Headteacher's Bulletin - Friday, September 19th 2025
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Sunday saw our annual Leaver's production; Aladdin junior and it was a roaring success! Mrs Greenaway oversaw the production and has written this report:
This was the last chance for some of our students to tread the boards on the Cripps Stage. Not only is it a chance to collaborate with peers and entertain friends, family, staff and students in a last hurrah but on top of all the usual things associated with putting on a show such as learning lines, songs and choreography we decided to add the challenge of doing it in 12 days from start to finish!!! The read through was scheduled on September 2nd through to the performance on the 14th , which was the first day we were able to rehearse with a full cast! It is full on, it can be stressful, it can be tiring but it is so much fun and so rewarding - the students rose to the occasion and worked tirelessly together to create a fantastic show which brought so much joy and laughter. Their focus and energy was awesome; they were in the moment and enjoying every second. Their dedication was rewarded with a fantastic audience who whooped, cheered and clapped at every opportunity.
"I was blown away by Sunday's performance- first rate brilliance. Loved it. Thank you for such a great pick me up- the students were phenomenal."
Ms Morrison
It was a pleasure working and laughing with them and what took less than 2 weeks to create will last long in the memory and will be a reminder that when you put your mind to it, anything and everything is possible. Thank you to the students and staff involved and farewell to our leavers - off to "A Whole New World"! Sorry I couldn't resist - keep in touch!
The House Cup for 2024/25 was awarded to Brightwell House in their assembly this week. Mrs Greenaway, who leads the House System, reports on an epic year of House competition:
Brightwell pipped Chipsey to the post by just 11.5 points - so close!!! During the year Chipsey won Sports Day and Brightwell won the Arts House competition and Sixth Form Sports Day whilst Manley managed to acquire the most Merits and Commendations, however, every House saw victory at some point across a wide range of competitions including curriculum, extra-curricular and sports. Chipsey thought they might have it in the bag after Sports Day as they edged into the lead but one week later the lead had switched and at one point there was just 0.5 in it! After analysing the results, it became clear that it was the taking part that counted...with Chipsey losing out on 20 valuable points for not fielding a team in just two events over the year whereas Brightwell were represented in every competition and that was the difference between winners and runners up - a valuable lesson learned! And so, it begins again, a clean slate with everything to play for.
Our Head Boy - Charlie Townsend and Head Girl - Ellie Watkins and the wider student leadership team deserve great credit for the exceptional manner in which they carried out one of their first official functions in their new roles this week. On Monday and Wednesday evening we welcomed circa two thousand parents / carers of Year 6 boys who are interested in applying for NSB Year 7 entry in September 2026. The leadership team as a whole expertly supported the logistics of the event and Ellie and Charlie delivered outstanding speeches, focusing on the rich opportunities that NSB students enjoy - both of which were warmly received by the capacity audiences. Next week we welcome the parents / carers back for our Open Morning Tours.
The new term welcomes a new season of adventures in reading. Our termly reading lists are now available on the link below. They are intended to provide suggested wider reading linked to the school curriculum, to develop and extend your child's interests, enjoyment and reading skill. Term 1 is connected with the reading gifts that were excitedly received by our new year 7 students on their first day at school. We hope they are enjoying reading them and preparing for the tutor group house competition associated with their chosen books.
There was a wonderful surprise for Year 11 student Michal Wojcik, who last week won Northamptonshire's 'Young Hero' award (see last week's Bulletin for the full write up). Off the back of winning the award, Michal and his younger brother Jakub gave an interview on BBC London Radio on Wednesday morning, with Ed Sheeran joining them both as a guest!
The First XV had two huge away fixtures this week which were stern tests of their credentials as one of the leading U18 sides in the country. There was an electric atmosphere in Ipswich under lights on Friday night in The Schools Championship and after a close first half, NSB's bench dominated the second half to record a comfortable 30-17 victory. This scoring pattern was followed on Tuesday in the National Cup when a similarly lively crowd at Bedford School saw the home side put up stern resistance in the first half before NSB exploited a tiring defence to run away as 52-19 winners . Well done also to the U18 Basketball Team who pipped local rivals Moulton College by 3 points (83-80) on Wednesday.
Richard Bernard
Headteacher
