In today’s Sunday Times (8 March, 2026), Andrew Marr describes his love of literature: “it has given me a reliable friend, always there, always surprising, for almost half a century.” His own love of reading was born in his childhood, as for so many of us; but this love of reading is waning amongst children nationally. In June 2025 the National Literacy Trust found “just 1 in 3 (32.7%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2025. This marks a 36% decrease in reading enjoyment levels since we started asking about this in 2005.” Of course, this has repercussions academically for pupils; but as well as this, as Andrew Marr is saying, something even greater (if perhaps less directly measurable) may be lost too. Katherine Rundell, the children’s author, comments “if there is a silver bullet for ordinary, everyday childhood happiness, it is reading for pleasure. Children read for joy; for jokes they can steal; to have anchors in turbulent water and company when they hide silently behind the bins at break; to find friendship and respect when it’s not on offer elsewhere; and to become empowered within their own thoughtfulness when the world otherwise renders them powerless. Reading for pleasure promotes academic confidence; it has been shown, over and over, to be a key predictor of a child’s future economic success. And it unlocks us. Kafka wrote that certain books “seem like a key to unfamiliar rooms in one’s own castle”.” As an aside, I also recommend for us, as parents, Katherine Rundell’s published essay ‘Why you should read children’s books, even though you are so old and wise’. I have always loved reading too. Most recently I have finished ‘The Correspondent’ by Virginia Evans (brilliant premise: a story told just through some of the letters sent and received by the protagonist, but utterly devastating) and ‘Blank Canvas’ by ON Grace Murray (brilliant too: I could hardly bear to witness the inevitable unravelling of her protagonist’s big lie). Both authors did what so many others have done for me in the past: enabled me to walk with other people, often very different to myself, for a while. I feel sympathy with them when they make mistakes, and this has taught me to be kinder to myself when I inevitably make them too. The countless characters, fictional and real, I have walked with through my reading in the past four decades have given me a much bigger sense of perspective and greater compassion for myself and others. Sophie Ratcliffe, Professor of Literature and Creative Criticism at the University of Oxford says “You don’t need to be a writer or an actor or a lover to dream a second life, an unlived life… Every reader does it. In the moment we touch the cover, a second world emerges… With every story we turn the page for, we turn to feel the weight of the unlived life, the other ways we might have gone, or loved, or died.” I am an optimist and do not believe the trend the National Literacy Trust has found in the last two decades will continue (and here I diverge from James Marriott who is releasing a book later this year ‘The New Dark Ages: The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Post-Literate Society’ ). I think that human interactions, including those via human-written word, will become of increasing value with the dawn of AI. I realise that this optimism will need to be partnered with action though. At Norwich School we have avid readers in the Lower School, encouraged by their wonderful staff and all of the magical activities such as the ‘Harry Potter Book Night’. Like everywhere else, this enthusiasm wanes in the Senior School, but we should not resign ourselves to this. On top of other excellent initiatives already in place we intend, from this September, to more explicitly embed reading (for fun, of whatever they choose, supported by lots of suggestions and structure) into the homework timetable for our Fourth Form. We all need a good night’s sleep in order to work well at school the next day and what better habits could we, as parents, instil in our children than encouraging them to turn off screens by, say, 9.30pm and to read in bed shortly afterwards? We can easily imagine the many reasons for the decline in children reading, but let’s finish as we began with Andrew Marr’s reflections on the longevity of reading a good book in comparison to these other distractions: “A way to test this is by comparing regular reading of books with the addictive algorithms provided by the social media platforms. These are clever … But as soon as I throw the phone to one side, the tiny films are gone again, as sustaining for life as a salty snack. The great novels remain. They smoulder and glow. They reverberate. They remain, across most of a lifetime, my secret garden.”

‘Norfolk Suite’ Colour Photographs 18 April - 1 May 17 April Private Viewing, 18:00 - 20:00 Gallery Open 10am - 5pm. Closed Sundays. The Crypt Gallery, Norwich School. An exhibition of an edit of 50 colour photographs from a period from 2002 to the present of journeys around Norfolk. ‘These are not necessarily landscapes but notes, observations and points of the countryside and towns which I travelled through and stopped at’ There is no entrance fee but the works are for sale in limited editions of 10, prices and sizes on application.

Following a request from the pupils leading the school's Medical Society, Mrs Warren has run two after school sessions teaching sixth form pupils keen to study medicine and veterinary medicine how to perform surgical suturing on pigs' trotters.  Following a teacher demonstration, pupils enjoyed talking through the procedure and asking for consent from their trotter, followed by using scalpels to excise an imaginary cyst on the pig's skin. They then closed the wound by suturing the skin with surgical needles and thread, the most challenging part being 'throwing' the knot several times for each stitch and ensuring it was tight enough. Some promising skills were shown by our surgeons of the future.

orld Book Week brought a wonderful buzz of excitement to the Lower School, with every year group taking part in a rich variety of bookthemed adventures and activities. The week began with Reception visiting the local independent bookshop Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, where they eagerly spent their World Book Day tokens. Each child chose one of this year’s specially written titles and also had the chance to listen to a few stories in the beautiful bookshop. Back at school, the Library Reading Challenges also launched, encouraging pupils to complete a different challenge each day. Monday’s task— read in an unusual place —sparked great creativity, and pupils were discovered reading under tables, behind bookcases, beneath sofas and even outdoors. On Tuesday it was Lower One’s turn to visit the bookshop, where they too selected their World Book Day books. Their reading challenge for the day was to recommend a book from a different genre to a friend, prompting thoughtful conversations about mysteries, fantasies, adventures and more. Pupil Rafi said ‘I liked the book I chose because it has lots of facts in.’ Wednesday saw Upper One walking to Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, where they not only chose their books but also became enthusiastic dragon hunters, spotting as many dragons as possible hidden around the shop’s magical displays. ‘I really liked finding the dragons and my favourite one was the dragon which was under the pavement,’ said Jessica from Upper One. Their reading challenge continued the theme of exploring new genres with pupils being encouraged to read something they wouldn’t normally pick off the shelf. Thursday marked World Book Day itself, and the school was transformed by an array of imaginative, colourful and brilliantly creative costumes. From classic characters to modern favourites, pupils proudly celebrated the stories they love. Many staff joined in the fun by dressing as Mr Men and Little Miss characters, much to the pupils’ delight during a lively assembly of guessing and laughter. Throughout the day, classes enjoyed a range of bookthemed activities, and everyone gathered in the library for the popular Teachers’ Pet Quiz, where staff pets were photographed “reading” books that offered clues to their owners’ identities. All pupils also took part in the Great Booky Book Swap, which allowed them to choose new reading material to enjoy over the coming weeks. Many children also entered the Book in a Box competition, transforming boxes into creative and thoughtful worlds inspired by titles such as Charlotte’s Web , The Land of Stories , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and What the Ladybird Heard . The celebrations continued on Friday, when Pre-Reception visited the bookshop to exchange their tokens for a book and take part in a delightful workshop themed around Wonderful Me . Pupils also completed the final reading challenge of the week by reading to a real or cuddly pet, creating many heart warming moments as stories were shared with dogs, cats, teddies and every creature in between. World Book Week was a fantastic celebration of reading, imagination and community. A huge thank you to Bookbugs and Dragon Tales for welcoming our pupils so warmly, and to all staff and families for helping to make the week such a memorable success.

Saturday 7 March 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. Well done to everyone who has represented the Cross Country team this season.

The Little Roots allotment at the Lower School has enjoyed a wonderful boost this year thanks to a generous grant from the Friends of Norwich School.

3 Lower 5 pupils and one Lower 4 pupil travelled to Telford to compete in the VEX Robotics National Finals, an exciting two‑day celebration of STEMM, creativity, and teamwork. Our pupils designed, built, and programmed their own robots, putting months of hard work into action. Throughout the competition they: Formed alliances with teams from other schools to play the Mix & Match game and score as many points as possible. Took on the Driver Skills Challenge, showcasing precision and control. Demonstrated their coding expertise in the Autonomous Programming Challenge. Completed four technical interviews with industry professionals, speaking confidently about their engineering decisions and problem‑solving approaches. We are incredibly proud to announce that our pupils won the ‘Create Award’ for innovative robot design! Even more excitingly, by winning this award they have qualified to compete at the VEX World Finals in St. Louis, Missouri at the end of April - an extraordinary achievement and a testament to their creativity, teamwork, and determination. Well done to all four pupils - what an unforgettable milestone!

ROTATOR is Jakob Rowlinson's first institutional project, presented as an installation at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and a solo exhibition, REVIVER at The Art House, Wakefield

At Norwich School, learning doesn’t stop when a lesson is over! Our co-curricular programme empowers pupils to explore and experiment – and nowhere is this more evident than in our vibrant STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) opportunities. Whether your child dreams of designing the cities of the future, racing an electric car, coding competition-ready robots or pursuing a career in medicine, our clubs and societies provide the platform to turn curiosity into capability! Hands-On Innovation: Engineering in Action Greenpower Electric Car Team (L5-L6) What better way to learn engineering than by building and racing a real electric car? Our Greenpower Electric Car Team maintains and improves a competition vehicle, racing in heats twice a year. Pupils apply for roles across design, mechanics, electronics, sponsorship and project management – mirroring real-world engineering teams. Lower 6 pupils mentor younger pupils, fostering leadership alongside technical expertise. Engineering Education Project (L6) Sixth Form pupils can take part in a six-month professional engineering project, working alongside an industry mentor to solve a real company challenge. The experience culminates in a formal presentation and submission for a CREST Gold Award – a nationally recognised achievement that strengthens university and apprenticeship applications. CityZen – Civil Engineering Challenge (L6) Run by in Institution of Civil Engineers, CityZen invites teams to design solutions to complex infrastructure problems in a simulated city. Pupils research, collaborate and present their ideas before tackling a real local civil engineering issue. From sustainability to urban planning, CityZen encourages pupils to think critically about how engineering shapes society. Engineering Society – (L4-U6) The aim of the Engineering Society is to hear first-hand from engineering professionals, in both academia and industry, about their paths into engineering and specialities. This provides an exciting opportunity for pupils to hear first hand from professionals in the field, allowing them to draw inspiration for their own careers. Coding, Robotics & Computational Thinking VEX Robotics (L4-L5) In VEX Robotics, teams of 4 or 5 design, build and code robots before entering the National Robotic Competition. Pupils develop programming skills, mechanical design understanding and strategic thinking – all while working as part of a high-performing team. Linguistics & Code Cracking Club (L4-U6) Combining logic, pattern recognition and analytical thinking, this club explore the fascinating intersection of language and mathematics, Pupils prepare for competitions such as the UK Linguistics Olympiad and tackle code-breaking challenges that stretch the mind. Maths Club (L4-U6) From Junior Maths Challenge preparation to STEP and MAT support, out tiered Maths Clubs provide stretch and challenge at every level. Pupils explore mathematical ideas beyond the syllabus, developing resilience and intellectual confidence. Medicine, Science & the Bigger Questions STEMM Society (U4-U6) Our dedicated STEMM Society explore science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine beyond the curriculum. Through practical challenges and discussion, pupils broaden their understanding while working towards a credited Youth STEMM Award. Vet Society (L4-U6) For pupils considering veterinary medicine, the society invites expert speakers and offers insight into the realities of animal healthcare careers – providing early professional exposure and inspiration. Intellectual Curiosity & Academic Exploration STEMM at Norwich School also thrives in our pupil-led academic societies: Erpingham Society (M5–U6) – interdisciplinary lectures spanning STEMM, humanities and the arts. Ethelbert Society (L4–L5) – a junior lecture society encouraging scholarly exploration. Inters and Senior Maths Clubs – extending mathematical understanding beyond the classroom. These forums develop confidence in research, presentation and debate — essential skills for future scientists, engineers and medics.