Aims of Sport at Norwich School


To inspire pupils to love sport, exercise and movement throughout their lives.


To achieve this, we will be guided by the three principles of PARTICIPATION; PREPARATION and PERFORMANCE


"Welcome to the online home of Norwich School’s Sport. Here, you will find out about the breathtaking range of sporting opportunities that can be accessed in the Senior School to help create a life-long love of sport, exercise and movement.


I strongly believe that regular participation in sport and exercise are central to living a long, happy and healthy life. I also understand that we are all different and come to sport with different levels of motivation, skill or simply time. This is why our sports programme is based on the principles of “Participation; Performance and Preparation” and is designed to offer progressive opportunities and experiences for all. This starts in L4 and U4 with a team sports leading to inter-school fixtures plus a “physical education” (PE) rotation that blends physical literacy with new experiences for all pupils. As pupils grow, we increase the choice at L5 to offer rowing, sailing and kayaking along with dance, orienteering and tennis, which may appeal to those more interested in individual, crew/partnered and outdoor sports. This choice expands still further at U5 and into sixth form where over 20 sports are offered throughout the year. 


Our programme comprises a weekly timetabled sessions for all pupils in all year groups; a programme of extra-curricular sport-specific coaching sessions, all complimented by lunchtime and after-school sports clubs, which run through the year and provide many opportunities to enjoy sport and progress.


The Sport and Outdoor Education Department comprises  a team of highly competent, motivated and passionate sports teachers and coaches whose aim it is to develop a life-long love of sport for all pupils whether they are the reluctant pupil who is finding their way to the sport that excites them or the talented specialist, who we will support to become best they can be either through our Sports Scholars programme or the external talent development pathways with whom we work closely.     


In these web-pages you will find sport-specific information along with detailed policy information and guidance in our “Pupil and Parent Guide to Senior School Sport”, linked below. Information on our outdoor education programme can be found in the Co-Curricular section of the website linked here.


I look forward to watching our pupils have fun and progress in their sporting endeavours, whatever they may be and hope they learn to....

Love sport, always!"


Ian Hayward

Director of Sport and Outdoor Education


A woman is jumping over hurdles on a track.
A young boy is playing a game of cricket on a field.
Two young women are standing next to each other on a grassy field.
A group of children are dancing in a dance studio.
A group of people are walking down a long hallway in a building.
A group of men are playing field hockey on a field.
A group of women are playing a game of netball on a court.
A group of people are rowing a boat on a river.
A group of rugby players are huddled together on the field.
A sailboat with the number 49 on the sail
A young boy is playing tennis on a tennis court.
A group of young boys are playing basketball on a court.
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Welcome to Norwich School Sports Facilities 

We have three main sites with a range of facilities 

Daynes Sports Centre

St Faiths Lane, Norwich NR1 4DL

Lower Close Playing Fields

Bishopgate, Norwich NR1 4AA

Detailed Location Map - Lower School Playing Fields

Redmayne Sports Centre

North Walsham Road, Norwich NR6 7JJ

Fixtures

We also regularly travel to away fixtures at schools around the county and beyond

Regular Away Fixtures

Sports News

Ellie Thwaites (U5) Competed in the Youth Nationals in Wales

May 29, 2025
Ellie Thwaites represented Norwich School in the Youth Nationals in Wales. To celebrate her success in this competition and in sailing as a whole, we asked her a few questions. How long have you been sailing? I have been sailing for my whole life, I learnt to sail in my optimist on Wroxham Broad. I sailed that for about 3 years, then I moved into the topper 4.2, and began traveling regionally and nationally to compete. I was in the 4.2 for about 3 years, then I moved into the topper 5.3 (which is a bigger rig) I sailed in this rig for 2-3 years, of which I became eastern region champion in my final year. I then moved into the ilca4 which I have only recently moved out of, I am now in the ILCA 6, I have competed in two competitions so far in the 6, one of which was the British Youth Nationals. What do you enjoy about sailing? I love how competitive it can be, and also how much freedom you have. Out on the water you have to be very self sufficient since you are out there for 4-5 hours per day. You get to connect with nature, being out in the waves, you see so many animals, like jelly fish, dolphins, seals. Do you take part in any other sports in school? I mainly take part in rowing at school, as it builds my fitness for sailing. I really enjoy it and the training really helps me improve my fitness. I love the competitive factor in rowing, and I love how you are pushing yourself to the max, I am quite a competitive person, so this drives me! How has Norwich School supported you in your sailing? All of my sailing and rowing coaches have been extremely supportive in my sailing journey. Norwich school has helped me by allowing me to leave school to go to events such as these and training, they have helped me with managing my work loads, and giving me extensions. What was preparation like for the nationals? I have been training a lot over the winter, most of my weekends are spent down to the south coast, Weymouth, for training weekends in the ILCAs. How did nationals go? Nationals went very well, I came into the event with the goal of coming in the top 8. But I was going to take it as a learning event, as I have only competed in the boat twice. The first day was very windy and big waves, these were good conditions for me, and lead to me coming off the water with some good results on day one. This consistency continued throughout the event, with mainly 4ths, 3rds, 2nds, 1sts. This meant that by the medal race I was in 2nd place. However my medal race didn’t go as I wanted it to, leading me to come 3rd overall. I was super happy with this result, I learnt lots about the boat and about the venue. All in all it was a very successful week. What are your future hopes in sailing? Eventually I want to make it to the Olympics, that is my end goal. What would you say to anyone who wants to get involved with sailing? Go try it!! You will learn so much and it is such an enjoyable sport, and life skill! Norwich sailing is so welcoming, and is for all skill levels. 

National Sporting Success

By Eleanor Lewis • May 23, 2025
Congratulations to Lower Sixth pupils Nicholas and Kwame on their outstanding international sporting achievements this term, proudly representing Great Britain and England in Rowing and Rugby respectively. Nicholas has enjoyed a remarkable year, consistently delivering impressive performances at various GB U19 Rowing Trials. At the Spring Trial Regatta in April, he secured an excellent second place in the Pairs event, earning selection for the GB U19 Rowing Team. Competing at the Munich International Regatta, Nicholas helped the team win silver in the coxless four and double gold in the eight, triumphing over strong international competition. He will now progress to Crew Formation in July, where final selections will be made for the U19 World and European Championships. Kwame, a key member of the Boys’ 1st XV since Upper Fifth, was invited to the England U17 training camp held at Hartpury earlier this term. In a match against a university side, he made a strong impression by scoring in a victory for the national team. Kwame also continues to play a vital role in the Leicester Tigers U18 Academy side.  We are incredibly proud of both Nicholas and Kwame for these exceptional accomplishments and look forward to following their continued success in the year ahead.

Talking Tennis - A Successful Start to Trinity 2025

By Eleanor Lewis • May 22, 2025
The U13 and U15 Boys tennis teams began their seasons with a fixture against Hethersett Academy at the Lower Close on Thursday 22 May. The U15s got the proceedings started with their singles matches and there were notable wins for Rufus Snelling at 1 against an opponent he had never beaten and Himash Amarawickrama at 4. Raffy Pantazis and Lucas Berney were just edged out in their singles matches so the game was in the balance going into the doubles. Things looked a little ominous as Rufus and Raffy were easily beaten but thankfully Lucas and his partner, Milo Delahunty levelled up the match with a convincing 6-2 win in their doubles match. So it came down to a shoot out tiebreak as it has against these opponents for the last two years! Lucas partnered Rufus and it was nip and tuck the whole way with some great doubles being played by both sides but at 8 all Hethersett just showed a little more composure and won the next two points and with it the match by 4 matches to 3. The U13s game was a little more straightforward with wins in the singles for Josh Bond, Will Jenkins and Sam King. Josh also won his doubles with his partner Arthur Lamb but it was left to the final pairing of Will and Aarush Arkala to secure the match with a dramatic comeback in their doubles. After trailing 2-5 they then won 4 games on the run to secure a thrilling victory. Final score a 5-1 win for Norwich School.
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