In years gone by, we've hosted Saturday morning sessions to help potential A Level pupils rule in and out various subject options to help them find the ones that suit them best.  

But this year, these have been replaced by online sessions introducing teaching staff and focusing more on linking up current study with A Level options, so youngsters can imagine their future at Springwood.  

These sessions come after a record 11 pupils from Springwood, some of whom only joined us for A Levels, made it to the interview stage for Oxford and Cambridge universities, with each university offering places to two students.  

“The aim is to provide students with an opportunity to meet our fantastic specialist teachers, consolidate and finesse their learning at GCSE and begin to introduce some A Level content,” said our deputy head, Jamie Warner-Lynn.  

“Online learning has been helpful during lockdown but it’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction with a teacher, and all the uncertainty around exams will definitely have taken its toll on the motivation and confidence of some students.  

“We hope the masterclasses will enable them to focus on the medium term, and the next step they might be able to take, rather than looking at what’s directly in front of them, which in the current climate could be a source of anxiety.  

"We’re not putting bells and whistles on it, we just want to show the quality of the teaching Springwood offers, and to encourage students to think how they can fit into that picture.”  

Springwood is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, which oversees 11 primary and secondary schools across the borough.  

Mr Warner-Lynn said the added strength and support offered by being part of a multi-academy trust was a big part of what Springwood could offer to students.  

“As our successes this year have shown, we offer a culture of aspiration and first-rate teaching,” he said. “We always go the extra mile for our students, and I think what we’re offering here with the masterclass programme is another demonstration of that.”