The Head's Address at the End of Michaelmas Term 2023

December 19, 2023

The Cathedral was a riot of colour with the school community embracing Christmas jumper day, as the Head delivered his end of term address before pupils and staff alike departed for the festive break…

“The multilingual reading in this service from the start of St John’s gospel is one of my favourite Norwich School traditions. 'In the beginning was the Word' is a reading which is familiar to so many of us, but this simple twist allows it to seem fresh each year, while also reminding us of the multi-culturalism of our community. WoLLoW, the sector-leading languages programme pioneered here, is based on equal celebration of all languages and cultures, so it makes this annual reading an even better fit for us.


Advent and the build-up to Christmas itself is a time full of fun traditions, of course, and this strand of thinking brought to mind others for Norwich School:

  • the festive lighting of our amazing buildings from early December;
  • the presence in the Prefects nativity story of some reality-stretching detail, this year a world-weary 21st century Joseph and a simply massive baby Jesus. From Max Nicholls’ portrayal of the sleeping Christ-child, it was not immediately clear if there had just been a birth or a death. And that would have been a rather radical retelling;
  • the assistance by senior staff in the serving of Christmas lunch. This taps into other festivals where the established hierarchy is challenged: this stretched all the way back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia, but the sentiments are shared in later celebrations such as Twelfth Night and the Boy Bishop. Whenever I serve, I am always reminded of how hot and uncomfortable the conditions are; I do a token stint once a year and it makes me even more grateful to the staff who serve us so impeccably for hours each day throughout the year. If this is a time of year to give thanks, we should certainly give thanks to our amazing catering staff.
  • And to this list of traditions, the Chaplain might just have given us a new addition; the Christmas limerick. I have not often been referred to as a creature (at least not to my face), but I can see that it fits if you want to make rhymes around head teacher. Some have commented over the years that my dancing is indeed a feature. But not in a good way. Let us see whether the limerick tradition catches on…

So a blend of traditions and innovations, a chance to be creative and an opportunity to show gratitude. I am sure that you and your family will have your own Christmas traditions, but I encourage you to think about how you might give them a fresh twist this year, how you might interpret them in a fun and innovative way. And if not this, think about how else you might be creative and original this holiday.


Why? Well, I am long on record for saying that creativity is one of the key 21st century skills, particularly for your generation. As AI and automation become more prominent, this will be even more the case; many of these to be successful will be those who work out, probably in collaboration with others, how to deploy such technologies fruitfully. We will all need to be creative problem solvers.

I am no petrolhead but let’s explore this further through Formula 1’s high standards and embedded practice of innovation. For example, I know that Mr White uses pit stops as an exemplar of breaking down a process into constituent parts in order to maximise efficiency. The time taken by the best teams to change a full set of tyres is ridiculous, especially as it includes the need to fit the wheel nuts which allow the cars to travel of speeds up to 300km/h. They have up to 20 mechanics per car. The record for this season, held by McLaren for Lando Norris, was 1.8 seconds; just count 2 seconds in your head (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi) and think about car stopping, car up on jack, wheel guns on, 4 wheels off, wheel guns again, 4 wheels on, car down from jack. I think it is definitely taking more than 2 seconds for me even to describe it. And in a sport where hundredths and thousandths of a second matter, they are constantly being creative about how to improve it, make it faster, more reliable, use different equipment, and so on.


And then you consider design. If you follow F1, you will know that Max Verstappen won 18 out of 21 races for Red Bull in the most one-sided season ever. For me, the real star of the show is Adrian Newey, who designed the car. In a post-season interview, he described his influences, talking about an early interest in making his sketches into 3D models, gaining experience in a blend of theory and practice. Further, he described the importance of interdisciplinarity: his father was a vet who 'had a great interest in maths and engineering', while his mother's side of the family was 'very artistic'. For Newey, 'that's ultimately what you need - that combination of the creative, artistic side, measured with an engineering discipline and analytical side'. I like the way Newey joins science with artistic creativity here, exposing the false distinction that is sometimes cited between these two areas of activity.


Let me now come to the same point via a different route: Camus wrote, “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth”… “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth”. ie that while fiction, by definition, is not true, it is able to make observations and offer insights into the human condition and the world around us which resonate and provide assistance in the lives we lead.


For my example this time, I turn to the world of contemporary music and Taylor Swift, recently voted Time magazine’s person of the year. I am sure this award has been given in part for the record-breaking commercial success of her Eras tour and the rejection of a patriarchal music industry through her re-recording of early material. However, none of it would be possible if people did not choose to listen to her songs, and in ever larger numbers, too. Catchy tunes only get you so far. Part of her appeal must be because her songs resonate with people. One such song is Anti-Hero.

It a song which captures many of the challenges faced by young people today and there is one section which seems particularly acute:

‘Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby
And I'm a monster on the hill
Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city
Pierced through the heart, but never killed’


In 4 lines, Swift captures the insecurity we experience in our appearance, body image and friendships because of ongoing feelings of inferiority, often fuelled by unhelpful social media comparisons. For many, that description resonates; it is the lie through which we tell the truth.



So, creativity matters in two ways. Following Adrian Newey, being creative ourselves helps us to come up with innovative solutions to the problems we encounter, using experience from different parts of our lives. Using the example from Taylor Swift’s song, consuming the creativity of others allows us fresh perspective and insight into our lives and the world around us. Both seeing creativity and being creative ourselves are also great for our own wellbeing, as the wonderful staff exhibition in the Crypt this week has shown.

So this Christmas, think how you can be interdisciplinary, how you can make connections, how you can watch, read, make or sing something new. You never know; it might just become a tradition!

 

By Eleanor Lewis May 21, 2025
The Cricket program has enjoyed an outstanding start to the term, with the fine weather and sunshine providing the perfect backdrop for a series of impressive individual and team performances. Both our U13 and U15 girls’ teams qualified for the Indoor Regional Finals after strong victories in the County rounds, and their hard work during the Winter was rewarded. Our 1st XI girls have begun their season in remarkable fashion, progressing to the third round of the School Magazine Cup. A standout highlight came in their win over Oakham, where India Fox and Alice Brand shared a phenomenal 215-run opening partnership. We also celebrated a historic milestone as Bella Borges became the first girl to score a century for the school. On the boys’ side, the 1st XI remain unbeaten this term and have advanced to the third round of the National Cup, where they will face Oundle. The U15A boys are now County Cup champions, having already recorded impressive victories against Warwick School and Stamford in the National Cup. Across all teams, we’ve seen several hat-tricks and other exceptional individual displays that reflect the depth of talent developing across the program.  We look forward to building on this early momentum as the term progresses.
By Eleanor Lewis May 19, 2025
On 14 May 2025 we were delighted to welcome back on site the illustrious Norfolk Contemporary Art Society (n-cas) for the latest in their impressive programme of talks hosted at Norwich School. Our speaker was talented, London-based artist Trevor Burgess. He remembered fondly his local connections, having curated the Norwich Gallery and having been heavily involved in the arts scene in Norfolk during the 1990s. A significant element of Burgess's subsequent career has been as an artist-curator in a number of successful national exhibitions, during which time he has won numerous awards and prizes. Over 100 of his paintings are available at Bridgeman Images and were included in his lecture. His fascinating talk was on the subject of What is Colour. Trevor reflected that more than 40% of the human brain is taken up with processing visual stimuli and the colour palette of art works is hugely critical to their appreciation. This was sumptuously illustrated in a slide deck of painstakingly selected images. With such a large and compelling collection of beautiful fine art under his consideration (Monet, Matisse, Munch as well as eastern influences), Trevor‘s thoughtful and engaging talk prompted much debate amongst our audience of n-cas members, local creative artists, pupils, ONs and staff over refreshments with the speaker afterwards. Pupil Hetty who had helped at the event commented: As a Lower Sixth art scholar it was really interesting to hear about the topic of colour in paintings, specifically oil paintings. Last night’s talk by Trevor Burgess explored paintings being a platform for guiding emotions and creating a sense of space through colour. He addressed many artists renowned for their use of colour such as C é zanne, Matisse, Oskar Kokoschka and Joaquin Sorolla. One of the key notes I am going to take away from the talk is to paint the light and the experience not just the object. For our next talk in the Blake Studio, we welcome back the Royal Geographical Society for another mouth-watering talk over half term, to which all are welcome: Thursday 29 May – Royal Geographical Society public lecture - A Life in Green: looking back, looking forward – Sir Jonathon Porritt CBE. Jonathon is a very eminent writer and high-profile environmental campaigner. He is perhaps best-known for his work and advocacy for Friends of the Earth and the Green Party over many decades, bringing to national prominence important ecological issues and crises. Jonathon’s talk will address what we have learnt from the last 50 years of activism on climate and biodiversity issues, and what are now the priorities when the challenge has never been more pressing. We are very fortunate to have attracted to site a speaker of his profile and calibre, and this promises to be a lively and though-provoking evening. Timings : 7.30pm - Blake Studio Norwich School, The Close - doors open 7.00pm Booking link : A life in green: looking back, looking forward - RGS . Tickets to be bought in advance please as space for tickets sold on the door is likely to be very restricted. Details of Norwich School’s eclectic selection of cultural events round site feature in our termly publication, At Close Quarters , with the Trinity Term 2025 edition now out. See: Publications | Norwich School . Do join us.
By Eleanor Lewis May 16, 2025
Most (over 90%) Norwich School pupils who applied through UCAS to university this academic year have now received decisions from all the universities they applied to. We congratulate all pupils on their university offers and offers for apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships received so far. We hope these pupils will understand that the size of the Upper 6 year group means we cannot publicise every offer; the offers below all required additional hurdles (e.g. interviews/admissions tests/auditions/portfolios) as well as a UCAS form. Apply Plus offers received since mid-March (when 16 Apply Plus offers were shared): Caidon Cary – Chemical Engineering at University of Manchester Matthew Coelho Bartram – Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London Oliver Howard – Mathematics at Imperial College London Jack Rowley – Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London Offers to study medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine received since mid-March (when 18 of these offers were shared): India Bayes (ON) – Dentistry at University of Sheffield and University of Leeds Natasha Bew (ON) – Medicine at University of Sunderland Menuka Jayakody – Medicine at University of Bristol Sushant Singh – Medicine at UEA Offers to study creative courses for pupils who we have not yet shared offers for: Zach Baker – Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister) at the University of Surrey Anoushka Craggs – Foundation Course in Acting at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Leah Feetham – BA Musical Theatre and Dance at Bird College Conservatoire, at Performers College (part of BIMM University) and Stella Mann College of Performing Arts. Foundation Musical Theatre at Italia Conti. Katie Jackson - Architecture at University of Liverpool and at UCL (15 applications per place for this course) Freya Tyack – Architecture at University of Nottingham Offers to study at universities abroad received since mid-March (when 5 pupils’ offers were shared): Bosco Tang - Dentistry at HKU (Hong Kong) Lawry Williams – Economics at the University of Western Australia (in Perth)  Several pupils have secured reduced grade offers due to being identified by universities as ‘High Performance Athletes’ for a range of sports. We congratulate Fraser Evans on his Sports Scholarship (hockey) to the University of Birmingham.
May 15, 2025
Our Lower 1 and Upper 1 pupils performed in the Hall recently for their Informal Concert that brought joy, smiles and plenty of musical magic to everyone in the audience. For some of our young performers, it was their very first time in front of a crowd – and they rose to the occasion beautifully! From heartfelt solos to lively duos, the evening was a celebration of talent, courage, and pure enjoyment. Parents and families were treated to a vibrant mix of music, including a spirited drumming performance of Queen’s We Will Rock You, a dynamic vocal duet of I’m Still Standing by Elton John, and a crowd-pleasing rendition of Seven Nation Army. Instruments on show included piano, guitar, drums and recorder. The atmosphere was warm and encouraging, with cheers and applause filling the room. It truly was a night of happiness, musical discovery, and unforgettable memories. Bravo to all our brilliant young performers! Our next Informal Concert takes place on Thursday 5 June at 16:45 in the Lower School Hall and will feature pupils from Lower 2 and Upper 2.
By Eleanor Lewis May 15, 2025
From 15 to 24 May 'RETURN' by Marion Piper is brought to the Crypt Gallery. Marion Piper presents a sequence of paintings made over the past two years for her show RETURN at the Crypt Gallery. Geometric abstraction and colour interaction combine with her interest in early Italian Renaissance painting. She playfully explore rhythms, perspectives and spaces, both real and imaginary.  15th - 24th May Open daily 11:00 - 16:00 Closed on Sundays and Bank Holiday Monday. Free admission. Informal artist talk in the gallery on Saturday 24th May at 14:00, no booking required. RETURN is supported by NCAS Small Grants programme. Visit the NCAS website here.
By Eleanor Lewis May 13, 2025
On Tuesday 13 May the L6 scholars were taken on a trip to Kenwood House and Highgate Cemetery in London by Dr Farr and Mr Murray. The trip was intended to inform an ongoing discussion that we were having in scholarship lessons on identity and biographical writing. In Kenwood, the pupils presented on a painting of their choice to the group and we considered the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle (1761-1804) and her relationship to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. We then had a tour of Highgate Cemetery with a view to thinking further about social identity in the Victorian period.  We were fortunate enough to bask in beautiful sunshine throughout the day. Later in the school year the scholars will be producing pieces of writing based upon our experience of these two fascinating locations.
By Eleanor Lewis May 13, 2025
This year has been full of exciting opportunities that have allowed me to grow both personally and as part of the school community. As a Lower Sixth pupil, I’ve been involved in the community service programme through volunteering with Break charity giving me valuable experience supporting the preparations for GoGo Safari. This gave me a real insight into the behind-the-scenes work involved in running a large charity event, and I came away with a deep appreciation for the time, planning, and dedication it takes to bring something like this to life. This hands-on experience has been complemented by a range of enriching academic and extracurricular opportunities such as the out of school talks hosted by the school, one of my favourites was the inspiring NCAS lecture by David Pearson, focused on book design and typography. It was fascinating to see how design choices can influence how we engage with stories and information. Another standout moment was meeting Ed Balls, where a group of us spoke to him about the school’s partnerships. Creativity has been a big part of my year too. I was involved in launching the Close Creatives Collective, a new Lower Sixth group that brings together students with shared creative interests. This has allowed me to work closely with the marketing department on poster design and visual materials, which has been a great way to apply creative thinking to real-life briefs. Alongside this, I’ve had the privilege of co-leading Earthwatch, an environmental initiative within the school. We introduced reusable cups and marked Earth Day with an assembly to raise awareness about sustainability. As a provisional prefect, I’ve supported school events, helped welcome new pupils, and even had the opportunity to speak in the Cathedral. I also joined Toastmasters to improve my public speaking skills, and proudly represented the school throughout the netball season—an experience that strengthened my sense of team spirit and commitment. - Hetty Holden, L6
By Sonja Mitchell May 12, 2025
Due to its success last academic year, FONS is delighted to support the 2025 Norfolk Maths Challenge once again.
By Eleanor Lewis May 9, 2025
On Friday 9 May, Rev Child gave an assembly to mark VE day. ‘Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. (Acts 2:22-24) The fact that VE day was a cause of huge celebration doesn’t really need explaining. The war was over – at least in Europe. War is an unholy thing. People on all sides of the conflict were in no doubt about that, not least because they had seen their churches and other holy places blasted and broken. That was true in Norwich when bombs fell around Cathedral Close. Some of you may recall a Remembrance address Mr Pearson gave a couple of years ago where he told us about the night the pupils of Norwich School helped put out fires on the cathedral roof. Coventry was bombed, and you can still visit the roofless shell of the old cathedral, which now has a modern cathedral standing next to it. The thousand-year-old Church of St Andrew in Plymouth was another notable church to suffer a direct hit as the nearby naval bases were attacked. One famous story that has been talked about again this week concerns this church. It was, in fact, a teacher who, on finding out that St Andrews had been bombed, arranged for a wooden sign to be made, with a single Latin word written on it: ‘RESURGAM’. Resurgam means ‘I will rise’ – it’s from here that we get our English word ‘resurgent’. The wooden sign was placed over the doorway of St Andrew’s, which was still standing, in the hope that the church would rise again around it – and, more broadly, that peace, civilisation and everything good would rise again. In the aftermath of the war, while there was no money for rebuilding, the smashed floor of the church was cleared and then cultivated as a garden where people could go for a peaceful wander. Eventually the church building did rise again, and if you visit Plymouth today you can see that the wooden sign has been replaced with a permanent stone sign that still bears that one hopeful word, ‘Resurgam’. It’s a story which shows how the people of that generation managed to hold on to hope even in the darkest days. And we did rise again! Look at us now in this educational community, in this city, in this country, all of which thrived in the eighty years of peacetime that followed the war. Look at us with our positive plans and our prospects – which we owe not only to that military determination that the war should be a success, but also to that civilian determination that the peace should be a success. Would we have been able to do the same? If it had been our generation dealing with the desperation of war, would we have held on to hope? I like to think that we would – and I think that partly because we have a long history of doing so. The word ‘Resurgam’, for instance, can also be found underneath the emblem of a Phoenix on the wall of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It speaks of renewal and rebuilding after the Great Fire of London. On Wednesday you heard Mrs Fairweather talking about the poems of Maya Angelou. You may know that one of her most famous poems is called ‘Still I Rise’ – you may even have studied it in English. It’s a modern classic, an expression of spirit and determination in the face of oppression. Being resolved that we will not stay down, that we will rise again, is a thread that runs through our shared culture and our national heritage. If you haven’t spotted the connection already, all of this is most appropriate in this Easter season. The Christian resurrection account, a story of resurgent hope, has inspired generation after generation. Jesus was dead and buried, and all hope was lost. But then it turned out, as our Bible reading today tells us, “it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him”. It’s why the word ‘Resurgam’ belongs particularly over the door of a church. And it is why our country and our culture, having been influenced for centuries by faith, is inclined to say ‘we will rise again’. I think that’s something to celebrate on a day like VE day.
By Eleanor Lewis May 8, 2025
Lower 1 had an exciting day out as they visited the enchanting world of BeWILDerwood to bring their English lessons to life! The trip was designed to help the pupils explore settings and characters in a fun, hands-on way — and it did not disappoint. From the moment they arrived, the children were immersed in the magical setting of BeWILDerwood, home to curious creatures and thrilling adventures. They crossed the Broken Bridge, carefully making their way across the wobbly planks just like the heroes in the stories they’ve been studying. They met Mildred the Crocklebog, who lurks in the Spooky Lake, sparking imaginations and inspiring fantastic character descriptions. The day continued with daring climbs and giggles as they tackled the Slippery Slopes, proving themselves brave explorers. The trip was not only packed with fun but also gave the pupils fresh ideas and experiences to bring back to the classroom. Their adventures at BeWILDerwood will now help them create vivid settings and colourful characters in their own writing. 
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