There was a need for speed, when our students joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust  to test their skills in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) challenge.

The WNAT Race to the Line competition tasked the aspiring engineers with designing, building, and racing their own CO2-powered cars.

The final took place at Springwood, and saw teams from Springwood compete against fellow Trust high schools Marshland and Smithdon.

“Following two successful years of Race to the Line events for Year 7 students across the Trust, we were delighted to hold a Trust final for the competition,” said Springwood Head of Year 7, Victoria Mann.

“The best teams, now in Year 8, were brought together to compete at Springwood High School, recreating their CO2-powered cars, to find the fastest racers in the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“During the event, students had to design and create their racers, fix wheels, and ensure their car would be both eye-catching and aerodynamic. They went head-to-head along racing lines, powered by small CO2 canisters that sent the cars flying along the track.”

The Race to Line initiative was co-ordinated by Springwood Science Teacher Isabel Colley, supported by staff from each of the competing Trust schools. First place went to a team from Springwood, who narrowly pipped Marshland to the post.

“This is the first time we have held a Trust final for this event,” added Mrs Mann. “We hope to repeat it annually going forward.

“We are also looking forward to again repeating the whole year group event for our Year 7s at the end of term, which is supported by the generous sponsorship of local businesses.

“We are delighted to continue to offer opportunities like this to our younger pupils, helping them to gain practical experiences in STEM, apply creativity and problem solving via hands-on events.

“It is also a wonderful opportunity to bring our Trust schools together to share in the success of programmes like Race to the Line.”

There was a sophisticated twist when we staged our annual Easter concert on Wednesday 25 March.

The ‘Cocktails, Canapes, and Cabaret’ evening at Marshland High School featured 40 different performances, while audience members were also treated to a variety of canape snacks and cocktail drinks.

The sold-out event saw more than 100 students across all year groups take part, with their involvement including technical and front-of-house roles, as well as performing on stage, and creating and serving the refreshments.

“Students made 660 canapes and 330 cocktails to serve over 100 guests,” said Kevin Bell, Music Lead at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“We had an executive head chef from The Varsity Hotel in Cambridge, Rikayal Boodram, come in to do workshops with the students to make the canapes, which was a great opportunity for the wider school.”

As well as honing their culinary and mixology skills, the students gained experience in a range of different areas through their involvement in the event.

“The musicians gained an insight into the larger workings of events of this type and scale,” continued Mr Bell.

“IT provided a much more real-world view of what a gigging musician does and is involved with, while allowing other students from wider curriculum areas to work collaboratively with other students and industry professionals.”

Although Marshland holds regular musical events, the evening was a new introduction to our entertainment programme.

“We do five concerts a year with various themes, but this was the first like this – the first of its kind,” added Mr Bell.

It added up to a memorable occasion, when our students joined others from across the West Norfolk Academies Trust for the first ever WNAT Year 10 Maths Challenge.

Hosted by Springwood, the competition featured teams from all four of the Trust’s high schools, with the others including Marshland, St Clement’s, and Smithdon.

Each of the 17 participating teams consisted of four students, who worked together to solve a series of Maths problems, accruing points across several rounds.

“The students had to work as a team to compete in four different rounds named ‘Merry Go Round’, ‘Encryption’, ‘Practical Interlude’, and, lastly, a ‘Relay’ round, all aimed to extend the knowledge they have learnt in the classroom,” said Maths Teacher Lucy Edwards, who is Lead for Academic Progress and Enrichment in Maths at Springwood and organised the event.

“Throughout the rounds, the competition was extremely close, with only ten points separating all the teams. In the end, two Springwood teams gained the runners-up and winning positions.”

Winners Jack, Dylan, Prateek, and Theo narrowly edged ahead of second-placed Vanessa, Leya, Harriet, and Nicole, with both teams receiving certificates from WNAT Lead for Maths Connie Loizou.

“Sixth-form student volunteers ensured the event ran smoothly by supporting teams to have the correct materials and marking students’ work,” continued Miss Edwards.

“Maths teachers from visiting schools and Springwood were extremely supportive throughout the event, especially with the scoring for each of the teams.”

The success of the Year 10 Maths Challenge means it will become an annual event in the WNAT calendar, while the format will also be extended to younger year groups within the Trust.

“Events like this are extremely important to inspire students to not only study Maths to a higher level beyond secondary school, such as at sixth form or university, but also to have an enjoyment for the subject,” added Miss Edwards.

“It is so lovely to see students working as a team to engage with challenging Maths materials, which they will not have seen within the classroom, to push their learning even further.”

There was superhuman creativity at work, when the author of The Human Project led a workshop at Marshland High School.

Tilney All Saints-based writer-illustrator Pen Avey based the session around her latest book, in which schoolgirl genius Eva struggles to protect her android younger sister.

“Pen Avey has recently published Project Human, and this text provided the inspiration for a robot-themed creative writing session,” said Joe Clark, Literacy Lead at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“Eight students from Year 7 and Year 8 participated, reading an extract from Project Human, exploring modern robotic successes and failures, then planned and wrote their own story, centred around robotic failure.”

Ms Avey, whose other books include Dear Earthling: Cosmic Correspondent, had spent time with our aspiring writers before – and generously provided the group with signed copies of Project Human.

“Pen Avey is a returning visitor who has provided our students the opportunity to engage with creative writing outside of their normal lessons,” continued Mr Clark, who organised the event as part of our World Book Day celebrations.

“Pen’s visits are always an enjoyable experience for our students. They get to connect with a published writer, who enables their creativity, provides feedback on their creations, and builds a sense of joy around reading and writing – especially during the World Book Day period.”

“Students also left the session with a signed copy of Pen’s book,” he added.

“We love having external guests and experts visit our school to provide insight, variety, and new experiences for our students.”

Teamwork and problem-solving were the focus, when Marshland High School students got a taste of life in the armed forces.

The careers event saw more than 160 of our Year 7 students take part in a range of group activities, and was jointly delivered by the Royal Navy and the Jon Egging Trust.

“Students participated in four, interactive carousel sessions during the morning, led by representatives from the Jon Egging Trust and the Royal Navy Outreach Team,” said our Head of Character and Culture, Dom Stannard, who co-ordinated the day.

“Each group rotated through the sessions, which focused on teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills. The day concluded with a whole-year assembly in the afternoon to reflect on the activities and key messages from the day.”

“Students developed key employability skills, such as teamwork, communication, and resilience,” he continued. “They also gained insight into different career pathways, and heard first-hand experiences from professionals.

“These activities helped students begin thinking about their future aspirations, while building confidence and self-awareness.”

The event was a new addition to the calendar at Marshland, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“This was the first time this specific event had been delivered at the school,” added Mr Stannard. “However, we are looking to hold similar events in the future for other year groups.

“Events like this are important, because they introduce students to the world of work at an early stage, and help them develop essential life and employability skills.

“They also support the school’s careers programme, and contribute towards meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks, by providing meaningful encounters with employers and external organisations.”

World Book Day expanded to encompass a range of different events, when Marshland High School took part in the annual literary celebration.

The school library became a hub of World Book Day activity on Thursday 5 March, with students gathering to take part in a range of different sessions.

“All Key Stage 3 students took part in a variety of sessions, including literary-themed quizzes, bookmark design and interactive challenges that encouraged them to explore different genres and texts within the library’s collection,” said our Literacy Lead, Joe Clark, who led the events.

The celebrations were set to continue beyond World Book Day itself, with a return visit from guest author Pen Avey taking place the following week.

“Following the recent publication of her book, Project Human, Avey will be running a specialist creative writing workshop,” continued Mr Clark.

“A selected group of students will have the opportunity to work closely with her to develop their own storytelling skills and learn about the professional writing process.

“Participating students will also receive a signed copy of her latest book to further foster a love of reading among participants.”

Marshland, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, takes part in World Book Day events every year.

“World Book Day is an essential part of our academic calendar, serving as a yearly reminder of the significant impact reading has on a student’s development,” Mr Clark added.

“By focusing on building positivity and celebrating success through books, we aim to ensure that every student feels connected to the world of literature.”