Artists from a WNAT school impressed art lovers when they showcased their talents at an exhibition held in Hunstanton Town Hall.

Eighteen GCSE Art students from Smithdon High School were exhibiting their creative work, which featured an array of different media from biro, pencils, and prints, to textiles and oil paintings.

“The exhibition was named ‘Gatherings’, after the project title students were given in their exam project,” explained Sian Wheeler, who is Head of Art and Design and Technology at the school.

“Each student had two of their final pieces on display which were from coursework and exam projects.

“The students created work from the themes of ‘Reflection’, ‘Similarities and Differences’, and ‘Gatherings’.”

It was the third year that the show had been held at the Town Hall, with more than 200 visitors attending across a two-day period.

“The public feedback on the exhibition as a whole, praised the work of our talented Smithdon students,” continued Mrs Wheeler.

 “A few pieces were mentioned often as stand-out – Ava M’s woven piece, Rhenaya C’s colour pencil Candy Canes, and Megan M’s biro tiger.”

Another highlight was a drawing installation that had been created by more than 300 primary school children, alongside Smithdon students, and to which visitors could contribute, enabling it to grow and evolve throughout the exhibition.

Staff involved in the event included Smithdon Deputy Head Sarah Robinson and Assistant Head Alysha Moat. They were also joined by professional artist – and former Smithdon student – Emily Chapman, who was on hand to select a winner for the Emily Chapman Art Award, which will be presented at a Year 11 Awards Evening in November.

“The public were in awe of the talent and work produced at Smithdon, with many asking if work was for sale, or which students were going on to study Art further,” added Mrs Wheeler.

“This event is so important in raising the profile of the arts. It enables people to see the students in a different light, and their talents.”

A WNAT teacher can boast an impressive ‘claim to fame’, after he took part in a prestigious exhibition alongside Banksy and a host of other iconic names from the world of street art.

Lee Eveson, Head of Art at Springwood High School in King’s Lynn – and a successful artist in his own right – was invited to showcase his talents in a street art exhibition held at the Undercroft Gallery in Norwich.

Bringing together internationally renowned street artists from across the globe, ‘Banksy to Bitcoin’ comprised over 150 original pieces from names such as Ben Eine, Mason Storm, Shepard Fairey, DFace, Jeff Gillette, Ralph Steadman, Taqi Spateen, Yazan Abu Salameh, Mr Hansel & Mr Crypto, Li Xin Hui, and YOTET, as well as Banksy himself, and Mr Eveson, who works under the name EVES.  

Produced on canvas using acrylic, spray paint, and mixed media, the three paintings he exhibited were titled ‘Why’, ‘Shelter’, and ‘NOT 3’, and were shown alongside exhibits which included Banksy’s ‘Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem’, and relics from his infamous ‘bemusement park’, ‘Dismaland’.

The exhibition, which ran from 11 to 18 August and was organised by Urban Art Store in association with MOBA (Museum of Blockchain Art), and also featured a full-scale pop-up of ‘Enter Through the Gift Shop’, complete with ‘absurd’ collectables and exclusive merchandise, with proceeds going to the Gift Shop in Bethlehem charity.

“The show was one big highlight,” said Mr Eveson, who was asked to contribute by Urban Art Store CEO Lee Webster.

“It was the largest collection of contemporary street art that I had ever seen. I was slightly flabbergasted when I saw the scale of what Lee had curated, and where he had managed to gather the enormity of work – especially from artists like Banksy, and Shepard Fairey, whose Barack Obama portrait was seen all over the world.

“I was especially pleased to have my work next to DFace, who has been one of my favourite street artists for years.”

Springwood is known for its strong Art offering, and students past and present were keen to view Mr Eveson’s work.

“It was brilliant to catch up with many ex-students who visited the exhibition,” he continued. “It was so pleasing to hear their fond memories of Springwood and how it has helped shape them and their future careers.

“I was very pleased to spend some time at the exhibition with Molly Holmes, who was one of the students who first gave me the nickname ‘EVES’ 13 years ago at Springwood. It’s the pseudonym I adopted for my art, and a nickname which I still get from staff and some students in the Sixth Form.”

“I think it’s important as artists that we observe and make comments on the world around us,” he added. “For me, on a personal level, I want to show students that if you work hard and are determined, you will be successful.

“I want to inspire students in the classroom through my teaching, and through the example I set outside the classroom in my art practice too.”

Primary school pupils got a taste of the next stage in their education when a WNAT secondary school opened its doors for the day on Friday 11 July.

Smithdon High School in Hunstanton welcomed around 130 pupils to its Year 5 Experience Day, with participating primaries including fellow Trust members Heacham Junior and Snettisham, along with Hunstanton, Docking, Brancaster, Sandringham and West Newton, Flitcham, and Dersingham.

“During the day, they took part in three activities,” said Smithdon Deputy Headteacher Sarah Robinson, who organised the event. “These ranged from creating a collaborative artwork, to the Egg Drop Challenge, to a workout in Smithdon’s Fitness Suite.

“We also had some drama activities happening, and some great coding work going on in ICT.”

Other Smithdon staff members meeting the visitors included Headteacher Amanda Gibbins, and Alysha Moat, who is Assistant Head of Key Stage 3. The children were also joined by some of the school’s Year 9 students, who offered additional support during the visit.

“We have run a Year 5 transition event for well over ten years,” continued Mrs Robinson. “It is well established in our calendar and one of the key events in collaboration with our primary partners.”

“This is part of our wide-ranging transition programme, where we work with all our feeder primary schools to build links and make the transition process at the end of Year 6 as smooth as possible,” she added.

“By the time the students come up to us for our Year 5 day, they have already been up to Smithdon in Year 4 for a sports event, and have met a lot of our teachers during Art, Science, and Reading outreach activities held in the primary schools.

“Transition to high school is a huge event in a child’s life, so the more comfortable we can make our students feel by running events like these, the better.”

Children from schools across the West Norfolk Academies Trust came together to showcase their talents at the annual WNAT Dance Festival, which this year took as its theme ‘Musicals’.

Hosted by WNAT member Springwood High School in King’s Lynn, the event featured Year 4 pupils from all six of our primary schools, including Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

Kate Whyborn from KLW Dance and Dance Wize choreographed the children’s performances, spending time at each of the schools in the run up to the show to help the pupils to prepare.

“Kate worked with the children weekly in each school,” said Emma Hunt, who is Executive Deputy Headteacher at Heacham at Snettisham.

“She chose the songs, choreographed the dances, led the rehearsals, and oversaw the final production.”

In keeping with the ‘Musicals’ theme, the dancers performed to a range of popular show tunes, which included ‘Juicy’ from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ‘Step in Time’ from Mary Poppins, ‘All in This Together’ from High School Musical, ‘Dancing Through Life’ from Wicked, ‘Friend Like Me’ from Aladdin, ‘Zero to Hero’ from Hercules, and ‘Revolting Children’ from Matilda.

“Events like this are important because they give students the chance to explore new skills and hobbies in a supportive environment,” added Mrs Whyborn. “They encourage students to step outside their comfort zones, build confidence, and discover that they are capable of doing hard or unfamiliar things.”

“These experiences also promote creativity, critical thinking, and the value of kindness and teamwork,” she continued.

“One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing students who may start off unsure or hesitant, grow into performers who are proud of their efforts and excited to share their achievements on stage.

“Events like this not only enrich the students’ personal development, but also bring schools and the wider community together in celebration and support.”

It was full speed ahead when budding engineers at a WNAT school gathered to design and race their own creations.

The entire Year 7 cohort at Springwood High School in King’s Lynn rose to the challenge of ‘Race to the Line’, a special Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) event, which was taking place for the second year running, thanks to the support of sponsors.

“The event was made possible by the generous sponsorship of local businesses that work with the Learning Partnership to fund all the resources needed to give students a hands-on design and engineering opportunity,” explained Springwood STEM Lead Victoria Mann.

“This year we were delighted to work with both Dodman Ltd, food processing equipment manufacturers, and Calvert Brain & Fraulo Ltd, consulting structural and civil engineers, to make this event happen.”

The day saw the students work together to design their own racing cars, which featured Styrofoam bodies and 3D-printed wheels, and were propelled by  carbon-dioxide canisters to race one another at high speed along parallel, fixed wire tracks.

“Each car was produced by a team of no more than four students, giving real hand-on opportunities,” continued Mrs Mann. “Races were grouped to allow cars to compete as past of their school houses, adding to the competition element of the day.

“We were able to build time into our curriculum to have all 280 of our Year 7 cohort take part in sessions centred around design and building of their CO2-powered cars, and racing them against one another.

“Thankfully, the weather was with us, and racing cars along 30m wire tracks could take place in the sunshine on one of our playgrounds.”

The activities were co-ordinated by Springwood Science Teacher Isabel Colley, with the support of the school’s Technology Department and other members of staff, along with Nathan Pack from Dodman, who was on hand to pick the winning finalists to participate in a Trust-wide Race to the Line competition.

“Our Year 7 students had an incredible time taking part in the Race to the Line challenge, where they designed and raced their very own home-made cars,” said Head of Year Emily Bunting. “The atmosphere was filled with excitement and healthy competition, as pupils put their creativity, teamwork, and engineering skills to the test.

“With perfect racing conditions and plenty of cheering from classmates, the event was a huge success. We are especially grateful to Dodman Ltd and Calvert Brain & Fraulo Ltd for their generous support in making this experience possible for our students.”

“The highlight of the day was seeing all our Year 7s counting down to the launch of the racers and cheering on their design in the hopes it would be the fastest in their race,” added Mrs Mann.

“Events like this are critical for expanding students’ skills and the opportunities beyond the curriculum. We have a fantastic STEM programme at Springwood that allows students to explore a wide range of opportunities linked to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, hopefully inspiring them to explore interests that they might not have initially gravitated to, and careers that they might not even have thought about.

“By engaging in events that involve whole cohorts of students, all are able to develop problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking, helping our students find success inside and outside the classroom.”

Young maths whizzes in West Norfolk were put through their paces when we held our annual Primary Maths Challenge on Thursday 3 July.

The West Norfolk Academies Trust event was hosted by Trust member Springwood High School in King’s Lynn, and saw Year 5 and 6 pupils from primary schools across the region work together in teams of four to solve a series of maths problems.

“Students were given four rounds: Group; Relay; Cross Numbers; and Shuttle,” explained WNAT Maths Lead Connie Loizou, who organised the Challenge with the assistance of colleagues Sylvilyn Forbes-Clake from WNAT and Springwood Maths Teacher Luke Rawlings, as well as a group of the school’s sixth formers.

“They had to work as a team to solve challenging maths problems using mathematical techniques they had already learnt and applying them to unfamiliar situations.”

Launched in 2018, the event featured eight schools this year, including WNAT primaries Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

First place went to St Martha’s, with each member of the winning team receiving a certificate from WNAT CEO Andy Johnson.

“The Primary Maths Challenge promotes mathematical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills,” added Ms Loizou.

“It also gives students the opportunity to compete against students from other schools in their area.”