Get your entries in for this year's OPEN themed photographic competition. Prizes for all finalists! 

You have until Monday 1st June 2026 to submit your images to e.pearman@wnat.co.uk

See poster for full details along with a guide to photography to help you get some great shots. 

Held in conjunction with the King’s Lynn and District Camera Club (KLDCC), the West Norfolk Academies Trust (WNAT) Photographic Competition is open to staff and pupils across the Trust’s member schools, as well as those within the Windmill Federation.

“It is open to all students from the Trust who are in Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5,” explained WNAT Confidential Administrator Emma Pearman. “It’s also open to school staff. There are five categories – each of the Key Stages, plus a Staff category.

“This year we will also be inviting students and staff from the Windmill Federation Schools to take part.”

The annual competition is taking place for the third year running, with past themes having included ‘Our Environment’ and ‘My Community’.

“There is an open theme this year, covering any subject the student or staff member thinks would make an interesting picture,” said Mrs Pearson.

WNAT high schools taking part include Marshland in West Walton, St Clement’s in Terrington St Clement, Smithdon in Hunstanton, and Springwood in Lynn; alongside Trust primaries Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

Initial judging will be carried out by the WNAT Senior Leadership Team, with ten entries chosen from each category to go through to the final at Springwood on 25 June, where winners will be chosen by a panel from KLDCC.

“There were 147 images submitted last year,” continued Mrs Pearman. “It is expected that there will be more this year, with it increasing in popularity year on year, and also with the fact that the Windmill Federation Schools are invited to take part this year.”

Each category winner will receive £20 of Amazon vouchers, while one overall winner will be awarded the Dave Ashfield Cup, which last year went to Year 13 Springwood Sixth Form student, Ava.

“The Trust places a huge importance on extra-curricular activity for all of our students, alongside excellent relationships with our community including the KLDCC,” added WNAT CEO Andy Johnson.

To enter, send a jpeg format photograph, no larger than A4, and a maximum of 3600 x 2400 pixels, to e.pearman@wnat.co.uk before the closing deadline 1 June.

The WNAT Primary Literary Event is staged annually to coincide with World Book Day, and was taking place for the sixth time.

Held at the King’s Lynn Corn Exchange on Wednesday 4 March, the celebration of reading featured teams of Year 5 children from primary schools which included Trust members Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn, along with Terrington St John, Tilney St Lawrence, Walpole Highway, and West Walton from the Windmill Primary Federation.

“Teams of three pupils are asked to speak for five minutes,” explained organiser Emma Hunt, who is Primary English Lead at WNAT. “The first pupil introduces the speaker to provide the audience with a little background; the main speaker then has approximately three minutes to deliver their views on the team’s chosen topic; the final team member then delivers the vote of thanks.”

Among this year’s topics were: whether children should be encouraged to reread favourite books or always try new ones; whether stories help children understand real-world issues better than facts alone; whether illustrations still matter in books for older children; whether it is important for children to see themselves represented in the books they read; and whether reading for pleasure improves creativity more than structured reading at school.

The audience included fellow pupils, teachers, and trustees, as well as the CEO and Deputy CEO of the Trust, while staff from across all schools supported the teams in writing their speeches and rehearsing for the event.

“Literary events that involve public speaking are so important, as they give children valuable opportunities to build confidence and communication skills,” continued Mrs Hunt.

“Preparing and delivering a presentation encourages pupils to organise their ideas clearly, structure their thoughts, and express them in a way that engages an audience. Through this, they learn how to communicate effectively and share their ideas with clarity and purpose.”

“Taking part in events beyond the school environment, alongside pupils from other schools in the Trust and Federation, also offers valuable social and personal benefits,” she added. “It allows children to meet new people, experience different perspectives, and learn from others.

“Engaging with a wider group of students can broaden their horizons, build resilience, and encourage a healthy sense of collaboration and friendly competition. Such experiences help pupils develop confidence in unfamiliar settings, and strengthen the interpersonal skills that will support them throughout their education and beyond.”

Children from Years 3 to 6 at our school took part in a range of book-themed activities, which included concocting their own Harry Potter-style magical potions, and designing a chocolate bar for Willy Wonka’s Factory.

Pupils and staff also arrived for the day dressed as their favourite fictional characters, while teachers shared passages from their favourite children’s books during a special, whole-school assembly.

“World Book Day is incredibly important, not least this year as it is the National Year of Reading, led by the National Literacy Trust,” said Ashley Kirwan, Assistant Headteacher at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“Our goal is to try to help children discover a book that unlocks their love of reading or, for many children, continues their love of stories or even non-fiction.”

This year’s event occurred at the perfect time, as we have recently finished upgrading our library facilities.

“We have just upgraded our school library with a load of new fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and graphic novels – just in time for World Book Day,” added Mr Kirwan. 

The topics covered by PC Smith included: cyberbullying, hate crime and online safety with mobile phone use. 

As the pictures show, pupils (even some teachers) had the opportunity to dress up! Pupils across all year groups tried on uniform brought in by PC Smith after he delivered the workshops. 

This event hopes to inspire our pupils - both by informing them of the importance of the issues discussed but also the opportunities that come with a career in the police force. 

Classrooms and playgrounds across both schools were buzzing with fundraising efforts, seeing pupils and teachers trading their uniforms for costumes, baking treats, and participating in fun challenges.

The generosity shown by pupils, staff, and families at both schools has reinforced the Trust’s deep commitment to developing community responsibility among its pupils, ensuring a substantial donation is made to the annual appeal.

Across the West Norfolk Academies Trust, other schools like Gaywood Primary held a Dance-athon and West Lynn Primary focused on art and craft activities to raise money for the appeal.

Run by the Trust in association with the King’s Lynn & District Camera Club, the WNAT Photography Competition was renamed this year as the David Ashfield Photography Cup, in honour of a KLDCC member who had recently died.

“The competition started in 2024 as a collaboration between the WNAT and the KLDCC, who use the Springwood High School for their weekly Monday meetings,” explained KLDCC Chair Brian Sadler, who organised the event with Emma Pearman from WNAT.

“That was a great success, so we decided to build upon that and make the competition a regular event to encourage youngsters into photography.

“The late David Ashfield was a pivotal and influential member of the KLDCC, so we decided to honour his memory by naming the competition after him.”

Competition categories comprised Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4, and Key Stage 5, plus one for WNAT staff, and almost 150 entries were received from Years 3 to 13 across the Trust’s member schools.

Those participating included Marshland High School in West Walton, St Clement’s High School in Terrington St Clement, Smithdon High School in Hunstanton, and Springwood High School in King’s Lynn, as well as primaries Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

WNAT undertook the first round of judging, shortlisting ten images from each of the five categories to go through to the final at Springwood, where experienced circuit judge and honorary KLDCC member Allan Livingstone had the task of selecting the winners.

The first place category prizes went to Ava F for Key Stage 5; Thomas S for Key Stage 4; Scarlett C for Key Stage 3; and Sydney C for Key Stage 2; while L Sedgley won the Staff Award.

WNAT Executive Headteacher Andy Johnson was on hand to present the prizes, with each category winner receiving an Amazon voucher, and all finalists receiving mounted prints of their entries.

An additional award went to overall winner Ava, who was presented with the David Ashfield Cup by the late Mr Ashfield’s daughters, Jill Smithson and Sally Ashfield  – a former Deputy Headteacher at Springwood.

“This competition has become an important part of our Trust calendar,” added Mr Johnson. “All entrants enjoy this extra-curricular pursuit.

“It is also important that our Trust is part of the local community. We enjoy working with our partners in the KLDCC, alongside other community partners.”

The popular annual event was taking place for the fourth time, and saw performers from our school join others from across the Trust, alongside a host of other music groups from across the region.

“Suffice to say we had a real mix of younger WNAT ensembles, alongside more experienced ensembles and professional musicians,” said Robin Norman, Director of Music at WNAT and organiser of the event. “There was a real mix of different styles and ages, with performers from all schools across the WNAT family, along with other community ensembles.

“There was, without doubt, something for everyone, with a wonderful range of instrumental and vocal ensembles.”

Besides Springwood, the participating Trust high schools comprised Marshland in West Walton, St Clement’s in Terrington St Clement, and Smithdon in Hunstanton, while member primaries taking part included Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Infant, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

“Across the four nights, there were in excess of 500 performers from across all year groups from Reception through to Year 13,” explained Mr Norman. “These were spread across all the schools in the West Norfolk Academies Trust and beyond.

“Students from all WNAT schools were involved. However, we were also joined by community music groups including the West Norfolk Music Centre, West Norfolk Winds, and others – a real showcase of all the different types of music from across West Norfolk.”

Among the performers were musicians from the Trust’s Musical Instrumental Tuition Initiative (MITI) Programme, including a String Ensemble, a Wind Band, and individual piano and percussion students.

More than 900 people attended the Community Music Festival, which culminated in the WNAT Choral Spectacular, featuring choirs from all the Trust’s schools, along with special guest St Martha’s – a total of around 250 students, aged five to 18.

“The students of all ages coming together is a unique experience,” continued Mr Norman. “There is an overarching sense of camaraderie, and, whatever the age, the students joke, and laugh, and just enjoy making music together.

“There was a wide range of pieces on offer, from musical theatre to classic pop to rock. However, the highlight had to be the grand finale when all the children joined together to perform ‘This is Me’ from The Greatest Showman.”

“For the young people in our schools, this now-annual event is important in so many ways,” added Mr Norman. “The professional-level stage is just one aspect of this, as all performers have the joy of performing in front of appreciative audiences on equipment of such a high level.

“However, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as you cannot measure the good a series of events like this does on inspiring future musicians, who, in some cases, will be hearing advanced performances for the first time.

“This gives them the opportunity to perform and work with a whole range of musicians. This is something you cannot really measure as both an inspirational and aspirational tool.”

The school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, welcomed around 130 pupils to its Year 5 Experience Day, with participating primaries including fellow WNAT members Heacham Junior and Snettisham, along with Hunstanton, Docking, Brancaster, Sandringham and West Newton, Flitcham, and Dersingham.

“During the day, they took part in three activities,” said Smithdon Deputy Headteacher Sarah Robinson, who organised the event. “These ranged from creating a collaborative artwork, to the Egg Drop Challenge, to a workout in Smithdon’s Fitness Suite.

“We also had some drama activities happening, and some great coding work going on in ICT.”

Other Smithdon staff members meeting the visitors included Headteacher Amanda Gibbins, and Alysha Moat, who is Assistant Head of Key Stage 3. The children were also joined by some of the school’s Year 9 students, who offered additional support during the visit.

“We have run a Year 5 transition event for well over ten years,” continued Mrs Robinson. “It is well established in our calendar and one of the key events in collaboration with our primary partners.”

“This is part of our wide-ranging transition programme, where we work with all our feeder primary schools to build links and make the transition process at the end of Year 6 as smooth as possible,” she added.

“By the time the students come up to us for our Year 5 day, they have already been up to Smithdon in Year 4 for a sports event, and have met a lot of our teachers during Art, Science, and Reading outreach activities held in the primary schools.

“Transition to high school is a huge event in a child’s life, so the more comfortable we can make our students feel by running events like these, the better.”

Children from Years 3 to 6 at Heacham Junior School took part in the event, which enabled them to test out a variety of different professional roles.

“This is an exciting day that has become an annual event in our school calendar,” said organiser Katie Cornwell, Year 3 Teacher at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“During Apprenticeship Day, pupils spend time learning about a particular career, taking on different roles and responsibilities related to that job, and becoming a professional for the day.”

The mini apprenticeships cover a wide choice of careers, with this year’s options ranging from engineering to photography.

“The children apply for the apprenticeship they wish to enrol on,” continued Miss Cornwell. “They might want to learn how to be an engineer, travel agent, film producer, chef, estate agent, photographer, software engineer, or have a job in the sports industry.

“Apprenticeships are run by a mixture of external professionals and school staff and include all children from Year 3 to Year 6.”

It was the third time that the event had taken place, with participants this year including The Norfolk Agents, Tracy Bower from West Norfolk School Sport Partnership, and Rolls Royce at RAF Barham, as well as Heacham Junior teachers James Agate, Ashley Kirwan, Hariette Pateman, and Miss Cornwell herself.

“The aim for the day is to raise aspirations,” she added. “It gives the children the opportunity to explore career possibilities, and connect with professionals to learn about different career paths, and the skills needed to succeed.”

Children from each of the Trust’s six primary schools gathered for the final of the event, including host Gaywood Primary. The other participating schools comprised Clenchwarton, Walpole Cross Keys, West Lynn, and Snettisham Primaries, and Heacham Junior.

Eighteen pupils from Years 3 to 6 made it through to the closing stage, having qualified through previous rounds held within their respective year groups and schools.

“There were three pupils for each primary school taking part from across Key Stage 2,” said Emma Hunt, who is Executive Deputy Headteacher at Heacham Junior and oversaw the competition.

“Round One was a class round, Round Two a school round, then three pupils from each school reached the final.”

Caller for the spelling contest was Amanda Wright, Head of English at fellow WNAT member Smithdon High School, who dressed as a bee for the occasion.

“Pupils picked a number from a hat,” continued Mrs Hunt. “This matched a chair for competitors to sit on. Spellings were called and individuals answered. They remained in the competition until they spelt a word incorrectly, then they sat down until a winner was found.”

Amongst the words posed to the contestants were ‘pronunciation’, ‘accommodate’, ‘convenience’, and ‘environment’ – none of which foxed George B from Clenchwarton, who correctly spelt ‘acquaintance’ to win the contest.

He was presented with a Kindle Fire tablet, while all the finalists received certificates and chocolate.

“The event is part of a calendar of events throughout the academic year organised by the Trust,” added Mrs Hunt. “The aim of these events is to boost confidence, provide opportunities for our pupils to interact and socialise with peers from across the Trust, to provide pupils with a range of new skills, and, most importantly, to have fun.

“The Spelling Bee is important as it helps pupils to develop a profound understanding of the English language and improve their vocabulary. It is not about merely memorising spellings – it develops skills in planning and preparation.”

The pupils at Heacham Junior School spent the day testing their mettle on a climbing wall, where they were also joined by an intrepid member of staff.

“The event was an end-of-half-term enrichment experience for our pupils,” explained Emma Hunt, Executive Deputy Headteacher at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“All pupils took part. The climbing wall was with us all day, so each year group had an hour-and-a-quarter slot, which gave them plenty of time to enjoy it.”

The wall was supplied by Climb Higher Ltd, whose instructors were on hand to coach and support the children as they donned safety harnesses to practise their climbing skills.

“Events and experiences like this aim to enhance the educational experiences of children, enabling them to develop skills, explore interests, and build social connections beyond the curriculum,” continued Mrs Hunt.

“The climbing wall was primarily aimed at providing pupils with an enjoyable end-of-half-term experience that invariably helped improve confidence and social skills, as well as building self-esteem.”

It wasn’t just the children that took on the challenge of the wall, as one staff member was also inspired to reach for the heights.

“Our Assistant Headteacher, Ashley Kirwan, joined the challenge, and climbed to the top to ring the bell,” added Executive Headteacher Louise Jackson.

“It was really inspiring for the staff to see the pupils be brave and determined – some also reached the top to ring the bell, while others were happy to cheer on friends.”

Pupils of all ages at Heacham Infant and Heacham Junior Schools dressed in patriotic red, white, and blue for the historic occasion, and enjoyed a special VE Day picnic in the grounds.

Singer Erin Tasker also joined in the festivities, performing to the children and an audience of friends and family members, before leading the youngsters through a series of classic wartime tunes.

Songs included the Nursery and Reception rendition of ‘Run, Rabbit, Run’, Year 1’s performance of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, and Year 2’s ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’.

We are part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, and were not the only Trust members marking the milestone. WNAT primaries taking part included Snettisham, Clenchwarton, and Walpole Cross Keys, while Smithdon and Marshland High Schools also held VE Day events.

Children of all ages at Heacham Junior School, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, took part in the event, which involved a range of different activities, each based around a well-known scientific figure.

“The school was split up into five groups with children from all year groups,” explained Hannah Greenhalgh, Primary Science Lead at WNAT, and organiser of the day.  They rotated around different activities delivered by the teachers.

“The activities were based on a famous scientist. They included the Leonardo da Vinci Zipline; the Helen Sharman Rocket; Greta Thunberg potato plastic (making biodegradable plastic from potato starch); Marie Curie’s Chemistry Lab; and Delia Derbyshire’s Super Sound Testing.”

“The pupil’s voice was all really positive,” continued Miss Greenhalgh. “They enjoyed working with different children across the school.

“The older children provided excellent role models and supported and encouraged the younger ones.”

British Science Day was also celebrated by the Trust’s other primary schools, including Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

“Our aim for the day was to crush science stereotypes, making it fun and accessible for all children,” added Miss Greenhalgh. “Furthermore, it enhances the practical element of our science curriculum, which the children love so much.”

The event followed British Science Week, where Heacham Junior received a visit from student ‘Science Ambassadors’ from fellow WNAT member Smithdon High School in Hunstanton, who put the younger pupils through their scientific paces during a series of experiments and activities.

Pupils across all age groups at Heacham Junior helped to raise money for the annual event, which took place this year on Friday 21 March.

“All the children and staff took part,” said Emma Hunt, Executive Deputy Headteacher at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“The Friends of Heacham Junior School had red apples, smiley faces on bananas, and Baby Bel on their snack trolley. Pupils enjoyed painting with watercolours too.”

Other Comic Relief activities included watching a video about the charity, which was followed by a question-and-answer session where the children were able to find out more about the organisation and its importance.

Staff and pupils also dressed for occasion.

“It was a non-uniform day, with everyone wearing bright-coloured clothes,” added Mrs Hunt. “Some of the children chose to wear red and wore red noses or Red Nose Day merchandise.”

Fellow WNAT schools participating in the fundraising included Smithdon High School in Hunstanton, Clenchwarton Primary, Walpole Cross Keys Primary, and West Lynn Primary.

Pupils of all ages arrived at school on Thursday 6 March dressed as their favourite storybook characters, while staff also joined in the fancy-dress fun.

“At Snettisham and Heacham Junior, children were invited to come to school in character from their favourite stories,” said Louise Jackson, Executive Headteacher across the schools, which are both part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“Staff were also keen to come as key characters for the quality books we teach in school. At Snettisham our Early Years Foundation Stage teachers came as the three bears, and one pupil came as Goldilocks.”

Family members and friends also participated in the World Book Day celebrations, which involved a range of book-themed activities.

“Families were invited into school at the end of the day to share books with their children,” continued Mrs Jackson. “As it was a beautiful spring day, the children and parents enjoyed reading books with special nooks and dens created in the garden.

“In addition to this, families were also invited to work with the children to create book character vegetables. We saw some fabulous and creative potatoes, cauliflower, and broccoli.”

Other WNAT members enjoying World Book Day included Heacham Infant, Gaywood Primary, Smithdon High School in Hunstanton, and Springwood High School in King’s Lynn, while the Trust also held a Primary Literary Event at the Lynn Corn Exchange.

“The day built on our values to support a pleasure-for-reading culture in our schools, and the recent enrichment work at West Norfolk Academies Trust around the recent Literary Event,” added Mrs Jackson.

The annual WNAT Primary Literary Event took place at the King’s Lynn Corn Exchange, where Year 5 children from the Trust’s six primary schools gave group presentations on book-related subjects.

“Teams of three pupils were asked to speak for five minutes,” explained event organiser Emma Hunt, Executive Deputy Headteacher at Heacham Infant and Junior Schools and Snettisham Primary.

“The first pupil introduced the speaker, to provide the audience with a little background; the main speaker then had approximately three minutes to deliver their views on the team’s chosen topic; the final team member then delivered the vote of thanks.”

Participating schools were: Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn; while subjects under discussion included the pros and cons of online learning, whether reading different genres contributes to social and emotional development, whether reading a book is better than watching a film, and whether characters influence the enjoyment of a book.

It was the fifth time that the event had taken place, and it was attended by an audience of pupils, staff members and trustees, as well as the CEO and Deputy CEO of WNAT.

All the speakers received certificates and goodie bags for taking part.

“The event provides an opportunity for pupils to develop their presentation skills, teaching them how to arrange and articulate their ideas and organise their thoughts, to deliver captivating presentations to an audience,” added Mrs Hunt.

“Utilising the skill to speak effectively at a young age, enables them to express their views in a balanced way, connecting with and motivating others. These skills are useful in formal situations, and will no doubt support future employment. They are also important in everyday life.”

Pupils from all West Norfolk Academies Trust primary schools were able to have a go at a range of activities - from Hockey Dominoes to the Beanbag Challenge and Boccia - at the sport festival.

Originally, the KS1 (aged five to seven) festival meeting was arranged at Snettisham Primary, but a flooded field saw the action move to Heacham Junior where children from the school were joined by those from Gaywood, Walpole Cross Keys, West Lynn, Heacham Infants and Clenchwarton.

Heacham Junior’s PE lead James Agate said Sports Leaders from Heacham Junior School in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 helped to run the events and explained the rules to the younger children who took part. Members of the Year 4 Avocets class were also involved with the sport festival.

“I enjoyed running the sports as they were fun and engaging for the younger children,” said one of the leaders. 

Year One Gaywood Primary School pupil Ottilie Blackmore said the games had been great. 

“My favourite game was throwing a bean bag into a hoop. I liked getting it through the hoop at the back because it was worth 10 points. Gracie and I got 220 points together! We beat the world record.”