Parker House

Welcome to Parker House!

A man in a suit and white shirt is smiling for the camera.

A young woman wearing a striped shirt and a black jacket is standing in front of a building.

"As Head of Parker, I oversee my brilliant tutor team and pupils in the House. Day-to-day, I check to ensure that the academic and pastoral needs of pupils are met, and that all pupils feel supported in their school journeys. I regularly liaise with and ‘join the dots’ between parents, teachers, tutors and the wider pastoral staff, along with regularly meeting pupils for 1:1s to help every individual fulfil their academic and emotional potential. Promoting fun, collaboration, healthy routines and positive relationships with staff and peers, along with helping pupils gain a strong sense of purpose and pleasure, is central to the Parker House ethos and my aims as Head of House."

"My name is Josie Dixon and I joined the school in L4. I am currently studying biology, maths and physics with an intention to study marine biology or natural science at university. Throughout my time at the school I have enjoyed getting involved in a wide range of co-curriculars such as playing for the 1st team netball, playing bassoon as part of an orchestra, being part of Earthwatch (the schools sustainability group), and helping in setting up and running the school’s 4th form board games club. I look forward to the year ahead and Parker's successes.

House History

Parker House is named in honour of Matthew Parker. Having studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, Parker was ordained as a priest in June 1527 and then elected fellow and later Master of that College, thereby establishing a long formal link with Corpus which ran for many hundreds of years. After Anne Boleyn’s recognition as Queen, he was made her chaplain and is much credited for easing religious tension under Elizabeth I after the tumult of Mary’s reign.

Parker House prides itself on participation and measures success not only on result, but the endeavours of individuals and groups who put themselves forward. As a House, we aim to instil and encourage pupils to find 'purpose and pleasure' in the pursuit of sustained and conscious happiness. This is the central focus and goal in all our interactions.

House News

Coke House Annual Visit to Holkham Hall

By Eleanor Lewis • April 29, 2025

On our recent Coke house trip to Holkham Hall, we were lucky to have ideal weather to admire the grounds in their full beauty. As soon as we entered the hall on our tour, it was apparent how interconnected the hall was with Coke house as all throughout the hall, there were many paintings of relatives of Sir Edward Coke, whom our house is named after. We were amazed at the sheer volume of artwork in the house from paintings to statues to murals. We learnt about the Palladian architecture style of the whole estate, meaning that there was a considerable importance placed on symmetry; It’s truly amazing to stand in the centre of the house and see through the whole property. One of the activities we did was preventive conservation, helping document emerging damage in the hall so that it can be monitored and prevented from further deterioration. After completing the necessary work, we took to the gardens surrounding the grounds for a well-deserved break – playing croquet and looking around at the various plants and herbs being nurtured by the gardeners working at the hall. Varying croquet skill levels and severe (but friendly) competitiveness meant we finished the day on a high. We left Holkham hall enriched with a deeper understanding of Coke’s history, and a better knowledge of our peers. - Nova Adkins, Zach Bradley, Rose Cook and Leon Lui - L6 pupils

Valpy House Celebrate Shrove Tuesday

By Eleanor Lewis • March 4, 2025

In keeping with Norwich School tradition, Valpy House led the celebrations of Shrove Tuesday by serving pancakes to the school at breaktime. Pupils in the house are encouraged to bring in toppings that they think everyone will enjoy. The traditional lemon & sugar option is still a big seller, while the more adventurous tastes could add bananas, strawberries, cream, marshmallows, and this year's new trend was biscoff spread. We sold almost 150 pancakes this year, with the proceeds raised going to Action Cancer UK. There was also a large bag of leftovers, which were donated to a local foodbank. Also at lunchtime we held a pancake flipping contest, with the winner flipping their (plastic) pancake 44 times in 30 seconds. Can you beat that?

FONS Provide Fun for Fourth Form and Repton House

By Eleanor Lewis • March 4, 2025

As part of a FONS joint bid, board games have been purchased for the 4th Form and Repton House to encourage team building and friendships! These games are in the 4th Form office for tutees to use and some have been allocated to Repton House tutor groups! We have already seen that playing these games builds skills in teamwork, collaboration, healthy and friendly competition, strategy and problem solving as well as being a useful tool to help pupils communicate. Relationships between peers and tutors have been consolidated through game play as is evident from the photographs taken. During important conversations a game can act to put pupils at ease; to start a conversation; to distract and to comfort. During a busy school week, playing a board game during social times or tutor times can act as a stress reliever allowing pupils to relax and have fun which we believe will improve their overall wellbeing. Finally, we have seen that all pupils in the tutor groups get involved, irrespective of ability, gender or friendship group. We believe we are therefore, promoting inclusivity and engagement and enhancing the overall sense of community. In the future, we plan to add to our store of board games. Andrew Rowlandson runs the Board Games club. At the same time as we applied for the bid, he asked parents for donations, which too bolstered our supply. We would very much like to create a board games library, where pupils can sign games in and out. Many thanks to the FONS for their generous support.