A talented team of gymnasts from a Barrow school are top of the class after triumphing in a county-wide competition.

The six gymnasts from Cambridge Primary School won the Cumbria Key Steps One Gymnastics competition in Penrith this month.

The pupils, who are in Year 2, qualified to represent Furness in the youngest category after winning the regional final held at Dowdales School.

Headteacher Jenny Lavery said they performed three different techniques individually – floor, vault and body management routines.

“It was an amazing performance from our gymnasts who have been practising hard for the finals and all achieved way beyond expectations. They were very brave to perform in front of a crowd and showed real determination.

“We offer a free gymnastics club for our pupils with coach Brenda McMinn Baillie, which is really popular and teaches so many skills including listening, focus and communication as well as team work and exercise.”

“Our other teams in different age groups were also third and fifth in the regional schools finals and I’d like to congratulate them all on their success.”

The winning pupils Poppy, Zayn, Liberty, Addy, Njala and Amelia all received a gold medal and a certificate.

They also received stars based on the level of their performance with four achieving three stars and two securing two stars, demonstrating the high level of their success.

Congratulations to Chetwynde School pupil Zofia who has secured a place at the prestigious Liverpool School of Performing Arts which is one of the top colleges for theatre, music and performance in the country.

She will join the sixth form at LIPA, which was set up by Sir Paul McCartney, to continue the next stage in her training after her GCSEs at school.

Her tutor Katherine Parkinson said LIPA was her first-choice and will give Zofia the chance to work with all the top teachers and directors in the industry when she starts in September.

“I’m sure everyone who has taught Zofia knows she has always been destined for the stage but to gain a place at such a young age is a fantastic achievement,” she said. “Her hard work has definitely paid off for the next stage in her training. She actually got into all of the colleges she has auditioned for but was keeping everything crossed she would get into her first choice.”

Zofia played the role of Belle in the school’s recent production of Beauty and the Beast.

Member schools from South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust were among the 33 schools at the Furness STEM Show this year.

The show was organised by Furness Education & Skills Partnership (FESP) and held to showcase skills and learning in science, technology, engineering and maths as part of British Science Week.

All six SCMAT schools attended alongside associate member schools.

Pupils learned about catalysts and exothermic reactions, they took part in experiments with ferromagnetic fluid and a Tesla Coil Magnet, they cracked codes, solved puzzles and navigated mazes. One of the show’s many highlights included space exploration inside Lancaster University’s portable planetarium.

Supporting organisations who offered hands-on and interactive stands included: Oxley, Bender, GSK, Siemens Energy, Vattenfall, Jacobs, Kimberly-Clark, Underwater Diving Services, BAE Systems and Furness College alongside Lancaster University and The University of Cumbria and a host of other businesses.

The teachers loved seeing all their children engaged and interacting with lots of local businesses.

Feedback from schools included “Everything was exceptional, but the children absolutely loved the planetarium”; “It was brilliantly organised and the stalls and activities available for the children were fantastic”; “The children loved getting involved with the hands-on activities”.

The visitors were also entertained by Professor Pumpernickel in an action-packed show introducing the children to the world of chemistry. The show included a mesmerising display enabling attendees to visualise sound waves during an experiment involving a laser pen, small Bluetooth speaker, old rubber glove and a drainpipe.

Neil Tippins, one of the organisers, said: “It is fantastic to see these young people so enthralled in the experiments and activities and we hope they discover that science can fun and lead to a rewarding career.”

The event was sponsored by BAE Systems, hosts Furness College and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Five talented basketballers from Chetwynde School are a step towards representing their country after being selected for a training camp.

The pupils were chosen to play for Basketball England’s Aspire Programme, which is a camp to train up players to play for England and Great Britain.

Knox, Tobias, Maimie, Alex and Oliver are all taking part in a series of sessions in Manchester.

Alongside on-court coaching, they learn the principles of basketball with classroom workshops covering topics including hydration, nutrition, sleep and injury prevention.

Tobias, who said he would like to play basketball professionally so he can travel the world, said they had really enjoyed the sessions, including one held at Manchester Giants.

“There were a lot of really good players there and they pushed us hard to do our best. It was really fun and I enjoyed it,” he said. “I love basketball as it calms me, takes my mind off other things and gives me focus.”

Maimie said all the pupils play for the Barrow Thorns sides, representing at different age groups.

“It was good and there were a lot of other players that I recognise from the games we play. We met new friends and it was really sociable.”

Headteacher Steve Jefferson said: “This is a great opportunity to experience professional coaching and we are delighted to have so many pupils involved in this programme.”

Staff and Trustees from South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust helped to celebrate the best of the best in our community at the Love Barrow Awards.

The Trust is a patron of the awards, which recognises local heroes and community superstars who go the extra mile.

Among the winners were Ormsgill School pupil Lilly-Mae Grimes who won the Young Citizen of the Year sponsored by Kimberly-Clark.

Lilly-Mae helps two children with additional needs at school and won for her caring heart learning about their conditions and how to communicate.

Speaking in her awards video she said: “If I felt left out, I would feel lonely like I had no friends. I thought I wouldn’t like it so maybe I should just include them like everyone else.”

“It makes me feel happy and it makes them happy and it makes me who I am.”

Her Headteacher Mick Cull was also shortlisted for the Teacher of the Year Award sponsored by BAE Systems for going above and beyond for staff, children and the community in his role.

“I’m really privileged to have such an amazing team – teachers, support staff, midday supervisors, office staff, caretakers everyone is just absolutely amazing.

“We have this shared vision of what we want for our children. There is so many great teachers in Barrow, in my school and across our multi-academy Trust, it’s incredibly rewarding.”

He paid tribute to the overall winner was Jez Mark who supports the local education system with his work at the Pupil Referral Unit.

Winner of this year’s Love Barrow Awards Ambassador of the Year was Rebecca Robson who is in involved in education in her role as a governor at Greengate Junior School, where she is a former pupil.

She is now the senior officer at Women’s Community Matters and was recently recognised for her work when she was awarded an MBE in the King’s New Years Honours List.

“I am really proud to be from Barrow, born and educated here, and I have my dream job working at Women’s Community Matters,” she said. “To receive this award on International Women’s Day is really special, and this award is not about me, it recognises all the wonderful people who work alongside me”.

Over 180 people attended this year’s awards and raised nearly £1,200 for the Furness Homeless Support Group.

Chair of the Love Barrow Awards, DT Guest, said he had seen the awards go from strength-to-strength.

“The awards are only possible due to the continued support we have from our fantastic sponsors, and I would like to thank them, and the committee who give up their time to bring the awards to life. Most importantly, I must thank the over 500 individuals and groups who make the area such a fantastic community. Everyone nominated deserves recognition.”

Pupils from Chetwynde School have been sharing their knowledge about the life of Anne Frank and the Holocaust with other students.

They have been trained as peer educators by the Anne Frank Trust to teach other children as part of a special History for Today exhibition, which has been running at the school for the past two weeks.

The exhibition comes in advance of a visit this week to Poland where Chewynde School students will visit Auschwitz.

Alongside students from Year 6 to Year 11 at Chetwynde, the exhibition has also been visited by Year 6 pupils from South Walney Junior School, which is also part of South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust. South Walney Junior School pupils have been studying this as part of their history lessons.

Chetwynde School Teacher Michelle Doolan, who organised the exhibition, said: “Our peer educators have been doing tours of the exhibition to other classes in school and these have been brilliant to watch.

“This is particularly pertinent as some of the students both taking part and watching the tours will be travelling to Poland with the English department this week and will visit Auschwitz during the trip.”

Some of the peer educators from Year 9 will also travel to Manchester for The Anne Frank Youth Empowerment conference this month where they can choose to become Anne Frank Ambassadors. Chetwynde is the only school in Cumbria attending the conference.

The Anne Frank Trust uses the life and work of Anne Frank as a platform for education about antisemitism and all forms of prejudice. Through her experiences as a young Jewish girl during the Holocaust allows young people to see the ultimate consequences of antisemitism, and this knowledge helps them to understand the dangers of antisemitism and other forms of prejudice today.

Year 6 pupils from Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School enjoyed a factory tour of Oxley Group at the start of a new Green Careers project.

They visited the Ulverston-based aerospace and lighting systems specialist, which is their business partner, to discuss ideas to shape a project based on an issue that is important to them and the local environment.

The overall project is led by FESP (Furness Education Skills Partnership) and focuses on future jobs in the renewable energy and net-zero sectors.

By 2040, the sector aims to create 20,000 new jobs creating a wave of opportunities in careers across the country.

The pupils from Ormsgill enjoyed an insight into the work at Oxley from CEO Darren Cavan before being set a challenge to consider the impact of plastic pollution and to undertake a project to reduce plastic bottle waste using the reduce – reuse – recycle model. 

Jayne Moorby Head of Marketing at Oxley Group said: “We are delighted to be paired with Ormsgill school, during their project introduction visit to Oxley we were inspired by the group’s enthusiasm and creativity.

“Projects like this enable us to work with young people to develop communication and problem-solving skills whilst also opening their eyes to the huge array of future opportunities available with local employers, we’re excited to work together to see how their project progresses.”

The school will develop their idea with the support of Oxley, the team will visit the school to work with the pupils on researching the topic and designing a creative solution and will then present their work back to the Oxley CEO. 

Any changes will be implemented, and the effectiveness of the solutions will be measured so the pupils can see the ‘real world’ difference their project has made.

Other businesses involved include Orsted, BAE Systems, Morgan Sindall and The Lakeside Hotel and each business will either work directly on the climate agenda or have environment protection at the heart of their operational model.

A number of schools including Cambridge and Newbarns, who are also part of SCMAT, and Barrow Island and St Paul’s are involved in the project.

A spokesperson for FESP said:  “We know that young people have a greater interest than ever before in protecting our world but do they know how they can have a career actively doing so in Cumbria? This project will introduce students to employers in our area working on the climate change agenda. Through our project, students will be partnered with a business to design a legacy piece to share their learning about the county’s aspiration to achieve a low/net zero carbon economy by 2050.”

Pupils in Year 6 at Ormsgill School shared their insights into the Windrush Generation at a special assembly.

They have been learning all about the positive things the Windrush pioneers brought with them to Britain between 1948 and 1971.

Alongside contributing to the workforce, the migrants enriched the cultural landscape of the UK bringing with them Caribbean culture, art, sports, traditions and customs which had a significant impact on society.

Class teacher Jessica Corless, who is also an assistant headteacher at Ormsgill School, said the pupils had also learned about the hardships people felt when they arrived in Britain.

“They were inspired to share the story with the rest of the school. The children spoke confidently and clearly telling the pioneers’ story, shared some artwork inspired by this topic and parents/carers came to watch. I was extremely proud of every single one of them.”

Staff at Cambridge Primary School in Barrow have paid tribute to former pupil Dave Myers saying Barrow has lost its ‘greatest ambassador’.

The Hairy Biker was a pupil of the school when it was known as Abbotsmead and returned a few years ago to film as part of a BBC series.

Headteacher Jenny Lavery said the celebrity chef showed a genuine joy to be back in the school, telling stories about his time in school and his childhood in Barrow.

“Dave was a lovely person to meet, no hint of the fame or celebrity; a down-to-earth, genuine man. He was warm and friendly with staff and children, allowing us to take photos and signing recipe books for us to raffle,” she said.

“He spent longer at the school than planned, filming pieces to camera, recording the voice over in my office and was generous enough to spend time answering questions the children had and allowing them to shadow him during filming. It really was such an event for us all.

“We are so sorry to hear of his death and send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.”

Mr Myers said at the time that he had ‘very fond memories’ of the school and that it was lovely to be back for the first time in 50 years. Speaking on The One Show’s A Street Where you Live feature he said the school was still thriving and a very friendly place.

He recalled how he learnt to tell left from right by thinking about where the school hall was in relation to the corridor and still remembered his left from right in this way.

Mr Myers, who grew up in nearby Devon Street, also credited the school for where he discovered an early love of art before going on to study a fine art degree at Goldsmiths in London.