Betfry's Qype profile

Neatishead C of E Primary School is the school that I attended all those years ago (although back then it was called V.C Primary School). When I went there, there was a headteacher that was quite incompetent, and in the end resigned before she got fired. After that, we were put on special measures and got a super headteacher in to fix it up. He did a great job (although he was only temporary) and the quality rocketed. After that we got a much better headteacher and everything went smoothly. Now the school has yet another headteacher, who is fantastic and really cares about the children.
It really is a tiny school- when I went, it had 84 pupils and I was one of 7 people in the whole year group. Now I think it has even less- about 67- which means that the pupils get lots of attention from the teachers and are more focused in class.
The year groups range from Reception to year 6, then the pupils move on to high school.
This school places great importance on learning about Norfolk and the history of Norfolk, and I remember going on great school trips such as a ride on “Ra”, the solar panelled boat on the broads and (well, they seemed exciting back then!) the fantastic ponddipping trips, not to mention all the sailing trips on the Norfolk broads.

Ye Olde Saddlery is a small restaurant situated in the village of Neatishead. The place used to be quite dingy and unwelcoming, but it has now been spruced up and is a comfortable and enjoyable experience. The food is nice, atmosphere is good and at very reasonable prices. In the summer, there is an outdoor dining option, but when it’s too cold you eat inside. The building has quite low ceilings, which I don’t like, but of course other people might not mind.
Inside, it has pictures of the Norfolk Broads, sailing boats, etc., which all add to the “rural aesthetic”. Now does great vegetarian food, whereas before it was the pizza with the salami picked off.

This man (real name Dave Perry, I think) is truly an artist. Most days he can be found near Primark with one or two unidentifiable puppets on his hands and a tape recorder, staring down at the floor and weakly moving the puppets to big band music or Elvis Presley records. For variety, he also sometimes wears a black wig and sings into a microphone (still with puppets). I’ve seen him on postcards, websites, and there is even a Facebook site devoted to him. I saw a Radio Broadland thundergirl interviewing him, and I really think he’s got fame sorted out. First Norwich, then the world!

Oxfam is the biggest charity shop cooperation, and it shows through their huge range of options and sizes. Apparently, people give lots more things to Oxfam than to other charity sops, like Sue Ryder. This makes it easier to bag a bargain! I recently bought Cliff Richard’s autobiography as a joke present for my friend- I thought it would be funny, but I was not going to pay the full £17 RRP at Waterstones. So I went along to Oxfam and hey! £1.50.
The clothing is usually good quality and plenty of it is fashionable (although I admit some articles are…an aquired taste) and of course the main thing: cheap as chips. To some people the main thing may of course be the fact that it all goes to charity and makes a difference to the world…but to me that’s just an added bonus!

We all know that Starbucks is renowned for its coffee, but as a non-coffee drinker (yeuch) I wouldn’t know. I am, however, a tea lover, and the tea served at Starbucks is…average at best. At £2.50 a mug, I expected something better. That being said, the cakes and treats always look delicious, and it takes all my willpower to avoid buying a £3 square of millionaire’s shortbread everytime we go in. However, the staff at Starbucks seem really relaxed about the general “no imported food” rule in cafés, so I often go for the cheap option- buy cake at Sainsburys, eat in Starbucks! The seating is great- comfortable leather seats that can be pulled six around a table and nobody seems to mind. I prefer sitting on the top floor, watching the world go by and eating my imported cake whilst laughing at the fact that I just saved myself £2.
Starbucks also give away their used coffee grounds for free, which can be used as fertiliser for plants, which is very useful if you’re into gardening (I got some for my dad).

Paperchase is just about my favourite place to get stationery. I know that sounds a little sad, but the quality is seriously impressive and the designs are always beautiful. From intricate floral patterns embossed on the covers of fat spiral bound journals to adorable anime-style monsters on PVC pencil cases, this is the mother of all stationery stores and deserves to be worshipped.
It also sells bags, wrapping paper, lunchboxes and filing systems, which are (of course) beautiful to look at.
However, I admit that I would choose a recycled paper pad from Sainsburys (99p) than the one at Paperchase (£2.50) purely for cost reasons, but if I were a little richer…
They also stock fantastic arts and crafts materials, for example some tiny rainbow pegs I bought (although still not sure what to use them for!) and crystal sticky-back hearts.
This place is a wonderland of stationery, so if you feel like purchasing some high-quality wrapping paper, get going!

Borders have just about everything I like in a shop- books, music, games, stationery and Starbucks!
There is a great range of books, all neatly catergorised into easy-to-find sections, plenty of music, games for every console I can think of, the beautiful Paperchase stationery and of course a nice cup of coffee waiting at Starbucks.
I think that the things that are the best value are the pre-owned games. Recently I bought “Spyro the Dragon: Quest for the eggs” (or something) for £4.99 on PS2 for my little sister, who never suspected it was preowned (until I told her) and thought it was the best Christmas present I’d ever got for her. For new it would probably cost around £25-£30.
Anyway, my point is, this is a great shop. Did I mention the staff are really friendly and always helpful? Even at Christmastime, when other employees might be a bit stressy, I found those working at Borders to be polite and relaxed (despite the huge queue…although they can’t really do anything about that)

Clinton Cards has a wide range of cards, gifts etc, so is always useful in a birthday/Christmas situation. Many times I have bought a present, been to Clintons for a bag and card and then met the person whose birthday it is and given it to them, all in under 10 minutes. Very useful when you’re in a rush, and all at a great price!

Bridewell Museum is a fantastic place to visit in Norwich, especially with children. It is a lot smaller than the Castle Museum, so is enjoyable in a different way. I didn’t know about the redevelopment, but when I went there last (for work experience) I helped set up a shoe shop for children to play in, complete with working till and fake paper money. This is part of the shoe exhibition, which shows “shoes through the ages”, much more exciting than it sounds!
As well as all this, the museum also offers a tour guide, which because the museum is so small, is more personal and friendly. Each child recieves a backpack filled with goodies such as a “scavenger hunt” type questionnaire, various other activities, crayons and colouring pencils and their very own feedback form. I know that every single form is looked at, because when I was working there even a form that was filled out:
Name: poo
Date: poo
Comments: poo
etc, was analysed and then filed in the “negative feedback” section (significantly smaller than the positive!)
Anyway, I don’t know how it will change in 2010, but I expect it will only get better!

Norwich Castle Museum is a fantastic oppurtunity to see a wide range of exhibits and take in lots of interesting facts. The art and design department (where I worked on work experience!) is fantastic and the layout is perfect, giving information in an informative and creative way that will capture a child’s imagination.
The “try it yourself” exhibits, such as the chariot that children can take a ride on in the Boudica section, are also a fun way to get involved and experience the history.
The ancient egyptian room has an impressive mummy, complete with x-rays of the inside and the original sarcophagus. It also contains a mummified cat, bird and various examples of egyptian jewellery.
Having enjoyed plenty of school trips here as a child, I really feel that this is an enjoyable and educational experience.
The art galleries are also fantastic, the paintings are often changed (remember I worked there, I’ve seen the storage rooms!), so going more than once will still be worth it.
The £1 for an hour offer at the end of the day is great value, though I still recommend taking the dungeon tour- seeing the actual dungeons is amazing and from my experience the tour guides are always enthusiastic and the tour group enjoy his/her guides thoroughly.
In short: What a cool place. You should definitely go there.