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St Clement's High School

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  • Multilingual Mastery on Display at Schools’ Spelling Bee Final

    Published 14/07/25

    It was bienvenue, bienvenido, and willkomen, when students from our school joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust to test their skills at the Trust’s Languages Spelling Bee Final on Friday 30 June.

    The Year 7 modern language students had previously won their way through the earlier stages of the competition, which had been held in class at the individual high schools.

    It was the first time the event had taken place, with 18 students from Smithdon, Springwood, St Clement’s, and Marshland making it to the final, which was hosted by Marshland and supported by the school’s Year 7 cohort.

    “The Department at Springwood High School have been running a spelling bee competition for a number of years, and the Languages Team decided this year to extend this to the rest of the Trust schools, and then to celebrate the successes of the students by have a cross-Trust final,” explained Leah Hawkins, Cross-Trust Lead for Modern Foreign Languages.

    Languages tested in the contest included French, Spanish, and German, with vocabulary covering topics such as family members, numbers, colours, days, months, adjectives, and greetings.

    “Students were given lists of 100 pieces of key vocabulary per language which they practised,” continued Mrs Hawkins. “They then had one minute to translate the English word they were given into the target language, and then spell it out using the target language alphabet, including any relevant accents.

    “For the final, all 18 students had their one minute to spell as much as they could; the second round was the eight with the top scores; and the final four then spelled for a third minute to determine the winner of the competition.”

    Coming out on top was Year 7 student Jasper Hawkins from Springwood, who correctly spelt 16 French words in one minute to take first place, beating classmate Anieshka Daniel, who came second with 12 German words in one minute.

    Third place went to Patrick Roman, also in Year 7 at Springwood, who spelt 11 Spanish words correctly in one minute.

    Each of the three won an Amazon voucher, while everyone participating received a certificate and commemorative blazer pin badge.

    “The Spelling Bee has given us an opportunity to celebrate the students’ recollection and knowledge of key vocabulary, as well as increasing awareness of the phonetics of the foreign language being studied,” added Mrs Hawkins.

    “In addition, it helps build student confidence in public speaking, and the overall profile of language learning in school.”

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  • Multilingual Mastery on Display at Schools’ Spelling Bee Final

    Published 11/07/25

    It was bienvenue, bienvenido, and willkomen, when students from our school joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust to test their skills at the Trust’s Languages Spelling Bee Final on Friday 30 June.

    The Year 7 modern language students had previously won their way through the earlier stages of the competition, which had been held in class at the individual high schools.

    It was the first time the event had taken place, with 18 students from Smithdon, Springwood, St Clement’s, and Marshland making it to the final, which was hosted by Marshland and supported by the school’s Year 7 cohort.

    “The Department at Springwood High School have been running a spelling bee competition for a number of years, and the Languages Team decided this year to extend this to the rest of the Trust schools, and then to celebrate the successes of the students by have a cross-Trust final,” explained Leah Hawkins, Cross-Trust Lead for Modern Foreign Languages.

    Languages tested in the contest included French, Spanish, and German, with vocabulary covering topics such as family members, numbers, colours, days, months, adjectives, and greetings.

    “Students were given lists of 100 pieces of key vocabulary per language which they practised,” continued Mrs Hawkins. “They then had one minute to translate the English word they were given into the target language, and then spell it out using the target language alphabet, including any relevant accents.

    “For the final, all 18 students had their one minute to spell as much as they could; the second round was the eight with the top scores; and the final four then spelled for a third minute to determine the winner of the competition.”

    Coming out on top was Year 7 student Jasper Hawkins from Springwood, who correctly spelt 16 French words in one minute to take first place, beating classmate Anieshka Daniel, who came second with 12 German words in one minute.

    Third place went to Patrick Roman, also in Year 7 at Springwood, who spelt 11 Spanish words correctly in one minute.

    Each of the three won an Amazon voucher, while everyone participating received a certificate and commemorative blazer pin badge.

    “The Spelling Bee has given us an opportunity to celebrate the students’ recollection and knowledge of key vocabulary, as well as increasing awareness of the phonetics of the foreign language being studied,” added Mrs Hawkins.

    “In addition, it helps build student confidence in public speaking, and the overall profile of language learning in school.”

    Read More
  • Vintage Cars and Glittering Gowns as St Clement’s Hosts Biggest-Ever Prom

    Published 11/07/25

    Our Year 11 leavers returned to Terrington St Clement in style for their end-of-year Prom, arriving at St Clement’s High School in a host of vehicles, from sports cars to classic and vintage motors.

    The Class of 2025 were also dressed to impress, with an array of colourful ballgowns, cocktail dresses, and evening suits on show.

    The students were greeted by friends, family, and well-wishers, before travelling by coach to Knight’s Hill, where the venue had received a gold-and-silver themed makeover for the celebration.

    Refreshments on offer included a pizza and brownie buffet, while activities included a disco, and a photo booth complete with props, so that the partygoers could create their own lasting souvenirs of the evening.

    There was also a spoof ‘prize giving’, where trophies were presented for categories such as ‘Most Likely to Win a Nobel Peace Prize’, ‘Prince Charming’, ‘Most Likely to be a Beauty Influencer’, ‘Best Smile’, ‘Girl Power Ambassador’, and ‘Most Likely to be a Marvel Illustrator’.

    “It is important to celebrate the hard work and commitment of our pupils,” said event organiser Dani Bird, who is Head of Year 11 at St Clement’s.

    “The Prom gives pupils a chance to reflect on their time in high school, while looking forward to the next chapter, and celebrating their achievements.

    “It’s a rite of passage that every pupil looks forward to, and it was an absolute pleasure to facilitate and organise such an important event.”

    It was the school’s biggest-ever Prom, with 120 students and a large number of staff attending from St Clement’s, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

    “I’m so proud of each and every pupil,” added Miss Bird. “I’ve loved being your Head of Year, and I can’t wait to see you all for Results Day.

    “I’ve adored watching you mature over the last two years and grow into the amazing, hard-working, and caring pupils you are today.”

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  • Students Help Town Foodbank

    Published 30/06/25

    Generous students from our school organised a collection to support the work of a local foodbank after learning about its role.

    Project manager at King’s Lynn Foodbank, Helen Gilbert was invited to St Clement’s High School to  speak to students about the reasons people may find themselves in need of support.

    Inspired by the presentation she gave, the Year 7 students launched a collection drive to support the work of the charity, and they collected more than 400 items, from essential tinned goods to toiletries and long-life food items.

    “They had the opportunity to personally deliver the donation to the foodbank, seeing first-hand the impact of their generosity.  The food weighed in at 161.7kg and helped to provide eight, emergency three-day parcels to local families,” said Emily Cawston, Year 7 Pastoral and Safeguarding officer at our school.

    The Lynn foodbank is run by the Trussell charity and relies on volunteers and donations to keep running. It provides three days of emergency food for people in King’s Lynn and supports 113 agencies and charities in the network while signposting people to services and support.

    “In the last ten years, the need for a foodbank in King’s Lynn has more than doubled, and continues to grow. Most of our referrals come from four wards in the town and the most cited reasons are the rising cost of essentials, impact of a health condition, debt or benefit delay,” says the website.

    For more information, see kingslynn.foodbank.org.uk 

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  • Students Cast Their Own Winning Medals

    Published 20/06/25

    A group of Year 8 pupils from all four high schools in our Trust joined forces when they were challenged to design the medal which would be cast in aluminium at a specialist company.

    The secondary school students worked with SKF Cooper, a company in South Lynn with a long history of engineering and invention.

    The students from Springwood, Smithdon, Marshland and St Clement’s High Schools used Computer Aided Design techniques to make a pattern using a 3D printer.

    The teams then met at Smithdon, in Hunstanton, to cast the designs in aluminium, working with Nigel Willingham, Headteacher and Design and Technology teacher at St Clement’s High School.

    “It was great to see students from across the Trust working together to create these products. Casting is not seen in many schools so we were delighted to be able to offer our students the opportunity to see this engineering process in action,” he said.

    Prior to launching the project, teachers from the Trust visited the SKF Cooper site to see the casting process being used in an industrial setting. They also completed additional safety training to ensure they were qualified to teach the process to students.

    “I’m grateful to Gary Hellard from SKF Cooper who has supported us throughout the project and came to work with the students and judge the outcomes on casting day,” said Mr Willingham.

    All the students were rewarded with SKF water bottles and the four winners also received caps and chocolate bearings.

    “The students have all been brilliant throughout the day and worked really hard. We hope to see some of them applying for our apprenticeships in a few years. Engineering skills are still very much in demand and it’s been great to see the design and technology teachers come together to deliver this project,” said Mr Hellard.

    Cooper was established by Thomas Cooper, an inventor and brilliant engineer in 1894 in King’s Lynn. His first major invention was a revolutionary steam digger for use in arable farming. 

    After his death and throughout the second half of the 20th Century, it has focused on the ground-breaking split bearing he designed in 1907.

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  • Musicians Come Together for WNAT Piano Recital

    Published 03/06/25

    Pianists from our school joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust to showcase their talents at a packed event held at Springwood High School on Thursday 15 May.

    The WNAT Piano Recital starred musicians from four of the Trust’s member schools, including Gaywood Primary, St Clement’s High School, Marshland High School, and host Springwood.

    “The evening featured a series of solo piano performances, with a wide variety of repertoire from Baroque to jazz,” said Benjamin Howell, who is WNAT Peripatetic Music Lead and organised the event.

    “The Recital Room was at full capacity, with an audience of parents, families, and friends, alongside Trust colleagues, including CEO Andy Johnson, and Director of Music Robin Norman.”

    A total of 28 students performed solo piano pieces throughout the evening, with their ages ranging from Years 4 to 13.

    “This was the second Trust Piano Recital of the academic year,” Mr Howell continued. “In addition to these termly recitals, we also hosted a Trust Piano Competition in February.

    “These events are part of our wider aim to develop piano performance opportunities across the Trust, encourage collaboration amongst piano teachers, and provide students with enriching experiences, such as master classes and performance platforms.”

    Feedback after the evening’s entertainment was universally positive, with audience members saying: “It was lovely, as always – the children really enjoyed it”; “Thank you again for organising a wonderful Piano Recital – such talented students”; and “Congratulations on the successful Piano Recital”.

    “The evening was a great success, and it was heartening to see so many students perform so confidently – for many, it was their very first recital,” added Mr Howell.

    “The support from families and the wider school communities made it a truly special occasion.”

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  • Students Deliver Stacks of Books to Children's Ward

    Published 21/05/25

    A group of our Year 10 students took stacks of books to the children’s ward at King’s Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital to help younger patients during their stay.

    May is Mental Health and Wellbeing month, and the group took a book bundle made up of donations from staff, parents, families and the wider community to the Rudham Ward.

    “We wanted to enhance the stay of children in hospital by giving them books. We are aware that reading can help provide a valuable distraction for children in discomfort and have a positive effect on their mental health and wellbeing," said Librarian Jenny Ford.

    The books ranged from those suitable for very young children, colouring books to puzzle and teen titles for older patients. The visiting group also included Sarah Murkin, the English Lead for the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

    “The five students who attended from Year 10 have expressed an interest in working with young children and this trip was beneficial to help them learn about the different roles and specialist professions working within the Rudham Ward. It was great to meet the staff and learn all about the ward,” added Mrs Ford.

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  • Mayor Welcomes Students to Historic Venue

    Published 15/05/25

    Students from our 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 our 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.

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  • King’s Lynn students celebrate all things literary for World Book Day

    Published 13/03/25

    There were activities galore at our school when staff and students marked World Book Day.

    Pupils took the chance to read stories to younger children from the Terrington St Clement Community school as part of the celebration of all things literary. 

    It was a return visit for many of the high school pupils who had also attended the junior school when they were younger. They read stories and also discussed their favourite books and authors with the primary children.

    Students also had the chance to dress as their favourite literary character and staff weren’t left out of the fun either.

    There were also competitions and cakes back at the high school where the day was declared a great success.

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  • Once upon a time in King’s Lynn…

    Published 12/02/25

    Residents in a Lynn care home enjoyed an entertaining series of readings when they were visited by a group of storytellers from St Clement’s High School.

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  • Message of hope at St Clement’s

    Published 20/01/25

    Dancers from St Clement’s High School drew inspiration from the diversity of nature when they staged a climate change-themed performance as part of a collaborative project between theatre groups in King’s Lynn and Italy.

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  • Sweet spell of success at Trust contest

    Published 13/01/25

    Top performers from St Clement’s High School joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust for the 2024 WNAT Spelling Bee Final.

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