Spelling whizzes went head to head in an annual Trust competition, where pupils from ten schools were challenged to showcase their skills.

The West Norfolk Academies Trust Primary Spelling Bee featured 30 Key Stage 2 children from Years 3 to 6 across our member primary schools, which included Clenchwarton, Walpole Cross Keys, West Lynn, Gaywood, Snettisham, and Heacham Junior, alongside Terrington St John, Tilney St Lawrence, Walpole Highway, and West Walton from the Windmill Federation.

The event took place at Heacham Junior School and was overseen by Emma Hunt, who is WNAT English Lead as well as Executive Headteacher at the Windmill Federation.

“The event forms part of a programme of activities organised by the Trust throughout the academic year,” she said. “These events are designed to build pupils’ confidence, provide opportunities to interact and socialise with peers from other schools within the Trust, develop new skills, and, above all, ensure that pupils enjoy themselves.”

It was the fourth time the Spelling Bee had taken place, with three entrants from each primary qualifying via previous stages held in individual classes and schools. Primary Trust Assistant Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) Darren Furzey was on hand to call out the words.

Mrs Hunt continued: “Pupils pick a number from a hat  – this matches a chair for competitors to sit in. Spellings are called out and individuals answer. They remain in the competition until they spell a word incorrectly, then they sit down until a winner is found.”

Words successfully tackled by this year’s competitors included ‘accommodate’, ‘government’, ‘sincerely’, and ‘quadrilateral’, while the winner was Olivia from Clenchwarton, who correctly spelled ‘accomplishment’ to win a Kindle Fire tablet. Everyone participating received a certificate and chocolate.

Mrs Hunt added: “The Spelling Bee is a particularly valuable event, as it helps pupils develop a deeper understanding of the English language, while expanding their vocabulary.

Beyond learning to spell words correctly, participation encourages planning, preparation, perseverance, and effective study habits, all of which contribute to pupils’ overall academic development.”

There was a treat in store for music lovers, when musicians from the West Norfolk Academies Trust came together for a Piano Recital.

The performance featured pianists from across our primary and secondary schools, and took place at Springwood High School in King’s Lynn.

Besides host Springwood, other participating high schools included Marshland in West Walton, St Clement’s in Terrington St Clement, and Smithdon in Hunstanton, while among the primaries taking part were Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

“Performers represented a broad range of students, from debut and initial-level performers, through to diploma-level pianists,” said our Peripatetic Music Lead, Benjamin Howell, who oversaw the event, with the support of Trust staff including CEO Andy Johnson, and Director of Music Robin Norman.

“One of the lovely aspects of the recital was the variety of repertoire featured, spanning everything from pop and contemporary music, through to Baroque and classical works,” he continued.

“We also included several piano duets within the programme, which always add a particularly engaging dimension to the evening.”

Musical events are held regularly within our Trust, with a previous piano recital having taken place in the Autumn Term.

“Events such as these form an important part of the wider musical journey across the Trust, providing valuable stepping stones towards both short- and long-term goals for our students,” added Mr Howell.

“This very much reflects the ethos of the WNAT Peri Team this year: Practice, Progress, Performance.”

A St Clement’s High School student’s project benefited from a voice of experience, when she interviewed a former Leader of the House of Lords about women in politics.

Leah Barton, who is in Year 10 at the school, spoke to Conservative Life Peer Baroness Evans of Bowes Park as part of her GCSE Citizenship project in which she was investigating the unequal representation of women in politics.

“The focus of the interview was to understand more about unequal representation of women in politics and how it can affect women wanting to get into politics or standing as a candidate in an election,” she explained. “I asked Baroness Evans about her personal opinion and perspective of unequal representation, and what she thinks could be done to improve the divide from a young age.

“She said that social media plays a big part in this, due to abuse targeted at women and pressures from the public; however, she did say that attitudes and stereotypes have improved. She thinks that schools should create more opportunities for young girls to become more politically engaged, through bringing MPs into school and having more discussions about politics.

“Overall, women in politics are very under-represented, where stereotypes and criticism are a high influence on women, and if support was given to women when starting, it can give them more confidence to have as they go through the process of being a candidate, and encourage them to believe they can win and become a councillor or MP at some point, if they have the true courage.”

Baroness Evans was made a Life Peer in 2014, and served as Leader of the House of Lords from 2016 to 2022. Her husband, James Wild, is the Member of Parliament for North West Norfolk.

Due to a last-minute commitment, the interview was conducted over the phone, where St Clement’s Head of Citizenship, Abigail Morton, was on hand to facilitate proceedings.

“Leah’s target in particular was to gain specific insight into the perspectives of women currently involved in politics, as to whether women are under-represented, whether they are elected representatives themselves, women working within political parties, or female candidates in local elections,” she said.

“Her aim is to gather a wide range of ideas, views, and opinions, through both primary and secondary research, in order to write a report to show her findings. Her findings will conclude whether or not there is inequality in politics based on gender.”

Other Citizenship projects at St Clement’s, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, have seen students take part in fundraising, campaign on issues affecting the area, and volunteer within the community.

Mrs Morton continued: “Year 10 GCSE Citizenship students are all currently working on their Active Citizenship Investigations at the moment. This is an independent project which is 15 per cent of their total grade. They have to choose a topic of interest and either carry out an investigation into an issue, or carry out a form of advocacy to make a difference in the community or in wider society.

“We have students raising money for various charities, we have students raising awareness of the impact of potholes on young people in the community, students volunteering to visit the residents at Terrington Lodge Care Home, and this is just some of the outstanding action being taken by our Year 10 students at the moment.”

She added: “Leah is the first student at St Clement’s to interview a member of the House of Lords as part of their Active Citizenship project. We are very proud of Leah for showing initiative and reaching out to various people in aid of her project.

“We are very excited that Baroness Evans was able to be of such a great deal of help to Leah in reaching a conclusion in her GCSE work.”

Sports stars from a WNAT school had the chance to shine, when they travelled to Spain for a week of football and basketball.

The 35 students from Years 8 to 10 at Marshland High School were taking part in the school’s annual sports tour to the Costa Brava, where they competed in a series of sporting fixtures, as well as enjoying visits to attractions in the area.

The trip first took place in 1998, and has been organised since 2015 by Head of Character and Culture Dom Stannard.

“Students competed in a range of football and basketball fixtures against local Spanish clubs,” he said. “Alongside the sporting programme, students also enjoyed a variety of experiences and activities throughout the week, including visits to a theme park, a water park, and a tour of the famous Camp Nou.

“Students also took part in a football training session at the training facilities of RCD Espanyol, as well as a basketball coaching session during the tour, giving them valuable opportunities to develop their skills in a different sporting environment.”

He continued: “Students showed excellent determination and resilience in challenging fixtures against strong opposition, while also creating fantastic memories together off the pitch and court.

“One of the biggest highlights was seeing the positive team spirit across the entire group. Students consistently encouraged one another, celebrated each other’s successes, and represented Marshland High School extremely well throughout the tour.”

The students enjoyed their Spanish experience - with one celebrating a birthday on the tour.

“I loved it, all of it was my favourite,” said Alfie McClure. “It was my birthday whilst we were there which made it extra special. Everyone had signed a card for me, and we had a lovely cake.”

Ava Norman was Player of the Match during one of the school’s football fixtures.

“I enjoyed the trip,” she said. “The best part was the football, as I was playing in goal for the first time, and I did very well, getting player of the match for the game. I definitely gained confidence during the trip – it was fantastic.”

Tyler Colville agreed: “I really enjoyed the trip. It’s hard to choose the best part, as I loved it all – an amazing experience.”

Mr Stannard added: “Trips like this are incredibly important for students, both personally and socially. They provide experiences and opportunities that go far beyond sport itself. Students develop independence, teamwork, resilience, communication skills, and confidence, while also learning how to represent themselves and the school positively in a different environment.

“Most importantly, trips like this help students grow in confidence and maturity, while creating positive experiences that can have a lasting impact long after the tour has finished.”

Students from a WNAT school explored the wonders of the rainforest during a trip to Kew Gardens in London as part of their Geography studies.

The 38 Year 9 students from Marshland High School in West Walton benefited from the visit to the capital twice over, as it also linked to their History studies, providing the opportunity for them to learn more about World Wars I and II.

Debby Dye, who is Head of History at the school, led the overnight trip and organised the topical itinerary.

“We visited Kew Gardens and took part in a workshop about rainforests,” she said.

“We took a tour along the River Thames and learnt about many of the key places along the river, and went aboard HMS Belfast and learnt about the role the boat has played in conflict.

“We visited the Imperial War Museum, World War I and World War II galleries.”

The trip was a new addition to the calendar at Marshland.

Mrs Dye continued: “This was the first time this trip had taken place. We were looking for a trip that was UK residential and fitted in with the History and Geography curriculum.”

She added: “Students in Year 9 have studied the importance of rainforests to our planet. They have also studied World War I and World War II.

“It was great to see the students engaging with the iconic artefacts.”

There was a need for speed, when students from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust came together to test their skills in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) challenge.

The WNAT Race to the Line competition tasked the aspiring engineers with designing, building, and racing their own CO2-powered cars.

The final took place at Springwood High School in Lynn, and saw teams from Springwood compete against fellow Trust members Marshland High School in West Walton and Smithdon High School in Hunstanton.

“Following two successful years of Race to the Line events for Year 7 students across the Trust, we were delighted to hold a Trust final for the competition,” said Victoria Mann, Head of Year 7 at Springwood.

“The best teams, now in Year 8, were brought together to compete at Springwood High School, recreating their CO2-powered cars, to find the fastest racers in the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“During the event, students had to design and create their racers, fix wheels, and ensure their car would be both eye-catching and aerodynamic. They went head-to-head along racing lines, powered by small CO2 canisters that sent the cars flying along the track.”

The Race to Line initiative was co-ordinated by Springwood Science Teacher Isabel Colley, supported by staff from each of the competing Trust schools. First place went to a team from Springwood, who narrowly pipped Marshland to the post.

“This is the first time we have held a Trust final for this event,” added Mrs Mann. “We hope to repeat it annually going forward.

“We are also looking forward to again repeating the whole year group event for our Year 7's at the end of term, which is supported by the generous sponsorship of local businesses.

“We are delighted to continue to offer opportunities like this to our younger pupils, helping them to gain practical experiences in STEM, apply creativity and problem solving via hands-on events.

“It is also a wonderful opportunity to bring our Trust schools together to share in the success of programmes like Race to the Line.”