Students from St Clement’s High School have been treated to a VIP visit to meet the borough mayor and take a tour of the historic town hall in King’s Lynn.

The Year 10 group from the school also had the chance to explore the Stories of Lynn exhibition, which included the Mayor’s Parlour, Stone Hall and the Assembly Room.

Borough Mayor, Cllr Paul Bland, warmly welcomed the group and helped the students learn more about the role of local government and they were able to question him on issues including civic responsibilities, community leadership and how local decisions are made.

The visit was organised as part of their ‘My Community’ module in a personal development programme within the ASDAN framework.

“We are always seeking opportunities for pupils on our ASDAN programme to enjoy hands-on learning outside the classroom. This trip was a wonderful example of how valuable and enriching it is to support our lessons with real-world experiences,” said Emma Watson, ASDAN Tutor.

Council leader Alistair Beales also met the visitors and he expressed a keen interest in creating further opportunities for young people to engage with local governance and have their voices heard in shaping the development of their communities.

“It is vital that young people feel heard and understand how local decisions are made. Opportunities like this help our students build confidence, develop a sense of belonging and recognise their potential role within their communities. We are incredibly proud of how they represented the school during the visit,” said Carrie Chappel, assistant Trust Senco (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) and head of ASDAN.

An education charity and awarding organisation, ASDAN provides courses, curriculums and qualifications for students to support them in developing personal, social and employability skills.

More than 300 dance fans enjoyed an action-packed evening of entertainment when a West Norfolk Academies Trust school hosted its annual Dance Show.

Springwood Dance 2025 took place in Springwood High School’s Peter Hopkins Hall on Friday 2 May, and featured performances from 137 students across Years 7 to 13.

“We sold out of tickets over a week before the event and had to place in extra chairs so that we could accommodate our waiting list for tickets,” said Head of Dance, Dawn Paulo. “The show is always a sell-out night, as it incorporates so many of our students.”

“Our show encompasses extra-curricular dance club pieces, exam pieces, and competition pieces, and every student is welcome, no matter their experience,” she continued.

“Springwood dance show is an important event, to celebrate and share work, but also to bring us together as a community within school and with our friends and families.”

A highlight of the production was the dance contest, which saw dancers from each of the school’s five houses compete against one another in routines led and choreographed by fellow students.

“For our house competition, each house is designated two leaders,” explained Mrs Paulo. “The leaders are older students in the school and are chosen for their choreographic ability and personal attributes, such as organisation, time management, and good communication skills.

“Each house is allowed to rehearse one day a week at lunch and after school for four weeks, and they must choreograph a piece with students from their house which relates to the theme of ‘Destinations’. The leaders are in charge of choosing their own music and lighting too.”

The winning house this year was Felbrigg, whose 20 dancers were led by Ellise Eggleton and Lucy Roberts, both in Year 11.

“With the theme of ‘Destinations’, we decided to travel around the world to countries such as India, Spain, America, Cuba, and Africa,” said Ellise. “I couldn’t be prouder of our dancers – they all worked so hard to impress myself and Lucy and the judges.

“We helped each dancer build their technique, skills, and confidence. The excitement when we won was incredible, and we couldn’t be happier. Being a leader has really made me realise how much I enjoy House Dance. I can’t wait to be a leader next year!”

Holkham House came second with ‘USA Tour’, where dancers performed to ‘California’ by Katy Perry, ‘Miami’ by WIll Smith, ‘Alexander Hamilton’ from Hamilton the Musical, and ‘Party in the USA’ by Miley Cyrus.

“It’s great to see lots of students participating from all years, with a range of dance experience,” added Mrs Paulo. “For some students, this was their first time performing on our stage, and others are experienced performers.

“It has been lovely to witness some of our Year 7 students emerging and shining bright, along with our older students who now command the stage.

“The students love being part of the show. There’s so much energy and buzz in the room.”

Children at Clenchwarton Primary school created a very special piece of artwork to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

Pupils in Year 6 created a huge rosette-style collection of 200 individually coloured flags, and they were also asked to dress in red, white and blue.

Some even sported Union Jack face paint, just to make sure everyone knew they were marking a special occasion, and the rest of the school, including staff, also joined the dress code.

Red, white and blue were definitely the colours of the day when Walpole Cross Keys Primary School marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The children were asked to wear clothing in the three colours and they learnt more about the historic day during a special morning assembly.

“We discussed what happened and how people felt at the end of the war. Classes have also been working together to make two whole-school collages by painting a number of poppies red, white and blue and putting them together to create the artwork. We are hoping to display them all to parents later today,” said Assistant Head Teacher Billy Overton.

Rugby players at Springwood High School have been celebrating success as the season draws to a close.

Members of the Year 10 team turned over a leading score twice before retaining the County Cup in a tough match at an away final against Aylsham.

The team hit back after being 21-0 down at half-time to ensure success for Springwood. They pulled off a similar win in the semis where they overturned a 21-10 scoreline to make their way into the finals.

“They showed a lot of resilience and heart to pick themselves up from being so far behind in the final. When they scored the first try back, the belief increased, and they always looked like winning from thereon. "It was an amazing way to win the final,” said Jack Baxter, Assistant Head of Year 10 and PE teacher.

“We are a very keen rugby school with all-year groups having really good numbers for training. Having staff who are willing to give up their time to lead rugby sessions and games is the key to our success,” he added.

There are 12 teams in the competition and Springwood has been taking part for 15 years.

The team has mostly been together since Year 7 and trains every week at the school. Some members also play with the West Norfolk Rugby Club.

“The team’s biggest strength would be their resilience and ‘never say die’ attitude, which has been proven over their last two games,” said Mr Baxter.

Amary Casaleiro scored three tries, with one each for Theo Hobbs and Fran Escoto-Domingo, and Fletcher Milnes converted.

The Year 9 Springwood team also made it to the finals for their age group but were beaten 31-12 earlier this week. 

“The current year 9 team did very well to make the final after winning against some very talented schools. The students battled really hard throughout the competition and showed some outstanding rugby to win tight matches. "Unfortunately, they were unable to win the final but represented the school incredibly well,” said Mr Baxter.

The Royal Air Force inspired students at a West Norfolk Academies Trust secondary on Friday, 25 April with a careers' day that featured a musical twist.

The visitors to Springwood High School in King’s Lynn were members of a Jazz Ensemble from the RAF College in Cranwell in Lincolnshire, and gave two performances, as well as leading a workshop with musicians at the school, which culminated in a free evening concert.

The event was taking place for the first time, at the suggestion of a former student who is now in the RAF.

“Thomas Maddison, an ex-Springwood student, is a member of the RAF Jazz Ensemble and made contact to see if we would like them to come to school and do some demonstrations, along with a careers talk,” explained Robin Norman, who is Director of Music at Springwood and WNAT.

“This we were pleased to accept, and it was then expanded to include work with our own Big Band and an informal performance afterwards.”

Ten RAF musicians, including Mr Maddison on bass, entertained around 270 Year 9 students and discussed careers in the service, after which they were joined by a further five members of the Jazz Ensemble for the workshop and evening collaboration with the Springwood Big Band.

“The career talks covered joining the RAF, and what it is like being in RAF,” continued Mr Norman, who liaised with Mr Maddison and the RAF to organise the event, with the support of Eddie Seales, Director of the Springwood Big Band, Head of Year 9 Jane Robinson, and Year 9 Manager Pete Cuss.

“There was also a slant towards being a musician in the RAF, as we have a lot of musicians in Year 9.”

Ranging from Years 7 to 12, Springwood’s Big Band members were put through their paces by the RAF musicians before the groups joined forces to perform an informal concert for an audience of around 70 friends and family members.

“The RAF brought some pieces with them, and they rehearsed and worked on them with the school band for 90 minutes before the performance,” added Mr Norman. “The idea was to give our students an idea of what it is like to work at that level, and to also have the experience of working with professional musicians.

“Events such as this cannot be underestimated from both an inspirational and educational point of view. For our musicians, it gave them the experience of performing alongside professionals at a professional level – something many would not have done – and it inspired them to improve on their own instruments.

“For the other students attending the concerts, they heard professional musicians – something that is a huge cultural experience. They also had the opportunity to hear about careers in the RAF and to ask questions of the musicians.

“We were thrilled that the RAF wanted to come to Springwood and tell our students about their lives in the RAF. Their calendar is full – we were lucky to have them.”