Cara B, Lower 6, represented England in their Under-19 squad at the European Korfball Championships in Türkiye. Cara shares her experience below. Over the Easter holidays, I had the incredible opportunity to represent England as part of the Under-19 squad at the European Korfball Championships in Turkey. Korfball is a mixed-gender team sport that originated in the Netherlands and combines elements of basketball and netball. Each team consists of four male and four female players, with players switching between attack and defence every two goals. The tournament began with group-stage fixtures against Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Portugal and Hungary. Our opening match was against a strong Czech side, who went on to come second overall. Despite a determined effort, we were defeated 17-8 in our first game. However, we responded brilliantly later that day with a convincing 12-2 win over Slovakia. At the end of day 1, we remained in contention for a strong finish in the competition. Day 2 proved to be another challenging but rewarding day. We started with an impressive 13-8 win against Poland before facing Portugal in a crucial match. Despite our efforts, Portugal edged us out in a hard-fought 13-10 defeat at full time after a goal for goal match. We finished the day strongly with an excellent 23-14 victory over Hungary, one of our highest-scoring performances of the tournament. Going into the final day, we were determined to secure the highest possible placing. This set up a closely contested placement match against the host nation, Turkey. The game was highly competitive, with both teams going goal for goal for much of the match. We held our nerve in the closing stages to secure a 16-13 win, earning England a final placing of 5th in Europe. Cara's recent success at Korfball, has been mirrored by an outstanding performance on the netball court this season. Cara was a key member of the Norwich School 1 st VII who finished an impressive 11 th in the country this season, as well as representing her netball club, Norfolk United in the National Premier League, the highest club league in the country. Head of Netball, Gemma Ashton comments "Cara has made an immense contribution to Norwich School Netball since joining us in L6 and her considerable talent on court is matched by her dedication and commitment off it. Her success this season is fully deserved and we are very proud of all she has achieved. Cara is also a Norwich School Sport Scholar, and we are delighted that this programme was able to contribute towards funding her attendance at the Korfball European Championships."

(This assembly was delivered two days after England’s first world cup match of 2026, with a large England flag draped over the front of the pulpit.) God says: “ It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth .” (Isaiah 49:6) You may have noticed that I’ve decorated the pulpit this morning. I want to start by asking you this question: what was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw this England flag? Right now, of course, there’s a good chance that it reminded you of the England men’s football team, who kicked off their World Cup on Wednesday. Perhaps seeing this gave you a surge of national pride. (4-2: the first time we’ve scored that in a World Cup since 1966.) On the other hand, if you don’t think of this so much as your flag – for instance, if you’re from a different UK nation or from Europe – then this flag may stir feelings of rivalry. Context is everything. To see the flag flown on Windsor Castle on St George’s day in 2026 is very different to seeing the red cross on the front of crusader shields in the 13th century. Seeing the flag displayed on a church or a town hall is different to seeing it cable-tied to lampposts and painted on roundabouts. There was a spate of this a year ago which spread across the country. ‘Flagging’, as it became known, started in the month after the England Women’s football team won the Euros. (You may remember that moment of national pride – Chloe Kelly’s winning penalty, Hannah Hampton’s heroics in goal, Lucy Bronze somehow playing through the tournament with a fractured tibia. It’s just been announced that six members of that team will receive an MBE for their services to football and to the country.) Of course, all this meant that there were lots of England flags available to buy in the shops. And when they started going up in the streets, some people said it was patriotism. But it wasn’t just patriotism – there was also something more sinister and territorial going on. The context shifted, and the flags became associated with anti-immigration and extremist politics. All of that meant that, when I went into Home Bargains to buy this flag for my assembly, it felt like the shop staff were giving me funny looks. ‘What is he?’ they seemed to be asking themselves. ‘Is he an England fan… or is he a racist?’ There is a scene in the excellent TV drama Dear England, which is on iPlayer at the moment, where the then England manager Gareth Southgate hangs a St George’s flag in the goalmouth and gets all the players to discuss it. He begins by pointing at the flag and saying: ‘These things can be emotive and complicated.’ To get some perspective on all this complexity, I want to step away from England for a moment, and take note of a different nation in a different time – the Old Testament nation of Israel in the Bible. One of the developing themes of the Bible is what God’s chosen people think their nation is for. There are times where they retreat into self-isolation – they feel a need to pull up the drawbridge and protect their identity. But there are other times when they realise their blessings are for sharing with the world, rather than clinging onto. ‘It is too small a thing,’ God says to his people in that reading we heard earlier, it is too small a thing just to be concerned with the tribes of Israel. ‘I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’ In other words, the blessing that God’s people have is for spreading, not for desperately protecting. Christians believe that the ultimate expression of this is in the person of Jesus Christ, born a Jew, but a saviour for all peoples – the ‘salvation that reaches to the ends of the earth.’ Returning to England, I think we can learn something from our local heroine Edith Cavell, whose grave is outside the east end of the cathedral. She famously said before her wartime execution, ‘Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.’ Perhaps we could adapt that line as: ‘Patriotism alone is too small a thing.’ No doubt the meaning of the England flag will continue to change as history unfolds. But here are my hopes for it. I hope that the current world cup tournament will reclaim the flag of St George from the tensions of last summer, and that it would help us feel united as a country, not divided. And I hope that as a country, we would discover generosity and hospitality towards other nations in the style of Isaiah 49. I hope we become the sort of country that is patriotic and outward-looking at the same time. In the end I want to live in a world where, when I buy a flag like this from Home Bargains, the staff think to themselves, ‘there goes a good person.'

Over the May half term, Lower Two pupil Dylan travelled to Kenya with his family and other volunteers to help with building work at the Jubilee Academy, Nakuru. The school was built in corrugated steel in 1998 to provide free schooling to local children. It was subsequently closed in 2019 when a new law was introduced that insisted that all schools should be made from brick. Undeterred, work started to rebuild the school. Currently, it is an infant school. However, due to the difficulty its pupils have in finding a school to attend once they have left, Jubilee Academy is committed to expanding to allow the children to continue their education. School can be the only place where children have a nutritious meal, so if they stay in school they have a greater likelihood of remaining healthy. Work had already started on building new classrooms, so Dylan helped to decorate them and worked on creating a new toilet block. During his rest periods he enjoyed playing football with the pupils there. Before the trip, he had called upon his year group to raise money to buy backpacks for the school in return for wearing Kenya's national flag colours for a day. Lower Two pupils were keen to do this and they also wrote letters to the children at Jubilee. Dylan's mother commented, "Seeing the children open the letters and see that someone has written them a letter just to them was priceless. I will remember their reactions for ever." Receiving replies from their Kenyan friends was equally exciting and fulfilling for our Lower Two pupils.  Dylan worked incredibly hard in Nakuru as the youngest volunteer the organisation had ever welcomed. Not only did he learn new practical skills in painting, plastering and carpentry, he gained new friends, and discovered that football really is a shared language across the world. His friends and teachers are proud of what he helped to achieve on his trip.

On Thursday 18 June, the inaugural Schools Simulated Shooting Event took place at the Euston Estate near Thetford. Norwich School was represented by two teams each consisting of four pupils. The event was hosted jointly by the Euston Estate and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT); participants were given a warm welcome by the Duke of Grafton before a representative of the GWCT explained how science was used to promote biodiversity and conservation. After a safety briefing, 15 teams, aged from 12-16, from 7 different schools, competed in a 50 bird (clay pigeon) sporting day during which they received expert coaching on each stand to hone their skills.  The day was an enormous success: the teams enjoyed themselves, learnt more about estate management and conservation and improved their skills in the Olympic sport of clay pigeon shooting. Huge thanks to all involved and here's to returning next year!

Upper 1 had a wonderful day out in Cromer, packed with learning, adventure and lots of fun in the sunshine! Our first stop was the famous Cromer Lifeboat Station, where we took part in a fascinating workshop led by the amazing RNLI volunteers. The children listened about the important work carried out by lifeboat crews and how they help to keep people safe at sea reinforcing their learning in Topic. One of the highlights of the visit was trying on real lifeboat crew uniforms. The children loved discovering how the special clothing helps to protect the volunteers in all weather conditions. We also enjoyed a close-up look at the RNLB Lester and a visit to the Crew Room, where the lifeboat crew prepare before responding to emergencies. The children asked some excellent questions and learned a great deal about water safety and teamwork.  After our workshop, we headed to the beach where the beautiful weather provided the perfect setting for lunch. The afternoon was full of excitement as the children had great fun paddling in the sea and then built impressive sandcastles and dug moats. Everyone enjoyed an ice cream to finish off the day!

The Girls' 1st XI cricket team are enjoying a fantastic season, having won eight of their nine fixtures so far. The squad has produced several impressive performances, including a memorable double victory over a strong Ipswich School side and, more recently, an excellent cup win against The Leys. Despite balancing a demanding fixture schedule alongside the challenges of the examination period, the players have continued to deliver superb performances. The team now faces a significant challenge on Friday 19 June when they take on Cranleigh School on Lower Close in the quarter-final of the National Girls' U18 Cricket Paper 100 Ball Plate competition. Victory would secure a place at Finals Day, to be held at Stowe School on Tuesday 23 June. The squad has also kept its hopes alive in the School Sports Magazine Cup following a superb victory against The Leys last Friday. They now progress to the regional final, where they will face Berkhamsted School for a place in the next stage of the competition. With two major cup campaigns still very much alive and an impressive record already established, the Girls' 1st XI can look back on an outstanding season to date and look forward to an exciting conclusion to their campaign.

One of our international ONs (Lily Yu 2023-2025) recently received her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award at Buckingham Palace. She completed the whole award during the two years she spent at Norwich School in our Sixth Form. As someone who has completed the rigorous Gold award, she was invited to attend a special celebration event with her mum in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, where her hard work and dedication required to complete the award was celebrated. To get so far, Lily had to take part in physical activities, volunteer in the local community and complete the tough expedition to the Lakes which helped her build her confidence and sense of teamwork. During the garden party, Lily saw the Duke of Edinburgh himself as well as the beautiful Palace gardens.  Lily should be justifiably proud of the perseverance, leadership and commitment she has shown during her time at Norwich School to complete the Award. Visiting the Palace with her mum, who flew over from Beijing, made her achievement even more significant.

Congratulations to our Lower School Dance Company, who have achieved an incredible Top 5 finish at the Great Big Dance Off National Finals for the third consecutive year! They were also the highest-placed school from the East Region , an outstanding accomplishment. The dancers performed their captivating Traitors -themed routine at the national finals, showcasing months of dedication, creativity and hard work. Their commitment throughout the year was reflected in an outstanding performance on the national stage. The team represented the school with pride, demonstrating exceptional teamwork, professionalism and talent. To reach the national finals for three years running is a remarkable achievement, and finishing in the Top 5 in the country is something they should all be immensely proud of.  Congratulations to every member of the Lower School Dance Company on this fantastic success!

On Thursday 11 June, Lower 3 immersed themselves in their India Case Study with a vibrant, fun-filled hands‑on celebration of culture. Throughout the afternoon, they explored Bollywood dance, experimented with colourful Indian art, and learned about traditional clothing and adornments. The finale to their afternoon was a joyful performance wearing saris, bindis, ghungroo bells and other cultural accessories, bringing their Geography learning to life with energy and creativity.