Young voices came together to celebrate the season, when our school joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust and Windmill Federation for the annual WNAT Christmas Carol Service.

The popular event at St Nicholas Chapel took place on Wednesday 3 December, and featured performances from around 250 pupils from across the primary and secondary schools within the Trust and the Windmill Federation.

“The annual event is a traditional Christmas Carol Service with a selection of readings, a blessing from Canon Mark Dimond from the Minster, and also communal carols, as well as each group of schools performing a song on their own,” said Robin Norman, who is Director of Music at WNAT.

“This is the fourth time we have run this event, and it was my ‘brainchild’ to bring a more traditional feel to an event in the town,” he continued. “One that could bring together all of our schools, our parents, and the local community in general – something that would become magical and truly give the Christmas Spirit.

“We started with around 250 in the congregation for the first one in 2022, and this year there was ‘standing room only’, so I am absolutely thrilled how it has grown.”

Participating primary schools included WNAT members Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Infant, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn, along with Terrington St John, Tilney St Lawrence, Walpole Highway, and West Walton from the Windmill Federation; while the WNAT high schools taking part were Marshland, St Clements, Smithdon, and Springwood.

“Many members of staff have been involved in the organisation, but a particular thanks to Emma Pearman in the Admin Team for her work on the logistics,” added Mr Norman.

“Also, a huge shout-out to all the teachers across all the schools who worked with the children and made it a truly memorable event. It really helps bring the community together and bring a magical start to the Christmas Season.”

Taking aim and throwing a ball at your opposition is at the heart of Dodgeball, and pupils from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust made the most of trying out the sport.

Gaywood Primary School hosted Dodgeball Fun for Key Stage 1 children and a total of ten teams, including our school, took to the field to compete. The teams throw a ball at opposing members to eliminate them from the game during a series of rounds.

Heacham Infant School, Walpole Cross Keys and Clenchwarton primaries, all members of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, took part in the first group alongside children from West Walton and Walpole Highway, from The Windmill Primary Federation.

The second group saw West Lynn, Gaywood and Snettisham primaries from the Trust along with pupils from Terrington St John and Tilney St Lawrence, also of the Federation.

“Both groups were incredibly close, with every team picking up wins, losses and draws throughout the morning,” said Matt Parkinson, of ICS Coaching which provided the session.

“A huge thank you goes to all the staff from the participating schools for their support and positivity, helping to make the event such a success. Your encouragement and organisation created a wonderful atmosphere for everyone involved,” he added.

The final round was contested by West Lynn who faced Walpole Highway in a great match which showcased fantastic spirit from both sides. The honours went to Walpole Highway who took home a medal and certificate, while medals were given to each participant.

It’s the second year that the Trust schools have held sports competitions, with pupils and staff enjoying the challenge.

“Sporting events really benefit the pupils as they promote physical and mental health, improve academic performance through focus and discipline. These events also foster essential life skills like teamwork, resilience and respect for rules,” said Executive Headteacher Emma Hunt.

“Participation in these events builds confidence and a sense of belonging, supporting pupils to develop an interest in staying active,” she added.

Dodgeball sees players eliminate others by hitting them with a ball while dodging incoming throws. If a player catches a ball from the opposing team, the thrower is out and a player from the catching team can reinstate a player.

Veterans and members of the Armed Forces were among the audience when our children joined others from across the region for the annual West Norfolk Academies Trust Remembrance Performance.

Featuring almost a hundred Year 4 pupils from ten different primary schools, the evening included poetry and narration, as well as wartime classics such as ‘A Bicycle Made for Two’ and ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’ – which had the audience members singing along and waving flags. There was also a standard bearer, and a moving rendition of ‘The Last Post’.

Among the participating schools were Clenchwarton Primary, Gaywood Primary, Heacham Junior, Snettisham Primary, Terrington St John Primary, Tilney St Lawrence Primary, Walpole Cross Keys Primary, Walpole Highway Primary, West Lynn Primary, and West Walton Primary, while the event was hosted by Springwood High School in King’s Lynn.

“Events like this enable children to build confidence, communication, and teamwork, as they learn to express themselves and work with others,” said Emma Hunt, who is Executive Headteacher at Terrington St John, Tilney St Lawrence, and Walpole Highway, and led the event alongside Snettisham Teacher Helen LeStrange and WNAT Administrator Emma Pearman.

It was the sixth time the event had taken place, with this year’s performance attracting around 300 family members, staff, and trustees, as well as war veterans and members of the armed services.

“I believe it is so important for children to learn about Remembrance, so that they can understand the sacrifices made by soldiers and civilians during times of war, appreciate the value of peace, and develop gratitude for the freedoms they enjoy today," added Mrs Hunt.

“Learning about this day helps them connect with history, show respect for those who served, and carry forward the tradition of remembrance, ensuring the lessons of the past are never lost.”

Everything yellow, from princesses and Minions to Pudsey Bear and Winnie the Pooh could be found at our group of West Norfolk primary schools last Friday.

Staff and children at Walpole Cross Keys, West Lynn and Clenchwarton primaries were in every shade of yellow to raise awareness of the Young Minds charity behind the Hello Yellow mental health awareness day.

“It was great to see so many children supporting the charity,” said Assistant Head at Walpole Cross Keys Billy Overton.

At West Lynn there were some tasty yellow cookies to enjoy and at Clenchwarton Winnie the Pooh could be found alongside football fans sporting Canary shirts for Norwich City. All the schools are members of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

Under the Hello Yellow slogan, the annual event is designed to focus on the Young Minds charity which was raising awareness of young people’s mental health. It is a global event and was first held in 1992.

Young Minds campaigns to ensure young people who need support with their mental health receive timely intervention and care.  According to the charity, there was a ten per cent increase of referrals to emergency mental health care for children and young people between 2023 and 2024. 

Children at our school were able to swap their school trousers for jeans to raise awareness of the Jeans for Genes charity and the work it supports.

And they have also been getting used to some changes which include the installation of a new log cabin-type building, now the school’s new Butterfly Room. It will be available for a variety of sessions, including teaching phonics, and is a welcome addition.

“We don’t have many additional rooms here, so this is incredibly useful. It also enabled us to start work on our new library which is going in the former Butterfly Room. This is something we haven’t really had before and we want to inspire a love of reading for our pupils.

“The new Butterfly Room has enough space for groups of eight pupils and has working walls and an interactive whiteboard, allowing for the same teaching consistency we see throughout the rest of the school,” said Assistant Headteacher Billy Overton.

Jeans for Genes is a major annual awareness and fundraising campaign for a charity that supports families who may include members with genetic conditions. It is marking its 30th anniversary this year and 

Beneficiaries from last year’s events include the Down Syndrome Training and Support Service, Gene People (supporting families and individuals), The Haemophilia Society and The Leanne Fund, for children and young people who have cystic fibrosis.

Young photographers from our school joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust to show off their skills in an annual competition.

Run by the Trust in association with the King’s Lynn & District Camera Club, the WNAT Photography Competition was renamed this year as the David Ashfield Photography Cup, in honour of a KLDCC member who had recently died.

“The competition started in 2024 as a collaboration between the WNAT and the KLDCC, who use the Springwood High School for their weekly Monday meetings,” explained KLDCC Chair Brian Sadler, who organised the event with Emma Pearman from WNAT.

“That was a great success, so we decided to build upon that and make the competition a regular event to encourage youngsters into photography.

“The late David Ashfield was a pivotal and influential member of the KLDCC, so we decided to honour his memory by naming the competition after him.”

Competition categories comprised Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4, and Key Stage 5, plus one for WNAT staff, and almost 150 entries were received from Years 3 to 13 across the Trust’s member schools.

Those participating included Marshland High School in West Walton, St Clement’s High School in Terrington St Clement, Smithdon High School in Hunstanton, and Springwood High School in King’s Lynn, as well as primaries Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

WNAT undertook the first round of judging, shortlisting ten images from each of the five categories to go through to the final at Springwood, where experienced circuit judge and honorary KLDCC member Allan Livingstone had the task of selecting the winners.

The first place category prizes went to Ava F for Key Stage 5; Thomas S for Key Stage 4; Scarlett C for Key Stage 3; and Sydney C for Key Stage 2; while L Sedgley won the Staff Award.

WNAT Executive Headteacher Andy Johnson was on hand to present the prizes, with each category winner receiving an Amazon voucher, and all finalists receiving mounted prints of their entries.

An additional award went to overall winner Ava, who was presented with the David Ashfield Cup by the late Mr Ashfield’s daughters, Jill Smithson and Sally Ashfield  – a former Deputy Headteacher at Springwood.

“This competition has become an important part of our Trust calendar,” added Mr Johnson. “All entrants enjoy this extra-curricular pursuit.

“It is also important that our Trust is part of the local community. We enjoy working with our partners in the KLDCC, alongside other community partners.”