Young book lovers at a West Norfolk Academies Trust school have raised more than £100 to promote reading among their classmates.

The pupils at Gaywood Primary held a second-hand book sale on Wednesday 18 June, with all money raised going to buy equipment to enable outdoor reading at the school in sunnier weather.

“The book sale took place during breaktime on the school playground, and was led by the Reading Leaders,” explained Chloe Sneath, who is English Lead at the school and oversaw the event.

“The school Reading Leaders are children from Years 3 to 6,” she continued. “There are a total of nine Reading Leaders who applied to become Reading Leaders at the start of the year. They have aimed to promote a love of reading throughout the school.

“We created a message to parents to ask them to bring in donations. The children also delivered a whole-school assembly to share the aim of the book sale with the other children, which was to raise money to purchase picnic blankets, beanbags, and outdoor books – all to help pupils enjoy reading in the sunshine during the warmer months.”

Books donated ranged from fiction and non-fiction to poetry and comic books, and the sale continued after school to enable friends and family to buy books for younger siblings and other family members.

Across the two sessions, the children sold more than 200 ‘pre-loved’ books, and made an impressive total of £101.50 for their cause.

“These events are important for promoting a love of reading among children and within the community,” added Mrs Sneath.

“They give children access to a wide range of new literature, while also being environmentally friendly by encouraging the sharing of second-hand books.”

Generous students from St Clement’s High School organised a collection to support the work of a local foodbank after learning about its role.

Project manager at King’s Lynn Foodbank, Helen Gilbert was invited to the school to  speak to students about the reasons people may find themselves in need of support.

Inspired by the presentation she gave, the Year 7 students launched a collection drive to support the work of the charity, and they collected more than 400 items, from essential tinned goods to toiletries and long-life food items.

“They had the opportunity to personally deliver the donation to the foodbank, seeing first-hand the impact of their generosity. The food weighed in at 161.7kg and helped to provide eight, emergency three-day parcels to local families,” said Emily Cawston, Year 7 Pastoral and Safeguarding officer at the school.

The Lynn foodbank is run by the Trussell charity and relies on volunteers and donations to keep running. It provides three days of emergency food for people in King’s Lynn and supports 113 agencies and charities in the network while signposting people to services and support.

“In the last ten years, the need for a foodbank in King’s Lynn has more than doubled, and continues to grow. Most of our referrals come from four wards in the town and the most cited reasons are the rising cost of essentials, impact of a health condition, debt or benefit delay,” says the website.

For more information, see kingslynn.foodbank.org.uk 

Two more of our students are heading for a career in medicine after securing places to study from this autumn.

Madeleine Smith is hoping for a future career in restorative dentistry and is looking forward to starting her five-year course in Plymouth.

Joining us in Year 12, Madeleine said she was drawn to the hands-on and practical side of dentistry which set it apart from other healthcare careers.

“There’s no one in my family who works in healthcare, so I’ve really relied on the support of Springwood to help me through the application process, especially when preparing for the entry exam.  The support from staff and the opportunities I’ve had have really shaped who I am,” she said.

The 18-year-old says if anyone is considering a career in medicine and dentistry, they should have as much work experience as they can get.

“Whether it’s in a healthcare setting, or at a part-time job, these experiences help you develop soft skills like communication and empathy, which are so essential. Interviewers really look for these qualities,” she said.

Meanwhile, Harry Malton, who also joined in Year 12, is hoping for a career in cardiology when he has completed his studies which start with a biomedicine degree from the University of East Anglia in Norwich. 

Once he has completed the degree, he would like to study medicine via a post-graduate for medicine route - which would lead him towards becoming a cardiologist. Although he may stay with his biomedicine degree and study for a PhD in the subject.

“I have a big passion for helping people and the idea of having a long-lasting impact on someone’s life is very intriguing for me. I will be the first person in my family to study at university and I am looking forward to the environment and all the people I will get to meet,” he said.

“The staff at Springwood have been very helpful in my application through aiding my admissions test and my personal statement. The most enjoyable part of my education at the school has been the people I have met and the teachers who have helped me,” he added.

Also pictured is Colby Wood who has been accepted to study medicine at Birmingham University and is the subject of a separate story on our website.

Students from a WNAT school carried flags that they had designed themselves to take part in the town’s historic Hanse Parade.

Eight Year 7 students from Springwood High School were invited by the Mayor of King’s Lynn, Andy Bullen, to join the event on Sunday 15 June, which forms part of the annual Hanse Festival celebrating King’s Lynn’s heritage as the first British member of Die Hanse, forerunner of the modern Hanse League.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of when the town rejoined the Hanseatic League, with the festival weekend including live music, historical re-enactments, mediaeval markets and food fairs, and family-friendly crafts and activities, as well as the Parade.

“The Hanse is an active network of cities and towns across Europe, which historically belonged to the Hanseatic League,” explained Springwood’s Senior Assistant Head and Head of Year 7, Rebecca Davies-Mays, who accompanied the students, along with the school’s Deputy Headteacher, Richard Thompson, Year 7 Manager Charlotte Isle, and Assistant Head of Year 7 Emily Bunting.

Starting in Tuesday Market Place, the Hanse Parade took a route through the town via High Street, Saturday Market Place, Hanse House, College Lane, and the South Quay, to finish in King’s Staithe Square.

“Year 7 designed flags to represent the different countries that are part of the Hanse,” continued Mrs Davies-Mays. “The students then walked carrying these flags. The flags will make up a display at Hanse House.”

It was the first time that the school had taken part in the event.

“It is important that we highlight and celebrate King’s Lynn’s rich history with our students and ensure that it is passed on to the next generation,” added Mrs Davies-Mays.

“I think it is important that students are aware of their local history, as it has shaped the town and the community that we have today.

“Being invited to take part in events like this supports the "being part of the community" message that we instil in Springwood students."

A group of Year 8 pupils from all four high schools in our Trust joined forces when they were challenged to design the medal which would be cast in aluminium at a specialist company.

The secondary school students worked with SKF Cooper, a company in South Lynn with a long history of engineering and invention.

The students from Springwood, Smithdon, Marshland and St Clement’s High Schools used Computer Aided Design techniques to make a pattern using a 3D printer.

The teams then met at Smithdon, in Hunstanton, to cast the designs in aluminium, working with Nigel Willingham, Headteacher and Design and Technology teacher at St Clement’s High School.

“It was great to see students from across the Trust working together to create these products. Casting is not seen in many schools so we were delighted to be able to offer our students the opportunity to see this engineering process in action,” he said.

Prior to launching the project, teachers from the Trust visited the SKF Cooper site to see the casting process being used in an industrial setting. They also completed additional safety training to ensure they were qualified to teach the process to students.

“I’m grateful to Gary Hellard from SKF Cooper who has supported us throughout the project and came to work with the students and judge the outcomes on casting day,” said Mr Willingham.

All the students were rewarded with SKF water bottles and the four winners also received caps and chocolate bearings.

“The students have all been brilliant throughout the day and worked really hard. We hope to see some of them applying for our apprenticeships in a few years. Engineering skills are still very much in demand and it’s been great to see the design and technology teachers come together to deliver this project,” said Mr Hellard.

Cooper was established by Thomas Cooper, an inventor and brilliant engineer in 1894 in King’s Lynn. His first major invention was a revolutionary steam digger for use in arable farming. 

After his death and throughout the second half of the 20th Century, it has focused on the ground-breaking split bearing he designed in 1907.

A trio of our students are heading to Oxbridge later this year, and they are all set to take up their places at two of the most famous universities in the world.

Reading music, computer science and chemical engineering, their subjects may be diverse but the Springwood High School students all have one thing in common as they are all grateful for the support they have received.

Sean Senevirante didn’t think he was Oxbridge material, but he is heading to Cambridge University’s Fitzwilliam College for computer science and it is the culmination of a lifelong fascination with how computers work.

“Having attended multiple schools in both the UK and Sri Lanka, I can confidently say that the most outstanding aspect of Springwood High School is the exceptionally supportive and friendly teachers,” he said.

“I’m excited to specialise in computer science and develop a deeper understanding that will help me choose my eventual field. Currently, I’m drawn to robotics, computer vision and artificial intelligence.”

Charlotte Norman has been awarded a place at Oxford University to read her chosen subject from the autumn, and is hoping to work in music therapy - although she says her career aspirations change regularly.

“I was completely in shock and couldn’t believe it,” she said, “After my GCSE results, I didn’t believe that I could receive an offer. It wasn’t until I got my December mock results that my brother said I should look at Oxbridge courses.”

“I had an overwhelming amount of support in boosting my personal statement, especially pinpointing my extra and super curriculars. The school also provided information on how to approach interviews, and gave me a mock interview which reflected the real thing well,” she said.

There is a musical gene in the Norman family as her father, Robin, is the director of music for both Springwood and the Trust, and has worked extensively in the industry. He spent time as a professional tuba player and is also a former student at Springwood.

With both parents working in the field of chemical engineering, West Norfolk student Juan Camilo Cervantes-Torres was destined to be drawn to the subject.

He has been accepted into Cambridge’s Trinity College and has ambitions within the field where both parents have senior roles with international organisations, but neither have been to an Oxbridge university.

“The first thing I did was hug my step dad and brother. I then called my mother who was on a work trip and then called my dad who woke up at 5am to get my call. I was extremely happy,” he said.

Being a student at Springwood since Year 7 has played an important role in his university choice and he said his chances of being accepted would have been much lower without the help and support he received.

“I have made friends for life at Springwood and have been exposed to new experiences I wouldn’t have discovered on my own,” he said.

He advises all students coming into sixth form to make the most of all the free resources on the internet, particularly YouTube footage from Oxbridge students on specific courses.

“They can help you make a more educated decision on your future. You’re  better off learning about Oxbridge and the process, and then choosing not to apply rather than not try in the first place.”