There was a nod to a popular reality TV series, when children at a Hellesdon primary staged their annual end-of-year production. 

The 83 Year 6 leavers marked the end of their final term at Firside Junior School with a fun-filled comedy titled I’m an 11-Year-Old… Get Me Out of Here! inspired by the similarly named television show.

Lucy Seagrave is Assistant Head at the school, which is a member of the Wensum Trust.

“The story follows our Year 6 pupils as they take on a series of entertaining challenges based on everyday school life, such as surviving old-fashioned school dinners, and dealing with embarrassing parents,” she explained.

“It’s a light-hearted celebration of primary school life, and a fantastic way for our pupils to showcase their acting and singing talents.”

The packed performance was enjoyed by Year 6 parents, carers, and family members, while younger year groups from across the school were invited to watch the dress rehearsals.

Mrs Seagrave continued: "We have always staged a leavers’ performance of some description, with it being an opportunity to celebrate our pupils' final days at Firside. 

“Over the last few years, we have developed this to be a leavers’ production. This is a fantastic opportunity to see children shine in a whole new light outside of the classroom and give them an opportunity to shine on the stage. 

“The whole year group is involved in some way, whether acting, singing or supporting backstage with props, lighting and sound." 

Year 6 Teachers Madison Chase and Charlotte Briggs organised and directed the play, along with Head of Year 6 Jade Parker.

“Productions like this are an incredibly important part of school life,” said Miss Chase. “They provide pupils with the opportunity to build confidence, develop communication and teamwork skills, and challenge themselves in ways they might not experience in the classroom. 

“Throughout the rehearsal process, the children learn resilience, commitment and the value of working towards a shared goal. It's also a chance for every child to contribute, whether they have a leading role, are part of the ensemble, or are helping behind the scenes.”

She added: “For our Year 6 pupils in particular, the production is a fitting way to celebrate the end of their primary school journey.

“It brings the whole year group together, creates lasting memories, and gives them the opportunity to perform with pride in front of their families and the wider school community before they move on to the next stage of their education.”

​There was a twist on the classic spelling bee, when students from three Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust schools competed in a foreign language variation of the contest.

The Translation Bee was hosted by St Thomas More Catholic High School in North Shields, where the Year 7 French Modern Foreign Language students were joined by peers from fellow BBCET high schools Sacred Heart, and St Mary’s.

The event saw 12 students participate in a series of translation-based challenges, and was organised by St Thomas More Modern Foreign Language Teacher Ruth McEwan, with the help of colleague Emilie Trabichet.

“Although we had some great prizes, it wasn’t supposed to be a very serious competition, and all the rounds were varied,” she said. 

“We started with an icebreaker activity, so that all the students could get to know each other. Sometimes students had to come up in front of our panel of judges, and, on other occasions, the students worked in pairs.

“The closest round was the Read Aloud Task. All of the students’ pronunciation was so good that the judges thought that we could have been in a French school.”

There was also the chance to try an unfamiliar language, thanks to two older students from Thomas More.

Mrs McEwan continued: “Our last activity was a Polish lesson given by Maja Maduzia and Daria Kurozcz in Year 10. They were amazing teachers, and we all learned how to give our opinions.

“We finished the morning off by giving out prizes to all of the competitors. Sacred Heart won the overall competition, and received Amazon vouchers as first prize.

“Next year we are hoping to make the Translation Bee bigger, with teams from all the secondary schools in the Trust.”

Ellie Chapman was one of the four Year 7 students representing Thomas More in the contest.

“I found the morning very fun and enjoyable,” she said. “We did lots of rounds where we got to hear the amazing French accents of our fellow competitors.”

Her team mate Jessica Oughton also enjoyed the experience.

“We had five rounds with a mixture of describing ourselves, reading aloud, describing a friend, translating into French, and adjective pairs, which we found the hardest,” she added. 

“I found all of it vraiment amusant.”

A free, annual community event has entertained Lynn music lovers for the fifth year running, with almost 600 musicians, and more than 30 different groups, performing at Springwood High School 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.”

Seals, starfish, sharks, and seahorses helped bring a classroom topic to life, when children from three West Norfolk schools enjoyed a day at the Sealife Centre in Hunstanton.

​The outing involved 50 Reception pupils from Clenchwarton, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn Primaries, which are all members of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

Clenchwarton Reception Teacher Jessica Williams accompanied her class on the trip.

“This half term’s knowledge topic in Reception is ‘Under the Sea’,” she explained. “The trip allowed the children to see the animals we had talked about in real life, giving them a chance to ask questions and find out a bit more from the staff at the Sealife Centre too.”

She continued: “We had a self-guided trip, so we explored all the different tanks and displays in the Centre. The schools went around independently from each other, then met up at lunchtime.

“We saw various fish, seals, otters, turtles, sharks, rays, seahorses, penguins. Clenchwarton children heard a talk about seals and saw them being fed. 

“All the schools had time to explore all the different displays and learn more about them. Some children had the opportunity to touch a starfish.”

Other members of staff taking part in the excursion included Reception Class Teachers Nikki Preston from Walpole Cross Keys, and Rebecca Dexter from West Lynn.

Mrs Williams added: “Out-of-school trips are important learning opportunities for children. They provide them with opportunities to consolidate their learning.

“Younger children particularly benefit from going on the coach and visiting places without their parents, as it gives them the chance to build their confidence and independence.”

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 in West Walton, St Clement’s in Terrington St Clement, Smithdon in Hunstanton, and Springwood in King’s Lynn 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.”

An automated shovel and an energy-generating football were just two of the innovative designs put forward, when students at a Lynn school took part in a national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) competition.

The Primary Engineer ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’ Leaders Award tasked entrants with conducting interviews and research, before coming up with their own engineered solution to a chosen problem.

Aspiring engineers at Springwood High School rose to the challenge, and were supported by Science Teachers Isabel Colley and Iain Moffat.

“Twenty-six pupils from Year 7 and 8 STEM Club submitted an entry for the competition,” said Miss Colley. 

“Pupils planned and designed their own solution to a real-life engineering problem of their choice. Designs included a football that can generate power through kicks, 3D printing organs, and an automated shovel for gardening.”

The group also worked collaboratively with the Design Technology and English Departments at the school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, to create their designs and supporting pitches.

Miss Colley continued: “Alongside their annotated drawings, an accompanying letter is required to persuade engineers to choose their design to build. Every entry is graded by engineers and educationalists, and all entries receive a named certificate.

“Shortlisted entries form part of the regional public exhibitions, and winners are presented with a trophy at a prestigious awards event.”

The students’ hard work paid off, with three winners selected from among the Springwood engineers. Kevin Adebayo in Year 7, Astrid Beshanska-Pedersen in Year 8, and Sana Grimsby, also Year 8, were all invited to the Regional East Celebration at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford.

Miss Colley added: “Entering competitions like this gives pupils a chance to showcase their creative thinking and problem-solving skills, and build confidence in their own abilities. It also allows pupils to explore different career ideas in STEM.

“We had many pupils achieve a distinction, and had three winning pupils, which shows this competition gave them an opportunity to show what they can achieve.”

A group of Newcastle students were among the guest speakers at the opening of an exhibition commemorating a family’s journey from war-torn Bosnia to a new life in Tyneside.

From Bosnia to Tyneside shares the story of Smajo Bešo OBE and his family, told through film, photographs, and personal belongings, and explores themes of displacement and belonging.

It opened at the Destination Tyneside Gallery at the Discovery Museum on Friday 10 July, where the 11 Year 9 students from St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School had been invited to make a presentation, having been introduced to Mr Bešo through an educational initiative.

Ashley Ruscoe is Head of History at St Cuthbert’s, which is a member of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, and explained the school’s involvement.

“The invitation was in recognition of the outstanding work the pupils have completed as part of the We Are: Memory into Action – Holocaust and Genocide Education Programme, where they have worked closely with Smajo Bešo OBE, and develped a strong understanding of his experiences and testimony,” he said.

“As a result of this work, the pupils were personally invited by Smajo to be his guests at the opening of his exhibition, which shares the story of Smajo and his family’s journey of escaping the Bosnian War and rebuilding their lives on Tyneside.”

Evan Killeen, Safwat Hussain, Jignes Bhandari, Golden Igoru, Tristan O’Neill, Shenan Liyanage Don, Leo Ratliff, Harry Cain, Luke Brown, Alex Bogdan, and Harris Ahmed made up the group, and had previously presented at two Learning Day Conferences at Newcastle Civic Centre, and an Empowering Young People to Change the World event, as well as appearing on ITV Tyne Tees News.

Mr Ruscoe continued: “The boys said they felt honoured and privileged to take part in the From Bosnia to Tyneside launch event. They expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be involved in an occasion focused on remembrance, education, and reflection, and to stand alongside others committed to preserving survivor testimony.

“They also shared that they were excited to have been invited to present at the event, and saw it as a meaningful opportunity to continue their relationship with Smajo. They recognised the importance of helping to ensure that individual voices and lived experience continue to be heard, remembered, and shared with others.”

He added: “Events such as this are incredibly important, as they provide students with the opportunity to engage directly with survivor testimony, deepen their understanding of history, and reflect on the impact of past events. 

“They help bring history to life, by connecting students with personal experiences and stories that go beyond the classroom. 

“For our students, taking part helps them to develop confidence, critical thinking, and a greater sense of responsibility in preserving and sharing the experiences of others.

“Through programmes such as Memory Into Action, students are given the opportunity to become active participants in keeping these important stories alive for future generations.”

There was a bright end to the week at a Bedlington school, when the children took part in a sponsored Colour Run.

​The event at St Bede’s Catholic Primary saw pupils of all ages from Nursery to Year 6 have different coloured powder paints thrown at them while they ran around the school field.

Key Stage 1 Lead Samantha Fairbairn was there to join in the fun – and to help raise money for the school.

“The children ran around a track set up by our PTA Friends of St Bede’s,” she said. “Volunteers threw powder paint as they ran the course. 

“Children had been fundraising in the run up, so that the money could go towards getting new outdoor equipment, including climbing frames.”

It was the first time the event had taken place at St Bede’s, which is a member of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust.

Mrs Fairbairn added: “The school are so grateful to the PTA for their constant support of school, and planning events like the Colour Run, upcoming School Summer Fayre, and discos.

“We hope to have raised as much as possible to reach our target of £10,000.”

Young mathematicians were put through their paces, when 14 West Norfolk primary schools came together for an annual compet

The Primary Maths Challenge at Springwood High School in Lynn saw 16 teams of four Year 6 pupils test their problem-solving skills over a series of rounds that required both strategic thinking and speed.

Springwood Maths Teacher Sylvilyn Forbes-Clarke, who organised the event, was impressed by the children’s performance.

“The atmosphere was electric from the start,” she said. “Over four challenging rounds, pupils tackled problem solving, mental maths, and team challenges that tested both speed and strategy. The room was filled with focused faces, quick calculations, and lots of cheering, as teams supported one another.

“Students were competitive, but, above all, enthusiastic. Teachers watching on said it was inspiring to see such teamwork, resilience, and love for maths on display.”

The Challenge has been taking place for more than a decade at the school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, and was won this time round by Fairstead Primary.

Mrs Forbes-Clarke continued: “After a closely fought contest, it was Fairstead Primary who came out on top, being crowned this year’s champions. Their teamwork, quick thinking, and calm under pressure set them apart.”

She added: “The event was a success because of all the schools, staff, and volunteers who made the day possible. 

“It was not just about winning – it was about celebrating young minds, building confidence, and showing that maths can be exciting, challenging, and fun.”

A school initiative to welcome refugee and sanctuary-seeking students has seen them win an award at the Royal Norfolk Show.

The EAL (English as an Additional Language) Garden at Hellesdon High School has brought together a diverse group of Year 9 to 11 students in a project that involved them entering the School Garden Competition at the annual Show. 

Claire Nickerson is EAL Strategic Lead at the school, which is part of the Wensum Trust, and oversaw the scheme.

“The EAL Garden is a project in which students who are learning English get to grow their own produce to either eat themselves or donate to the local food bank,” she explained. 

“There are seven gardeners in the group. They are all refugee and sanctuary-seeking children. They speak Ukrainian, Russian, Dari, Pashto, Bengali, and Arabic. We meet after school on Thursdays, so all work is done in their own time.

“They have built the garden, moved one-and-a-half tons of topsoil, planted fruit, vegetables, and flowers, weeded, painted, grown seeds, and grown our wheelbarrow exhibit for the Norfolk Show.”

This year’s competition theme was ‘Literacy’, and the Hellesdon students rose to the challenge with a wheelbarrow garden inspired by the poem ‘Yellow’ by Donna Ashworth.

Mrs Nickerson continued: “All plants were either yellow or had some yellow within them. They were a mixture of edibles and non-edibles, all donated by our community – watermelons, courgettes, squash, marigolds, dahlias, tomatoes and more!”

Their creation was awarded Silver by Royal Horticultural Society judges, before returning to school to be displayed by Reception.

An EAL Garden Party was held to celebrate the students’ achievement, and show off their handiwork, with students, family members, carers, and staff enjoying tea, coffee, soft drinks, and cakes in the garden.

Mrs Nickerson added: “The students love picking and eating what they grow. They take food home to eat together with their families. They have really enjoyed working towards and attending the wheelbarrow competition.

“We are incredibly proud of our students. They really enjoy the garden, and freely come to the club on their own accord.

“This is the first time the school has ever entered the competition, so to get a silver award is phenomenal.

“These students are dedicated, clever, positive, and kind. They are a credit to our school and the Trust.”