Entries for the KLCC / WNAT Photographic Competition are now open!
Get your entries in for this year's OPEN themed photographic competition. Prizes for all finalists!
You have until Monday 1st June 2026 to submit your images to e.pearman@wnat.co.uk
See poster for full details along with a guide to photography to help you get some great shots.
It was around the world in 21 schools, when dancers from our Trust joined others from across the region for the West Norfolk School Sport Partnership (WNSSP) Dance Festival.
Opening the sell-out show at the Corn Exchange were performers from WNAT member Springwood High School in Lynn, who rose to the challenge of this year’s ‘Different Countries’ theme. The ten students from Years 8 to 12 danced to a variety of music, which included ‘Waka Waka’ by Shakira, ‘Let's Get Loud’ by Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin’s ‘Maria’, and ‘Mambo No.5’ by Lou Bega.
“It’s an honour to be invited to perform at this event,” said Springwood Head of Dance Dawn Paulo. “It allows our dancers the opportunity to come together to perform in a professional venue, and to interact and support younger students in West Norfolk.
“It is lovely to see our Springwood students enjoying themselves on stage, but it’s also great to see our primary schools getting a chance to perform too.”
Among the 20 primary schools participating were fellow WNAT members Clenchwarton, West Lynn, and Walpole Cross Keys primaries, and Heacham Infant School.
Twenty-seven Year 3 pupils from Clenchwarton performed a routine to ‘Cheers to Life’, which had been choreographed by Dance Teacher Kate Whyborn.
“This was our third year taking part,” said Class Teacher Sophie Tarsey.
“It is a great opportunity for children to step outside their comfort zones and do something they have probably never experienced before.
“Many children expressed how much they enjoyed it and wanted to do it again, when they were really nervous about it at the start of the year.
“I hope it encourages more children to find opportunities for dance outside school, as well as inspiring other children in school.”
The Walpole Cross Keys dancers drew inspiration from America for their routine. The 16 pupils from Years 2 and 3 at the school performed to a medley which featured ‘Party in the USA’, ‘Hey Mickey’, ‘Everybody’s Surfing’, and ‘Achy Breaky Heart’.
“Events like this are vitally important, as the children get to take part in an activity and perform on stage,” said Class Teacher Carol Jones. “It shows them resilience through learning the routine, encouragement from other class members and adults."
The Dance Festival takes place twice-yearly, each March and June.
“It’s definitely a highlight of the year, as it brings so many schools together to perform and celebrate one another’s work,” added Ms Paulo.
“Springwood will be performing once more at the next WNSSP Dance Festival in June. The theme for this event will be ‘Popstars’.”
Easter equalled ‘eggstra’ caring at a WNAT school in Hunstanton, when students marked the occasion by raising more than £200 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
The Rotary Club Easter Egg Raffle at Smithdon High School saw students from all age groups encouraged to buy tickets in aid of the charity.
“Tickets were sold to raise money for the Hunstanton RNLI,” said Assistant Headteacher Dan Ward, who organised the event with the help of School Council Lead Alix Birks.
“The main prize was a 1.5kg Easter egg, which was donated by the Rotary Club. There was a second prize of a £15 Amazon voucher, and some smaller Easter eggs which were donated by the school.
“£215 was raised in total, and this will be used by the Hunstanton RNLI to improve equipment and facilities at their base.”
The event was a new addition to the calendar at Smithdon.
“This is the first year that the raffle has taken place,” added Mr Ward. “We are hoping for it to become a yearly tradition at school.
“Events like this are really important. One of our ‘Smithdon Seven’ values that we instil into our students is the sense of community, and events like this allow our school and student body to help raise funds and money for really important local organisations and charities that have such a big impact on our local community.”
There was a sophisticated twist when students at a WNAT school in West Walton staged their annual Easter concert.
The ‘Cocktails, Canapes, and Cabaret’ evening at Marshland High School featured 40 different performances, while audience members were also treated to a variety of canape snacks and cocktail drinks.
The sold-out event saw more than 100 students across all year groups take part, with their involvement including technical and front-of-house roles, as well as performing on stage, and creating and serving the refreshments.
“Students made 660 canapes and 330 cocktails to serve over 100 guests,” said Marshland Music Lead Kevin Bell.
“We had an executive head chef from The Varsity Hotel in Cambridge, Rikayal Boodram, come in to do workshops with the students to make the canapes, which was a great opportunity for the wider school.”
As well as honing their culinary and mixology skills, the students gained experience in a range of different areas through their involvement in the event.
“The musicians gained an insight into the larger workings of events of this type and scale,” continued Mr Bell.
“IT provided a much more real-world view of what a gigging musician does and is involved with, while allowing other students from wider curriculum areas to work collaboratively with other students and industry professionals.”
Although Marshland holds regular musical events, the evening was a new introduction to the school’s entertainment programme.
“We do five concerts a year with various themes, but this was the first like this – the first of its kind,” added Mr Bell.
There were cakes for good causes, when a WNAT school took part in this year’s Comic Relief appeal on Friday 20 March.
The children at Gaywood Primary held a Red Nose Day Bake Sale, which was organised and run by the pupils on the School Council, with cakes provided by staff, parents, and carers.
It was also a colourful occasion, with pupils and staff alike swapping their usual attire to dress in red for the day.
The school participates in the annual fundraiser every year, and was hoping to raise £300 for the charity this time round.
“The pupils really enjoy doing events like these, because it gives them a good opportunity to support charities and help others in need,” said Abigail King, who is Year 5 Teacher and School Council Lead at Gaywood.
“They get very excited to find out how much money we have raised. £300 would be amazing!”
Other WNAT schools supporting Red Nose Day included Clenchwarton and Walpole Cross Keys primaries, along with Smithdon High School in Hunstanton.
There was red all over, when Clenchwarton Primary took part in this year’s Comic Relief appeal on Friday 20 March.
Pupils and staff alike swapped their usual attire to dress in red for the annual Red Nose Day fundraiser, and were hoping to make £300 for the cause.
“All 210 of our children took part in Red Nose Day,” said Billy Overton, Assistant Headteacher at the school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.
“We simply dressed up in red clothes to mark the event, and a GoFundMe page was set up for parents to donate.”
“Red Nose Day is celebrated here at Clenchwarton every year,” he continued. “Our children need no excuse to get into the spirit of things, and dress up to support any event – especially one as important as Comic Relief. We always do our bit to help children in the UK and around the world.
“We have a strong community spirit here at Clenchwarton, and this is why events like this are so important to us. It fosters the value that if we all work together, we can make a real difference in all we do.”
“All of our staff took part too,” he added. “As Assistant Headteacher I was also dressed in red to lead by example – I’m brave enough to get the Manchester United shirt out again nowadays!”
It added up to a memorable occasion, when students put their mathematical skills to the test in the first ever West Norfolk Academies Trust Year 10 Maths Challenge.
Hosted by WNAT member Springwood High School in Lynn, the competition featured teams from all four of the Trust’s high schools, with the others including Marshland in West Walton, St Clement’s in Terrington St Clement, and Smithdon in Hunstanton.
Each of the 17 participating teams consisted of four students, who worked together to solve a series of Maths problems, accruing points across several rounds.
“The students had to work as a team to compete in four different rounds named ‘Merry Go Round’, ‘Encryption’, ‘Practical Interlude’, and, lastly, a ‘Relay’ round, all aimed to extend the knowledge they have learned in the classroom,” said Maths Teacher Lucy Edwards, who is Lead for Academic Progress and Enrichment in Maths at Springwood and organised the event.
“Throughout the rounds, the competition was extremely close, with only ten points separating all of the teams. In the end, two Springwood teams gained the runners-up and winning positions.”
Winners Jack, Dylan, Prateek, and Theo narrowly edged ahead of second-placed Vanessa, Leya, Harriet, and Nicole, with both teams receiving certificates from Trust Lead for Maths Connie Loizou.
“Sixth-form student volunteers ensured the event ran smoothly by supporting teams to have the correct materials and marking students’ work,” continued Miss Edwards.
“Maths teachers from visiting schools and Springwood were extremely supportive throughout the event, especially with the scoring for each of the teams.”
The success of the Year 10 Maths Challenge means it will become an annual event in the WNAT calendar, while the format will also be extended to younger year groups within the Trust.
“Events like this are extremely important to inspire students to not only study Maths to a higher level beyond secondary school, such as at sixth form or university, but also to have an enjoyment for the subject,” added Miss Edwards.
“It is so lovely to see students working as a team to engage with challenging Maths materials, which they will not have seen within the classroom, to push their learning even further.”
Children and staff were ‘reddy’ to fundraise, when a WNAT school took part in this year’s Comic Relief appeal on Friday 20 March.
Pupils and staff members alike arrived at Walpole Cross Keys Primary dressed in red for Red Nose Day on Friday 20 March, with families and friends encouraged to donate to the cause via the charity’s website.
The day kicked off with a special whole-school assembly, while the children were also able to enjoy some fun Red Nose Day challenges.
“At Walpole, we celebrated Red Nose Day by wearing red, having a Red Nose Day assembly to teach the children about the cause, and, at break time, we held a competition of ‘Guess How Many Sweets Are in The Jar’ and ‘Pin the Red Nose on the Teacher’,” said Assistant Headteacher Rachel Daws.
Other Trust schools supporting the annual fundraiser included Clenchwarton and Gaywood Primaries, along with Smithdon High School in Hunstanton.
“Teaching children about Comic Relief and other important events is important because it instils empathy and understanding of others,” added Miss Daws.
“It teaches children the value of giving and caring for others, and how our positive actions can help address serious global issues such as poverty.”
Books united the generations, when students from a WNAT school shared stories with residents at a nearby care home.
The Year 8 and 9 students from St Clement’s High School visited Terrington Lodge as part of the school’s ongoing connection with the home.
“The students read books of uplifting stories and picture books focusing on different decades from the 1960s to 1990s,” explained St Clement’s Librarian, Jenny Ford, who accompanied the group.
“The books they shared were old books from the 1950s to current day, and were designed to trigger memories and help the residents recall memories. The books were on pastimes, old television and musical stars, travel, and short stories.”
“The residents talked to the students about their school experiences, where they worked, and how they played outside all the time as children,” she continued. “Some residents have lived locally all their lives, and talked about the local area.
“The students enjoyed hearing the residents reminisce about their lives, and it started conversations about sport, hobbies, books, and travel. It was a great opportunity to discuss historical events, and revisit memories that the residents shared with the students.
“Some of the residents took a turn to read to the students, and they clearly enjoyed the experience.”
The school has close ties with Terrington Lodge, with visits taking place several times a year.
“The events are very important for students to develop confidence with reading aloud to a different audience with possible communication barriers like memory loss and hearing impairments,” added Mrs Ford. “It helps forge strong links across generations and creates relationships in the community.
“The school visits at Christmas time, and the music students also visit and have small performances at the Lodge.
“This visit helped strengthen the connections between the school and Terrington Lodge, and we look forward to going back later in the year.”
There was something for everyone, when musicians from our school joined others from across West Norfolk for a performance at St Nicholas Chapel in King’s Lynn.
Organised by the West Norfolk Academies Trust, the WNAT Play Day event saw primary school pupils perform alongside older students from the Trust’s four high schools, which include Marshland in West Walton, St Clement’s in Terrington St Clement, Smithdon in Hunstanton, and Springwood in Lynn.
“The Play Day brought together students from across the feeder primary schools to the four WNAT high schools, spanning the breadth of West Norfolk, from West Walton through to Hunstanton and the surrounding areas,” said Benjamin Howell, who is Peripatetic Music Lead at the Trust and helped co-ordinate the event.
“The event featured primary school musicians alongside high school and sixth-form students, who came together to perform as a large Trust ensemble.”
The musical offering was equally wide-ranging, covering themes from television and film as well as classical pieces, while there were also guest performances from some of the schools’ music groups.
“The musical programme was varied and engaging, ranging from the dramatic theme from The Traitors, music from How to Train Your Dragon, Hungarian Dance No. 5, and both the ‘Habanera’ and ‘Toreador’s Song’ from Carmen,” continued Mr Howell
“In addition, we were delighted to feature performances from the Springwood Concert Band, the Sinfonia String Group, and the St Clement’s High School Band, whose performances further demonstrated the musical progression available to students across the Trust.”
Some 187 musicians were involved in the day, which concluded with a concert performance for WNAT staff, trustees, family members, and friends.
Support was provided by WNAT Peripatetic Team members Jo Kemp, Music Lead at St Clement’s; Mary-Ann Robertson; Emily Savage; David Maddison; Nic Bouskill; and Helen Johnson; along with David Stowell from the Norfolk Music Hub; while the event was organised by WNAT Director of Music, Robin Norman, with the assistance of Emma Pearman and Sam Johnson from the Trust.
“We are very appreciative of the Trust Administration Team, Senior Leadership, and Trustees for their support – particularly CEO Andy Johnson,” added Mr Howell.
“Our thanks also go to St Nicholas Chapel for hosting the event, and to the many parents, carers, families, and friends who attended the concluding performance.”
There was superhuman creativity at work, when the author of The Human Project led a workshop at Marshland High School.
Tilney All Saints-based writer-illustrator Pen Avey based the session around her latest book, in which schoolgirl genius Eva struggles to protect her android younger sister.
“Pen Avey has recently published Project Human, and this text provided the inspiration for a robot-themed creative writing session,” said Joe Clark, Literacy Lead at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.
“Eight students from Year 7 and Year 8 participated, reading an extract from Project Human, exploring modern robotic successes and failures, then planned and wrote their own story, centred around robotic failure.”
Ms Avey, whose other books include Dear Earthling: Cosmic Correspondent, had spent time with our aspiring writers before – and generously provided the group with signed copies of Project Human.
“Pen Avey is a returning visitor who has provided our students the opportunity to engage with creative writing outside of their normal lessons,” continued Mr Clark, who organised the event as part of our World Book Day celebrations.
“Pen’s visits are always an enjoyable experience for our students. They get to connect with a published writer, who enables their creativity, provides feedback on their creations, and builds a sense of joy around reading and writing – especially during the World Book Day period.”
“Students also left the session with a signed copy of Pen’s book,” he added.
“We love having external guests and experts visit our school to provide insight, variety, and new experiences for our students.”
It was the turn of literary great Roald Dahl to be lauded, when a WNAT school chose an author to honour as part of their annual literary celebration.
Roald Dahl Day took place on Wednesday 11 March, during Smithdon High School’s two-week Literary Festival, and saw the school library undergo a transformation inspired by the writer’s enduringly popular books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, and Matilda.
“The library hosted a range of themed activities for students during lunch time including a Willy Wonka treasure hunt, BFG dream jar creation, and Matilda-inspired crafts, where students could decorate book bags, bookmarks, and pencil cases,” said Smithdon Librarian Marie Taylor, who organised the event.
“The library itself was transformed to reflect his magical worlds, featuring a Chokey from Matilda, a Matilda-themed library corner, a BFG dream workshop, and the Gate to the Chocolate Factory,” she continued.
“We also invited all students and staff to dress as their favourite Roald Dahl characters. The English Department, including the Headteacher, led the way, with staff dressing as well known characters including the Grand High Witch, Veruca Salt, Matilda, Willy Wonka, Miss Honey, Violet Beauregarde, and Mrs Pratchett.”
Each year, Smithdon selects a different author, book, or series to celebrate during the Literary Festival, with past favourites having included Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Alice in Wonderland.
“Roald Dahl was chosen because his stories remain some of the most imaginative, humorous, and memorable children’s books ever written,” explained Miss Taylor.
“What makes his work especially significant for us is that our students are still actively choosing to read and enjoy his books today, showing that his books have stood the test of time and continue to inspire a love of reading across generations.”
“Days like this play a vital role in building a strong reading culture within our school,” she added.
“Celebratory events create excitement around books, and help students see reading as something enjoyable and social, rather than just academic. By immersing themselves in stories through activities, creativity, and dress up, students develop a deeper connection to literature.
“Importantly, events like this are also fully inclusive. They can engage all of our students, regardless of reading ability, allowing everyone to take part through art, drama, teamwork, and imagination.”
