Friends of Norwich School (FONS)

The Friends of Norwich School (or FONS for short) is a registered independent charity (charity number: 1170059)

Our community is open to all parents, guardians, carers and grandparents from the Lower School and the Senior School, current and past, as well as to friends from the wider community who support Norwich School.

Our mission is simply to support Norwich School and to provide fellowship amongst the community.

We do this by hosting regular events (coffee mornings, social events such as our legendary biennial ball and periodic raffles) and running professionally the successful Second-Hand Uniform Shop, both of which are of particular help to new parents.

Funds raised though these activities allows us to support the school generously in three key areas: to funding bursary support to foster social inclusion and diversity; to provide grants to fund equipment for a multitude of clubs and societies for pupil enrichment and to encourage participation; and to provide an annual prize fund to inspire achievement.

We hope to be a force for good in the school community and we hope you will join us.

We would be pleased to hear from anyone with ideas or who wishes to help out in any voluntary capacity.

A round table with plates , utensils , and a vase of flowers on it.

Two boys in school uniforms are sitting at a desk in a classroom.

About Us

The Friends of Norwich School is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (1170059) run by Trustees:

The Head: Steffan Griffiths
The Head of the Lower School: John Ingham
The Development Director: Jonathan Pearson
Three general elected Trustees: Madelé de Lange (Chair), Jonathan Hook (Treasurer), Janine Taylor (Company Secretary)

To find out about what the Friends have been up to, for upcoming or recent events, and how funds are being spent, please follow the Friends Facebook and Twitter pages or send an email:

Facebook: Search ‘Friends of Norwich School’

Twitter: @NorSchFriends

Email: friends@norwich-school.org.uk

FONS Privacy Policy

Second Hand Uniform Shop

Friends of Norwich School volunteers run a Second Hand shop for parents. All items provided by parents are either donated or sold on a 50/50 basis. The shop sells a wide range of pre-used uniform and sportswear, in addition to specialist footwear (Astro/rugby/hockey etc) and sports equipment/protection as donated. The income generated by the sale of second-hand items not only supports a wide variety of projects for pupils within the school but is a very useful service for parents and pupils alike.

Sale dates

We are pleased to announce that the Uniform Shop will be open again this term between 15:00 and 16:30, at 15 Upper King Street.

OPENING TIMES - LENT TERM 2024

15:00 to 16:30

Tuesday 7 January, Wednesday 22 January

Wednesday 5 February, Tuesday 25 February

Wednesday 12 March, Tuesday 25 March

09:00-13:00

Saturday 11 January

Location

We are located on the first floor of 15 Upper King Street. Access to this school building is restricted so parents will need to press the buzzer for access. There is no on-site parking available for weekday sales but may be available at other times, we’ll let you know in parent email.

Contacting Us

You can also email friendsshop@norwich-school.org.uk with any queries you may have but please note we do not reserve items or advise on stock levels as these are constantly changing.

Donations

Items you would like to sell or donate can be dropped off at the shop when open or 71A Reception during business hours. For T & C's on donating/sale of items, please refer to the information on Parent Portal, under the 'School Uniform' page

Where does your money go?

We are proud that finds raised through the activities of FONS go towards improving the experience of the pupils and further afield. Some examples of how funds raised are used, see below:

Darts Takes Off Thanks to FONS

By Sonja Mitchell • March 11, 2025

6 new dart boards and 2 new dart sets have been funded by the Friends of Norwich School.

FONS Supports the Lollards History Club

By Eleanor Lewis • March 5, 2025

Thanks to the generous donations made by FONS, the decision was taken to purchase eighteen copies of Fatherland by Robert Harris for members of the school's Lollards History Club (L5-M5 pupils).The introduction of this book club element to our society has allowed us to discuss key themes throughout the novel. Set in an alternate historical reality where Germany had won the Second World War, the book follows March, an SS officer who is not loyal to the Nazi regime, and his search to uncover the truth regarding what happened to the Jews of Europe. At the time of writing, we have had two meetings dedicated to discussions about the novel. In those, we have covered themes around propaganda, totalitarianism and the importance of truth. All eighteen copies have been handed out to pupils and are currently in use. In the Trinity term, we will have our final discussion together, by which point everyone will have read the entire novel. In this meeting, it is hoped that we can meaningfully discuss the value of the historical fiction genre and bring in our own factual knowledge to assess how realistic Harris' prediction of a post-1945 Nazi world is. It is also hoped that this will be the first stage in encouraging a culture of reading amongst our Fifth Form pupils, with the potential to purchase further accessible historical books in the future. Once again, we must thank the FONS committee for their generosity which has allowed our club members to take their love of History outside of the classroom

FONS Provide Fun for Fourth Form and Repton House

By Eleanor Lewis • March 4, 2025

As part of a FONS joint bid, board games have been purchased for the 4th Form and Repton House to encourage team building and friendships! These games are in the 4th Form office for tutees to use and some have been allocated to Repton House tutor groups! We have already seen that playing these games builds skills in teamwork, collaboration, healthy and friendly competition, strategy and problem solving as well as being a useful tool to help pupils communicate. Relationships between peers and tutors have been consolidated through game play as is evident from the photographs taken. During important conversations a game can act to put pupils at ease; to start a conversation; to distract and to comfort. During a busy school week, playing a board game during social times or tutor times can act as a stress reliever allowing pupils to relax and have fun which we believe will improve their overall wellbeing. Finally, we have seen that all pupils in the tutor groups get involved, irrespective of ability, gender or friendship group. We believe we are therefore, promoting inclusivity and engagement and enhancing the overall sense of community. In the future, we plan to add to our store of board games. Andrew Rowlandson runs the Board Games club. At the same time as we applied for the bid, he asked parents for donations, which too bolstered our supply. We would very much like to create a board games library, where pupils can sign games in and out. Many thanks to the FONS for their generous support.