“This year, Springwood decorated three trees for local Christmas Tree festivals,” said Victoria Mann, Head of Year 7 and Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) Leader at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“We were delighted to support the first ever Christmas Tree Festival at the King’s Lynn Minster, with two trees reflecting the wider WNAT push to develop confident readers, and Springwood’s ever-expanding STEM offerings.

“We also contributed to a ‘Kindness Tree’ at the local Pott Row Methodist Church, which was also well received.”

Decorations for the ‘WNAT Reading Tree’ were created by our Year 7 students drawing inspiration from their favourite books, and were designed to encourage reading across the Trust’s seven primary and four secondary schools, as part of the Reading Passport Scheme.

Our second Minster tree celebrated all things STEM, and was decorated by the Year 7 and 8 STEM Club. It included hand-made marbled ornaments, hanging ‘DNA’, and images of the students’ favourite scientists.

The Kindness Tree was also the handiwork of our Year 7 cohort.

“As part of the work of our Wellbeing Council, Year 7 were given the task of designing a superhero shield, and showing how they can use their power for good,” explained Mrs Mann.

“The shields then went on to decorate our Kindness Tree at Pott Row Methodist Church, celebrating the positive impact and thoughtful actions of our Year 7 community.”

More than 2,000 people visited the Christmas Tree in the Minster, helping to raise in excess of £4,000 for causes across King’s Lynn.

“The 280 students in our Year 7 were each individually required to contribute to both our Reading and Kindness Trees,” continued Mrs Mann. “Each ornament reflects the interest and personality of our students.

“The Reading Tree was further boosted by contributions from our school’s Book Club, with designs linked to Philips Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy and The Golden Compass book.

“The STEM tree was created by the 50-plus students who regularly attend our Year 7 and 8 STEM Club – meaning that more than 300 students were involved in creating our community Christmas Trees this year.”

Members of staff involved in the Christmas creativity included Book Club Lead Nina Elvin and STEM Club Lead Isabel Colley, along with our Head of RE, Alison Denis, and Maths Teacher Georgie Brown; while Mrs Mann and Year 7 Manager Abbie Rawlinson oversaw the decorating of the Minster trees by students Phoebe, Iulia, and Brooke.

“This is the first year we have taken part in the Minster Christmas Tree Festival, but we are regular participants in the Pott Row Festival,” added Mrs Mann. “We hope to participate in both again next year.

“Events like this are important in connecting our students to the wider community, and showing how their actions can support and enrich their local area.

“We were delighted to be able to share with students how much money had been raised for local charities, and know that the time spent creating the trees will have helped students develop teamwork, communication, literacy, and confidence.”