’ might work here too. I hope you’re realising, now that we’re a few weeks into term, that panicking is never worth it – and if you’re tempted to panic then sharing your problem and talking to someone almost always helps. Maybe that would be good to remember at the start of the school day. This also reminds me of one of my favourite passages from the Bible, the words of Jesus we heard just now: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? … Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”  I’ve had times myself where those words from the Sermon on the Mount have given me some perspective. Perhaps part of that passage would work well on the front of our hymn books – that wouldn’t be a bad thing to keep remembering. We’re not about to reissue the school hymn books with a new cover any time soon. But there’s nothing stopping you imagining a message on the front of the hymn book – whatever you need that message to be. “Don’t panic.” “Do not worry.” “Show love.” Why not have a few helpful words in your mind’s eye every time you pick up these blue books in the morning?

Air Raid Shelter Open to Visitors

By Sonja Mitchell • September 19, 2025
As part of Heritage Open Days we were delighted to open the Air Raid Shelter and Norwich School Chapel to visitors this month.

Contemporary Arts group Entranced by Collaborative Artists in Blake Studio

By Eleanor Lewis • September 18, 2025
Creative Arts are strongly supported at Norwich School, and this was very much in evidence with the return to site of the well-respected local Creative Arts group, the Norfolk Contemporary Art Society (n-cas). For many years we have hosted their ground-breaking talks in the Blake Studio, and we were delighted to welcome them back on 18 September 2025. Our talk was introduced by Lisa Newby, recently appointed Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Norfolk Museums, based at the Castle. She introduced us to Essex-based multimedia artists Daniel & Clara . Since meeting in 2010, the pair have dedicated themselves to a shared life of creative experimentation, working across moving image, photography, performance and ‘mail-art’ to explore the nature of human experience, the natural world and our perception of reality. With work recently on display at Norwich Castle Museum, this was a welcome trip to Norfolk for them and one which saw them entertain an audience of pupils, staff, alumni, n-cas members and local creatives with a visually arresting talk, including some striking images and poetic prose accompaniment. Of great interest were the selection of their short films that showcased their love of the natural world through landscapes, intriguingly crafted taxidermy imagery and appealing sound archives. In the ensuing Q&A the audience seemed very taken by their reflections on how up-and-coming creative artists, such as themselves, have to work hard to earn a living through constant innovation and multimedia versatility. Working with Norwich Castle and commissions from n-cas were undoubted highlights, readily acknowledged by Daniel & Clara. N-cas host regular talks at Norwich School. Their next talk is on 14 October – see: The Mike Toll Film Archive - three short films featuring David Jones, Michael Chapman and Oliver Creed — ncas . All those interested in the creative ats are welcome.  The next talk on site in our culturally enriching series of lectures with partner organisations sees the welcome return on 07 October of the Royal Geographical Society. Major General (Retired) Rob Thomson CBE DSO of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest mine-clearing NGO, will discuss how a changing geopolitical order marked by great power competition, increased conflict, and the retreat of multi-lateralism is affecting human development and security. See: Clearing a path through the new world disorder . All those interested in the natural world and geopolitics are very welcome.

Lower 2 Experience Stone Age Life!

By Eleanor Lewis • September 12, 2025
Lower Twos had a wonderful Stone Age Day, immersing themselves in activities such as tool-making, fishing techniques, and learning about the hides. They built a fire, cooked fish over it, which they all then tried, and some even bravely tried the eyeballs! Using tools and instruments made from bone, the children thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are eager to continue exploring this era in their Topic lessons throughout the Michaelmas term.

The role of languages to build a better world – the scintillating return of the Norfolk Cambridge Society to Norwich School

By Eleanor Lewis • September 11, 2025
Norwich School has an established tradition of working with partner organisations to host high-quality lectures on our site. We are particularly proud of our links with the prestigious Norfolk Cambridge Society, whose long-running series of 23 lectures has been amazing. The 24 th public lecture took place in the Blake Studio on 11 September 2025 in front of a capacity audience comprising school pupils, parents, staff, alumni, and interested members of the city’s intelligentsia. It was of particular interest to the Norwich School community that the speaker was one of our own: Old Norvicensian Professor Charles Forsdick , Drapers Professor of French at the University of Cambridge and Lead Fellow for Languages at the British Academy. He has published widely on travel writing, colonial history and literature, penal culture and slavery, all reflective of his lifelong humanitarianism. His topic was “The Role of Language Skills in Building a Better World“ in which he discussed the growing importance of language skills in an increasingly complex and dangerous world. Charles is well known as an academic of great insight and erudition, combined with natural talent as a brilliant communicator, a lively sense of humour and a profound social conscience. His love of languages has firm roots in the teaching he received at Norwich School. Indeed, his hometown of East Dereham featured prominently in his talk, and his links to the school and to Norfolk remain strong, Following his talk and over refreshments a lively debate continued, discussing a wide variety of thorny issues brought up in his talk. These included the short-sightedness of monolingualism, the value of languages to improving vaccine take-up during the pandemic, our woeful language proficiency versus our European neighbours and challenges with current grade boundaries in language A Levels. It was a pleasure welcoming the Norfolk Cambridge Society and an illustrious speaker of such calibre on site for such a compelling event. We greatly look forward to next term’s lecture to take place on 5 February 2025: How AI Works and How it will Transform our Lives given by Neil Lawrence , DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, Senior AI Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute and Visiting Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Sheffield. Booking is now open, and tickets are selling fast. See this link: Lecture: How AI Works and How it will Transform our Lives – Norfolk Cambridge Society . - Jonathan Pearson, Development Director ( jpearson@norwich-school.org.uk )

An Impressive Musical Theatre Workshop with a Trip to The Midnight Bell

By Eleanor Lewis • September 11, 2025
Middle 5 pupil, Antonia Christophi, tells us all about the dance workshop and theatre trip that took place earlier this term. On Thursday 11 September M5 and L5 pupils who had an interest in dance and musical theatre had the privilege of receiving a musical theatre workshop. This was run by Lauren she was an excellent instructor with a high level of energy that kept all of us going after a long hard-working day at school. Lauren taught us a dance from the musical ‘The Wild Party’ using the song ‘A Wild, Wild Party’. The workshop though challenging it was also an enjoyable and uplifting way to end the school day. After our workshop Miss How and Miss Smith took us all to watch the amazing dance production of The Midnight Bell, produced and choregraphed by Matthew Bourne through his company new adventures. The production of The Midnight Bell was a modern ballet inspired on the novel written by Partick Hamilton. This production was set in late 1920s in Soho and Fitzrovia London which presents the tale of several interconnected characters who are either employees or regulars at the pub ‘The Midnight Bell’. This production had an extraordinary representation of schizophrenia and other challenges that was civilians were faced with at the time; such as prostitution and homophobia. This was represented with the regulars at the pub displaying the secretiveness and hurt being attracted to those of the same gender would bring at that age period or how prostitution meant having to give your self away to keep living though other women would look down on you and men would never see you. This production was truly a life changing insight on how many people lived without being accepted or not wondering what is your consciousness or real life whilst all being communicated through precise and graceful movements that can express more than words could define. These agile movements inspired many of Norwich Schools young dancers to use more emotion to communicate through our dance.
More Posts