Creative West Norfolk students celebrate success

Wind turbines, water wheels, and a device displaying a message on the International Space Station were just some of the award-winning creations of young scientists and engineers at a West Norfolk school.

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The students at Springwood High School, King’s Lynn, had their achievements recognised at the school’s STEM Awards, which celebrated their progress in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
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Victoria Mann, who co-ordinates STEM activities at the school, said: “The event was a celebration evening focusing on the achievements of our students in STEM over the last academic year.

“Uptake of STEM subjects at Springwood at Key Stage 5 continues to grow, with nearly 300 examinations taken in science subjects alone. Increased student participation and success meant that we needed to host an event to allow us to focus solely on STEM achievements.

“We gave out a wide range of awards, including Silver and Bronze CREST Awards, awards linked to national competitions, and those linked to participation in school activities and competitions, such as science debate and conservation photography.

“The evening also provided us with an opportunity to announce our student STEM ambassadors.”

Springwood, a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, is recognised for its strong STEM provision, and recently received a gold award for its STEM club work.

“The award is the STEM Clubs Quality Mark, and it is awarded by The National STEM Learning Centre,” explained Mrs Mann.

“The STEM club includes a range of provision inside and outside the classroom, with its primary focus being offering extra-curricular opportunities that develop students’ skills in STEM, confidence and career aspirations. The club offers students the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities, including practical science and engineering, programming and coding, debate, persuasive writing and project planning.

“It links with a range of other departments within the school, including English, art, design technology, and history – all of which are less traditional STEM partners.

“Students across Key Stages 3, 4, and 5 all participate in our STEM club, and we have seen a massive uptake in participation over the last two years, after coming back from Covid.

“Last year, over 100 students participated in extra-curricular STEM activities, along with all of Year 8 as part of their science lessons – this equates to nearly 400 students.”

She continued:  “Every element of the work completed as part of the STEM club was recognised in the awards, including the use of STEM representatives, parent and child events, competitions, careers skills, personal development, student feedback, high quality provision, impact on learning, and growth in numbers.

“Years 8, 9, 10 and Sixth Form all achieved awards during the celebration event, and, over the course of the evening and next day, nearly 400 certificates were awarded.”