Thank you, FONS, for supporting the Wellbeing Garden again. Your help is greatly appreciated. Below is a quick update! Purchases made: Wooden sleepers £440.80 (to replace the old ones) Garden sieve £39.99 At the time of writing this, we have plans to grow vegetables, primarily heirloom varieties, which are more engaging for the pupils. With the assistance of the estates team, we are constructing a wooden arch designed to support melons and courgettes. The objective is for the ripe plants to hang through the arch. Additionally, we are transforming the wildflower bed into an ornamental garden, featuring the steel sculpture from the Art and Design department as its centrepiece. Photo below: replacing the old with the new

The Senior Boys and Girls raced at Quintin Head, on the Tideway, with a solid result of 13th out of 33 crews from the boys 1st VIII. This was a good practice for both crews and coxes ahead of the Schools Head in March. With Hampton Head cancelled due to flooding, 55 rowers from j14 to J18 joined in a Club Time Trial on 1st February. With J14 Octos, J15 Girls and Boys 8s and 4s, Senior Girls 8+ and 2x and Senior Boys 2-, 4s and 8+ all competing with a downstream and upstream timed piece. It was great to make the most of our river, while other locations were flooded and to have all the Boat Club training together. Bedford Head saw 60 rowers racing in 18 different crew combinations, with wins for the J15 Boys 4+ and the J15 Girls 4+ and 8+.  The half term will be rounded off by Daniel White and Nicholas Conway competing at the February Long Distance GB U19 Trials in Boston. Good luck to both rowers.

This morning, Able2B charity co-founder and orthopaedic surgeon Rachael Hutchinson gave an assembly to draw pupils' attention to this year's Discover Your Ability event. Here is a link to her talk: Able2B Assembly. We are asking for L5-L6 pupils to sign up to the challenge, and they will be paired with children with disabilities from local schools. Children will provide a written description of themselves and their interests and be paired together over a series of fun events and training sessions to help them get to know each other. They will work together over the following weeks to develop strategies to assist each other in completing a cycle race and running/walking race around the Lower Close. This is a fantastic event and Able2B will give details on the dates for each session and run them at their specialist gym off Hall Road in Norwich. Able2B will match pupils together in teams using the information provided on their interests, personalities and abilities. Team-mates become great friends! Norwich School pupils will have the benefit of experiencing a wonderful and fulfilling event and the training sessions and event can be used as the volunteering element of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The Discover Your Ability Day event, and lead-in training sessions, are a great opportunity for pupils to get involved who meet the following criteria: · Are in L5-L6 · Keen to volunteer within a unique and transformative charity · Looking for additional hours of volunteering for their Duke of Edinburgh Award · Interested in sport, physiotherapy, medicine, education, psychology or social work as future careers · Want to be a part of a life-affirming event! · The Discover Your Ability event is to be held on Sunday 22 June 2025. What happens next? January/February: Sign-up opens for pupils to register their interest by emailing Mrs Thomas and by registering on the Able2B website here. There is a £15 registration fee and this helps the charity to raise money to continue its fantastic work. February 2024 - Able2B will pair up the children. Each child will provide initial information about themselves to their partner before they meet-so they can ‘paint a picture’ based on the personality of their partner before they meet in person. Thursday 6 March - First Training Session at the Able2B gym - 4.30-5.45 Saturday 3 May - Second Training Session at the Able2B gym - 1.00-2.15 Wednesday 11 June - Third Training Session at the Ablet2B gym - 5.15-6.30 Sunday June 22 - 11:30 - Final event in grounds of Norwich Lower School. Parents and friends are very much welcome to attend the final session to spectate or to volunteer as marshals and route guides (with bubbles and water pistols!) too. This is very much a family event. This is a fantastic opportunity to help out in our local community whilst learning some important skills as well as simply gaining an inspiring experience. Again, pupils undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh's Award are also able to use the event as part of their volunteering hours. Proceeds from the event will go to supporting Able2B's work in the community. Everyone who takes part will receive an event t-shirt and water bottle. Press coverage from a previous event can be found here. A video about Norwich School's involvement with Able2B can be found here. Pupils who are interested in taking part should sign up using this link. For more information about the event, please email Mrs Thomas. Photo below is from this morning's assembly.

Upper 3 had a fascinating opportunity to explore two different places of worship, deepening their understanding of both Christianity and Islam. Their visit began at Norwich Cathedral, where they examined key features of a Christian church, such as the font, the pulpit, and the altar. Pupils also reflected on the significance of the cross in Christian belief and worship. After their time in the cathedral, they visited the East Anglian Bangladeshi Mosque on Rose Lane. During their hour-long visit, they engaged in a talk and question session with Hussein, learning about Islamic practices and beliefs. They were also able to try out different prayer positions and gained insight into the significance of the Kaaba during the pilgrimage of Hajj. Following their visit to the mosque, pupils returned to the cathedral for follow-up activities and a period of reflection. They discussed the similarities and differences between the two places of worship, considering how faith is expressed in different traditions. This enriching experience gave pupils a valuable opportunity to explore interfaith connections, ask thoughtful questions, and develop a deeper appreciation for religious diversity. Coco said, ‘I learned that Muslims pray five times a day, and I loved practising the prayer positions.’ Neil said ‘In the cathedral I learned that the bishop’s throne is called the cathedra. It is a raised chair which the bishop sits on when he is being enthroned.’ Felix commented ‘Both buildings were very fun, and I immensely enjoyed the trip. I hope that I can do it again.’  Evie reported ‘I enjoyed looking at the stained-glass windows and lying down on the floor to look at the detailed roof bosses in the Cathedral.’

The focus this term shifted from 15-a-side to 7s, with senior players preparing for upcoming 7s festivals and the Rosslyn Park 7s in March. The U18s competed in the Saints 7s festival on February 4th, topping their group with a 29-7 win over Culford School and a 10-5 win over Northampton School for Boys 2nds. They were then drawn against Northampton School for Boys 1sts in the quarterfinals but lost to the stronger team. Samuel Byrne and Noah Rastrick, who scored 4 tries on his 7s debut, were standout players. The U18s will next compete at Oakham School on 2 March. The U16s played at Gresham’s School on 9 February, winning two of four group-stage games, with victories over Framlingham College (19-0) and Langley School (24-15). After two losses, they progressed to the Plate Semi-final, beating Langley 39-10. Norwich School then won the Plate final 19-14 against Uppingham School. Levite Oyelakin was the standout player. The U14s also participated in their first festival at Gresham’s School, winning four out of six games, including a standout win against Oundle School. However, they lost to Oakham School in the Plate Final. Ben Lowe, Lucas Berney, and Isaac Mak were the standout performers.

In January, six of our younger runners competed in the Norfolk Schools’ Cross Country Championships at Wymondham College, going up against the county’s top athletes. The flat, fast course provided perfect conditions, with the goal of finishing in the top 12 to qualify for the Norfolk team. Three of our athletes achieved this. Emi Muntingh dominated her race from start to finish, winning impressively and securing the title of Norfolk Champion in her age group. The Minor Boys’ race was more tactical, with the lead changing several times. With 400m to go, Samuel Trickey made his move, ultimately winning comfortably. In the Junior Girls’ race, Niamh McAuley ran strongly to finish 5th, earning a spot in the Norfolk team. Nona Griffiths and Sophie Ruddy were just outside the qualifying places but also put in great performances. In a highly competitive Junior Boys’ race, Herbie Andrews finished in the top half, but not high enough to qualify. Congratulations to all who participated, and best of luck to those representing Norfolk in two weeks.  At the EAL fixtures, held at Mousehold and Gresham’s, Emi and Samuel continued their strong performances in the Junior category, both finishing 2nd. In the Senior Boys’ race, our team claimed six of the top 10 spots, with Thomas Chester finishing 3rd. In the Senior Girls’ race at Gresham’s, Minnie Andrews triumphed, coming 1st, while Becky Brown placed 7th. In the Senior Boys, Sam Colman finished 6th, with strong support from Arthur Dannatt and Jacob Stevenson.

Emilia Meade (L6) has been supporting Infant Dance at the Lower School for her Community Service, she reports on the experience below; Helping out with Infant dance at the Norwich Lower School has been such a rewarding experience. I have noticed that clear instructions and demonstrations really help them learn the choreography better as well as a fun and supportive environment. In each dance session we explore different dance styles such as ballet and jazz, I help the children grasp the different techniques and I also lead various teamwork activities. To help the class have a better understanding of the dynamics, the movements are compared to different animals, for example, graceful like a butterfly, stomping like an elephant. The class always do a warm up before dancing and learning a dance routine lead by the dance teacher. Overall, Infant dance has inspired a love for dance in the children, and it has been incredible to watch and help them develop their skills while having fun.

Lower Three delivered a fantastic and unique exploration of the English language through their performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Macbeth , and Romeo and Juliet . The magical Midsummer brought laughter with a modern spin on the mischievous fairies and tangled love stories . Macbeth captivated with its dark tale of ambition and fate. Romeo and Juliet moved the audience with its timeless story of love and tragedy. Each play showcased the pupils' talent, confidence, and passion for Shakespeare! Well done to all who took part!

The boys’ hockey programme continues to go from strength to strength with 282 boys across all year groups participating this term. We’ve seen exceptional effort and enthusiasm from players, with many impressive team and individual performances. The U13A team has started the season strong, qualifying for the Regionals with their determined and skilful play. Their success is a testament to the hard work and commitment shown by the players throughout the season so far. In the senior section, the 2nd XI delivered an outstanding performance by beating Gresham’s to win the County Cup and secure a place at the Regionals. Their resilience and teamwork were key to their success. The 1st XI have set a high standard, remaining unbeaten in all fixtures this season, with one of the highlights drawing away at Repton. Their consistency and composure earned them a spot in the quarter-finals of the England Hockey Tier 1 Championships—a significant achievement at the highest level of school hockey. As we head into the second half of term, the focus remains on continued development, enjoyment, and striving for excellence. Congratulations to all players and teams on their success so far. We look forward to seeing what can be achieved in the coming months.  Keep up the great work!