When pupils leave Norwich School, they reflect on the wonderful community in the Close, the teachers who supported them along the way, the friendships they made. However, in recent years as we look at the quotes of Upper 6 leavers, there seems to be a theme in what they'll miss - the food! To celebrate the work of our incredible catering staff we decided to ask Gareth Parry, Thomas Franks General Manager, a few questions... What does a day in your life look like? A typical day - Arriving in the morning and receiving a mountain of orders before the pupils are on site. Breakfast is freshly prepared and served from 7:45am to 8:45am. Chefs are busy prepping for the lunch ahead that day whilst front of house staff are getting the break time snacks ready and freshly preparing sandwiches etc. Lunch is served between 12pm and 1:55pm, then we clear everything down ready to start again the next day! There are various functions on throughout the week for which we might provide simply tea and coffee, buffet lunches or a three course sit down meal, it really varies from day to day. On average, how many meals are served at Norwich School in a day? On an average day we feed something in the region of 1250 meals for lunch. This can rise dramatically if we have functions on throughout the day and evening. What goes into planning a school menu? We proudly take time and effort to explore a variety of dishes from around the world, with a focus on nutrition. We have to consider catering for various age ranges from 4 to 18 and also consider a whole variety of dietary requirements. Finally we ultimately have to look at cost and keeping to a budget without compromising the culinary experience. What time does your day start and end? We have chefs on site from 6am, sometimes earlier! I am often the last to leave on a typical day without functions at 6pm. If we have a meal on in the evening, this can even run until midnight to clear up. What is the best part of your job? We certainly enjoy the creative side of cooking and providing hospitality to the masses and it is pleasing to educate people through food where we can. There is also the rush of lunch service which is fast and frantic, this keeps us on our toes and certainly makes time pass quickly! How does your work help pupils get the best out of their school day? We hope that the pupils look forward to coming into lunch for a tasty, well balanced, nutritional meal which helps fuel the body as well as the brain What is the most popular dish with pupils? Katsu Chicken Curry, it has been a staple on our menu for many years. Any fun facts for us? On a busy day we can clock up 40,000 steps each. Our average step count is 20,000 for the day. We use over 150kg of flour a week just to bake bread and make desserts for lunch time. Last year we cooked over 10,000 sausage rolls! In an academic year we serve over 4000kg of pasta at lunch times which is 4 metric tons! If your job had a theme song, what would it be? Food, glorious, food from Oliver!

Lower One pupils enjoyed an exciting educational visit to Africa Alive! as part of their topic on Safari. During the trip, the children took part in a hands-on workshop where they learned fascinating facts about African wildlife and their habitats. They also had the chance to see a range of incredible animals up close, including giraffes, lions and rhinos . One of the highlights of the day was a special animal encounter session, where pupils bravely touched giant African land snails and even met a snake . This experience helped the children develop confidence while learning more about animals in a fun and memorable way. The visit was a fantastic opportunity to support classroom learning and created lots of excitement and curiosity about the natural world.

At the St Nicholas Day service on Friday 5 December, Upper 4 pupil and Head Chorister, Sébastien Dubroeucq, was named Child Bishop. This ancient tradition is to highlight the importance of young people and their voices, allowing them to share their insight on the world we live in. To celebrate this, we asked Sébastien some questions... How long have you been at Norwich School? And how long have you been a chorister? I have been at Norwich school and the cathedral choir for four years now. Why did you want to be a chorister? I wanted to become a chorister as I enjoyed and still enjoy singing and performing and it gave me an opportunity to do these things on a regular basis! How do you find the week-by-week life of a Chorister? The choir life felt quite busy when I first joined, with 5 services a week, but it soon became like a routine and now is just associated with normal life! How do you fit it all in with your school life? Do you take on any extracurricular activities? I love performing in musicals and plays, and sometimes choir and play rehearsals overlap, but we always manage to arrange something mutually beneficial for the choir and my extracurricular activities. Can you tell us a little about what the child bishop is and what this involved? The child bishop is part of an old tradition on St. Nicholas day, where a child gives a sermon at the evensong and gives the dismissal and blessing. How was the experience of being the child bishop? The experience of being child bishop was really humbling, and it gave me a really good moment to reflect as I wrote the sermon. Had you heard of this tradition beforehand? I was present at St. Nicholas day for the child bishop last year so I had a pretty good grasp on the situation beforehand. What are your responsibilities as Head Chorister? My responsibility as head chorister is to make sure everyone in choir is feeling alright, and if they aren’t, helping them or pointing them to help. What would you say to anyone who is interested in becoming a Chorister? The experience of being a chorister is a truly remarkable experience and I would heavily recommend it to anyone who like singing or music!

These pupils gained the required grades and went onto start these courses in autumn 2025. Case Study – Georgia Hodgson: 1. Tell us about the university offers that you've received so far: Currently, I’ve received offers from Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and UEA for Medicine and Warwick for Biomedical Sciences! 2. On top of the usual UCAS application form, what else have you had to do as part of the admissions process to be considered for these highly competitive courses? For my medicine applications, I’ve had to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) entrance exam, which happened over the summer (between Lower 6 and Upper 6), and complete interviews at all four universities. These interviews involved learning about current NHS affairs, exploring skills from work experience/volunteer work and, for Cambridge, applying scientific knowledge from A Levels. 3. How did Norwich School help you during the university application process? Norwich School provided support during Lower 6 in the form of Apply Plus sessions, in which we were encouraged to think ahead about work experience, volunteering and super-curriculars; I found these sessions very insightful as I learnt a lot about the application process pre-emptively and was able to tackle my UCAS application a lot better as a result! During Upper 6, there was also support for interview preparation for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine applicants as we were able to take part in a mock interview, which helped me to identify my weaker areas and gave me an idea of how to prepare and what’s involved. 4. Which other activities in sixth form helped strengthen your application? Volunteering was a key experience that supported my application; I had undertaken some volunteering at Able2B, as well as partaking in community service through school. These experiences provided valuable learning opportunities that I was able to reflect on in my application and discuss at the interview. I also shadowed doctors in a hospital, which gave me a realistic view of what medicine entails that I could tie into my personal statement and interview answers, and excited and motivated me about the prospects of entering a career in medicine! On top of these, I completed and presented an 8000-word research project on the link between depression and cardiac health, entered several STEMM Olympiads and completed the Youth STEMM Award. 5. Outside of medicine-related activities, what have you been involved in at Norwich School during sixth form? During sixth form at Norwich School, I’ve led the Debating and Erpingham Societies, as well as taken up my new role in Upper 6 as Head of School and EDI. These have helped me develop other skills, especially those in communication and organisation, and have been a lot of fun! A particular highlight was being part of a team ranked 26th internationally at a debating competition! 6. Which offer do you think you will pick as your CF (conditional firm) and what most excites you about that course? I’m hoping to CF Cambridge’s medicine course! I find a lot of aspects of the course exciting; however, a particular aspect is the opportunity to intercalate in the 3rd year! I think this will help to broaden my knowledge and understanding of medicine and science as a whole, and the chance to research is an exciting prospect! I also look forward to participating in supervisions and discussing the subject with incredible scientists and researchers! Case study – Barnaby Karlson-Evans 1. Tell us about the university offers that you've received so far i.e. what course(s) at which unis. I have now received all of my offers, among those, Nottingham, York, Warwick and Durham for Law LLB (3 Years). 2. On top of the usual UCAS application form, what else have you had to do as part of the admissions process to be considered for these highly competitive courses? Ultimately, as an applicant, you want to prove why you are passionate about law. Certainly, when it comes to this field, work experience is desirable by universities. Although it’s not a requirement, it helps one’s application to stand out, which is beneficial as these courses become more competitive year on year. Universities understand that legal experience isn’t by any means easy to get, and if you find yourself in that position, don’t be disheartened; you can still attend talks, webinars, online courses or even sit in a courtroom as a member of the public. These alternatives don’t require you to contact someone in the legal field, are much easier to obtain and have just the same value. 3. How did Norwich School help you during the university application process? Mrs Warren and Mr Pearce were invaluable when it came to the application process. Explaining admissions assessments, checking over applications, proofreading and suggesting revisions to a personal statement are all examples of what the school helps with. They are both very knowledgeable and are always happy to help address any concerns. This all helps to take the pressure off during a workload-intensive time of study and thus, make the process a lot less stressful. 4. Which other activities in sixth form helped strengthen your application? The Independent Schools’ Mock Law Trial is one of the activities that strengthened my application. Getting hands-on experience, in a courtroom, acting as counsel (among other roles) is an invaluable skill which not only looks fantastic on your personal statement but also helps in other walks of life too, such as public speaking. Last year, the school progressed onto the national round, competing at the Old Bailey in London. This was a brilliant experience and if you’re interested in law, but not sure if it’s right for you, this can be a good taster of the subject and help you make up your mind. Debating Society was also an activity I used to do. It presents many opportunities to compete across the country, and also develops one’s critical thinking skills, which is beneficial when taking the LNAT, a law aptitude test, required by some universities. 5. Outside of law-related activities, what have you been involved in at Norwich School during sixth form? I particularly enjoyed being a part of Amnesty Society, where we organised charitable events and collaborated with other schools and organisations across Norfolk. Although academic study is a major part of Sixth Form, it is important to be involved in other clubs and societies too, and this can also help to add depth to your personal statement.

On Tuesday 27 January, pupils from the Charities Committee presented a cheque to the East Anglian Air Ambulance! This sum was raised by from an accumulation of events in the Michaelmas Term. Notably, our Home Clothes Day proved to be a popular method of raising donations. This combined with the efforts of a JustGiving page, hot chocolate sales and a retiring collection at the Carol Service meant that pupils raised a staggering £1379.84. Co-chair, Mimo O'Donnell (L6) commented, "Immy and I just want to say a big thank you for all the support from pupils!!"

Norwich School formally opened our new extension to the Lower School on 26 January 2026 in a ceremony marking the dedication of ‘The Patrick Smith Building’. This new facility offers a significant addition to the school estate and has already added significant value to the education on offer at the Lower School. It is a facility we can all be proud of. Constructed during 2024 and 2025, it opened for lessons at the end of the last academic year and, with the completion of landscaping and an improved vehicular entrance, it was fully open for business last term. The spacious two storey extension comprises six classrooms focusing on key areas of focus: STEM, design, an art studio, computer science and an engineering suite, as well as offering for the first time a proper visitors’ reception with stunning views towards the Cathedral. Joining us for the grand opening was our principal guest Old Norvicensian and former Chair of Governors Patrick Smith (ON 60-67) together with his wife Julia. Patrick had provided substantial support to enable this building to be constructed, and he was thrilled to see it dedicated in his honour: The Patrick Smith Building. A plaque was unveiled together with a time capsule due to be opened in 20 years to mark the 75th anniversary of the current Lower School. He was joined by specially invited guests including his large family and close friends, the Chair of Governors, fellow Governors (past and present) who had provided oversight of this major development, plus senior staff who have been so instrumental in executing this impressive project. Visitors were given expert guided tours of the facility by knowledgeable and enthusiastic Upper 3 pupils. They were proud also to show other changes made to the school as a result of this additional space, such as the dance studio and improved spaces for our inaugural Pre-Reception class and the Reception class – our youngest ever pupils. Mr Griffiths, the school’s Head, expressed the school’s heartfelt gratitude to Patrick Smith for his generosity and lifelong support of the school. He articulated his great pride in this new building and thanked all those whose dedication had delivered such a transformational addition to the Lower School. We hope pupils, staff, alumni, and visitors will continue to enjoy this facility for many years to come

The school marked Holocaust Memorial Day during our senior school service on Friday 23 January. Assistant Head, Mr Grant, spoke about the life of survivor, Eva Schloss, who died earlier this month, and her work to remember those from her family that were killed, including her stepsister, Anne Frank. Because of its history, the city of Norwich has a particular responsibility to challenge antisemitism. Yet, as antisemitism grows – in Britain and around the world – Jews remain particularly vulnerable. Eva Schloss’ witness reminds us of the importance of remembering Holocaust victims as individuals to help ensure the evil of the past does not resurface. Isaiah, 56, verse 5 To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever. "Eva Schloss was 96 years old when she died recently on the third of this month. Most of her life, she had lived in London where she’d arrived in 1951 to study photography. Yet, for decades, Eva had been haunted by nightmares, memories of her early life. Born in Vienna to a prosperous family, she was very close to her mother, Elfriede, her father, Erich, and her anxious but talented older brother, Heinz. She remembered happy times skiing in the Austrian mountains as a family. This ended abruptly in 1938 when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany. This upended Eva’s life because Eva and her family were Jewish. To avoid persecution, they moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. There, Eva befriended another girl of the same age called Anne. Anne was from a neighbouring family who were also Jewish. Eva remembered that Anne had a nickname, Miss Quack Quack, as she never stopped talking. But Amsterdam did not provide the safety these two families needed. The Netherlands too was invaded by Germany in 1940. With no escape possible, the families faced growing restrictions on their lives. Eva remembered Jews being barred from the cinema. She was upset that she couldn’t watch the Disney film, Snow White. To cheer her up, her brother, Heinz painted cardboard versions of the seven dwarves for her to play with. Indeed, Heinz increasingly focused on his painting to pass the time, especially once the family were forced into hiding for months to avoid the tightening persecution. Heinz became increasingly worried about what would happen, but their father, Erich, assured him that, whatever happens and however long we live, our lives are important and the things we do in them won’t be forgotten. The family’s hiding place was betrayed and the four of them were deported to the death camp, Auschwitz, in May 1944. Next Tuesday is Holocaust Memorial Day, the 81 st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. Eva’s father, Erich, and her brother, Heinz, did not survive; two of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. It was only through luck that Eva and her mother lived. On their journey to Auschwitz, before the family were separated – over three days in a dirty, cramped cattle truck - Heinz had grown increasingly miserable; he had told his sister that he had hidden his paintings beneath the floorboards in the house in Amsterdam. If Eva survived, she should find them. Returning to Amsterdam after the war, Eva and her mother adjusted to life without the other half of their family. They encountered the father of the girl, Anne, with whom Eva had been friends. His entire family had been killed: Anne, her sister and their mother had all died at the Bergen Belsen concentration camp. The remains of these two shattered families united in their shared grief, Eva’s mother married Anne’s father. His name was Otto Frank. He became Eva’s stepfather and encouraged Eva’s interest in photography. Posthumously, therefore, Anne Frank became Eva’s stepsister. Otto discovered Anne’s diary hidden in their house. Eva discovered Heinz’s paintings under the floorboards. Each would do what they could to share these with the world; to ensure, as Eva’s father had promised, that, despite their brief lives, Anne and Heinz would not be forgotten. Heinz’s paintings remain on public display today. Anne Frank’s diary remains the most widely read testimony from a Holocaust victim. Anne had died aged just 15. Eva – born in the same year - had 81 more years of life than her stepsister, the span of a good life itself. Yad Vashem is the world’s Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. It aims to record – by name – as many of the six million victims as possible. Yad Vashem, in Hebrew, means ‘a memorial and a name’. It was inspired by the verse from the prophet Isaiah that we have just heard. After 81 years, there are fewer and fewer survivors to testify to what happened as the terrible events of the Holocaust fall out of lived memory. Gradually, those lights – like Eva – that, since 1945, have shone brightly to illuminate the world’s ignorance, are starting to flicker and go out. What is left? The names of those who were killed risk fading into the darkness of an unremembered past. I’ve noted before that Norwich has a particular responsibility to challenge antisemitism – the hatred of Jews. It was here in the Middle Ages that the blood libel originated; the lie that Jews killed Christian children, and this lie spread through Europe justifying persecution. Recently, the Dean of this cathedral has been working with the local Jewish community to consider the most appropriate ways of acknowledging this dark, difficult, distant past. Yet, in the modern age antisemitism is not distant. It is growing again, both in Britain and around the world. A malign mixture of racism and conspiracy theory, antisemitism creeps easily into the minds of the ignorant and the hateful. The spread of misinformation, the rise of extremism and the dangers of radicalisation – all stimulated by a lawless and irrational digital realm - mean that Jews remain particularly vulnerable. The last two years have seen the highest number of antisemitic incidents in Britain. In October two Jews were killed at a synagogue on Yom Kippur in Manchester. More families broken. More names to be remembered. In a BBC interview towards the end of her life, Eva admitted that she was pessimistic about human nature, that cruelty was ingrained within us. Perhaps she was right. Yet, there is a quiet, defiant power just in remembering. Anne, Heinz, Erich. Eva Schloss devoted the last four decades of her life to ensure that these names would not be forgotten. In those words again from Isaiah, she aimed to give them an everlasting name that will endure forever."

A wonderful Making Musicians recital took place yesterday lunchtime in the chilly but atmospheric Cathedral, providing a welcoming setting for an engaging and thoughtfully presented programme. Performers were Caio Boyero on cello and Harriet Brightwell on flute, both sensitively accompanied by Brenda Blewett. Despite the wintery temperature, the concert was anything but cold in spirit. The Cathedral’s generous acoustic allowed the music to resonate beautifully, giving both soloists space for their sound to bloom. Harriet Brightwell reflected on the experience as both challenging and rewarding, noting that performing solo repertoire in the Cathedral was new territory for her. However, the friendly, receptive audience and inspiring setting helped her music truly shine, making the experience memorable and confidence-building. Caio Boyero likewise spoke positively about the performance, describing the concert as a stress-free and valuable opportunity to perform. He particularly enjoyed the Cathedral’s acoustic, which complemented the cello’s warm tone. Congratulations to both performers.

On Tuesday 27 January, the Lower Two class visited the Great Yarmouth Aquarium as part of their learning about animals and the environment. During the visit, the children explored a wide range of marine species and learned about the impact of human activity on ocean habitats. They also discussed practical ways in which we can help to protect the planet and care for wildlife. The day concluded with the children completing a fact file on their favourite animal, allowing them to reflect on and consolidate their learning. It was an enjoyable and informative experience, and everyone learned a great deal.