Roaming Around Rouen!
March 26, 2025
In March pupils spent six days in Norwich’s twin town of Rouen. With 12 hours of French tuition and evenings with host families, pupils had a really immersive experience using and improving their language skills.
There were many highlights of the trip, including
- interviewing members of the public in a local park about their views on English and French stereotypes
- learning how to make macarons with a maître-patissier at his School of Pâtisserie
- being welcomed by French pupils and teachers during our visit to Collège Saint-Dominique, where languages play huge part in the curriculum.
- spending a wonderful day together exploring Paris- from the Arc de Triomphe to the Bateau Mouche and an afternoon exploring the meandering streets of Montmartre
Mrs Watkinson, Mr Croston and Mrs Parkhouse were so impressed with the group’s open-minded attitude and willingness to use their French. Their confidence grew immeasurably through their daily interactions with the host families, language teachers, members of the public and in exchanges in shops and cafés. Equally, travelling everywhere on public transport gave us all a real feeling of adventure and an understanding of how easy and rewarding European travel can be.
Pupils commented that:
“My French improved a lot through communicating with the host family”
“The excursion day in Paris was amazing! Inside Rouen, I really enjoyed the detailed city tour and the Joan of Arc museum.”
“My French has improved tons, I can speak much more fluently and can hold conversations in French with my host family.”
“French gets a lot easier towards the end of the trip and makes you better at French than everyone else.”
“It’s a great experience to see how different cultures work and eat etc and definitely helps with French.”
Taking part in such an overseas adventure in another language does more than just improve pupils’ language skills. Communication becomes paramount and we believe that undertaking such an endeavour necessitates a bit of bravery. Pupils become better conversationalists as a result, they uncover and revel in subtle cultural differences and deepen their understanding of their own heritage. They rely on the kindness of relative strangers and find the joy in the magic of putting the language they’ve been learning for years in the classroom to test ‘out in the field’, and finding that it actually works!
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On Friday 10 October, Pastoral Prefects gave an assembly on the importance of looking after your mental health. World Mental Health Day takes place every year on 10 October. It is a day to remind us of the importance of good mental health and the need to prioritise and invest in everyone's mental health both as individuals and as a community. Poor mental health is not inevitable, and World Mental Health Day is an opportunity for us all to consider how, together, we can help everyone have better mental health. This year we're focusing on the mental health impact of repeated exposure to news coverage of crises and conflicts. The theme is: Overwhelm: when global events and relentless bad news become too much. Constantly hearing about negative news from around the world can feel like a lot to take in – and that’s because it is. Feeling overwhelmed by current events, no matter how big or small, can take a toll on our mental health. In the digital age, managing how much information we take on board might feel impossible. But you can take control and limit the impact of global overwhelm on your well-being. Keeping up with the latest news is simpler than ever thanks to smartphones and social media. However, it’s easy to end up doomscrolling – constantly scrolling through negative news for long periods of time. Doomscrolling is a natural and human response to a world that can feel unstable. However, it can also affect our mental and physical health. While online content can help us feel more informed, reassured and in control, doomscrolling can cause us to become more anxious, sad, or overwhelmed. Doomscrolling can also result in physical issues such as headaches, nausea, neck and shoulder pain or even difficulty sleeping. As pastoral prefects, we are keen to promote good mental health within our school community and we have found some top tips to help you cope with global news overwhelm, refrain from doomscrolling and find a way to balance things to improve the way we feel.
Last week, our Junior and Senior Dance Company pupils enjoyed an action-packed workshop with DanceEast. The afternoon was bursting with contemporary dance, creative challenges, and plenty of energy and enthusiasm! Our dancers pushed their skills, explored new ideas, and worked brilliantly as a team. A huge thank you to DanceEast for such an engaging and inspiring session - our pupils had a fantastic time!
On Tuesday 7 October, Danny Bate ON came to school to talk to our budding young linguists about his lifelong love of languages and his PHD work on Proto-Indo-European. We learnt about the field of historical linguistics and language reconstruction. We had so many questions and pupils were inspired to explore this area of study further. Danny has a brilliant book newly published, "Why Q needs U" which explores the stories behind the letters of the alphabet and the oddities of English spelling. It ties in beautifully with WoLLoW lessons and we look forward to welcoming him back again in the future. Thank you, Danny!
On September 30, fifty-nine members of U3 set off on their annual four-day residential Geography Field Trip to the Peak District, eager to ‘read the landscape’. Over the course of the trip, pupils immersed themselves in the natural beauty and geological wonders of the region. They visited the National Stone Centre for a dynamic round-robin of activities, strolled through the picturesque Dovedale Valley, delved into the intriguing Treakcliff Cavern cave system, and ascended Mam Tor to take in the breathtaking panoramic views of the Hope Valley. With notebooks and pencils in hand, pupils began to unravel the formation of iconic Dovedale features such as the Dovehole Caves and Reynard’s Arch, while also collecting river data to be analysed back in the classroom. The trip also offered time to unwind and soak up the surroundings. Pupils enjoyed browsing for gems and fossils at local gift shops and relished the opportunity to relax at the scenic Ilam Hall youth hostel. It was a memorable and informative experience, enjoyed thoroughly by both staff and pupils alike.
This year’s annual dinner welcomed Professor Christopher Joby (ON) to speak about his life in languages. This thought-provoking lecture started with Professor Joby’s memories of life at Norwich School, the journey through his academic career and his experiences living across the globe. Professor Joby is a Dutch enthusiast (to put it mildly!) and he inspired scholars with his experiences of following this passion. He touched on Taiwan’s Dutch colony of 1624 to 1662, the desire of Polish communities to learn Dutch for economic reasons and the culture shock of moving to South Korea. Professor Joby has published on several fascinating topics and has kindly given a copy of his book Christian Mission in Seventeeth-Century Taiwan to the school in honour of this occasion. Following our lecture and some pertinent questions from the audience, Professor Joby joined our M5 to U6 academic scholars in the school’s refectory for a chance to discuss our own dreams, passions and thoughts of what the future might hold. It is always a joy to welcome an ON back to Norwich School, and there is real pride in knowing that a fascinating, fulfilling and far-reaching academic career all began within the confines of The Close.
Pupils from Lower Four to Upper Six gathered for a vibrant Poetry Slam i n the Undercroft Library on National Poetry Day, showcasing an i mpressive range of talent and creativity. Performances i ncluded original works, from extended narratives to short, sharp pieces, alongside “found” poetry created from a page of a dictionary, classic verse by Christina Rossetti, some humorous contributions, as well as rap performances. The audience was thoroughly engaged, responding warmly to readings that were by turns witty, moving, thought-provoking and highly original. Among the standout performers were a former Poetry By Heart Best i n County winner* and another prize-winning poet - watch this space for more on this. It was an i nspiring occasion, and a memorable celebration of poetry i n all it s forms.
On Monday 29 September, 32 runners from the Cross-Country Club travelled to a sunny and hilly Woodbridge for the first round of the English Schools Cross Country Cup. The Junior Girls team came 3rd overall with excellent performances from Poppy Short, Iris Wells, Annabelle Hitchings, Ophee Martin and Emi Muntingh, who came 4th in the race. We also took the 4 th spot in the Junior Boys thanks to a determined run from Samuel Trickey, with Jonty Croskell, Ruan Ekkerd, Joshua Bevan and Albie Cater all in the top 25 finishers and Henry Drew and Oscar Bevington not far behind. Our Intermediate Girls team were hit by injuries, but Ruby Ivie ran very well to secure 10 th place, and Anna Clayton finished strongly for the team as well. The Intermediate Boys all finished in the top 20, with Riccardo Di Maria first home for Norwich in 12th, closely followed by Harry Kensell, Noah Buchan and Jamie Kidd. The Senior Boys were up against some of the region's very best cross-country runners. They held their own with Nicholas Conway first home for Norwich in 11 th place and Kort Tsui, Leo Pitt, George Yiasimi and Edward Lott not far behind. The performance of the day came from the Senior Girls who came 2nd in the team competition. Individually they all finished highly with Georgia Lloyd 14th, Bella Muntingh 12th, Olivia Allen 9th, Amelie Ivie 6th, Bea Green 5th and Minnie Andrews 3rd. Well done to all those who took part
We are very grateful to Tom Little for being our guest speaker at Prizegiving this year.
We were delighted to hear Professor Charles Forsdick speak about the importance of languages in society at a recent Norfolk Cambridge Society lecture at Norwich School.
In the penultimate week of September, Lower 3 set off on their residential trip to Leicester. To complement their curriculum learning, we visited the National Space Centre, Bradgate Park, and the Battle of Bosworth battlefield. On the Wednesday at the Space Centre, the pupils learned what it takes to be an astronaut. They enjoyed an immersive show in the UK’s largest planetarium and scaled the rocket tower to learn about space exploration and its history. On the Thursday, we travelled to Bradgate Park, where we were greeted by some magnificent fallow deer stags with impressive antlers. We ventured further to the ruins of Lady Jane Grey’s house, where we were welcomed by Frances Brandon, Lady Jane Grey’s mother. Inside the chapel, we re-enacted Jane’s tragic story and then used our history detective skills to work out the purposes of different rooms within the ruins. After a spot of lunch, we began the gentle climb up to Old John’s Tower. Along the way, we saw veteran oak trees and discovered some very old igneous rocks—among the oldest on the planet. We were fortunate enough to be allowed inside Old John’s Tower, where the pupils loved the spectacular views. On the final day, en route back to Norwich, we visited the battlefield where Henry Tudor defeated Richard III. Under the instruction of Sir John, in charge of the livery, we were trained in medieval army combat and learned how to handle a halberd. We then explored the battlefield before, of course, spending some money in the gift shop! It was a memorable trip that allowed the pupils to work collaboratively, bond as a group, and enhance their curriculum learning.
