U2 AT NORWICH CASTLE: A DAY WITH THE ROMANS AND ICENI

February 3, 2022

Pupils from U2 had a brilliant day at Norwich Castle learning more about the Romans and the Iceni. Mrs Vella reports on their exciting trip:



On the final wild, windy day of January, Upper Two marched like legionaries to Norwich Castle for an exciting day with The Romans and Iceni.


When we had wrestled ourselves from the layers of clothes we were wearing, we went upstairs to the auditorium where we met the characters, we would be spending the day with. Marak met up with Ketha, the Iceni jewelry maker, who had just finished a beautiful silver bracelet. They were just discussing how Marak could wear it at the Iceni celebration to commemorate Boudicca’s rebellion, when Marcus Aurelius, the retired general and tax collector, entered and quickly burst their bubble! He demanded that they pay their taxes to the Roman Empire. Marak and Ketha refused, saying that he had already taken everything they had and that as it was Winter, they hadn’t been able to grow any crops to sell to make money. Marcus Aurelius refused to accept this and instead, summoned Brutus, his centurion to take Marak’s bracelet by force. Upper Two were then presented with a question: who was in the right? We were to spend the rest of the day with the Iceni and the Romans, getting to know them and gathering evidence to help us to decide. 


We split into two groups, one making beautiful Celtic torcs with Ketha as the second began their first day of training as a Roman legionary. Both sessions were incredibly fun and interactive. We brought home our lovely new jewelry and got to grips with the armour and military formations of the legion. Our favourite was ‘the tortoise’ but our teachers preferred ‘the orb’ as it made sure they were protected, and they loved being able to join in with the fun.   

We were very hungry by the time we had lunch but were looking forward to the second half of the day. None of us were sure who we agreed with yet. 


After lunch, we spent some time with Marak, learning about how the Celts used animals and their land. We learned that the thatch on the top of the roundhouses worked well as it kept the rain out but also allowed the smoke to pass through and kill the bugs. We enjoyed making up sketches to demonstrate the daily jobs that the Iceni had to do and had even more fun guessing which activity each group had been given! 


We also got to spend some time with Marcus Aurelius, who shared some very interesting (and very ancient) artefacts with us. We loved learning about the oil lamps, the mortarium and the strigil and how these things were used in everyday life by the Romans. We could understand why the Romans felt as though they had provided a better way of life for the Celts. 


At the end of the day, we all gathered back together to decide who we thought was right. It was clear to see from a show of hands that we sided firmly with the Iceni. Although some of us did agree that the Romans had brought with them some brilliant ideas, as a group we thought that as the Iceni had not asked for their way of life to be changed, it was probably a bit unfair of the Romans to force them (and then charge them taxes). 

Read some of our pupil's comments below:


"I liked how all the people from the Iceni tribe had completely different opinions to the Romans. The Iceni said they shouldn’t have to pay taxes for all the new things the Romans had brought over but the Romans did. I agreed with the Iceni because they shouldn’t have to pay money for things they didn’t ask for" - Toby U2B 

"I really liked when we were practicing the battle formation and loved the tortoise one the best" - Flo U2V 

"I liked looking at the artefacts and discovering what each thing used to be a part of" - Macsen U2V 

"I liked acting out the jobs of the Iceni and thought the group pretending to catch fish were the best" - Eva U2B 


By Eleanor Lewis March 13, 2026
Upper Sixth Physics pupils recently participated in the British Physics Olympiad hosted by the University of Oxford. The challenge involved answering a series of highly demanding abstract physics problems from beyond the scope of the A Level curriculum. Around 9000 pupils initially took part in the new Olympiad Round 0, with pupils needing to achieve above a threshold score to proceed to Round 1. Over 1800 pupils from 475 schools qualified for Round 1. The following pupils from Norwich School made it through to Round 1 and achieved these excellent results: Emile Verschoor Silver Arthur Dannatt Silver Adit Raje Top Gold Adit Raje's outstanding performance meant that he also qualified for Round 2 of the Olympiad - an exceptional achievement given that only 69 pupils out of the original 9000 made it through. He proceeded to gain a Silver Award in this event, an incredible achievement and recognition that he is one of the top young physicists in the country at problem solving.
By Sonja Mitchell March 12, 2026
The ever-popular Young Chamber participants have launched their businesses and are learning what it takes to be successful.
By Sonja Mitchell March 11, 2026
The programme helps athletes transition into senior international hockey.
By Eleanor Lewis March 10, 2026
‘Norfolk Suite’ Colour Photographs 18 April - 1 May 17 April Private Viewing, 18:00 - 20:00 Gallery Open 10am - 5pm. Closed Sundays. The Crypt Gallery, Norwich School. An exhibition of an edit of 50 colour photographs from a period from 2002 to the present of journeys around Norfolk. ‘These are not necessarily landscapes but notes, observations and points of the countryside and towns which I travelled through and stopped at’ There is no entrance fee but the works are for sale in limited editions of 10, prices and sizes on application.
By Eleanor Lewis March 10, 2026
Following a request from the pupils leading the school's Medical Society, Mrs Warren has run two after school sessions teaching sixth form pupils keen to study medicine and veterinary medicine how to perform surgical suturing on pigs' trotters.  Following a teacher demonstration, pupils enjoyed talking through the procedure and asking for consent from their trotter, followed by using scalpels to excise an imaginary cyst on the pig's skin. They then closed the wound by suturing the skin with surgical needles and thread, the most challenging part being 'throwing' the knot several times for each stitch and ensuring it was tight enough. Some promising skills were shown by our surgeons of the future.
By Eleanor Lewis March 10, 2026
orld Book Week brought a wonderful buzz of excitement to the Lower School, with every year group taking part in a rich variety of bookthemed adventures and activities. The week began with Reception visiting the local independent bookshop Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, where they eagerly spent their World Book Day tokens. Each child chose one of this year’s specially written titles and also had the chance to listen to a few stories in the beautiful bookshop. Back at school, the Library Reading Challenges also launched, encouraging pupils to complete a different challenge each day. Monday’s task— read in an unusual place —sparked great creativity, and pupils were discovered reading under tables, behind bookcases, beneath sofas and even outdoors. On Tuesday it was Lower One’s turn to visit the bookshop, where they too selected their World Book Day books. Their reading challenge for the day was to recommend a book from a different genre to a friend, prompting thoughtful conversations about mysteries, fantasies, adventures and more. Pupil Rafi said ‘I liked the book I chose because it has lots of facts in.’ Wednesday saw Upper One walking to Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, where they not only chose their books but also became enthusiastic dragon hunters, spotting as many dragons as possible hidden around the shop’s magical displays. ‘I really liked finding the dragons and my favourite one was the dragon which was under the pavement,’ said Jessica from Upper One. Their reading challenge continued the theme of exploring new genres with pupils being encouraged to read something they wouldn’t normally pick off the shelf. Thursday marked World Book Day itself, and the school was transformed by an array of imaginative, colourful and brilliantly creative costumes. From classic characters to modern favourites, pupils proudly celebrated the stories they love. Many staff joined in the fun by dressing as Mr Men and Little Miss characters, much to the pupils’ delight during a lively assembly of guessing and laughter. Throughout the day, classes enjoyed a range of bookthemed activities, and everyone gathered in the library for the popular Teachers’ Pet Quiz, where staff pets were photographed “reading” books that offered clues to their owners’ identities. All pupils also took part in the Great Booky Book Swap, which allowed them to choose new reading material to enjoy over the coming weeks. Many children also entered the Book in a Box competition, transforming boxes into creative and thoughtful worlds inspired by titles such as Charlotte’s Web , The Land of Stories , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and What the Ladybird Heard . The celebrations continued on Friday, when Pre-Reception visited the bookshop to exchange their tokens for a book and take part in a delightful workshop themed around Wonderful Me . Pupils also completed the final reading challenge of the week by reading to a real or cuddly pet, creating many heart warming moments as stories were shared with dogs, cats, teddies and every creature in between. World Book Week was a fantastic celebration of reading, imagination and community. A huge thank you to Bookbugs and Dragon Tales for welcoming our pupils so warmly, and to all staff and families for helping to make the week such a memorable success.
By Eleanor Lewis March 10, 2026
Saturday 7 March saw the final race in the East Anglian League against runners from Gresham’s, Ipswich and RHS. The team travelled to RHS and the conditions were reasonably dry and still on a flat, fast course. Our only competing Junior, Jonas Tam, improved upon last week’s third place to come 2nd this week, while in the Intermediate Boys, Kit Rudling came 4th. In the Senior Boys we had excellent strength in depth, as we have had all season, with eight runners competing. First to finish was Ethan Buskell who came 2nd overall. Jeremy Lo came through the field strongly to take 5th place, capping off another consistent season. Leon Liu, Kort Tsui and Leo Pitt were next over the line, followed shortly by Tom Copley, Edward Lott and George Yiasimi. The Senior Boys, having showed such consistent quality and excellent camaraderie throughout the season, deservedly took home the East Anglian League Team Trophy. Well done to everyone who has represented the Cross Country team this season.
By Sonja Mitchell March 10, 2026
The Little Roots allotment at the Lower School has enjoyed a wonderful boost this year thanks to a generous grant from the Friends of Norwich School.
By Eleanor Lewis March 10, 2026
3 Lower 5 pupils and one Lower 4 pupil travelled to Telford to compete in the VEX Robotics National Finals, an exciting two‑day celebration of STEMM, creativity, and teamwork. Our pupils designed, built, and programmed their own robots, putting months of hard work into action. Throughout the competition they: Formed alliances with teams from other schools to play the Mix & Match game and score as many points as possible. Took on the Driver Skills Challenge, showcasing precision and control. Demonstrated their coding expertise in the Autonomous Programming Challenge. Completed four technical interviews with industry professionals, speaking confidently about their engineering decisions and problem‑solving approaches. We are incredibly proud to announce that our pupils won the ‘Create Award’ for innovative robot design! Even more excitingly, by winning this award they have qualified to compete at the VEX World Finals in St. Louis, Missouri at the end of April - an extraordinary achievement and a testament to their creativity, teamwork, and determination. Well done to all four pupils - what an unforgettable milestone!
By Sonja Mitchell March 10, 2026
ROTATOR is Jakob Rowlinson's first institutional project, presented as an installation at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and a solo exhibition, REVIVER at The Art House, Wakefield
More Posts