New skills learnt at DJ Club thanks to new decks!

Our Apply+ Programme supports pupils applying for academic courses at university that require admissions tests and/or interviews. This includes courses at Cambridge, Imperial and Oxford, the most selective courses for computer science, economics, law and mathematics and all courses for dentistry, medicine and veterinary medicine. We are delighted that 29 pupils in our Upper 6 have already received offers from Apply+ courses and wish those still waiting for the outcomes of their applications every success. These are: Omar Alfiky Daniel Amaka-Maidoh Thomas Cahir Isaac Chan Arthur Dannatt Katerina Di Maria Isio Emore India-Rose Fox Ben Griffiths Melissa Hawkings Lizzie Henson Ilya Higginson Celeste Horsman Thomas Hsia Thomas Irvine Anish Kantam Isabelle Last Leon Liu Georgia Lloyd Emmanuel Milne Ana Paduaru Maya Peart Adit Raje Mihir Sanghrajka Sruthi Santhosh Charlotte Scott Freya Simmonds Emile Verschoor Halvard Yip

The Girls 1st XI have worked hard this term, in both training and matches, and this has shown through the immense improvement from everyone throughout. Targeting the basics in training enabled the girls to play an attractive style of football during fixtures, with some great chances created from the team working well together. The season started with a game away to a physical Gresham's side, that was tightly contested. Unfortunately, with a few key chances missed, the score ended 2-0 to them. Next up was Wymondham at home. A goal from Poppy Francis sent us into the last 10 at 1-1. The girls managed to score a second, but this was ruled offside. With Wymondham somehow sneaking in a winner in the closing minutes, the game concluded at 2-1 to them. On the return leg at their place the following week, the girls fought well on a difficult pitch, but were unlucky and lost 2-0, despite playing the better football. A special mention must go to India Coupland who stepped up as goalkeeper, playing against girls 4 years her senior, and held her own. The final game of the season was played at home against a mixed side from St Felix, with arguably the best performance of the season from the team. It was an exciting game from start to finish, and despite good pressure on the St Felix defence towards the end, the girls were unable to find an equaliser, with the game ending 3-2. Goals from Chloe Holmes and Lizzie Henson. Despite not getting the results the team deserved, they should be very proud of themselves and their performances. Hopefully this season has provided useful foundations for the Lower 6 and Upper 5 to build on for next year. Lizzie Henson (U6V) 1st XI Captain

FONS grant helps The Close Creatives Collective rebrand following huge success.

This year’s netball season has been one of the most successful in recent history, both in terms of participation and performance. It has been a term defined by enthusiasm, commitment and outstanding achievement across all age groups. Over the course of the term, more than 60 fixtures were played, with every girl from U8 to U11 representing the school in at least one match; most in many more. This level of involvement is a testament to the strength and depth of the programme, as well as the pupils’ eagerness to contribute, perform and compete. Our U8 players have demonstrated excellent coachability and a genuine enthusiasm for learning. Their performances in the house netball competition were highly encouraging, and it was particularly rewarding to see them take to the court in their first fixture against NHSFG. They embraced the experience with confidence, successfully applying skills developed in training to a competitive setting. The U9 squad continued to build on the strong foundations laid last year, participating in an increasing number of BEE Netball fixtures and festivals. While the emphasis at this stage remains on participation and enjoyment, the girls have shown clear progress in their teamwork and tactical understanding. They are developing into a very promising group and we look forward to their continued growth next year. At U11 level, our Lower 3 and Upper 3 pupils formed a highly competitive cohort, fielding up to six teams throughout the term. The standard across the group has been exceptionally high, with impressive depth in talent reflected in both performances and results. It has been particularly pleasing to see so many girls regularly involved in weekly fixtures, contributing to a vibrant and competitive environment. However, this term has undoubtedly belonged to the U11A team, who have enjoyed a truly remarkable season. Remaining unbeaten throughout, they achieved an outstanding treble of titles. Their campaign began with a dominant victory at the OBH Festival, competing against strong schools and clubs from across the eastern region. This success was followed by an exceptional performance at the U11 IAPS Netball Tournament, where they once again went unbeaten to be crowned Eastern Region IAPS Champions. They completed their treble in style, securing the U11 County Cup without losing a match. This squad has demonstrated not only exceptional skill, but also outstanding teamwork, resilience, and coachability. At times, their quality of play has been nothing short of superb. The future is incredibly bright for these girls and we look forward to following their progress closely as they move into the Senior School.

With British Science week happening last week, it is a great time to celebrate some of the many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine) offers our Upper 6 pupils have received from the most selective UK universities. STEM is very strong at Norwich School with consistently large numbers of both girls and boys choosing Sciences, Maths and Further Maths for A level: 80 of last year’s Upper 6 cohort took Maths A level (the most popular A level subject) with over 40 taking each of the three Sciences and 17 taking Further Maths. There is so much going on in STEM areas within school; the pupil led Med Soc (Medical Society) have recently enjoyed learning surgical suturing and practising this on pigs’ trotters, Upper 6 pupil Adit Raje has just gained a ‘Top Gold’ in the British Physics Olympiad coming in the top 69 of the 9000 entrants and Upper 6 pupil Emmanuel Milne’s gold in the British Biology Olympiad placed him in the top 5% of the 18,800 pupils who took part nationally. Both of these performances qualified the pupils for Round 2 of these Olympiads whilst the lower 4 and lower 5 VEX Robotics team’s recent regional and then national success qualified them for the international finals that will take place in St. Louis, Missouri, USA in April. The school’s Apply+ Programme is run by Mr Pearce. It supports pupils applying to academic courses that require admissions tests and/or interviews. STEM Oxbridge offers: Of the 10 Norwich School pupils with offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge Universities this cycle, 5 are for STEM subjects: Thomas Irvine – Medicine at the University of Cambridge Georgia Lloyd – Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Cambridge Adit Raje – Physics at the University of Oxford Freya Simmonds – Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge Emile Verschoor – Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge Other Apply+ STEM offers received so far this cycle: Thomas Cahir – Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Manchester Isaac Chan – Physics with Theoretical Physics at Imperial Arthur Dannatt – Mathematics at the University of Warwick Katerina Di Maria – Biochemistry at Imperial Thomas Hsia – Computer Science at University of Warwick Leon Liu – Physics at the University of Manchester Maya Peart – Microbiology at Imperial Adit Raje – Physics at Imperial Emile Verschoor – Physics at Imperial Halvard Yip – Data Science at the University of Warwick Medicine and Veterinary medicine: We are delighted that all of our pupils who have applied for medicine and veterinary medicine this cycle have gained offers to study these highly competitive courses: Omar Alfiky Isio Emore India-Rose Fox Lizzie Henson Thomas Irvine Isabelle Last Emmanuel Milne Ana Paduaru Sruthi Santhosh Freya Simmonds Particular congratulations to Isabelle Last, Sruthi Santhosh, Thomas Irvine and Isio Emore who have each already received offers from all four med/vet schools they applied to, something achieved by fewer than 5% of applicants nationally each admissions cycle. The following pupils have successfully navigated interviews for these allied health professions: Ciara Bethapudy – Pharmacy Emilia Meade – Midwifery Krishni Theiventhira - Pharmacy  As is the norm at this point in the year, a significant proportion of the most competitive courses are still making decisions on which applicants to offer places to. We look forward to sharing more successes with the Norwich School community at the start of next term.

Lower Two enjoyed a successful two‑day residential in London.  The trip began with a train journey into the city, followed by an introduction to travelling independently on the Underground. Thirdly, then pupils then visited the London Eye, where many showed great courage in overcoming fears of heights while enjoying panoramic views and identifying key landmarks, including their hostel near St Paul’s Cathedral. Secondly, the children had a wonderful time at the Paddington Experience, where they eagerly joined Paddington in his quest to make the perfect marmalade. Working together, they helped gather ingredients, stirred the mixture with great enthusiasm, and proudly supported Paddington in creating his famous treat. Thirdly, riverboat cruise along the Thames provided further learning, offering insights into London’s architecture and the history of the Great Fire of London. The day concluded with a well‑deserved dinner at Pizza Express. On the second day, the group explored the Tower of London, observing the ravens, viewing the Crown Jewels, and learning about royal life throughout history. A picnic on the grounds offered a relaxed end to the visit. All pupils represented the school admirably and should be proud of their achievements on their first residential.

The Choristers visited London on Wednesday 4 March to sing Evensong with the Temple Church Choir. We left from Norwich train station at 9.30am after a quick rehearsal, and arrived in London in time for lunch at Zizzi. We were then shown around St Paul’s Cathedral and enjoyed testing out the acoustics in the Whispering Gallery. After braving the narrow spiral staircases all the way up to the Golden Gallery, we admired the spectacular views over London. At the end of the tour we had a group photo on an amazing cantilever staircase (used in the Harry Potter films as the way to the Divination classroom), and then walked to the Temple Church. Following a rehearsal with their choir, they all sang Evensong together at 6pm. The standard of singing was breathtaking, a testament to the hard work and dedication these young musicians display on a daily basis. We caught the 8pm train and arrived back in Norwich just before 10pm, tired but happy after a rewarding and fulfilling day. Pupil Highlights: “The whole day was 10/10. I especially enjoyed seeing the spiral staircase in St Paul’s used in the Harry Potter films!” “My favourite part was singing at the Temple Church with the other choir. I also liked the view from the top of St Paul’s Cathedral, even if it was very high up - I’m not great with heights!”

With thanks to an award from the Friends of Norwich School, the Community Knit Club has been busy knitting winter essentials.