News & Events

It is great for the school to get to this point, the final assembly of the 24/25 year and a joy to share it with the parents of our Upper Sixth cohort who leave today. It is a personal privilege to have the chance to offer some reflections at a time which is laced with resonance for so many. Such occasions bring experiences and memories into enhanced focus. This has been much on my mind since the announcement a few weeks ago that the world’s most powerful digital camera has started producing its first images as part of a 10 year project to survey space and time. Situated at the Vera C Rubin observatory in the Chilean Andes to minimise light pollution, the camera is 1.65m by 3m, weighs 2,800kg and has three mirrors which are between 3.4m and 8.4m in diameter. It is hard to relate to these dimensions, so try this: it has 3,200 megapixels, making it 67 times more powerful than the camera of an iPhone 16 Pro; its resolution allows it to capture a golf ball on the moon and its detail is such that one would need 400 Ultra HD TV screens to display a single image. More relevantly for the project, its first image shows gas and dust clouds swirling 9,000 light years from earth. We may not have this precision in our own phones, but our senses and memories have an uncanny ability of capturing moments of particular significance; people even report time seeming to slow down at important moments. There is much for the senses to feast on in this last Cathedral service of the year so take moments during the service to take in and savour your surroundings: the sun streaming in from the South-West to light up swirling dust motes and the colours of the stained-glass windows; the gorgeous sounds from the Choir and congregation; the distinctive smell of this ancient building; and the cool touch of its aged stones. Just don’t lick anything please – 4th Form, that is the one sense we are not going to be trying out. We could not have this sensitivity to the world around us all the time; we would never get anything done. However, it pays to zoom in from time to time and the Cathedral provides just such a chance. As I reflect on recent weeks, my internal camera can pick out many images which have stuck with me: Bandfest, with 14 electric guitars all playing at once; The extraordinary detail in the jewellery films from the Fashion Show or the exquisite sketchbooks of our U6 in the Art and Design Exhibition; Redmayne packed with junior and intermediate cricketers or Lower Close packed with athletes in a vivid kaleidoscope of house colours; My favourite moment, not for the first time, came at the end of June from Discover Your Ability Day which the school hosts for the charity, Able2B. Frankly, if you were there and had spent time building your athlete partnership, you will know why this often wins my round-up and may well have your own special memory. For me, it was not the moment when the athlete pairs cross the line, heart-melting though that is, it was the hug that a girl with impaired physical mobility shared with her Norwich School pupil partner away from the finish line when the spectators’ gaze had moved on. A simple treasure. Yet a service like this allows us to do something else in common with the Vera C Rubin camera. That telescope deals with such vast distances that the light is from a different era. Our time-travel is rather different but no less potent. Today represents for all of us a significant punctuation mark, the end of the academic year. It is particularly so for our Upper Sixth because it is the end of their time at Norwich School. It will not be long before they process out of the West Doors to our applause as they leave to take up their places in the wider world. There should be some looking back, hopefully with enjoyment, certainly some pride, perhaps a dose of embarrassment at a dodgy 5th Form haircut or questionable dance moves at someone’s 18th. Yet I should also like you to try to consider what still lies ahead. In her talk to the Norfolk Cambridge Society this term Professor Gillian Tett, the Provost of King’s College Cambridge, referred to Steve Jobs’ famous 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech where he said that you cannot join dots forwards, only backwards. His advice to the students was to keep making dots and I advocate the same now. By way of example, I should like to return to someone I mentioned to the school at this morning’s assembly, our retiring Vice-Chair of governors, Stephen Bamber. He shared something of his life-journey when he gave out the prizes to the Lower School this term. A classicist by training, he secured a place as a Civil Servant at the Foreign Office but was told to gain some life experience before taking up his place. He decided to join the army and became a Platoon Commander, taking in tours of duty in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. By the time he finished his military commission, he returned not to the Foreign Office but was drawn to medicine, so back to learning he went before becoming a GP for some 30 years. His route to Norwich School governorship came through his own children’s time here as pupils. Looking backwards, one can see exactly how the range of experience has made Stephen such a wise and valuable governor, but if our Head of Careers, Mrs James, were to predict such a career for any of our current U6th I suspect there would be bewilderment; Stephen’s life can hardly be described as following a plan. You can only join the dots up looking backwards, so as you make your way through life, particularly while you are of school age or an 18 year-old about to leave, just keep making dots. And what dots should one make? Again, as a classicist who retrained in medicine, I think Stephen’s life story is instructive: he has always been curious to learn more and has not been afraid of putting his mind to different areas of study. This brings to mind the delightful story of the cellist, Pablo Casals. He practised every day, even after retirement. When asked why, he replied “because I think I’m making progress”. His age at the time? He was 90. Upper Sixth, take a moment to look backwards and join the dots of your school career, the moments which have moulded you into the fine young men and women I see in front of me: your A Level subject choices, your role in that play, your part in that school team, the time you first met your best friend. But remember how many dots there still are to make. Keep doing so, even if you are not sure how they will join up. That will be for another moment of focus. As you get ready to leave, please know that we have loved your presence in our community. You have been a strong sporting year-group and you have given us countless creative triumphs. You have also helped the wider community and been a close-knit support group for each other. If we have got it right, we have not been a hothouse for you but we have been a greenhouse, nurturing you as sensitive plants to develop healthily through setting the right overall conditions for your overall growth. Go out in the world with a lifelong love of learning to be forces for good in the wider community. And do stay in touch from time to time to let us know what you find. You leave with best wishes from us all.

This Summer, Freya Simmonds (L6) had set herself a 5 Lake District Peak challenge to raise money for the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya; this works to conserve the Northern White Rhino which on the verge of extinction. We asked Freya about her challenge and what it means to her below... Can you tell us a little bit about 5 Peaks, 2 Rhinos, 1 Fight? 5 Peaks, 2 Rhinos, 1 Fight is a fundraising challenge I’ve created to help save the northern white rhino from extinction. Over three days this summer, I’ll be hiking five of the Lake District’s highest peaks: Skiddaw, Crinkle Crags, Scafell Pike, Causey Pike, and Helvellyn in order to raise £1,000 for the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Ol Pejeta is home to the last two northern white rhinos on earth, where this functionally extinct species is cared for. However there is still hope to revive this species through IVF Conservation, and 35 pure embryos already exist and are ready to be implanted into a surrogate black rhino (rhino surrogacy has been successfully proven in 2023). It’s a way to combine my love of conservation, science, and the outdoors into something real and (hopefully!) impactful. Why did you decide to do this challenge? I first found out about the story of the northern white rhinos in 2018 when I read an article on the death of the last male northern white rhino (Sudan). As an aspiring vet, I was reminded of these rhinos when writing my independent project, on the role of vets in guiding breeding practices. When I found out that there are only two northern white rhinos left, and that both are female and can’t carry a pregnancy, I began researching the incredible science being used to try and bring them back, like stem cells, IVF, and surrogacy. I wanted to do something to support the work being done at Ol Pejeta and raise awareness that extinction isn’t always final, not if we fight for it. Have you ever done anything like this before? Every year my family and I go to the Lake District, or Wales to climb peaks as it is a beautiful way of combining a physical challenge with seeing the stunning landscapes of Britain, however I have never completed this number of peaks in such a short time, or climbed all of the highest peaks in a row. I’m combining the physical endurance of hiking multiple peaks with the emotional challenge of sharing a cause I care deeply about. It’s a huge step up, and I can’t wait. What are you most looking forward to? Reaching the top of Helvellyn on the final day will definitely be a highlight. There’s the challenge of striding edge, along with the Red Tarn near the summit you can swim in, and I think it’ll feel like such a celebration to finish there. I’m also really excited to share updates each day and bring people along for the journey. If it inspires even one person to care more about conservation, it’ll be worth it. Probably the most exciting part will be donating the money to Ol Pejeta and then following on their IVF journey to hopefully result in a new calf born in the near future. What have you done to prepare for this? The most time consuming part of this fundraiser was the IVF conservation research I have carried out over the past few months. I’ve created a timeline, mapping the rhinos journey from 4 rhinos in 2009 to 2 since 2018. I made the route, built a fundraising page, created a logo and progress tracker, as well as contacting conservationists, vets, and local media to increase awareness of this species. In terms of physical training, practicing endurance is key as 5 peaks in 3 days is no easy task. To find out more about Freya's challenge please click here!