Partnerships and Outreach
"Here at Norwich School, we are committed to working in partnership with local, national and international organisations. Our ethos talks of a loving and compassionate community and one of our key aims is to prepare our young people for a lifetime of leadership and service by providing partnership opportunities. Our pupils and staff are actively encouraged to undertake voluntary activities in the wider community, from being a governor at another school, fundraising, or helping out with practical tasks like gardening or working with food banks. We have no doubt in the educational value to our community of such work: our pupils, staff and other stakeholders are better because of these numerous touchpoints. We obviously hope that there are benefits to our partners, too. Please be in touch if you would like to discuss building on an existing project or starting something new with us. We will work with anyone who shares our philosophy that practical work together opens up more opportunities and closes more gaps than empty rhetoric about division."
Nicola Hill - Director of Partnerships
Suzannah Thomas - Partnerships Officer
The Team
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Partnerships and Outreach News
Each year the illustrious Norfolk Cambridge Society (NCS), with whom Norwich School has close and long-standing ties, runs a prestigious essay competition open to any Year 13 pupils across the county considering Cambridge University for their tertiary education. As ever, the entries were of the highest standard and competition was extremely tough. Entrants were short listed and invited to a panel interview. In late 2025, two Norwich School Upper 6 pupils were told that they had performed exceptionally well, to scoop joint 1st prize award. Arthur Dannatt was awarded for an astonishingly complex maths-based essay entitled: What is the Archimedes cattle problem and how can it be solved? and Becky Brown was awarded her exquisite album of nine songs composed and performed by herself – the first time a musical entry has been awarded top prize in the competition’s history. In addition to a generous cash prize, award winners and their families were invited as special guest to the Lent Term NCS public lecture, and this duly took place on 5 February 2026. Following pre-drinks in the school’s refectory, a record audience some 500-strong filled the nave and side aisles of the cathedral to hear a scintillating talk given by Professor Neil Lawrence, DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, Senior AI Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute and Visiting Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Sheffield. The title of his thought-provoking talk was How AI Works and How it will Transform our Lives. As the event kicked off, President of NCS, Rob Edwards, and the event organiser, Geoffrey Smart, presented both pupils with their awards in front of the substantial Cathedral audience. It was a fitting reward to reflect both pupils’ endeavour and talent, and we commend them on their impressive achievement. The school could not be more proud.
A large intergenerational audience enjoyed a thoroughly entertaining evening at the inaugural Friends of Norwich School lecture in the Blake Studio on 28 January 2026. The talk comprised a whistle-stop romp through the captivating world of film from its earliest tentative black and white efforts, through the classics of the 1960s and the 70s revival, to today’s modern CGI blockbusters. It included some of the great directors and legendary actors from the studios of Hollywood and British Film, closing with some reflections on the likely impact of AI on the industry. Our speaker was Old Norvicensian, Barney Broom , a member of BAFTA, acclaimed film director, script writer and published novelist. With great panache, humour and personal reminiscences, he entertained attendees for over two hours. His audience comprised an eclectic mix of current pupils, ONs, parents, staff friends and alumni. Barney was particularly pleased to see a healthy contingent of his old classmates, and he was generous in offering advice and contacts to young wannabe filmmakers over refreshments. A parent commented afterwards : “We all thoroughly enjoyed it and were taken back to years gone by with all those classic films. We are now inspired to watch some golden oldies again”. Barney had generously volunteered his time on the evening, to enable all profits from the evening to go to the Friends of Norwich School (FONS) bursary fund. A very kind gesture from a loyal and talented ON. We hope to be able to offer future FONS lectures on topics with wide appeal in years to come. Please have a flick through At Close Quarters Lent Term 2026 , our full programme of exciting and cultural events organised by Norwich School taking place in and around Cathedral Close this term. There really is something for everyone, including other talks, to brighten these dark winter months. Booking for many of the school events can be found on our homepage under “Upcoming Events”: www.norwich-school.org.uk
We were delighted to welcome on site the Norfolk Contemporary Art Society (n-cas) on 21 January 2026 for a stunning public lecture, their first talk of the calendar year in our Blake Studio. This visually arresting lecture was given by celebrated German artist Lothar Götz entitled: Colour – Space – Light – Spirit Götz has an international reputation and has exhibited all over the world, showcasing his incredibly distinctive and eye-catching style. He is also Associate Professor of Fine Art at the University of Sunderland. He uses colour in a unique way to create visually arresting public art often on a simply monumental scale, principally using his trademark precise geometric forms. He almost overwhelms his viewers with a riot of colour and shape. His unusual “canvases” for both inside and outside art installations have included underground stations (most recently the Elizabeth Line), huge walls, church chairs, ballrooms, staircases, warehouses, atria to public buildings, flags and have even included the outside of whole buildings, most notably the Towner Art Gallery Eastbourne (which has become a tourist attraction in its own right). An audience of n-cas members, local creative artists and students, parents, staff and alumni were entertained by an astonishing slide show of his mesmerising works, and all enjoyed meeting him over refreshments afterwards. Our nest lecture in the Blake Studio promises to be a real cracker. ON Barney Broom will speak about the wonders of the silver screen in the inaugural Friends of Norwich School sponsored talk on the world of film. Barney is a Member of BAFTA as well as an accomplished film director, screenwriter and published novelist, but first and foremost he is a compelling storyteller, one who lives and breathes his material. This promises to be an entertaining evening for all ages and interests. All are welcome. Tickets on sale: HERE . Finally, we have recently launched our full programme of exciting and cultural events organised by Norwich School taking place in and around Cathedral Close this term. There really is something for everyone to brighten up these dark winter months. Do have a flick through At Close Quarters Lent Term 2026 . Booking for many of the school events can be found on our homepage under “Upcoming Events”: www.norwich-school.org.uk
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