News & Events
Latest News From the Senior and Lower Schools
Lower School News
Upper 1 had a fantastic time visiting Norwich Cathedral for ‘The Big Bible Story’! We explored lots of different parts of the Bible, discovering some of its best-known stories. The children loved the chance to dress up as a bishop and learn all about their role as a shepherd, linking this to the wonderful story of the Good Shepherd. We became story detectives, searching the Cathedral’s beautiful stained-glass windows and ceiling bosses for clues about the stories from the Old and New Testaments. We also found out more about two important Christian traditions – Baptism and Holy Communion (Eucharist). There was so much to see, discover and talk about, and we had a brilliant time bringing our Religious Education learning to life! "I liked learning about baptism and looking at the font." - Yuvraj "My favourite bit was the Good Shepherd story." - Roshy
Bringing musical joy to others, Lower School Captain Max W treated the residents of Abbeyfield House to a special impromptu musical performance. Max, a chorister at Norwich Cathedral, delighted his intimate audience with a beautiful performance of Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in G Major on the Cello, followed by a heartfelt vocal rendition of John Rutter’s All Things Bright and Beautiful. His music captivated the residents, who thoroughly enjoyed this special opportunity to experience live music up close. Following his performance, Max spent time chatting with residents, sharing his ambitions for the future and enjoying their company. It was a lovely reminder of the power of music to bring people together, brighten someone’s day and create meaningful connections across generations. Well done, Max! We are incredibly proud of the way you are using your musical talents to bring happiness and joy to others.
Big hair, air guitars and legendary rock anthems took centre stage at Norwich Lower School’s House Music Festival, as Heigham, Conisford and Magdalen battled it out in an unforgettable celebration of music , teamwork and rock ’n’ roll! This year’s theme was ROCK ANTHEMS , and the brief was simple: turn it up to 11 and ROCK OUT! Heigham kicked things off in style with Bon Jovi’s classic Livin’ on a Prayer. Full of energy and attitude, their performance got the festival off to a flying start, with plenty of power, passion and a chorus that had everyone ready to sing along! Next up, Magdalen took to the stage, air guitars at the ready, for the arena-rock favourite Don’t Stop Believin’. With a fantastic sense of occasion, they embraced every moment, bringing big vocals, infectious enthusiasm and plenty of stadium-sized spirit to this iconic anthem. Finally, Conisford unleashed their inner Guns N’ Roses with the epic Sweet Child O’ Mine. Bandanas, rock-star confidence and spectacular fireworks helped create a show-stopping finale, proving that Lower School knows how to put on a proper rock concert! Following the performances, our judge Posy Walton delivered her verdict, praising the house s for their confident singing, excellent commitment, charismatic stage presence, engaging performances, accurate intonation and the wonderful atmosphere created by each team. The standard was fantastic, and every house brought its own personality and flair to the stage. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for… the results! And the winners of the Norwich Lower School House Music Festival are… CONISFORD! 🏆 Huge congratulations to Conisford, and an enormous well done to everyone from Heigham, Magdalen and Conisford. The enthusiasm, teamwork and music al confidence on display made for a truly brilliant morning. Director of Music Lower School, Mr Vine, said: “An amazing morning watching our brilliant young performers turn into rock legends! They came, they rocked… goodnight, Norwich! Fabulous work from everyone, and a huge thank you to all the staff for their hard work in making it happen.” Congratulations to all our young rock stars || you absolutely rocked the house !
Senior School News
Over half term, 29 pupils and 4 staff spent 5 unforgettable days in a land of fire and ice. Our adventure began, as soon as we landed, at the Bridge between the Continents on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where we stood astride the Eurasian and North American plates as they slowly drift apart. The next day, at Þingvellir National Park, we saw the same rift on a grander scale, in the very place where Iceland's first parliament met in 930. We watched Strokkur erupt every few minutes at the Geysir geothermal area, admired the thunder, spray and rainbows of Gullfoss, and then went underground into the Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel, formed over 5,000 years ago. Day 3 took us along the south coast, past the waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, where we saw the falls from different angles, both above and behind! We then travelled to the black sand and basalt columns of Reynisfjara, where the power of the Atlantic was plain to see. In the afternoon, pupils strapped on crampons and helmets and walked on Sólheimajökull glacier. Standing on ice that has been there for centuries, and seeing for ourselves how quickly it is retreating, made climate change feel personal in a way no textbook can. That night, we saw the northern lights! Ribbons of green light danced overhead, as the entire hotel descended into the car park to watch. It is something none of us will ever forget. On our last full day, the Lava Centre explained the forces behind everything we had seen, and we then visited the steaming fumaroles and bubbling mud pools of Hveradalir. After exploring Reykjavík, we watched molten lava flow at the Lava Show and soared over the whole country at FlyOver Iceland, which left us all wanting to come back. On our final morning, we stood beside the still-steaming lava fields of Nátthagi, formed by the recent Fagradalsfjall eruptions, before a well-earned soak in the Blue Lagoon! None of it would have been the same without our amazing guide, Karen. Her knowledge was extraordinary and her passion for Iceland was infectious. She answered every question, however many we asked, and made every landscape feel like a story we were part of.
Oscar PW, and Marcus R, competed as part of the East Anglia team at the British Orienteering Junior East Anglia came 7th overall, a fantastic achievement! Here is what Oscar and Marcus said about the event; "This was my first time competing for East Anglia, and I was running up an age category against runners two years older than me. I found the location for the first day quite challenging as there was very little to navigate by in places, which threw me off on some of the controls. I placed in the upper middle of the pack, which was a good result, although I felt I could have done better on another day. The venue for the relays on the second day felt easier to me, and I found the course less challenging. The runner before me in my team had put us in about 18th place, and I think I made a small improvement, taking us to 17th, and our final runner took us to 16th. Across the whole event, EAJS came 7th out of all the teams there, which was a great result considering we were one of the teams with the fewest runners." - Oscar "On the whole it was a very successful weekend for myself and east Anglia. with my individual performance I broke expectations as I was running up an age class, managing to earn an impressive 12th place. As east Anglia were the hosts, we had a good number of runners and a large number of relay teams. I ran the first leg for my team finishing 3 minutes behind the leader meaning we were right at the front of the race after my leg. Overall east Anglia once again performed better than predicted finishing 7th as a team, a very impressive weekend." - Marcus
We enjoyed another successful residential trip to London with 27 U4/L5 Academic Scholars. The aims of our trip were: To enjoy each other’s company outside of school. To learn more about our capital city- key sites of societal, historical and cultural significance and important works of art. To create links between curricular areas of interest and personal interest and develop new areas of interest. To spend time discussing what we encounter. To use this trip as an opportunity to gather information and exchange thoughts in preparation for sharing project work. Our programme was full and suitably varied with an eclectic mix of visits which included the Bank of England Museum, Dr Johnson’s House, Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, Tate Modern and the Foundling Museum. We also spent time completing a treasure hunt in teams around Bloomsbury which enabled us to discover all sorts of hidden gems away from the hubbub of central London. This programme allowed us to consider London from a broad variety of angles- historical, linguistic and societal as well as exploring local policing, the changing role of women and the phenomenal, yet challenging, world of contemporary art. It certainly gave us lots of talk about and reflect on. Project Work this year centres around linking all of the places we visited, whether thematically, through curriculum links or even chronologically. We are really looking forward to seeing what pupils come up with and enjoyed spending time with such an interested group of young people.
Blog
Our series of external lectures hosted by the school continued on 05 November, when we welcomed back on site the illustrious Royal Geographical Society (RGS) eastern region branch for their latest public lecture. A large audience of pupils, ONs, parents, staff, academic staff from UEA and Members/Fellows of the RGS heard from national expert Dr Andy Jefferson on the very topical subject of Sustainable Aviation. Andy is an international expert in this field, having worked for decades with the likes of Rolls Royce, Boeing, BA, plus national governments and agencies. See: A&G Jefferson Ltd . With the help of a beautiful slide deck of meticulously researched and clear slides, Andy took the audience on global aviation’s long journey, in which the UK has played a prominent role in technical and operational advances. His gaze inevitably dwelt on the period from the 1950’s explosion in frequent, low-cost air travel to the huge increase forecasted for coming decades. Acknowledging the substantial contribution the aviation industry plays in CO₂ impacts, and against a backdrop of August 2026 being the warmest month in global history, he shared the industry’s plans to address calls for greater sustainability. This includes initiatives such as flight path planning efficiency, aircraft design improvements, sustainable fuel, and carbon trading. The impact of the Iran war and fuel blockades, coming on the back of the unprecedented upheaval during Covid have only imposed further headwinds. Nevertheless, Andy presented a spirited exposition of technical advances that will lead towards greater sustainability in aviation, especially in propulsion methods (jet fuels from waste products, hydrogen power), aerodynamics (wing airflow modelling, carbon fibre materials, even ‘slick’ paint) and AI to optimise air traffic control. Andy faced intense, and at times frankly sceptical, questioning from climate scientists and chemists in the audience. There was some consensus afterwards over refreshments regarding the need to accelerate technical advances to deliver greater sustainability, as well as a pragmatic acknowledgement that the days of easy, cheap, unlimited flights might be numbered. With a cohort of pupils and students in the audience, all could agree that their generation would require energy, purpose and focus to find equitable and urgent solutions to the issue of sustainable aviation. The final word goes to Head of School Immy C (U6) who commented afterwards: “I really enjoyed the talk and found it fascinating to explore the challenges facing the aviation industry in achieving net zero, particularly the potential and limitations of sustainable aviation fuels. It was thought-provoking to consider how technological innovation, economic pressures and global cooperation intersect, and I’m sure the discussion will be valuable to my Geography studies and future aspirations in this field.” The voice of young people will also be the focus of the next RGS event held on Monday 23 November in the Blake Studio. Back by popular demand for its fifth year, you are invited to hear from pupils from various Norfolk Schools each presenting a 15-minute presentation to a Royal Geographical Society audience showcasing a broad range of subjects in human, physical and environmental geography. It is a valuable educational opportunity for them and a wonderful opportunity for our audience to learn from our youth leaders on important global topics. Speaker come from Hethersett Academy, Notre Dame School, University Technical College, Framlingham Earl and pupil Oscar L. (U5) from Norwich School. A rich spread of topics includes the Sahara Desert, China’s economic policies, the costs of AI, shark finning, biodiversity in agriculture, and the London’s design issues. The evening will be chaired by the ever-brilliant Professor Michael O’Riordan OBE DL FBA, and our very own Dr Anthony Speca FRGS. This is a free event suitable for all senior school pupils and parents, starting at the earlier time of 17:00. All are welcome.
The Crypt Gallery, Norwich, presents Unspoken , a joint exhibition by artists Sophie Eade and Marion Stuart , bringing together new paintings and ceramics shaped by their shared interest in text, transcription, and the quiet charge of language. Working from a thematic starting point of writing , both artists explore how words shift when they move across materials — from page to clay, from conversation to surface, from the spoken to the withheld. Their works carry fragments of text that are often difficult to read, partially obscured or embedded within layers of slip, glaze, paint, and mark‑making. Meaning sits in plain sight, but not always immediately accessible. The viewer is invited to look closely, to navigate the tension between what is said and what is left unsaid. The ceramics in Unspoken hold words pressed, carved, or transcribed into stoneware and wild clays. Some phrases emerge clearly; others dissolve into surface. The paintings echo this approach, using text, gesture, repetition, and erasure to test how language behaves with canvas and colour. Together, the works form a conversation about communication — its failures, its hesitations, and its quiet insistence. Eade and Stuart both work at StudioDo a ceramics space in Norwich , where their studio practice is shaped by discussion, shared problem‑solving, and a mutual interest in how materials carry thought. This exhibition reflects that ongoing dialogue: two distinct practices meeting at the point where text becomes form. Unspoken invites audiences to consider how language is held, altered, and sometimes lost — and how meaning can remain even when words slip out of reach. Exhibition Dates: 24 November - 29 November, 10:00 - 17:00 Private View: 27 November, 17:30 - 20:00
If you love singing and are free on Monday evenings during term time, the Many More Voices choir would love to hear from you. No auditions – no experience or music-reading skills necessary. Join our choir and celebrate Christmas in song Our inclusive and welcoming community choir has strong links with Norwich School – many members have children who are current or former pupils – and we share a simple love of melody, friendship and fun. This term we’re focusing on Christmas, featuring a syncopated mashup of the traditional favourites O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Carol of the Bells, as well as the lilting A Cradle in Bethlehem and a plethora of seasonal singalongs which we’ll enjoy with residents of the Great Hospital on 13 December. From pop to folk and more Under the supportive guidance of conductor and pianist Diana Cripps, from September to July we rehearse and perform a varied repertoire spanning gospel, traditional songs, pop and folk. Everything is taught by ear, although sheet music is available for reference. And don’t let nerves put you off – the more we sing, the more confident we become. Experience the benefits of singing The positive benefits of joining a choir are well documented, from an endorphin rush to a sense of community and achievement. Whatever the day brings we always feel better at the end of a rehearsal or concert. Singing makes us happy, and singing with a lovely bunch of people makes us even happier. We rehearse on Monday evenings in the Norwich School music room or chapel from 18:30 - 20:00. You can check out our website for more information.
Meet the Team
Click on the images to read individual biographies.
