THE HEAD'S END OF YEAR ADDRESS

July 10, 2024

As the 2023/2024 academic year comes to a close the Head addressed pupils and parents of the Upper Sixth on the importance of our community as we gather for the last time until September.


"It is a great pleasure to add my welcome to the parents of the U6th who join us for the service which ends the 2023/24 academic year. You are seeing what the pupils and staff have the good fortune to do regularly in this amazing building. There is a danger that we take it for granted (Something like “Well, of course we have our assemblies in one of the finest medieval buildings in northern Europe; it’s not that special, is it?” – an unhelpful view in so many ways).

My experience is that our leavers come to appreciate the Cathedral more as they get closer to leaving it, but there is no doubt that sharing this service with visitors helps to remind us what a privilege it is for our school to be located here in the Close amongst these magnificent medieval structures. The conclusion of our service, where the leaving U6 process with their Heads of House through the magnificent West Doors, symbolises this key transition point of moving from school into the wider world, but before that let us enjoy recording our time together appropriately.

I am also pleased to have the U6 parents with us today because you are normally in such a good mood that your threshold for laughter is pleasingly low. It is good to have a few more allies in the room; a Cathedral of nearly 1000 teenagers at 8.40 in the morning can be a tough crowd.


I have been thinking a good deal about the importance of gathering in the life of a community. All UK adult citizens have obviously gathered metaphorically in recent days to make a collective decision in our General Election, but don’t worry, this is certainly not the time to start reflecting on that process. In safer territory, those who watched the Glastonbury coverage on television last weekend or have been to a more local festival such as Latitude will have felt the drawing together of a shared experience. This might be a heresy to some, but I confess to not being a huge Coldplay fan. However, even I would concede that over 100,000 people sharing Fix You at the climax of their set was something to behold.


Another major current gathering is the Euros and the amazingly colourful crowds we have seen in support of their country. Of course, England has its perennial love-hate relationship with our national team played out in front of televisions in homes, pubs and clubs throughout the country during a major football tournament. How very English to boo our team for topping our group and getting to the quarter-finals in the wrong way! Add in Wimbledon, the start of the cricket test series and a wet summer; it really starts to look like a full house in UK moaning bingo.

Partly, my interest in gathering events comes from closer to home: we have just finished our annual Gather Festival, an explosion of creative activity where you can watch our pupils singing, acting, dancing, creating Art, reading, fashion modelling, playing instruments of all kinds and in all genres. It has just been a joy to see our pupils’ rich educational experience as they have entertained us in recent weeks, building skills and confidence along the way. And I know comparable processes have been undergone in the highly successful cricket and rowing achievements away from school, as well as many other trips and activities that take place in a busy Summer Term.

One of the quotes on the seats at the front in the Blake Studio carries the Auden quote, “How beautiful it is, that eye-on-the-object look” to capture the moment when someone is totally absorbed in an activity they have fully committed to. I feel like I have seen a lot of eyes on a lot of objects recently, not least in the spectacular Gala Night on Wednesday that many of you were part of or witnessed. Phrases such as “You had to be there” or Sky Sports’ “It’s only live once” speak to this special moment of being together to have a unique shared experience at a particular time.

In many ways, this whole service is one such gathering, particularly for those in U6 and their families. We have listened to some beautiful music and sung ourselves, with still the promise of Jerusalem to come. However, in that spirit of creating something memorable that we can share together we are going to have a live performance and, if you want, you can join in. I should like to introduce our U6 band, Placeholder, singing a cover song from the successful Bandfest last week…Thank you all.


This gathering and sharing and recording together is obviously positive. However, I think it is particularly important at this time that we do feel connected. As well as being a good sing-a-long, American Pie has relevant resonances in terms of theme as it records the composer, Don Maclean’s, discomfort in response to cultural uncertainty during the second half of the 20th century. There is, of course, significant challenge and pain in our world: the threat of climate change; the horror of war in different parts of the world; economic challenges closer to home; for some, the deregulation of holiday time or the daunting nature of post-school life.


In all this turbulence, it is our connections that help to anchor us; connections to family, friends, places, traditions, values. Human beings are social creatures and simply feeling part of something bigger helps us to face the world around us. And this is a day that encourages us to remind ourselves of those connections. For all of us, reflecting on how this year at Norwich School has gone is inevitable at its end and I very much hope that you feel you have made progress, thereby deepening connections with friends, activities, subjects and all that Norwich School stands for.

Yet today, our focus is very much on our U6 cohort and this is a service to allow you to reflect on the connections with your families who have supported you through your time here; with each other as you think about the highs and lows of your school careers together; and with us, your school, in this place. One of the rugby players in his Leavers Book entry noted with pride the following, “I have played 156 games for the school in 11 years. Up the Noz”! Good effort indeed, particularly keeping the record to know the number. Whatever the length of time you have been at the school and whatever your particular interests, I hope you can reflect now on links you have established which have informed the amazing young people I see in front of me and links which will sustain you in the future.


It is certainly what makes me optimistic about facing the future. I said that I would not be talking about politics today and I undertake to keep that promise now. However, I am confident that Norwich School is in a healthy position and will react with agility and good sense to whatever operating conditions emerge in the future. Indeed, we are showing ourselves through this very service and the strong emotions engendered that we are a vibrant, resilient community; let us not forget that this U6 were in M5 when Covid struck and look how well they have turned out. Our connection with this amazing leaving cohort changes after today but the links will certainly not be broken. We wish you all well and hope that you will come back from time to time to tell us how you are getting on."


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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. 

“Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars” - Martin Luther King

May 29, 2025
On 29th May 2025 we were delighted to welcome back on site the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) for the next in their impressive series of lectures in the Blake Studio, their principal hub site for the eastern region. It was a particularly inspiring return. Veteran campaigner Sir Jonathon Porritt CBE was our speaker for an evening of thought-provoking, intelligent commentary on the state of our fragile planet. Jonathon is a name familiar to many, having been a powerful advocate of Friends of the Earth and the Green Party in a long career of political and ecological activism. To a large audience of RGS members, environmentalists, local politicians, pupils, parents, staff and alumni, our speaker did not pull his punches when reflecting on over 50 years of environmental campaigning. In a data-driven and passionate address he exposed what he perceived to be abject multi-generational global failures to address the desperate plight of our planet. He touched on such diverse issues as: population explosion and rainforest destruction; access to birth control and fertility; plastic pollution and economic drivers of the oil industry; climate change and the dangers of rampant capitalism. His journey took us to some cheerless places, but Jonathon reminded us that, as Dr Martin Luther King said in his final speech in 1968 before his assassination: “I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” He concluded with positive, personal reflections garnered from years’ worth of public engagement which confirmed that people (especially young people) were desperate for change and often had broadly similar views of what they wanted to see done differently. In a stark message to global democracies, he stated that voters had the valuable privilege of holding the power to change the status quo, one that, in his opinion, needed a radical reset. Consequently, he had been buoyed by the upending of traditional party politics evidenced by the 2025 local elections. He was also at pains to point out the huge potential of green energy to be a driver for global economic growth. Jonathon was very generous with his time answering questions from a knowledgeable and engaged audience for an hour afterwards, leaving us all much to ponder on. The local RGS is now off for their summer break but has generated a compelling programme of on-site talks for the autumn. Details will be published on their website - Upcoming events - RGS - once dates are confirmed. We are extremely grateful to the dynamic James Firebrace and his RGS team for bringing to site this year an eclectic programme of lectures on varied topics such as: African species under threat from climate change; the future of rewilding; fragile coral reefs; treasured urban commons; and the sultry delights of the French Riviera ('A sunny place,' said Somerset Maugham, 'for shady people') delivered by engaging subject specialists from around the country, as well as hosting their annual pupil micro-lecture evening last autumn. Thanks also go to our loyal and supportive audiences who enjoyed being with us throughout the year.

As if by Magic! Infants Perform Enchanting Show

May 23, 2025
The children in Lower 1 and Upper 1 took to the stage at The Blake Studio to perform their rendition of the magical and enchanting musical production, Wiz Wham Alakazam to parents, grandparents and residents of The Great Hospital. In this enchanting production, the young wizards of Sun Castle faced a day like no other. One moment the sun was shining brightly over the castle, and the next it mysteriously became dimmer. The resident wizards were thrown into chaos as the Chief Wizard led the spell-casters on an adventure to bring back the light. With plenty of magic spells, and just a sprinkle of disorder, the story unfolded with excitement, charm, and laughter. From the very first scene, the children lit up the stage with confident line delivery and infectious enthusiasm. Each child played their part, whether it was casting spells, performing gymnastic and dance routines, or helping find the important but oldest Spell Book. The Ice Creatures made a dramatic entrance – eerie and impressive – with expressive performances that added just the right touch of tension. Musical numbers such as "Teamwork", "Ice Creatures", and the "Wizards of the Sun" showcased the children’s growing talent in both singing and acting. All the songs were performed with energy, clarity, and joy. The production was a celebration of creativity and teamwork, with every young performer contributing to the magic. Wiz Wham Alakazam was a joyful, spellbinding success — packed with music, movement, mystery and the unforgettable charm of Sun Castle’s youngest stars. Mrs Barclay commented "The children have worked so hard to learn their lines and songs and I am very proud of their performances. It has been a delight working with this group of passionate and talented children." 

Children's Yoga Community Service Tells the Tale of 'Superworm'

By Eleanor Lewis • May 23, 2025
This year's Children's Yoga Community Service group had great fun creating a yoga class for nursery and reception-aged children based on Julia Donaldson's book 'Superworm'. L6 pupils Uliana Bielova, Thomas Chester and Lizzie Taylor were later joined by Chloe Holmes and visited White House Farm Primary School, Magdalen Gates Primary School, our own Lower School reception class as well as four Once Upon a Time nurseries. They were greeted with lots of enthusiasm from the children and teachers/carers alike. The yoga lessons were fun, interactive and had everyone smiling!  The pupils themselves learned a variety of skills from lesson planning and working with children to public speaking and how to do yoga! They worked well as a team and got a lot out of the experience, as Lizzie Taylor explains: '‘I absolutely loved teaching kids yoga! Children are like natural bursts of serotonin, I always came back to school feeling happy.’

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.

Noel Vine Presents 'Nacht Musik' with Norfolk Chamber Orchestra

By Eleanor Lewis • May 22, 2025
We heard on the grapeVINE (!) that our own Head of Music for the Lower School, Mr Vine, is starting his very own chamber orchestra, so we caught up with him to find out more... How did the idea of a Norfolk Chamber Orchestra come about? For me, the perfect ensemble is a small group creating Chamber music. I love its intimacy, feel, vibe and with the right musicians you can ignite something truly special. I decided a couple of years ago that Suffolk needed a really cool string ensemble, so I set up Suffolk Chamber Orchestra and we have just given our debut concert in Aldeburgh at the Jubilee Hall, where once the great Benjamin Britten stood and performed. And I thought, why just have one orchestra! So, I also created the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra. Both groups are string ensembles, and both feature incredible local players (some ex-London professionals who now live here and some outstanding local musicians that I've taken 4 years to find) How long have you been playing music/singing? What is your musical history? My musical background started at the age of 4, I asked for a violin and that has stayed with me for my whole life. I have been very fortunate to have been able to play with every major orchestra in London and across the UK including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, City of London Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Sinfonia of London, BBC National Orchestra of Wales to name but a few. I then got into recording and session work and have worked, toured and recorded with a lot of high-profile artists such as Madonna, Oasis, Paul Weller, David Gray, Kylie, Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Take That, Robbie Williams and more. I've also enjoyed working closely with underground artists such as Pressure Drop, Fabio and Grooverider, Tipper and Goldie. What kind of music does the orchestra perform? Is there any way we can listen to it? At the moment the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra is just getting started and our debut concert will be on the 21st June at the Octagon Chapel in Norwich which is a really beautiful venue. Part of our plan is to champion beautiful Norfolk venues, and this is a great one to start with. It will a concert inspired by the coming of night called 'Nachtmusik' and will feature music by Mozart, Borodin, Dvorak and a UK Premiere by Eric Whitacre of 'Sleep' arranged for String ensemble. The concert will start at 7pm and will be for 1 hour and under 12's get in free! The link for tickets is here > Norfolk Chamber Orchestra - Norwich Octagon NACHT MUSIK at Octagon Chapel event tickets from TicketSource How often do you rehearse? How does this work with your work schedule at the school? Because of how brilliant the players are, we will rehearse on the day of the concert, unless we're doing something very contemporary or new. I am the leader and director which means I have to know everything that everyone is playing as there is no conductor - another great thing about having a chamber orchestra! Everyone is together, it's a collaborative feeling. A lot of our concerts will be at weekends, so it balances nicely with my work schedule at Norwich School. Who do you think has been your greatest musical influence? Why? I feel very lucky to have met some incredible musicians throughout my life. It's not necessarily the ones who are the best musically, but I love the ones who have the best stories! I spent some time with Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend from The Who and also Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from Led Zepplin. In terms in inspiring figures, they are up there - and you can imagine the stories! Also remember having a very long night with Tom and Ed ( Chemical Brothers ) at the Cobden Club in London. They wanted to talk about the intricacies of Baroque music and Bach's influence on everything! I then went back to their studio, and they played me the demo of Galvanise! Crazy!

Elementary, My Dear Reader! – A Sherlock Holmes Mystery at the Library

By Eleanor Lewis • May 22, 2025
The school library was transformed into a thrilling scene of mystery and intrigue as pupils took on the roles of budding detectives in an exciting Sherlock Holmes event. From the moment they stepped through the door of 221B Baker Street, pupils were immersed in the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary sleuth. To begin their investigation, each pupil had to “sign in” using their fingerprint—setting the tone for an authentic detective experience. Their first challenge was to decipher a secret message using the Caesar cipher, a classic cryptographic technique, to unlock the details of their mission. The case? A precious book had gone missing from the library shelves— De Occulta Bibliotheca —and it was up to the young Holmesians to crack the case. Armed with a list of suspects and a map of the Lower School, pupils set off on a clue-hunting adventure that took them through hidden corners and puzzling trails. Along the way, they decoded encrypted messages, revealed hidden notes using heat to expose invisible ink, and followed a trail of mysterious footprints. Each clue brought them closer to identifying the culprit behind the literary theft. After collecting all the evidence, pupils returned to the library where, in their investigative groups, they reviewed the facts and collaborated to make their final accusation. Suspense hung in the air as the mystery was dramatically revealed—culminating in a final search that led them straight to the long-lost book.  It was an event full of curiosity, critical thinking, and imaginative fun. Our young detectives not only honed their problem-solving skills but also enjoyed diving into the world of one of literature’s most iconic characters.

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.

Upper 2 Catapult Day was a Booming Success

By Eleanor Lewis • May 21, 2025
Wednesday 21 May quite literally began with a bang! Upper 2 took part in the eagerly awaited Catapult Day, a hands-on exploration that linked directly to the engineering and design elements of our curriculum—with plenty of opportunities to apply mathematical skills along the way. The day began with students measuring the size and mass of a variety of projectiles—from the humble golf ball to the impressively weighty shot put—developing their understanding of data collection, force, and motion. Then came the real excitement: launching those projectiles! Starting by hand, pupils then progressed to an impressive arsenal of historical siege machines, including the Mangonel, Perrier, and Trebuchet. They also had the chance to try their hand at a composite bow and a crossbow, adding a dash of medieval flair to their practical investigations. The day concluded with a suitably dramatic finale, as the younger pupils joined just in time to watch Jacob ignite the cannon—because, let’s face it, nothing quite wraps up a school day like a controlled explosion and the smell of gunpowder in the air! Ali: 'Very fun and I learnt a lot. My highlight was when me and my team pulled the rope down on the perrier to launch the tennis ball!' Tallulah, Darcy, Olivia: 'It was very exciting because we learnt stuff we had never learnt before and we got to try things we've never experienced before! Just don't ask Mr Love about breaking the perrier...!' Oscar: ‘It was very fun and you got to have a go on cross bows, and a bow and arrow.’ Lucas: ‘It was really fun, we got into groups and fired catapults’ Muhammad Ameen: ‘I really liked the canon because when your put fire in it, it went boom.’

Rowing Report from the Start of Trinity 2025

By Eleanor Lewis • May 21, 2025
The Trinity term began with 10 J15 and J16 rowers representing the Eastern region at the Junior Inter Regional Regatta. All crews reached the A Finals, with J. Howard and J. Hawkes winning a Silver medal in the J16 Pairs. Sunday 4 May saw the Senior Boys and Girls crews raced at Wallingford Regatta in some tricky cross winds. One of the Girls Coxed Fours was less than 1 second off a place in the Repechage. A valuable day of racing to the start of the Regatta season. The following weekend the Senior Boys and J15 Boys and Girls crews raced at Nottingham City. The four Senior boys that had raced a Quad the previous weekend, switched to a Coxed Four and had a great race against Emmanuel College, leading until the last 250m. The J15 crews were all racing as Development Crews (open to all ages), but again had some good racing beating from Club and Cambridge College crews. The First Eight put a tough morning race behind them to win the Open Eights event in the afternoon.  Daniel White and Nicholas Conway attended the GB U19 Spring Trial Regatta at the start of term. A 17th place was achieved by Daniel and a phenomonal 2nd place for Nicholas. This result gained Nicholas selection to race for GB U19 at Munich International Regatta. Some exciting racing saw Nicholas win Silver in the Coxlesss Four and Gold in the Eights. This week sees all year groups racing at the National Schools Regatta in Nottingham. The J14s Boys and Girls and J15 Boys race on Friday and the Seniors and J15 Girls race on Saturday, with the Boys 1st Eight racing again on Sunday. We wish them all a successful regatta.
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