On Wednesday, 10th July, the Norwich High Senior and Sixth Form community came together to mark the end of the 2023/24 academic year with Prizegiving. With our usual venue, St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich, currently closed for refurbishment, the event was held in a marquee on the Big Pitch at the school’s site at 95 Newmarket Road.

Chair of Governors, Mrs Liz Sillitoe, welcomed the assembled students, parents, staff and guests:

“Everyone should take this opportunity to reflect on the last year at school and feel proud of your achievements – we are as proud of the life skills you learn and develop as the academic success you achieve. It has been fantastic over the last year to see our goal as being the best place in East Anglia to educate girls increasingly realised and publicly recognised. I would urge students to continue to grasp every opportunity and challenge presented to them. To those leaving us, you will always be a member of our warm and talented community of alumnae and will always be assured of a warm welcome here.”

Liz welcomed Head of Norwich High School for Girls, Miss Alison Sefton, to the stage. Alison welcomed The Lord Mayor, Deputy Lieutenant, other honoured guests and the school community, before summarising another busy year at Norwich High.

Alison mentioned highlights from the year, including art workshops; a Classics trip to Greece and a win for the Upper 3 in the annual Latin play competition in Cambridge; our second Hack-her-thon, this time in collaboration with Aviva where we were joined by over 50 girls from schools across Norfolk to participate in a day of coding and cyber challenges; National Poetry Day, on the theme of ‘Refuge’; many sporting achievements; and a host of Musical performances – the Carol Service, the Choral Concert, Scholars’ and Ensemble Concerts, as well as community outreach. 

Alison went on to reflect on our traditional school motto – ‘Do thy best and rejoice in those who do better’. She explained how we encourage students to put this into practice by being kind to themselves and others, setting their own goals and working hard to achieve them. 

“Remember, every one of you has a unique journey. Your paths will be different, and that’s okay. What matters is that you stay true to yourselves, do your best, and support each other along the way. In conclusion, strive to be your best self and celebrate the achievements of those around you. When you do this, you create a world where everyone can shine. And believe me, the world needs your light.” 

Alison introduced the keynote speakers to the stage; two women who have excelled in their field and achieved great things, alumna Helen Seymour (Class of 1997) and her colleague, Rosie Steevenson. Both women have had distinguished careers in the Royal Air Force and shared with us stories of their time in the RAF as pilot and navigator respectively. Helen was the first female Typhoon pilot in the RAF and she and Rosie then flew together as one of very few female crews in the world.

Helen shared the experiences and insights she gained in the traditionally male environment of the military, with the aim of inspiring and encouraging the students listening to go for their dreams, whatever they may be. She explained how she decided to be a pilot in the Royal Air Force after discovering the air cadets as a club outside of school. She applied while still at Norwich High Sixth Form but failed the initial aptitude tests. Not being used to failure, she used this experience as motivation to try harder, and eventually was offered the chance to fly fast jets through the air squadron at her University. She loved flying, and also the chance to prove wrong the perception that it was a job for a man. Her experiences taught her the importance of trust, team work, integrity and keeping a cool head under pressure. Her biggest achievement was returning as a full time fighter pilot after taking maternity leave with her daughter. 

Rosie shared her motivation for going into aviation, which started as a 12 year old and led her through the air cadets into studying Aerospace Engineering at university. Rosie was devastated to not pass the medical to be a pilot, but also decided to take failure as a stepping stone to success and reframe it. 

“I realised I needed to readjust my aims and goals slightly and aim for something slightly different. I found the world hadn’t stopped just because I wasn’t able to be a pilot. So I decided to accept a new branch for a career as a Navigator in the Royal Air Force where I would still get to fly and have fun.”

Rosie talked about the leader of her air squadron at university, who championed her to keep flying and keep her aim of entering the Royal Air Force. 

Rosie went on to talk through the RAF training process she encountered over five years in the build up to flying fast jets.

“We were flying every day, sometimes twice a day, and were assessed every time and everything counts towards your future career. Pass or fail. If you fail you can be removed from the training scheme. We used to say: ‘train hard, fight easy’; if we were ever needed in a combat situation, you’d have the tools to fall back on from the training. The consequences of failure were necessarily harsh as the stakes were so high. We had to constantly adapt to change which built resilience. I loved the flying and that’s what helped get me through.”

Rosie highlighted the importance of having a wingwoman – someone who spots threats and weaknesses before you know they are there. She explained that this could also be a mentor; to help, guide and constructively challenge you to become the best version of yourself. She asked the audience to think about who their wingwoman might be.

Helen finished by acknowledging that you need to develop tools and techniques to help deal with stressful situations.

Rosie finished by saying:

 “Your journey begins here. If you don’t get your grades there will be different opportunities and new doors will open. You may need to readjust your flight plan. There are some exceptionally talented girls here, but it is also about mindset; work hard and don’t forget to play hard. Your parents and teachers might give you your wings but now it is your turn to fly.” 

The Head Girl team went on to introduce the prizes, with Mrs Helen Dolding reading out the names of prize winners and our guest speakers Helen and Rosie awarding them. Outgoing Head Girl, Erin Wilcox, gave a vote of thanks with incoming Head Girl, Inayah Alam, leading the singing of the school hymn, To Be a Pilgrim.

Alison finished the ceremony by awarding long service awards to colleagues recognising service to the school for over 25 years. They were: Dr Charlotte Ellerby, Mrs Alison Hart, Mr Aaron Brown, Ms Nicola Chapman, Mrs Mandy Davey and Mrs Wendy Prescott. She also wished Mr Jepson and Dr Heseleden a happy retirement. 

Miss Sefton finished with a message to the Class of 2024: 

“Your achievements, some of which we have celebrated today, are made by you – you the individual, you the collective – the bold, confident and curious people you are. Some days, as an individual, you might not feel bold, confident or curious but remember you are a Norwich High alumna, you have a network of friends here and across the GDST, and know that if you put your mind to something, you can do it. You have made the most of every opportunity that Norwich High has given you, make sure you continue to make the most of the opportunities that are put before you and, if there isn’t an opportunity, go and make one. I wish you all the very best for your futures. Thank you and good luck to the Class of 2024! I can’t wait to see the amazing things you’ll all accomplish!”