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.”

Pupils from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust came together to test their spelling skills at the third annual WNAT Spelling Bee.

Children from each of our six primary schools gathered for the final of the event, including host Gaywood Primary. The other participating schools comprised Clenchwarton, Walpole Cross Keys, West Lynn, and Snettisham Primaries, and Heacham Junior.

Eighteen pupils from Years 3 to 6 made it through to the closing stage, having qualified through previous rounds held within their respective year groups and schools.

“There were three pupils for each primary school taking part from across Key Stage 2,” said Emma Hunt, who is Executive Deputy Headteacher at Heacham Junior and oversaw the competition.

“Round One was a class round, Round Two a school round, then three pupils from each school reached the final.”

Caller for the spelling contest was Amanda Wright, Head of English at fellow WNAT member Smithdon High School, who dressed as a bee for the occasion.

“Pupils picked a number from a hat,” continued Mrs Hunt. “This matched a chair for competitors to sit on. Spellings were called and individuals answered. They remained in the competition until they spelt a word incorrectly, then they sat down until a winner was found.”

Amongst the words posed to the contestants were ‘pronunciation’, ‘accommodate’, ‘convenience’, and ‘environment’ – none of which foxed George B from Clenchwarton, who correctly spelt ‘acquaintance’ to win the contest.

He was presented with a Kindle Fire tablet, while all the finalists received certificates and chocolate.

“The event is part of a calendar of events throughout the academic year organised by the Trust,” added Mrs Hunt. “The aim of these events is to boost confidence, provide opportunities for our pupils to interact and socialise with peers from across the Trust, to provide pupils with a range of new skills, and, most importantly, to have fun.

“The Spelling Bee is important as it helps pupils to develop a profound understanding of the English language and improve their vocabulary. It is not about merely memorising spellings – it develops skills in planning and preparation.”

Springwood High School’s strong music provision has seen the school become an official Lead School for the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub.

The school is home to bands, orchestras and vocalists who often perform at public events around the borough and have a reputation for providing excellent teaching.

“This is an initiative undertaken under the National Plan for Music Education, where a handful of schools work with their local Music Hub to support other schools in key areas of provision, to ensure high-quality music education provision across the region through effective collaboration,” explained Robin Norman, Director of Music at the school.

“There was an application process in which we had to detail our music provision in school, both in classroom lessons and curriculum, and extra-curricular. This was alongside the other activities we undertake. In addition, we were asked about what we felt we could offer to other schools, not just within Norfolk and Suffolk, but also on a national scale,” he added.

Mr Norman said the support of the entire music department team, along with Andrew Johnson, Executive Headteacher, Roger Livesey, Chair of Governors, and all the other Senior Leadership Team members, had been crucial. 

“It will mean attending regional meetings, occasionally visiting other schools, and also allowing other schools to visit us.”

Springwood has close musical links with other schools in the area, including fellow Trust members Marshland High School in West Walton, St Clement’s High School in Terrington St Clement, and Smithdon High School in Hunstanton.

“We work very closely with our other three secondary schools,” continued Mr Norman. “However, we have also already been working with local primary schools through our Musical Instrument Teaching Initiative (MITI) to get children learning instruments, and also organising Music Professional Training Days, open to teachers from across Norfolk and Suffolk. 

“This is in addition to speaking with local community groups to try to improve the offering and opportunities around West Norfolk for everyone. Our view is that if we work together, then the benefits for all are multiplied.” 

The  school also stages regular music events across the year, from musicals, concerts, and recitals, to the annual, four-day Community Music Festival in July. The new status will enable it to develop and further extend the scope of its music offerings.

“As outlined in the National Plan for Music Education, Lead Schools for Music are schools that go above and beyond in their music education offer. They exemplify best practice and play a key leadership role in helping other schools improve and innovate in music education,” says the Music Hub statement.

“We will be working closely with other schools, the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub, and other professional organisations,” added Mr Norman. 

“These collaborations will bring a number of opportunities and new ideas to the school – ones that will benefit our students in terms of curriculum offering and extra-curricular opportunities.

“It cannot be denied that this is a lovely accolade for Springwood and our Trust. However, our hopes are that we will be able to benefit other schools and organisations by collaborating and working with them on music education over the coming months and years.”

Children at a West Norfolk Academies Trust school enjoyed a taste of different cultures from the comfort of their own classrooms when they took part in ‘Around the World Day’ on Friday 23 May.

Pupils of all ages at Gaywood Primary celebrated a diverse selection of countries from across the Globe, exploring their customs, taking part in themed activities, and even sampling the cuisine.

“We thought that it would be nice if each year group had a different country and focused solely on that,” said Melissa Grief, Year 2 Teacher at the school.

 “It meant that we then had six countries to focus on and create some engaging activities based around them.”

Reception pupils looked at South Africa; while Year 1 studied Mauritius; Year 2 ‘visited’ Spain; Year 3 celebrated India; Year 4 spent the day ‘in’ Japan; Year 5 ‘went to’ Greece; and Year 6 explored New Zealand.

“The children took part in a range of activities, such as food tasting, learning the language, writing fact files, and creating postcards,” continued Miss Grief, who organised the event with fellow Year 2 Teacher Eden Bloomfield.

“The children were dressed in colours of the flag of their year group’s country, and the classrooms were decorated with flags, and food brought in.

“In Year 2, we learnt some basic phrases in Spanish and learnt numbers to ten. Years 3 and 4 did the same – learning Indian and Japanese phrases and numbers. Year 4 also explored how to write Japanese words and numbers too. They also learnt how to eat with chopsticks.

“Examples of food tasting we did were: churros for Spain, naan bread for India, fruit tasting for South Africa, and tzatziki dips for Greece.”

Gaywood is currently working towards a British Council International School Award, and the Around the World event formed part of the school’s application.

“The British Council International Award is an award given to schools to celebrate and give accreditation to work they are doing internationally, learning a bit more about the global society they are part of,” explained Miss Grief, who is spearheading the process with Miss Bloomfield.

“We have to submit one activity for the Foundation Award which shows we are celebrating other countries and learning about them, relating to the curriculum. Therefore, we decided to do an ‘Around the World' enrichment day to cover this across the school.

“We can then gather evidence from all the activities that have taken place and submit this for the award.”

“The Around the World Day events were important as they increased our pupils’ knowledge on other countries and allowed them to talk about their own personal experiences of that country too,” she added.

“One of our school values is ‘diversity’, and we talk about the importance of celebrating other countries a lot. It is important for us as a school to continue to enrich our children’s knowledge regularly on other countries, so they have a good awareness of our global society.

“It would mean a lot for our school to receive the Foundation Award. We can then work towards hopefully achieving the other awards, such as Intermediate and Accreditation."

Children at a West Norfolk Academies Trust primary were scaling new heights when they celebrated the end of half-term.

The pupils at Heacham Junior School spent the day testing their mettle on a climbing wall, where they were also joined by an intrepid member of staff.

“The event was an end-of-half-term enrichment experience for our pupils,” explained Emma Hunt, Executive Deputy Headteacher at the school.

“All the pupils took part. The climbing wall was with us all day, so each year group had an hour-and-a-quarter slot, which gave them plenty of time to enjoy it.”

The wall was supplied by Climb Higher Ltd, whose instructors were on hand to coach and support the children as they donned safety harnesses to practise their climbing skills.

“Events and experiences like this aim to enhance the educational experiences of children, enabling them to develop skills, explore interests, and build social connections beyond the curriculum,” continued Mrs Hunt.

“The climbing wall was primarily aimed at providing pupils with an enjoyable end-of-half-term experience that invariably helped improve confidence and social skills, as well as building self-esteem.”

It wasn’t just the children that took on the challenge of the wall, as one staff member was also inspired to reach for the heights.

“Our Assistant Headteacher, Ashley Kirwan, joined the challenge, and climbed to the top to ring the bell,” added Executive Headteacher Louise Jackson.

“It was really inspiring for the staff to see the pupils be brave and determined – some also reached the top to ring the bell, while others were happy to cheer on friends.”

It was a day of celebration and shared memories when children at a WNAT school commemorated the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II.

The pupils at Snettisham Primary arrived at the school gates sporting patriotic red, white, and blue for Victory in Europe (VE) Day on Thursday 8 May.

All age groups at the school also enjoyed a street party-style lunch, for which the children made and decorated their own party hats.

Besides the celebrations, there were opportunities to discover more about VE Day, and to discuss those who had experienced the War.

"We had a whole-school assembly to learn about VE Day, and shared memories of grandparents that might have been involved in the War,” said Assistant Headteacher Ellie Jones.

Other WNAT members holding VE Day events included Heacham Infant and Junior Schools, Clenchwarton Primary, Walpole Cross Keys Primary, and Marshland and Smithdon High Schools.