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Students and staff at a WNAT school in King’s Lynn have been celebrating another record year of A-Level results.
More than 20% of grades achieved at Springwood High School Sixth Form were A*/A, which is a 1% increase on last year’s results, while 49% of students secured an A*, A or B, and 76% of students gained A* to C grades, both up 2% on 2025’s results.
The school has also seen an improvement in the number of students gaining A* and A grades at A-Level, alongside improvements in Distinction* and Distinctions in vocational subjects.
Among the high-fliers was Kevin Monk with A* grades in Chemistry, Maths, Further Mathematics, and Physics – the highest results at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.
“I was shocked but happy with my results,” said the 18-year-old, who is going on to study Electronic Engineering.
“I have had a lot of support from my teachers – they’ve been very good.”
Classmate Merry Enters was also celebrating, with A*, A, and B grades in Physics, Maths, and Music Technology. He will now go on to read Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at Trinity College, Oxford, with a view of working in economics.
“It’s the best university in the world for a reason,” he said. “For what I want to go into, I think it’s a really strong foundation.
“Overall, at Springwood there have been individual teachers that have really stood out and believed in me when I wanted to apply to Oxford. They said just go for it.
“The exposure to lots of different kinds of people, and the ability to have conversations with people all the time about different things, in lessons and outside of lessons, helped me to decide what role I wanted to go into in the future.”
Heading to an equally prestigious academic institution was Eva Kalabina, whose three A*s and A have secured her a place at Downing College, Cambridge, where she will study Economics, Law, and Environment.
“I’m elated,” she said. “I thought I might get one A*, but to get three is just insane!
“I always had an interest in Economics, but when I started studying it at A-Level, it was definitely something that drew me. I knew I didn’t want to do a pure economics degree – the degree I’m going to do is more case-study based, and to do with real-life scenarios and what’s going on in the world, and less based on purely mathematics economics.
“My time at Springwood has been really great, and it’s been a really great environment to do my A-Levels.”
Joining her at Cambridge will be Amelie Hayward, and Zion Noble, who, at just 17 years of age, is deferring her place until 2027.
With three A*s and an A, Oliver Wright is off to Durham University to study Maths and Physics, while Lucy Wills Gillings (two As, one B) will read Law at Sheffield, Angelo Alvarez (A*AA)will study Maths at Bristol, and Lily Barker (three A*s) will read History at Lincoln.
Closer to home, Gracie Collinson will be taking up a place at Anglia Ruskin to study Psychology, after securing a Distinction*, A*, and a B. Musician and composer Iamyrl Falculan gained an A and two Bs and will study Music at Royal Holloway in London.
Also off to university are Jared Hill (AAB), who will study Sports & Exercise Science at Manchester; William Thompson (A*AA), studying Computer Science at Nottingham; Isaac Roberts (AAAD), who is heading to Exeter to study Mechanical Engineering; Theo Morrell (AAAC), studying Architecture at Bath; and Eva Rust (A*AA) studying Psychology at South Wales.
There was a particularly strong showing from students going on to study medicine, with Holly MacGowan, Isabella McKenzie, Ashwini Pasapula, and Tessa Jaison all choosing to take the subject at university; while Beth Wybrow, Lorena Lalbin, Zoe Wilson, and James Nguyen are opting to study Physiotherapy.
Isobel Warner-Lynn and Maisie Gray will be studying Occupational Therapy; Milana Bulauskaite and John-Henry Gipp studying Radiography; and Kamayshika Sivarupan studying Optometry.
Lily Holtom-Williams, Sharon Rinto, Tricia Cantalejo, Karolina Repinskaite, and Mia Jackson will all be studying Nursing; and Annmaria Cyriac, Josie Draper, and Freya Hoare will take up Midwifery.
Other students will be taking up apprenticeships, including Emilie Burr at Rolls Royce; Imogen Portass-Bowen at Peters, Elworthy & Moore accountants; Isla Evans and Penny Kent at Hawkins Ryan solicitors; and Jessica Berry at Norfolk Agents estate agency.
Also progressing to accountancy apprenticeships were Marissa Harrison, Jack Bumstead, Henry Dark, and Muhammad Shakeel, while Harry Christie will train as a quantity surveyor, and Daniel Morters will take up an apprenticeship as a RAF Avionics Technician and James Bell as a RAF Cyberspace Communications Specialist.
Emily Gray will join Giggles n Squiggles Nursery as an apprentice; Charlie King and Robbie Sutherland are off to Bespak Engineering; Ronan Oakes to Eurotech Engineering; Darcy Young to Cooper Roller Bearings; and Alfred Wright to PGL.
The Trust CEO, Andy Johnson, was delighted with the cohort’s achievements.
“This is a record excellent year for the school,” he said. “It is wonderful to see so many students head to their first-choice destination with excellent grades, whether that be university or higher-level apprenticeships.
“This is testament to the hard work of both students and their teachers.”
Chair of Governors Roger Livesey added: “We are incredibly proud of our Year 13 students today. Beyond their academic success, they have fostered a fantastic sense of community, supporting one another every step of the way and leaving a lasting, positive legacy at Springwood Sixth Form."
It was time to celebrate our young carers, when St Clement’s High School hosted an end-of-year event for students with care responsibilities.
The Young Carers’ Summer Party on Thursday 16 July was attended by more than 100 of the school’s young carers, as well as students from Springwood High School, which is a fellow member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.
Our Young Carer Lead, Robyn Fisher, organised the annual event, which featured inflatables and games on the school field, along with refreshments provided by an ice cream van.
“We invited all 102 young carers, including our Year 11 carer cohort which have recently left,” she said. “We also had Springwood young carers joining us again this year.”
St Clement’s recognises and supports our young carers with other activities and events throughout the year, including a Christmas Party.
Mrs Fisher added: “These events are really important to recognise the young carers and all their hard work.
“Young carers often don’t get a chance to enjoy being young and carefree, due to their selfless caring role, so we like to acknowledge what they do, and give them the opportunity to enjoy themselves and wind down after the academic year.”
Our trust's free, annual community event has entertained music lovers for the fifth year running, with almost 600 musicians, and more than 30 different groups, performing at Springwood High School in King’s Lynn across four consecutive nights.
The West Norfolk Academies Trust Community Music Festival was attended by around 1,000 people, and took place from 6 to 9 July at 6pm, with each evening featuring a different musical style or genre.
Trust high schools taking part included host Springwood, Marshland in West Walton, St Clement’s in Terrington St Clement, and Smithdon in Hunstanton; while the member primary schools involved in the event were Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn. There were also performances from community groups, bands, and orchestras from across the region.
The event kicked off on the Monday with a night of concert bands, big bands, and orchestras, where Springwood school bands were joined by the West Norfolk Music Centre, West Norfolk Reeds, Centre Stage Swing Band, and King’s Lynn Town Band; while Tuesday was ‘Rock and Pop’ evening with performances from up-and-coming rock and pop stars.
On Wednesday, it was the turn of more than 200 school choir singers to take to the stage, performing a medley of 1990s hits, before the event came to a close on Thursday with the ‘Springwood Spectacular’.
WNAT Director of Music Robin Norman organised the Festival, and was delighted with its ongoing success.
“The Festival has now been taking place for five years, and, year on year, the success and audience numbers grow,” he said.
“The vocal evening on the Wednesday is always a highlight, with 16 different schools, and a total of around 200 young people performing, aged eight to 18, including three combined items where everyone performed together.
“In terms of memorable performances, the Springwood Concert Band performed some disco classics, including the Village People classic ‘YMCA’. The sight of over 200 people in the audience getting involved in the actions is one that we will remember for a while!”
The diverse range of music was also enjoyed by an audience beyond those attending the Festival.
Mr Norman explained: “Each year we receive messages of support not only from those that are present, but also from people whose gardens back onto the school field, who just enjoy sitting in their gardens and enjoying the music.
“Springwood is a hive of music, with many of our facilities used on weekday evenings and weekends. It is wonderful that we can invite so many of them to get involved in what we are doing.”
He added: “ As a Lead School for the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub, we take our responsibilities very seriously, we are asked to liaise with other schools and local music groups.
“We are proud to be a part of our community, and to also work with community groups to provide opportunities to engage in music making, and to listen to live music, for all.”
Winners received medals they had designed and cast themselves, in an innovative competition organised by the West Norfolk Academies Trust for students across its four high schools.
Year 8 students from Marshland, St Clement’s, Smithdon, and Springwood all took part in the casting contest, which required them to create their own medal design, with winners from each school progressing to the final.
The event was organised by St Clement’s Headteacher, Nigel Willingham, who leads Design and Technology across the Trust.
“A competition was held in all four high schools to design a medal,” he said. “The three winners from each school progressed to the casting day, where they learnt about sand casting, and had the opportunity to cast their medals in aluminium.
“The students travelled to complete the challenge at Smithdon High School, using their casting equipment.”
It was the second year the competition had taken place, with the final supported by SKF Coopers Engineering in King’s Lynn, where the company’s Gary Hellard was tasked with judging the winning entries.
Mr Willingham continued: “Mr Hellard showed students examples made by his company that are shipped around the world, and he explained that he first became interested in the manufacturing process when he saw it at school.”
The winners were announced as Dean Spooner and Charlotte Turpin from St Clement’s, and Abi Fysh and Lucy Kayes-Melton from Smithdon, while the winning designs included gears, a star, a mouse, and a medal for King’s Lynn Stars Speedway.
Mr Willingham added: “It was great to see students take on the challenge and experience a process used in industry but difficult to replicate in most schools.
“The students were delighted with how their designs had come out, and wore their new medals with pride.”
They were putting on the glitz, when our Class of 2026 arrived in style to celebrate their end-of-school Prom.
Around 100 Year 11 leavers were greeted by friends, family members, and well wishers at St Clement’s High School, as they were delivered to the school in a range of vehicles, from sports cars to fire engines, before leaving for the party at Knight’s Hill in King’s Lynn.
In keeping with the glamour of the occasion, the students were dressed in a colourful array of evening wear, from sparkling ball gowns and cocktail dresses, to stylish suits.
Refreshments on offer included orange fizz mocktails on arrival, a pizza buffet, and a host of desserts, while an all-night DJ provided music, and a giant, balloon arch with a sequinned backdrop gave partygoers the perfect setting for photo opportunities.
There was also a fun ‘awards ceremony’ to add to the entertainment.
Jasmin Towler is Head of Year 11 at St Clement’s, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, and helped organise the celebration.
“Events like this are an important part of school life, giving the students an opportunity for a final send off, and to spend one last evening as a year group before they go their separate ways,” she said.
Miss Towler and other staff members also joined the students to celebrate their successes on their special night.
She added: “This Year 11 cohort will always hold a special place in my teaching journey, being my first year group as Head of Year.
“They have achieved so much in the time I have known them, and I wish them all the best for their futures.”
A prophetic tale captivated audiences at the King’s Lynn Corn Exchange, when students from our school staged a production of playwright Eve Leigh’s latest drama.
Eighteen students from Years 9 to 11 at St Clement’s High School took part in Wildfire, which tells the story of passengers on a hijacked plane that is redirected to Siberia, thus saving their lives when the rest of the planet is engulfed in flames.
Performing as the One Act Theatre Company, the group previously brought the play to the stage at the Nottingham Playhouse, as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival.
Our Head of Drama, Carl Schwarz, directed the production, with student Emmie Pike-Fysh as Assistant Director.
“We aim to produce a new and unique play every year,” he explained. “This play, as with most previous years, is a brand new play, created by an established playwright. It is commissioned by the National Theatre and is part of the National Theatre Connections Festival, which is a festival that takes place across the UK, where theatre companies, schools and colleges apply to be selected for the festival.
“The successful applicants have the opportunity to be the first group ever to put a professional theatre play on the stage. It’s as close to being a professional actor as students can get.
“The students always love the experience of being part of a company and form really close bonds along the journey.”
Cast members included Mia Charles as pilot Naomi; Shai McGurk as Ruby; Sam Tennant as Dave; Darcie Butters as Rohan; Henry Wood as Kazuo; Libby Clayton as Bryn; and Evie Neill as Mariella.
Chloe Baker and Daisy Clarke took the roles of flight attendants Rina and Ema; while the hijackers were played by Amelia King, Saoirse Greehy, and Poppy Foster; and the remaining passengers were Elsa Robinson, Emily Swinburn, Emily Chapman, Camille Nguyen, and Amber Hasnip.
Mr Schwarz continued: “The play is metaphorical, prophetic, and a tale for the most important question of our times – are we going to wake up and address the climate emergency before it’s too late?
“The performance has some great physical theatre elements running through it, which help to convey both the mood/fear of the passengers, but also some of the key themes within the play. There are moments of panic, humour, love, and hope. It is a play that explores the human condition.”
Other members of staff at St Clement’s, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, were also involved, with our Head of Art, Phil Bennell, designing the promotional material, and Head of Design and Technology Craig Falco creating the set.
Mr Schwarz added: “At St Clement’s, our aim is to provide our young performers with the best opportunities we can.
“Giving them the chance to perform a newly commissioned play by the National Theatre, in amazing venues like the Nottingham Playhouse and the Corn Exchange, is an experience they will remember for a long time.”
Our Year 10 students got a taste of post-GCSE life during a visit to Springwood High School Sixth Form in Lynn.
Around 350 students from four different Trust high schools attended the Sixth Form Experience Day, including Springwood itself, along with Marshland, St Clement’s, and Smithdon.
Nicky Thompson is Head of Year 13 and Careers Lead at Springwood, and organised the event with Head of Year 12 Luke Rawling, as well as hosting a welcome talk and question-and-answer session, and leading taster sessions for A-Level Business Studies.
“It was an opportunity for students to experience a day in the life of a sixth former,” she said. “ Students had a welcome talk from the SIxth Form Team, then had over 30 subjects to choose from for A-Level taster sessions. Each student took part in three different sample A-Level lessons of their choosing, and they then took part in a question-and-answer session with the Sixth Form Ambassadors.
“Throughout the day, they were able to use the dedicated Sixth Form spaces, including the Hub social area, the Cabin cafe, and the Study Area.”
She continued: “Students really enjoyed seeing what a typical day looks like for a sixth former – and our amazing Student Ambassador team was a real highlight.
“They were very good at explaining to Year 10s that the freedoms of being a sixth former, like not wearing a uniform and being able to leave the site during the day, are great, but A-Levels are hard work, and you need to be organised and use your free time wisely for independent study.”
The annual event took place ahead of the students’ post-16 decision making at the start of Year 11.
Miss Thompson added: “Experience Days help students to make informed choices about their futures. Some Springwood students attended a college day at the College of West Anglia instead.
“This is an important part of the decision-making process for the students – they can see if continuing their academic studies at A-Level is right for them, or whether going down a more vocational route at college is more beneficial, depending on their future career aspirations.
“It is also an important part of the school’s recruitment process for the new cohort of sixth formers. Next step is our Opening evening on 10 October, where we welcome back these students and their parents to tour the facilities and ask follow-up questions with subject teachers.”
Students had their moment to shine as singers, dancers, gymnasts, and musicians took to the stage for St Clement’s High School's first ever Talent Show.
A variety of acts performed throughout the evening, representing students of all ages at our school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.
A professional stage had been hired for the event, and there was also a guest judge from the world of entertainment in the form of Adam Tucker, who provided the singing voice for the young Robbie Williams in the biographical musical Better Man.
Our Headteacher, Nigel Willingham, was impressed with the breadth of talent on show.
“There were 17 different acts, ranging from ballet to heavy rock guitar,” he said. “Students of all year groups took part, including Year 11s who have recently completed their GCSE exams.
“The judges and the audience voted for their favourite acts, and the top three acts received gift vouchers presented by Adam Tucker.
“Mr Tucker told the audience he got his first taste of entertainment performing in a school talent show, so he hoped the evening would inspire some future careers.”
Head of History Anton Modica organised and co-hosted the event with Head of Music Jo Kemp and Dance Teacher Amira O’Neill.
“Our first Talent Show Final was a massive success for students and audience alike,” he said. “We were entering a bit of an unknown, but there needn’t have been any worries. The performers were outstanding with confidence, talent, and star quality.
“The range of performances was also really exciting, from singing to dancing, gymnastics to piano, and some serious rocking out to drums and electric guitar, rounded off with a soothing sound of the clarinet – a real variety.”
Around 300 people attended the Talent Show, while others supporting the event included Governor Kevin Baldwin, and staff members who helped with refreshments and raffle tickets on the night, as well as auditions prior to the Final.
Mr Modica continued: “As teachers, we get to know our students very well, but going through this process has taught us things we had no idea about. So many auditions, we thought, ‘Wow! Where was that hidden?’
“I knew there must be students with particular skills and talents within a school of 700-plus students, and I know we’ve only scratched the surface here, as we go forward with this new staple of our school’s calendar.”
The act with the most votes on the night was Year 7 duo Winnie and Lily, who sang ‘Sk8er Boi’, with Lily on drums, to win the inaugural St Clement’s Talent Show Trophy. The two also had their names added to a Talent Show Shield, and received Amazon gift vouchers.
Mr Modica added: “Sometimes, in education, we can get a little too caught up in data, targets, and assessments.
“Events like this remind us that we’re working with incredible young people, full of surprises, joy, happiness, and talent, and being brave enough to get on that stage is what defines them and leaves memories and legacies far beyond a grade in Year 11.
“Congratulations to all of our performers – we’re looking forward to 2027!”
There was a treat in store for music lovers when musicians from our school joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust for a Piano Recital.
The performance featured pianists from across the Trust’s primary and secondary schools, and took place at Springwood High School.
Participating high schools included Marshland, St Clement’s, and Smithdon, as well as host Springwood, 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 Benjamin Howell, who is Peripatetic Music Lead at the Trust and oversaw the event, with the support of WNAT 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 the Trust, with a previous piano recital having taken place at Springwood 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 spoke to Conservative Life Peer Baroness Evans of Bowes Park as part of her Year 10 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 our 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 our school, 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.”
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Students brought their history studies to life when they swapped their classrooms for the World War I battlefields of France and Belgium.
The trip saw 65 Year 9 students from St Clement’s High School visit major, historic sites from the Great War, as well as take part in a special service.
The itinerary was organised by our Head of History, Anton Modica, and designed to support the group’s GCSE History studies.
“We visited the significant World War I war memorials, as well as key battlefields on the Somme,” he said. “We took part in the Menin Gate Remembrance Service, with the honour of laying a wreath for St Clement’s High School.
“We also visited Wellington Quarries, seeing where the New Zealanders lived and worked underground before the Battle of Arras.”
The trip has become an annual event at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, and was taking place for the eighth time.
Other members of staff accompanying the students included History Teacher Anya Hawkins, Science Teacher Megan Fox, Maths Teacher Karl Brown, Geography Teacher Conor Malin, and Sally Wood, who is our Head of Religious Studies.
Mr Modica added: “Trips like this are important to build empathy and respect towards the massive sacrifices of our armed forces, not just in World War I, but all conflicts since as well.
“They add a layer of culture to the students’ school life, as well as bringing what they learn in the classroom to real life.”
