‘I’ve loved my time here’: West Norfolk students reflect on their school journeys
As students across West Norfolk Academies Trust celebrate their GCSE results, many are also taking the opportunity to reflect on their time at their schools and the people, experiences and opportunities that have helped shape them.
While Results Day is naturally about grades and the next steps in education, the comments from students across Springwood High School, Smithdon High School, Marshland High School and St Clement’s High School reveal something broader about their secondary school experience.
From supportive teachers and friendships to sport, performing arts and opportunities to discover new interests, students have described their schools as places where they have grown in confidence, developed new passions and prepared themselves for the future.
For many, the relationships they have built with teachers have been one of the most important parts of their school experience.
At Springwood High School, Grace Dickson, who achieved an outstanding 11 Grade 9s, one Grade 7 and one A, said she had particularly valued the supportive environment at the school. “I really like Springwood and the teachers here – it’s really supportive,” she said.
Her fellow high achiever Hagar Abdelgawad, who achieved nine Grade 9s, two Grade 8s and one D*, is now preparing to stay at Springwood Sixth Form as she works towards her ambition of studying Medicine.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Springwood and I’m happy to be staying here for two more years,” she said.
For Antoni Ostasz, who achieved five Grade 9s, four Grade 8s, two Grade 7s, one Grade 6 and one Grade A, the support available at Springwood has helped him feel confident about the next stage of his education.
He will now study Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry at A-Level, with ambitions to go on to Oxbridge and pursue a career linked to Physics or engineering.
“I think the support's amazing here for getting through GCSEs and getting onto further education with apprenticeships, colleges, or the sixth form, as well as just looking for careers in general – it’s been great,” he said.
At Smithdon High School, students also spoke warmly about the experiences they had enjoyed during their time at the school.
Freya Whiting, one of the school’s top achievers, is moving on to Sixth Form to study A-Levels, with ambitions of working in Sports Science. She said her time at Smithdon had been about much more than what happened in the classroom.
“My time at Smithdon has been amazing,” she said. “All the lessons are put together so well, and I’ve enjoyed all the extracurricular sports stuff outside of school. I’ll miss the teachers. It’s been a really good experience.”
For Freya, the combination of academic lessons, extracurricular opportunities and relationships with staff had made her school experience a memorable one.
George Ince, who achieved one Grade 9, four Grade 8s, one Grade 7, two Grade 6s and two Grade 5s, was surprised by how well he had performed when he opened his results.
“I feel really good about the results,” he said. “I didn’t think they’d be this good. Although I’d worked really hard, I didn’t think I did this well.”
He was particularly proud of achieving a Grade 9 in Chemistry.
For Amelie Witley, her time at Smithdon has helped her identify the direction she wants to take in the future. After achieving two Grade 9s, three Grade 7s, four Grade 6s and one Grade 5, she will now study Art, Photography and Media Studies at A-Level.
She is hoping eventually to work in animation and film. “I did so much better than I expected,” she said. “I’m absolutely gobsmacked, to be honest. I was terrified when I came in this morning. I don't even know what to say – I’m just so shocked.”
But it was her future ambition that really demonstrated how her interests had developed during her time at school. “I'd really like to go into animation and film. I'd love to be able to create my own films one day.”
For Oscar Tidd, who is also planning to continue his studies at Sixth Form, Smithdon helped him discover which subjects genuinely interested him. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Smithdon,” he said. “It’s been nice. The subjects are available to help you discover what you really enjoy.”
Oscar now plans to study History and Media Studies, with the ambition of eventually going into documentary film-making.
For Geo Anness, meanwhile, school helped uncover a passion for performing.
Geo, who achieved one Grade 9, two Grade 8s, two Grade 7s, two Grade 6s and three Grade 5s, has starred in a number of school productions and hopes to pursue a career in Musical Theatre.
“I just love being on stage,” she said. “I love singing and acting, and I am working right now on my dance skills, as I started a bit later with that. I love Musical Theatre, but I’d love to do screen as well. It just depends.”
She also highlighted the impact of the teachers who had supported her. “Springwood has been a positive experience, and I’m definitely going to miss the teachers – they’ve really helped me to get where I am.”
For Daisy May, one of Smithdon’s Head Girl team, her memories of the school are similarly positive. “I’ve loved it at Smithdon – it’s been brilliant,” she said.
Meanwhile, Miles Harris, who has already started a two-year apprenticeship as an apprentice architect technician with Vertex Architects, is taking the skills and experiences he gained at Smithdon directly into the workplace.
“I’ve got an apprenticeship from Vertex Architects,” he explained. “I’m an apprentice architect technician, so I’m just drawing up houses and helping them.”
At Marshland High School, students also reflected on the support they had received and the way their experiences had helped them overcome challenges and develop confidence.
Emelia Cook achieved an exceptional ten Grade 9s, one Grade 8 and a B in Additional Maths, and will now study Biology, Chemistry and Maths at Springwood Sixth Form with ambitions of becoming a doctor.
But one of the results she was proudest of was in History, a subject she had initially struggled with. “History was the result that surprised me the most because when I started it, I just felt like I couldn’t do it,” she said.
After achieving a six in her mocks, Emelia worked hard to improve, taking advantage of the additional support available to her. “I really had to work hard for it, and took up every offer the school offered me, including tutoring. I’m so proud of myself.”
Her experience demonstrates how a student's school journey can be about more than simply achieving the highest possible grade. It can also be about identifying a weakness, accepting help, putting in the work and ultimately proving to yourself what you are capable of.
For Nikolay Nedyalkov, who achieved two Grade 9s, six Grade 8s, two Grade 7s, a Grade 6 and a B in Additional Maths, the key lesson from his GCSE experience was to believe in himself. “I did my best and that’s all I asked of myself,” he said. “I worked really hard to get these results and I believed in myself.”
Nikolay was particularly proud of his Science results and will now study Computer Science, Maths, Further Maths and Physics at Springwood Sixth Form.
He was also keen to recognise the role played by his teachers. “I’ve loved my time here at Marshland. The teachers here have always been very helpful, they are experts in their fields, and I couldn’t have asked for more, and looking at my results, I’m very happy.”
Eaden Nunnerley, who achieved seven Grade 9s, two Grade 8s and one Grade 7, described her time at Marshland as “an amazing journey”.
“I’ve had a brilliant time at Marshland,” she said. “It’s been an amazing journey. I’ve really loved this school and I’m really going to miss it here, especially the brilliant teachers.”
Eaden will now move on to Springwood Sixth Form to study Biology, Chemistry and Maths, with hopes of pursuing a career in Medicine.
Her comments capture one of the bittersweet elements of Results Day: the excitement of moving on to the next stage of life alongside the realisation that a familiar part of life is coming to an end.
At St Clement’s High School, students similarly spoke about the support they had received from staff and the sense of community they had experienced.
Imogen Garrett, one of the school's top achievers, achieved three Grade 9s, three Grade 8s, two Grade 7s and two Grade 6s. She will now move on to Springwood Sixth Form to study History, Politics and Spanish, with ambitions of eventually attending Oxbridge.
Despite her excellent results, Imogen admitted that she had been nervous before opening her envelope. “I was really scared coming to collect my results today, I didn’t know how I was going to do,” she said.
But once she opened her results, there were plenty of positive surprises. “I was really shocked, in particular, about my science results, and I would say that I’m most proud of my History result. I felt like I put a lot of work into that GCSE but I do love history.”
For Imogen, however, the most important part of her reflection was what she had to say about St Clement’s itself. “I’ve loved my time here. The school has always been really supportive. All the staff here really care and all the teachers are really good at what they do.”
She enjoyed her time at the school so much that she plans to return to give something back to the younger students. “I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’m going to come back to do some mentoring.”
Ethan Ward, another of St Clement’s highest achievers, achieved six Grade 9s, three Grade 8s and one Grade 7 and will also progress to Springwood Sixth Form.
He was particularly pleased with his Grade 9 in PE, as well as his results in History, Maths and Science.
“I think this school has been really good for me,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here. The teachers are great, super supportive, and they are always there to help whenever we need it.”
For Ruby De-Gol, her time at St Clement’s helped her reach a significant personal milestone in passing the Maths GCSE she had feared she might not be able to achieve.
“I’d say I’m most proud of my Maths GCSE because I just felt like I wouldn’t be able to pass it but I did,” she said. “I’m amazed at what I’ve achieved.”
Ruby will now study Travel and Tourism at the College of West Anglia as she works towards her dream of becoming cabin crew.
“I’m going to the College of West Anglia now to study Travel and Tourism and then hopefully get a job somewhere as air cabin crew. That’s my dream – just not for Ryanair.”
Across the four West Norfolk Academies Trust schools, the students' reflections provide a picture of school life that goes well beyond examination results.
For some, it has been the support of teachers that has made the biggest difference. For others, it has been discovering a passion for sport, drama, musical theatre, film, media or a particular academic subject.
Some have valued the extracurricular opportunities available to them, while others have found confidence through friendships, school productions, sporting activities or simply having adults around them who believed in their potential.
There is also a recurring theme of students discovering things about themselves that they did not necessarily know when they first arrived at secondary school.
Amelie discovered a passion for animation and film. Geo found a love of Musical Theatre. Oscar discovered an interest in documentary filmmaking. Freya developed ambitions of working in Sports Science. Others are now preparing for careers in Medicine, Physics, engineering and architecture.
And while the students are excited about what comes next, many are also conscious that they are leaving behind schools and people who have played an important part in their lives.
“I’ll miss the teachers,” said Freya.
“I’m definitely going to miss the teachers,” said Geo.
“I’m really going to miss it here, especially the brilliant teachers,” said Eaden.
For Imogen, that connection is strong enough that she intends to return to St Clement’s as a mentor.
The comments also show the importance of confidence. Students have talked about being terrified before opening their results, not expecting to do as well as they did, or struggling with particular subjects, only to discover that their hard work had paid off.
As George put it, he was surprised by how well he had done despite working hard. Emelia proved to herself that a subject she once thought she could not do was one in which she could ultimately achieve a result of which she was immensely proud. Ruby achieved a Maths pass she had feared was beyond her.
These are stories of achievement, but they are also stories of growth.
As the Class of 2026 leaves Springwood, Smithdon, Marshland and St Clement’s, they take with them more than their GCSE results.
They leave with memories of school productions, sporting activities, friendships, supportive teachers, challenging subjects, new interests and the confidence that comes from discovering what they are capable of achieving.
And perhaps most importantly, they leave with a clearer idea of where they want to go next.
For West Norfolk Academies Trust, the students' reflections are a reminder that successful schools are not simply places where young people achieve qualifications.
They are places where young people discover who they are, what they enjoy, what they are capable of and what they might achieve in the future.
The Class of 2026 have certainly made their mark on their schools. And, judging by what they have said about their experiences, their schools have made a lasting mark on them too.
