Ellie Thwaites (U5) Competed in the Youth Nationals in Wales

May 29, 2025

Ellie Thwaites represented Norwich School in the Youth Nationals in Wales. To celebrate her success in this competition and in sailing as a whole, we asked her a few questions.


How long have you been sailing?
 I have been sailing for my whole life, I learnt to sail in my optimist on Wroxham Broad. I sailed that for about 3 years, then I moved into the topper 4.2, and began traveling regionally and nationally to compete. I was in the 4.2 for about 3 years, then I moved into the topper 5.3 (which is a bigger rig) I sailed in this rig for 2-3 years, of which I became eastern region champion in my final year. I then moved into the ilca4 which I have only recently moved out of, I am now in the ILCA 6, I have competed in two competitions so far in the 6, one of which was the British Youth Nationals.

What do you enjoy about sailing?
I love how competitive it can be, and also how much freedom you have. Out on the water you have to be very self sufficient since you are out there for 4-5 hours per day. You get to connect with nature, being out in the waves, you see so many animals, like jelly fish, dolphins, seals.

Do you take part in any other sports in school?
I mainly take part in rowing at school, as it builds my fitness for sailing. I really enjoy it and the training really helps me improve my fitness. I love the competitive factor in rowing, and I love how you are pushing yourself to the max, I am quite a competitive person, so this drives me!

 How has Norwich School supported you in your sailing?
 All of my sailing and rowing coaches have been extremely supportive in my sailing journey. Norwich school has helped me by allowing me to leave school to go to events such as these and training, they have helped me with managing my work loads, and giving me extensions.

What was preparation like for the nationals?
I have been training a lot over the winter, most of my weekends are spent down to the south coast, Weymouth, for training weekends in the ILCAs.

How did nationals go?
Nationals went very well, I came into the event with the goal of coming in the top 8. But I was going to take it as a learning event, as I have only competed in the boat twice. The first day was very windy and big waves, these were good conditions for me, and lead to me coming off the water with some good results on day one. This consistency continued throughout the event, with mainly 4ths, 3rds, 2nds, 1sts. This meant that by the medal race I was in 2nd place. However my medal race didn’t go as I wanted it to, leading me to come 3rd overall. I was super happy with this result, I learnt lots about the boat and about the venue. All in all it was a very successful week.

What are your future hopes in sailing? 
Eventually I want to make it to the Olympics, that is my end goal.

What would you say to anyone who wants to get involved with sailing?
Go try it!! You will learn so much and it is such an enjoyable sport, and life skill! Norwich sailing is so welcoming, and is for all skill levels.



Pupils Say 'Bienvenue!' to French Visitors

By Eleanor Lewis • March 27, 2026
On Thursday 27 March, we were delighted to welcome 58 pupils and their 5 teachers from Collège Sainte‑Marie in Meaux, France. After spending a week exploring Norfolk, the group arrived at Norwich School, where our pupils were eager to meet them and proudly show them around. Our penpal exchange with Collège Sainte‑Marie has been running for a couple of years now, with Lower 4 pupils regularly writing and receiving letters in French. This visit was particularly special: the French group were Year 8 pupils, and many had the chance to meet their penpals from last year face‑to‑face for the very first time — a real highlight for everyone involved. The afternoon began with the NS U6 French group leading guided tours around the school, giving our visitors a warm and friendly introduction to life at Norwich School. This was followed by a lively treasure hunt in mixed teams of French pupils and NS Upper 4 pupils, all competing for an Easter prize. With clues written in both French and English, teamwork was essential — and it was wonderful to see pupils switching languages, helping one another, and having fun along the way. It was a joyful afternoon filled with laughter, curiosity, and excellent company. We very much hope to welcome pupils from Meaux again in the years to come — and perhaps one day, we’ll have the chance to visit them on their home turf too.

Coming Up at The Crypt -We Are Nature

By Eleanor Lewis • March 27, 2026
From 8-10 April a new art exhibition will be shown at the Crypt Gallery from We Are Nature. Wednesday 8 April, 11:00 - 16:00 Thursday 9 April 11:00 - 16:00 Friday 10 April 14:00 - 16:00

Keeping Track of Cross Country at the End of Lent 2026

By Eleanor Lewis • March 27, 2026
After half term, the Cross-Country team enjoyed a drizzly afternoon of racing in Ipswich on Saturday 28 February. The course was extremely muddy making for challenging, slippery conditions. But the Junior Boys managed to stay upright and perform well with Jonas Tam finishing 3rd, Jonty Croskell in 4th and Oscar Parker-Wright in 11th. All season the Senior Girls have dominated the front end of the field and again we had 3 of the top six finishers. On this occasion, it was Amelie Ivie who timed her finish best to take 3rd place ahead of Bea Green in 4th and Olivia Allen in 6th. The team was completed by Simran Chawla coming in 12th. With 8 Senior Boys running, the team prize seems sewn up this year and we had 3 of the top 5 finishers. Over the 7.6km route, Ethan Buskell was fastest on the day, coming 2nd, just ahead of Arthur Dannatt in 3rd and Leon Liu 5th. Leo Pitt was 8th, Jeremy Lo 9th and Tom Copley, George Yiasimi and Edward Lott completed the dominating team performance all in the top 14. Next, on Saturday 7 March we saw the final race in the East Anglian League against runners from Gresham’s, Ipswich and RHS. The team travelled to RHS and the conditions were reasonably dry and still on a flat, fast course. Our only competing Junior, Jonas Tam, improved upon last week’s third place to come 2nd this week, while in the Intermediate Boys, Kit Rudling came 4th. In the Senior Boys we had excellent strength in depth, as we have had all season, with eight runners competing. First to finish was Ethan Buskell who came 2nd overall. Jeremy Lo came through the field strongly to take 5th place, capping off another consistent season. Leon Liu, Kort Tsui and Leo Pitt were next over the line, followed shortly by Tom Copley, Edward Lott and George Yiasimi. The Senior Boys, having showed such consistent quality and excellent camaraderie throughout the season, deservedly took home the East Anglian League Team Trophy.  Finally, 5 of our athletes represented the school at the English Schools National Finals in Liverpool — a fantastic experience with some excellent performances across the board. Well done to everyone who has represented the Cross Country team this season.

Hockey Highlights in the Lead Up to Easter

By Eleanor Lewis • March 27, 2026
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Sevens Successes before the Easter Break

By Eleanor Lewis • March 27, 2026
U18s This half term saw the U18s compete in both the Norfolk County Cup and the Rosslyn Park 7s. Following a valuable learning experience in the County Cup, the squad travelled to Rosslyn Park on 22nd March to compete in the Vase Competition the following day. The boys delivered their strongest performances of the term, securing impressive victories over Monkton Combe and Newcastle-Under-Lyme School. A narrow defeat to Dartford Grammar School, however, meant they were just short of qualifying for Day 2. Standout performances came from Casper Foden, Tom Ratledge, and Alex Sisson. U15s The U15s took part in the Northampton Saints 7s, hosted at Cambridge Rugby Club. They produced an excellent set of performances in the group stages, recording notable wins against Oundle School and Bedford Modern School. These results saw them progress to the Cup semi-finals, where they were narrowly defeated by a strong Samuel Whitbread Academy side. Overall, the team finished among the top performers in a highly competitive field featuring leading schools from across the Midlands and London. Standout performances were delivered by Ben Lowe and Toby Young. U14s This term has seen significant development from the U14s, who have worked consistently hard to improve both individually and as a team. Rosslyn Park provided a particularly positive experience, with clear progress evident throughout the squad. Sam Trickey and Biden Barton were standout performers. U13s and U12s Both the U13s and U12s competed in the Norfolk County Cups, hosted at Redmayne, and performed exceptionally well. Impressively, both teams went undefeated in their respective competitions. A special mention goes to Ben Guo, who played across both age groups, stepping up to represent the U13s and delivering standout performances against older opposition.

Rowing Report from a Successful Lent Term

By Eleanor Lewis • March 27, 2026
The Rowers have had a busy half term, with racing at Norwich Head, Hammersmith Head, Eastern Region JIRR Trials, Schools Head, GB U19 Spring Assessments and The Scullery Head. All year groups raced at Norwich Head, with wins for the 1st VIII as fastest crew of the day, Boys J14 4x+ and Girls J18 2x. At the Eastern Junior Inter-Regional Trials we had 8 of our 13 crews reach the Final, with the Girls J18 2- and Boys J14 2x achieving 2nd place. The highlight of the winter Head racing is the Schools Head of the River and The Scullery Head. The Boys 1st VIII were 15th Championship crew and the Girls 1st 4x- were 16th Championship crew. The J15 Boys and Girls VIII raced the Tideway for the first time.  At The Scullery Head, the Boys 1st 4x- were a fantastic 4th place, with the 2nd 4x- placing well too. The Girls 2nd Quad were 11th in WJ17 4x-. The J14 Boys and Girls Octos were 15th and 16th respectively- both inside the top half of a strong draw. Our three GB U19 trialists continued their selection campaign at the Spring Assessments, taking part in three days of racing in Pairs and Fours. James Howard and Ellie Thwaites produced strong performances to position themselves well in the rankings, while Nicholas Conway impressed with a 2nd-place finish.

An Informative and Powerful Amnesty Variety Evening

By Eleanor Lewis • March 26, 2026
On Thursday 26 February, a receptive audience in the Blake Studio were treated to another Amnesty Variety Evening. The evening was a mixture of performance and presentations from our school community, from staff and pupils alike. The evening started with an opening presentation from our Amnesty Group on the importance of human rights and then we were treated to a fantastic and poignant cello recital of Kol Nidrei, Op. 47 by Max Bruch. The evening also included musical performances of Army Dreamers by Kate Bush powerfully performed from Lower 6 pupil, Rosie B, Me and the Sky by Jenna Colella wonderfully sung by Maleeya Watts which was sanfg a compelling rendition of 'She Used to Be Mine' from Waitress by Ben G and Liebestraum by Franz Liszt masterfully played by Marcus Pop (U5). To end the evening was Evie A (M5) singing Imagine' by John Lennon, the perfect end to the night. There were various speeches and poetry readings that also took place and an emotive video from Aggie J (L6) on Human Rights. This event proved to be a great success and incredibly informative as well as showcasing the power of art in the fight for justice. Well done to all who took part.

Musical Mayhem in aid of FONS

By Eleanor Lewis • March 26, 2026
27 February 2026 saw the return of the gloriously chaotic and hilarious Friends of Norwich School Annual Music Quiz held in the school’s refectory. The school’s answer to The Carpenters (Jonathan Peason and Anna Stephenson) were stalwart compères for the night, delivering ten rounds of music-based questions to suit all musical tastes and abilities. Even the Head chipped in with a round. Extra pizzazz was added by a scratch Sixth Form band made up of Lev, Louis, Maleeya, Sam, Sahib, Rosie and led by the inimitable Daisy Sexton. They played a mix of live music and sang intros for contestants to guess. A fish and chip supper provided by our fabulous in-house Catering Team provided a very welcome interlude. Mr Griffiths led a team of strict markers beavering away furiously between rounds, which resulted in one team of Musical Maestros being duly crowned at the end of proceedings. Funds raised of around £2,200 went towards FONS charitable priorities to support the school - a welcome reflection on the hard work involved in delivering such a joyously entertaining event. Huge thanks to all volunteer organisers and those who helped on the night, and to our ebullient and enthusiastic contestants for making it an evening that will stay long in the memory.

Dazzling Dancers in a Busy Lent Term

By Eleanor Lewis • March 26, 2026
This term has been another successful one for the Dance department. Both the Junior and Senior Dance Companies have qualified for the National finals after competing at The Great Big Dance Off regionals in March. The Junior Dance Company were crowned KS3 Regional Champions, while the KS4/5 team were runners-up with an impressive 191 out of 200 points - just one point shy of winning. Both companies will compete at the National finals in Cheltenham in June. Following this, the Dance department showcased incredible talent at the Senior Dance Festival held at Epic, with over 140 pupils across both the lower and senior schools. This collaborative event highlighted the progression of our students from the start to the end of their school journey. The evening celebrated their dedication, passion, and outstanding commitment to dance, which has made the studio a vibrant hub of activity and inspiration. 

FONS Funds Equipment for DJ Club

By Sonja Mitchell • March 26, 2026
New skills learnt at DJ Club thanks to new decks!
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