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Meeting the King to receive a royal award has been a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience for a former student at Springwood High School.
The future was looking bright for our students, after we received a national accreditation for excellent careers education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG).
Springwood High School was awarded the National Quality in Careers Standard, following a detailed assessment of our careers provision, which considered management, careers learning, information, and advice and guidance.
“Springwood High School has a strong career department that provides a very comprehensive CEIAG programme that aims to achieve its aim of ‘widening horizons, challenging stereotypes, and raising aspirations’,” reported the assessment team.
“Rapid progress has been made in embedding CEIAG into form time, curriculum time, and Super Learning Days (termly collapsed learning days). The programme is well-supported by staff working in departments and form tutors.”
The offering at Springwood, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, includes our Careers Fair, which has doubled in size in recent years.
Attended by around 1,000 students from Years 10 to 13, the annual event features more than 50 exhibitors, such as Queen Elizabeth Hospital, BAE Systems, Lovell Homes, Saxon Air, Cranswick Foods, College of West Anglia, College of East Anglia, and the University of Lincoln.
“We also run careers awareness and employability workshops with students alongside the Careers Fair,” said our Head of Year 13 and Careers Leader, Nicky Thompson, who spearheaded the award application process alongside Senior Leadership Team Careers Lead Richard Thompson, Lead Governor for Careers Ed Weightman, and Careers Advisor Christine Walton.
“For employers, it provides an ideal opportunity for them to meet the talent pipeline for the future, and to start informing students about the roles available to them in their companies.”
Another measure impressing the assessors was our work experience provision, which is supported by many leading employers in the area, including Mapus Smith and Lemon Accountants, Lotus, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Borough Council, Swaffham Veterinary Centre, Anglia Water, Hunstanton Dental Practice, and several primary schools.
“Last year, 150 students in Year 10 and Year 12 students took part in workplace work experience, with many more undertaking virtual work experience,” continued Ms Thompson.
“For students, it is an important way for young people to gain insight into the working world. For employers, it enables them to find talent for the future.”
Former Springwood students have also had a role to play in helping us secure the accreditation.
“We have been inviting Springwood alumni to come back to school to share their education and careers journeys, and to inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps,” explained Ms Thompson.
“Meeting alumni is inspiring, and encourages students to aim higher. It also provides practical support for current students.”
Among the recent visitors have been Iveta Ruskyte from Palm Paper; Freddie Coates from Caterpillar Perkins; Ruby Goodchild from Maxey Grounds; Tom Holt from Laing O’Rourke; Dylan Green from JBA Consulting; and Vikkie Ely from Mapus-Smith and Lemmon.
“We are delighted to receive this accolade, as it recognises that Springwood provides excellent careers information, advice, and guidance to all our students,” added Ms Thompson.
“It means students are more likely to choose post-16 and post-18 destinations that lead to fulfilling careers in the future.”
A new trophy has pride of place at Springwood High School, after our sixth-form rugby team triumphed in a new state tournament.
The Year 12 and 13 students were victorious in the first-ever Norfolk Schools RFU Under-18 State Cup, beating Wymondham High 12-7 in the final, which was held at Wymondham College.
City of Norwich School, Notre Dame High School, Reepham High School, Easton College, and host Wymondham College were also represented in the competition.
“Lukas M, our captain, scored two tries in our final match against Wymondham High in the final, which was a very tense match after we had watched them play and defeat Easton College,” said our Head of Health and Social Care, Chloe Lister, who coached the team alongside external staff member Seth Charlesworth.
“Our forwards were able to put forward a strong scrum against their pack, whilst our backs were able to form a strong defence line.”
Among the other major players in the contest were Maxwell M, who scored a try in the first match to put Springwood ahead of Wymondham College, and James S, who scored a try against City of Norwich School in the second match to secure Springwood’s place in the final.
The winning Springwood team also included Callum B, Rocky D, Will H, Thomas L, Tom L, Kuba L, Finn MN, Theo M, Bramley P, Ollie R, Finn R, Finn S, Ben T, Chris T, and Robin W.
“The team received the Norfolk Schools RFU UNder-18 State Cup, and medals each for winning that they could take home,” continued Miss Lister, who treated the players to a celebratory pizza lunch.
“On the drive home, the players had a sing-along to their chosen playlist and took selfies with the Cup.”
While it was the first time that the event had taken place, Springwood, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, hopes to have the opportunity to defend the trophy.
“School competitions play an important role in strengthening the school community and advancing student development in multiple ways,” added Miss Lister.
“First, they serve as a unifying force by bringing different schools together to compete in a spirit of healthy rivalry. These events attract an enthusiastic audience of parents, staff, and students, whose shared interest in the contest helps create a lively atmosphere that fosters school pride and community engagement.
“Competitions also contribute to raising the sport’s overall profile. When school-level events connect with or mirror the excitement of elite competitions, they help cultivate a pathway for aspiring athletes and build a stronger sporting culture.
“From a skill perspective, participation in a competition accelerates player development. The pressures and demands of match play require students to practise and apply technical abilities, as well as cognitive skills such as decision-making, concentration, and discipline.
“Regular exposure to competitive situations trains young athletes to think strategically, manage stress, and prioritise teamwork – traits that transfer beyond the sport into academic and personal contexts.”
Positive relationships were ‘cemented’ when our Construction Department welcomed representatives from a generous sponsor.
Musical theatre fans are in for a treat later this month, when a West End favourite comes to King’s Lynn.
Staff, governors, students, family, and friends were all on hand to celebrate the graduating Class of 2025 at Springwood High School – including a special guest speaker who had travelled from the other side of the globe.
This year’s Sixth Form Prize Giving Ceremony saw around 100 of our former Year 13 cohort assemble to receive their certificates, while a number of other awards were also presented during the evening.
“Each department presented a subject award, so 35 in total, reflecting the large amount of subjects available at Springwood,” said Head of Year 13 Luke Rawling, who gave out the prizes, alongside Deputy Head Jamie Warner-Lynn. “We also had 53 County Scholars.”
The high achievers were joined for the celebration by former student Lauren Greengrass, who is currently studying for a Masters in Australia, and returned to the school to share her experiences of working in the field of Marine Biology.
Among those receiving additional accolades were Juan Camilo Cervantes Torres, who won the Queen’s Prize; Melissa Knight, who was given the Rotary Citizen Award; Reece Mann who was awarded the Peter Hopkins Goblet for Determination and Commitment; and Josie Draper and Rachel-Lee September who were joint winners of the Hanover Prize for Contribution to the Arts.
Around 250 parents, governors, staff members, and students gathered in the Peter Hopkins Hall for the annual event at our school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.
Imaginations caught fire at Springwood High School, when bubbles, rockets, and flames brought science to life as part of a University of East Anglia outreach programme.
There were happy campers at Springwood High School, when a generous donation enabled the purchase of new tents for our Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award programme.
Inclusivity scored top marks when students from Springwood High School participated in the first-ever PowerHouse Games to be held in King’s Lynn.
The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of King’s Lynn were among the dignitaries on hand to mark the official opening of our fully refurbished performance space at Springwood High School.
Students from all four West Norfolk secondary schools put their spelling skills to the test for the finals of a keenly-fought contest.
The West Norfolk Academies Trust event was held at Smithdon High School, and the Year 7 and 8 students had to come up with the correct spelling for a range of tricky words.
Among them were antidisestablishmentarianism, martyr, mnemonic and conscientious – but all the students rose to the challenge.
It was a close contest with teams from Marshland, St Clement’s, Springwood and Smithdon High schools all concentrating hard during a tough session of serious spelling.
Springwood High School took first place with Shanjana in Year 8 taking the title of the WNAT Spelling Bee Winner, and she was presented with the prize of an Amazon Kindle Fire and a trophy.
English Lead for the Trust, Sarah Murkin, organised the annual event which was the culmination of a round of heats within each school.
“All four schools competed with outstanding team spirit and integrity. Springwood secured the win, closely followed by Marshland, St Clement’s and Smithdon. Every team delivered a fantastic performance, making the event a true celebration of talent and sportsmanship,” said Amira O’Neill, English teacher at St Clement’s High.
Each of the Trust’s secondary schools take it in turn to host the annual finals and this year was Smithdon’s turn just before the Christmas break.
