Students flock to the Nest for a pre-exam boost

The Wensum Trust Subject Conferences saw students take part in a range of activities, with participating schools including Acle Academy, Alderman Peel High School, and Hellesdon High School.

“Each conference was attended by all three of the secondary schools, and each event hosted 60 Year 11 students ahead of the upcoming GCSE exams,” said our Strategic Lead Secondary, Tom Rolfe, who facilitated the events.

“The events were held at the Nest in Norwich as part of our ongoing partnership with the Community Sports Foundation.

“Across the two days, targeted topics and collaborative activities allowed the students to strengthen their understanding and build confidence in these areas.”

A highlight of the English Conference was a workshop with scriptwriter and poet James McDermott, whose most recent plays include It Comes In Waves, Jab, and Acid’s Reign, which starred Scarlett Harlett from RuPaul’s Drag Race.

“James shared insights and strategies into the creative-writing process from the perspective of a professional writer,” explained Jon Brailsford, who is Joint Head of English at Alderman Peel.

“He shared his own poetry, giving an insight into how a poet communicates meaning through language, as well as giving students an opportunity to follow the creative process themselves.

“Communicating from the perspective of a professional writer, connecting into experiences as an Eastenders scriptwriter in particular added authenticity and great technical insight, which has the potential to have a significant impact on writing in an exam setting.”

Mr McDermott, who received the Norfolk Arts Award for Special Recognition in 2022, also put the students through their creative paces.

“James inspired some of our students to explore how they can craft language to form their own poems,” added Beth Wyer, who is Joint Head of English at Hellesdon.

“Students not only were inspired to write their own poetry, but the process of writing it has allowed them to more confidently understand how poets convey meaning through their works.”

Besides Mr Brailsford and Miss Wyer, Acle Academy Head of English Naomi Hanner was involved in the English Conference, while the Maths Conference was delivered by Acle Head of Maths Rebecca Lee, Alderman Peel Maths Teacher Matt Coe, Hellesdon Maths Teacher Stewart Cameron, and Mike Reid, who is Head of Key Stage 4 at Hellesdon.

It was the third time the conferences had taken place, with the venue choice of the Nest meaning students could enjoy activities such as pool, table football, darts, and Playstation during breaks.

“These events are incredibly important to bring our students and staff together to work collaboratively,” continued Mr Rolfe. “The idea of delivering key messages in a slightly different way, or through a slightly different method, can make a real difference to students.

“It is also important that our students feel supported and valued. We should also not underestimate the importance that our students realise they are competing against not just their peers within their own school, but across Norfolk, and up and down the country nationally.

“All of our students took the opportunity to fully engage with their learning skills, while also benefiting from the opportunity to meet and work alongside peers from other schools.”