The local creative arts group, the Norfolk Contemporary Art Society ( ncas ), celebrates its 70 th anniversary this year and boasts an illustrious pedigree. We have been delighted to host their series of public arts talks for over seven years, during which many prestigious names have graced the Blake Studio. Their talk on 21 May was no exception. Our speaker was the celebrated sculptor, Richard Wentworth CBE. Now approaching his 80 th year, he presented a fascinating and deeply personal perspective on his life and his distinctive and highly regarded body of work. It was delivered with a healthy dose of irreverence and old school charm, together with some compelling images. His work specialises in turning mundane objects such as books, buckets, chains and shoes into something special and unusual, making the everyday into meaningful artworks that stir the creative soul. After his talk, he was interviewed by our very own Andy Campbell from the school’s 3D Art and Design Department and by Simon Willmoth, curator, art historian and research Professor at Norwich University of the Arts, both of whom had worked closely with Richard. A sizeable audience of ncas members, staff, pupils, parents and Norwich creatives enjoyed interacting with the speaker and presenters over refreshments. Richard commented on how vibrant the local creative arts scene appeared to be, mirroring one of the key strengths highlighted in annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide, which, this year, saw Norwich named as the best place to live in the UK. See: Norwich Named The Sunday Times Best Place to Live in the UK 2026 . Norwich School and ncas are delighted to continue playing their part in this success.

In March 2025 Josh Kohler (ON) and his father George Kohler set off from Norfolk on a record-breaking attempt to cycle around the world. over 30,000km across 29 countries and four continents, carrying everything they need and climbing the height of 22 Everests. On 2 May 2026, after 13 months, they crossed to finish line and reunited with their loved ones after the journey of a lifetime. In doing this, Josh and George raised over £70,000 for UNICEF, greatly surpassing their original goal of £10,000. The duo also received 3 world records! Guinness World Records: The most countries visited in a continuous bicycle journey by father and son is 30 and was achieved by Joshua Kohler and George Kohler (both UK) in Norwich, Norfolk, UK, on 28 April 2026. The longest bicycle journey by a father and son is 26,519.25 km (16,478.29 miles) and was achieved by Joshua Kohler and George Kohler (both UK) in Norwich, Norfolk, UK on 28 April 2026. The fastest bicycle circumnavigation by a father and son was achieved by Joshua Kohler and George Kohler (both UK) in Norwich, Norfolk, UK, on 2 May 2026 Congratulations to them both! To see their JustGiving page click here.

In a busy half -term with very little weather interference the schools cricket program has started positively. The girls program continues to thrive, the Juniors showing excellent progress and inters picking up many positive results including comprehensive wins against Uppingham, Greshams and Framlingham College. The girls 1st XI have gathered momentum and continue their involvement in two cup competitions. The highlights the two victories against Ipswich and comprehensive win against Greshams in the block fixture. A special mention to Niamh R, India RF and Bella B who have represented the Norfolk women's team with Bella also representing Essex 2nd XI as year 10 student. The boys have several squads involved in cup competitions and the U13A boys are through to the second round of the National cup and along with the u15A are unbeaten this term. There have been many individual highlights with Lucas B, Keiran C and Charlie MN recording excellent centuries in block fixtures. The 1st XI boys have responded well after two early losses at the start of the term with comprehensive wins against St Joseph’s and Framlingham College with Keiran C’s 145 runs one of the highlights and will look to build on this in their remaining fixtures next term.

In May, Upper 3 pupils celebrated the end of their Summer exams with an incredible trip to France. Pupils visited a local snail farm, where they learned about snail farming, tried unusual snail facial treatments and even tasted snails. They also visited a 100-year-old boulangerie, where they made traditional loaves of bread. The much-loved Infant French teacher, Camembear, also joined the trip, and the U3 children thoroughly enjoyed his company throughout. The programme included a range of fun activities, with facilities offering opportunities such as a silent disco and archery tag, ensuring there was plenty of laughter and excitement along the way. A highlight of the trip was visiting La Coupole, the impressive Second World War megastructure built as a V2 rocket launch facility. This helped pupils understand how wartime rocket technology later influenced the development of space exploration. The trip also provided rich opportunities beyond the classroom. The Camera Kidz team conducted an interview with the snail farmer, gaining a fascinating insight into his work. Pupils certainly embraced French culture, enjoying a vast number of pastries throughout the week. Another standout moment was visiting a traditional French market, where pupils enthusiastically spent most of their money on sunglasses within the first five minutes.  Overall, the trip was full of memorable experiences, laughter, and learning, providing a wonderful way to celebrate the end of exams.

The Boat Club had a successful Training Camp to Lake Comabbio, Corgeno, Italy in the Easter holidays with 47 rowers working hard on and off the water and eating plenty of pasta. The return to school saw the first Regatta take place, with our three GB Trialists racing in the GB U19 Spring Regatta, with a 17 th place finish for Ellie, 11 th for James and 2 nd for Nicholas. The next stage will be Final Trials in July. The Seniors travelled to Wallingford Regatta, where some very close racing saw the crews miss out on the final by very small margins. 55 rowers competed at Bedford Regatta, with 17 crews racing across 14 events and taking part in a total of 28 races. With 5 crews reaching the semifinals and a further 4 in Finals, the Boys 1 st Quad came away with a win. For the J14s and some of the J15s this was there first side by side racing. Well done to all the coxes on the day for steering what is a challenging course.  This weekend is the National Schools Regatta at Dorney Lake, Eton. 42 Inters rowers will be racing on Friday and 13 seniors on Saturday and Sunday. Good luck to all crews.

More pupils will benefit from the calm atmosphere of the Wellbeing Hub thanks to funding from FONS

‘Business Breakfasts’ is a brilliant programme helping our young people better understand the potentially intimidating world of work. Before the start of school and over a working breakfast, the school brings in seasoned professionals to speak about their specialisms. The content is veritable gold dust. Generously sponsored by our partners at SG Wealth Management , the Trinity Term events have been both inspiring and informative. There have bene three in the series so far this half term. SG Wealth Management kicked the series off with their very own Director of Business Services, Fran Kemp FPFS. Her lucid, engaging talk aimed to demystifying the important role wealth advisors play in managing their clients’ complex finances professionally and trustworthily. She impressed the pupils with the range of skill sets needed and the range of backgrounds and specialisms that financial advisors have, ultimately boiling down to relationships built on confidence. She held a large audience captivated and the Q&A afterwards prompted some very smart audience questions. The second session was an introduction to the legal profession from our neighbours in The Close, Leathes Prior Solicitors . Experienced Partner Chris Goodwin had been convinced from an early age to become a lawyer and explained his traditional route through a law degree. In contrast former Norwich School pupil Alex Robinson now working with Chris at Leathes Prior, explained how his route into law via a history degree, Masters then law conversion had transpired and how it is possible to become a lawyer from various starting points for those not going down the law degree route or even those with a non-University route. This theme was followed up by the third talk in the series delivered by the charismatic Dale Willis founder of My Great First Job , a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people transition from education to employment.Speakgin to parents in the pre work breakfast session and then to our pupils during the school day, his focus was on the value of increasingly popular Degree Apprenticeships as a viable and very cost-effective alternative to the traditional tuition-fee heavy university route. He explained all the ins and outs of being in paid work whist obtaining a degree paid for by the employer. It’s not for everyone, but for those prepared to make that paradigm shift the outcomes can be life-changing. Business Breakfasts will resume after half term and pupils are strongly encouraged to be curious and open minded and to come along to learn. Thanks go to Mrs James for organising and to our inspiring speakers for giving of their valuable time, as well as to SG Wealth Management for having the vision to sponsor this transformational iniaitive. 

Upper 3 spent a purposeful and energetic day developing essential first aid skills through four hands-on workshops. The pupils took part in a range of practical first aid activities, learning how to respond to choking, manage severe bleeding, place someone in the recovery position, make an emergency 999 call, and perform CPR. Through hands-on practice and realistic scenarios, they developed important life-saving skills while building confidence, teamwork, and resilience. From practising with manikins to rehearsing clear emergency calls, the children worked hard and showed great teamwork, care, and determination. Staff were impressed by their focus and growing confidence in responding to real-life scenarios.  This learning forms part of the Upper 3 Virtues Award, recognising responsibility, courage, and service to others. Well done, Upper 3, for embracing these life-saving skills and demonstrating our school values throughout the day.

One day, someone was walking down the street when they fell in a hole. The walls are so steep they can't get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Next, a teacher comes along and the guy shouts up, ‘Miss, I’ve been stuck here so long, can you help me out?’ The teacher gives a quick lecture on how to get out of the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, 'Yes, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.” Character triumphs over talent. The concept of friendship appears simple on the surface, they’re just our ‘friends’. But what makes a good friend is hard to define and easy to debate. It’s something human beings have been pondering over not just for centuries but for millennia. Aristotle outlined three kinds of friendship: a friendship of utility, a friendship of pleasure and a friendship of virtue. For the first two, both these types of friendship are dependent on a particular good or pleasure, take that away and the friendship crumbles. Friendships that are built upon virtue take time and energy on both sides , but they last. Wind the clock forward a couple of thousand years and psychological studies often reveal that the most sought-after trait in a friend is ‘honesty’. People are looking for someone in their lives who is there to co-operate and support, however, this would not be possible if a friend is dishonest, unreliable, and exploitive. Yes, we seek other qualities in a person such as kindness, availability and just generally being pleasant to be around, but to a large degree, these are objective. Instead, I encourage you to reflect on what your moral values are and see which ones you share with those around you; you might just find a friend. These moral values are fixed in their nature, but dependable and flexible on the context. For instance, I value people who are good fun to be around and positive in their outlook on everyday life. However, we cannot be this way all the time, life throws up challenges, holes in the street… and at those moments I need that same person to just as easily be empathetic and understanding. Likewise, if you value loyalty in a friend, someone who will be by your side no matter what, then I would also encourage you to allow that same person to challenge you & for you to challenge them. Friendships need to offer us some resistance when our behaviour doesn’t match our shared, unwritten values. These should not be seen as contradictions, merely the importance of adaptability whilst protecting the core strength of our support network. Recently, a friend reached out to me after a period of little contact, asking how I was. I explained I was finding things tough, overwhelming, scary. The very next evening, he and two other friends were on a train to come and see me. To listen, to support, to give me some small respite from a darkening world. Simply being present was a small act that went a long way to helping me out of a hole. So, the next time you find yourself unfortunate enough to be walking down a street and you fall into a hole, hopefully you can be reassured that you won’t be down there alone or for too long.