This half term the Senior Rowers have been covering the miles in small boats, the J15s have all started sweep rowing and we have welcomed an enthusiastic J14 squad to the Boat Club. Despite some rather windy sessions the training has been going well. The first race of the year was at Bedford Small Boats Head. With 35 crews racing across six divisions, there was tough competition across all boat categories. We finished the event with 6 crews in 2nd place and four wins: Hannah Conway and Freya Dixon in the women’s J16 double. Ellie Thwaites and Amelie Ivie in the women’s J17 pair. The Open quad of Max Stone, Isaac Chan, Tristan Fazekas, and Mateo Vedrenne And an outstanding win for Max Stone in the Junior 18 singles, pipping Archie Wilkins into 2nd place and leaving a trail of Hampton School Scullers behind them! The Boat Club will be racing in Norwich at the start of half term, with training in the second week before we have our first National race in November.

As we reach the midpoint of the rugby season, it has been a highly encouraging half-term across all age groups. Teams have shown excellent commitment, development, and teamwork, representing the school with pride and enthusiasm throughout every fixture. Juniors Our Junior teams have enjoyed a positive start to the season, showing real energy and passion for the game as they continue to develop their core rugby skills. U12A The U12A side have made great progress during their opening block of fixtures. Despite close defeats to The Perse School and Finborough School, they demonstrated resilience and improvement each week, highlighted by a competitive draw against St Joseph’s College, Ipswich. Their teamwork and enthusiasm have laid strong foundations for the future. U13B The U13B team have been excellent, winning both of their fixtures in impressive style against The Perse School and Finborough School. Their attacking intent and defensive organisation have stood out, reflecting the hard work they’ve put into training. U13A The U13A team have had a fantastic half-term, securing two wins and two draws from their four matches. Dominant victories against St Joseph’s College, Ipswich and The Perse School showcased their growing confidence and teamwork. The players’ ability to adapt and make smart in-game decisions has been a real highlight. Inters The Inter teams have shown great progression, with players displaying improved game understanding, physicality, and team cohesion throughout the term. U14A The U14A side began their season strongly with a convincing win against Framlingham College. Since then, they have faced several challenging fixtures that have tested their resilience and provided valuable learning opportunities. Their attitude and commitment to improving both individually and collectively have been impressive. U15B The U15B team faced Felsted School in their only fixture this half-term, putting in a determined performance despite the result not going their way. The squad is looking forward to more game time after the break, with plenty of positives to build upon in training. U15A The U15A team have enjoyed an outstanding start to the season, with four strong wins against Framlingham College, The Perse School, St Joseph’s College, and Wymondham College. Their only defeat came in Round 2 of the National Cup against a talented Campion School side from Essex. The squad continues to go from strength to strength, with excellent team spirit and significant development in their tactical play. Seniors The Senior squad has set an excellent tone this term, combining hard work, ambition, and togetherness across their fixtures.  1st XV The 1st XV have produced a strong set of performances, recording three wins and two narrow defeats. Impressive victories over Framlingham College, The Perse School, and Wymondham College demonstrated the team’s growing maturity and cohesion. They were unfortunate to lose to Felsted School in the final play of their National Cup first-round match but have received a bye in the Plate competition and will continue their campaign after half-term. The group has shown significant progress in both their attacking structure and defensive resilience, and the second half of the season promises to be an exciting one.

On Tuesday 14 October. we said ‘au revoir’ to our exchange school from Perpignan. This visit formed the return leg of our 6th form French Exchange with Norwich School pupils having had a wonderful visit to the Lycée Maillol at the end of the Lent Term 2025. The French group were generously hosted by Norwich School families, accompanied pupils to lessons, rehearsals and events. They also enjoyed visits to London, Cambridge, Norwich Castle and UEA Sainsbury Centre.  It was wonderful to share our community with a wonderful group of pupils and their teachers and discover our shared passions and values, as well as those that differ.

The Football 1 st XI has taken a significant rebuild this term after a large proportion of the previous two 1 st XI squads have now finished upper sixth. The newly assembled team have at times played some excellent football against challenging opposition and just need to add more consistency to their play and capitalise on the momentum they create in the remaining matches of the season. A particular highlight was back to back away fixtures against Wymondham College and Gresham's with outstanding team performances enabling us to claim two fantastic victories. Another highlight has been the re-introduction of the 2 nd XI who have enjoyed a mixed set of results so far but have benefited greatly from regular training and fixtures.

On Friday 10 October, Pastoral Prefects gave an assembly on the importance of looking after your mental health. World Mental Health Day takes place every year on 10 October. It is a day to remind us of the importance of good mental health and the need to prioritise and invest in everyone's mental health both as individuals and as a community. Poor mental health is not inevitable, and World Mental Health Day is an opportunity for us all to consider how, together, we can help everyone have better mental health. This year we're focusing on the mental health impact of repeated exposure to news coverage of crises and conflicts. The theme is: Overwhelm: when global events and relentless bad news become too much. Constantly hearing about negative news from around the world can feel like a lot to take in – and that’s because it is. Feeling overwhelmed by current events, no matter how big or small, can take a toll on our mental health. In the digital age, managing how much information we take on board might feel impossible. But you can take control and limit the impact of global overwhelm on your well-being. Keeping up with the latest news is simpler than ever thanks to smartphones and social media. However, it’s easy to end up doomscrolling – constantly scrolling through negative news for long periods of time. Doomscrolling is a natural and human response to a world that can feel unstable. However, it can also affect our mental and physical health. While online content can help us feel more informed, reassured and in control, doomscrolling can cause us to become more anxious, sad, or overwhelmed. Doomscrolling can also result in physical issues such as headaches, nausea, neck and shoulder pain or even difficulty sleeping. As pastoral prefects, we are keen to promote good mental health within our school community and we have found some top tips to help you cope with global news overwhelm, refrain from doomscrolling and find a way to balance things to improve the way we feel.

On Thursday 9 October, the Lower School library was transformed into the magical world of Harry Potter for the annual book night. This year’s theme, Friend or Foe, set the stage for an evening filled with creativity, teamwork, and plenty of wizarding fun. Pupils arrived in a wonderful array of spellbinding costumes — from brave Gryffindors and clever Ravenclaws to Luna Lovegood herself! We even had a snowy Hedwig fluttering through the corridors! Throughout the evening, children tested their wizarding knowledge in a Harry Potter Quiz, crafted their very own scary mandrakes, and set off on a thrilling treasure hunt around the school. Along the way, they decoded clues, worked in teams, and created a magical teacher scrapbook filled with memories and fun. No magical evening would be complete without a feast fit for Hogwarts! Everyone enjoyed some delicious, themed treats, including golden snitch chocolate truffles, cheesy broomsticks, Slytherin snake sandwiches, Ravenclaw crisps, and a selection of salad from Professor Sprout’s garden. This was all washed down with Gillywater or Wizard’s hot chocolate. It was a truly enchanting night full of laughter, creativity, and a touch of Hogwarts magic — proving that whether friend or foe, there’s always room for fun and friendship in the wizarding world!

"Back to where it all began" was the comment from our guests Ava Gulliver-Jary and Maddy Greenly as they returned to Norwich School to deliver a session on their apprenticeship pathways. Our U6 pupils were treated to an informative and fascinating presentation as part of our weekly FUTURES programme. Ava and Maddy were both sure that university was not the right track for them after A levels. Whilst still at school, they were proactive in seeking options locally, but which offered in-depth training, consistent mentoring, diverse work options and a positive career trajectory. Both were successful in their search for their perfect route: Ava with Smash Marketing and Maddy with AVIVA. Ava's work focus at SMASH Marketing is on client management, social media and marketing, with one day a week spent studying for her foundation degree. Maddy's work/study timetable is similar, but she is part of AVIVA's Global, Corporate & Speciality team, and tasks so far have included insuring arena tours and footballers' limbs! Both were effusive about the benefits of an apprenticeship: learning and on-the-job training, earning a good salary, no student debt, and massive employability credits as they are already in the workplace, doing important work. All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, but Ava and Maddy were enjoying the social life afforded to them via work and salary, visiting friends at uni at weekends and taking numerous foreign holidays! It was wonderful to welcome Ava and Maddy back to school, looking so well and clearly enjoying and thriving on their apprenticeship programmes. We look forward to watching their career paths develop.

Last week, our Junior and Senior Dance Company pupils enjoyed an action-packed workshop with DanceEast. The afternoon was bursting with contemporary dance, creative challenges, and plenty of energy and enthusiasm! Our dancers pushed their skills, explored new ideas, and worked brilliantly as a team. A huge thank you to DanceEast for such an engaging and inspiring session - our pupils had a fantastic time!

On Tuesday 7 October, Danny Bate ON came to school to talk to our budding young linguists about his lifelong love of languages and his PHD work on Proto-Indo-European. We learnt about the field of historical linguistics and language reconstruction. We had so many questions and pupils were inspired to explore this area of study further. Danny has a brilliant book newly published, "Why Q needs U" which explores the stories behind the letters of the alphabet and the oddities of English spelling. It ties in beautifully with WoLLoW lessons and we look forward to welcoming him back again in the future. Thank you, Danny!