Duke of Lancaster

04/09/2026

What a fantastic start to the school year! 🌟 We've had another wonderful day of learning, achievement and success across the school. The enthusiasm, positivity and effort shown by our students has been incredible, and SOAR points are already being awarded in abundance! Keep up the amazing work everyone. We are so proud of you! 💙⭐

🌟📚💙

04/09/2026

📢 Support Workshops for Parents and Carers

Norfolk County Council and Kids Flourish are offering a series of free in-person workshops for parents and carers, covering topics including:

✅ Introduction to Neurodiversity
✅ Behaviour
✅ Demand Avoidance (PDA)
✅ Parental Resilience

Workshops are taking place in Reepham (September/October) and South Creake (November) from 10:30am to 12:30pm.

These sessions provide a great opportunity to learn more, gain practical strategies, and connect with other families.

Please see the attached posters for dates, venues, and booking information. For further details, contact [email protected].

💜

03/09/2026

🎉 What a fantastic first day back at Duke of Lancaster! 🎉

It has been wonderful to see our amazing students return to school, ready to learn, grow and SOAR. We are incredibly proud of how well they have settled back in and grateful to our staff team for the care, encouragement and support they provided.

Students have been exploring our school values of Self-control, Ownership, Ambition and Respect, discussing what these mean to them and how they can demonstrate them throughout the year ahead. We also enjoyed a fun lunchtime football match for many of our secondary students, while classes across the school visited our improved Library and borrowed books to enjoy reading.

There was also great excitement as students returned to our gardening projects. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, we have already harvested plenty of fresh produce, which has been provided to our school kitchen team and is being used in meals this week. 🌱🥕🍅

The year is off to a brilliant start, and we are excited about everything that lies ahead. Here's to a year full of learning, growth, achievement and opportunities to SOAR!

The year is off to a brilliant start, and we are excited about everything that lies ahead!

📚⚽🌟

31/08/2026

🎥 For any student, a welcoming environment where they feel seen and heard can make all the difference.

In this clip, one of our students shares the difference Duke of Lancaster Academy has made to him. His words are a powerful reminder of the impact that understanding, support and positive relationships can have on a young person's confidence, wellbeing and success.

We are incredibly proud to provide an environment where every student is valued, encouraged and empowered to thrive.

💙 Hear his story and discover the difference a nurturing education can make.

26/08/2026

📚✨ A Huge Thank You to Our Amazing Library Volunteers! ✨📚

Over the summer holiday, a dedicated team of staff and their family members have generously given up several days of their own time to help organise and transform our school library ready for the new academic year.

At Duke of Lancaster, we know that developing a love of reading can open up new worlds, spark imaginations and support learning across every area of the curriculum. Our students absolutely love exploring the books in our library, and we are passionate about ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Our library has now been carefully organised by genre, making it even easier for students to discover books that match their interests, whether they enjoy adventure, mystery, fantasy, humour, history, animals, graphic novels or non-fiction. We want every child to be able to find books that inspire them and encourage a lifelong love of reading.

We are particularly proud of our Personal Growth section, which includes a wide range of books and resources designed to support students with topics such as friendships, emotions, wellbeing, confidence, self-image, resilience and understanding themselves and others. These books provide valuable opportunities for learning, reflection and personal development.

We are committed to continuing to invest in new books, improved library furniture and resources that create an inviting space where every child can enjoy reading. Alongside this, we will continue supporting our students to take pride in and care for the books so they can be enjoyed by everyone for years to come.

A very special thank you goes to Mrs Taylor-Jones, who led the project and coordinated the team throughout the week. Her enthusiasm, organisation and commitment have been incredible. Thank you also to every member of staff and family member who volunteered their time to help. Your hard work will make a real difference to our students and their reading journeys.

We can't wait to welcome students back to explore their newly organised library! 📖❤️

🦅📚✨

24/08/2026

🎨✨ We are incredibly proud to see Duke of Lancaster Academy students' artwork featured as part of Active Fakenham's Arts Festival this August!

Our students have showcased fantastic creativity, imagination and talent, and it is wonderful to see their work displayed around the town for the wider community to enjoy. Opportunities like this help celebrate our students' achievements and demonstrate the positive contribution young people can make through the arts.

If you haven't visited yet, there's still time! Why not take a trip to Fakenham before the end of the month to explore the artwork, support local artists and enjoy everything the Arts Festival has to offer?

A huge well done to all of our talented students whose work has been included. We are so proud of you! 🌟

🎨🖼️✨

20/08/2026

🎓 Congratulations to all of our Year 11 students receiving their KS4 results today!

We are incredibly proud of everything you have achieved during your time at Duke of Lancaster Academy. These results reflect not only your academic achievements, but also the progress you have made in confidence, independence, resilience, communication and personal development.

You have worked hard, overcome challenges and grown into remarkable young people. Thank you for being such an important part of our school community. We can't wait to see what you achieve next and look forward to hearing about your future successes.

Congratulations on all you have accomplished, and we wish you every happiness and success for the future! ⭐

🎉

18/08/2026

🌟 Recently, we had the pleasure to talk to That's TV Norfolk about the impact Team GB athlete Wes Greenidge's visit to Duke of Lancaster Academy had on our students. 🌟

Wes' visit was truly inspiring. Through sharing his personal journey, determination and positive mindset, he encouraged our young people to believe in themselves, overcome challenges and aim high in all that they do.

Experiences like this are incredibly valuable, helping our students to build confidence, raise their aspirations and see that success can be achieved through resilience, hard work and self-belief.

A huge thank you to Wes for taking the time to visit our school and make such a positive impact on our students. 💙 We are also excited to be exploring opportunities to welcome Wes back to Duke of Lancaster Academy next academic year to lead more sporting sessions and continue inspiring our young people through sport.

🎥 Take a look at the video to hear more about this fantastic visit.

💙🌟

06/08/2026

💙 One size doesn't fit all and it shouldn't have to 💙

At Duke of Lancaster Academy, our staff adapt their approach to suit the individual needs of each student. Whether it's changing how information is presented, providing additional support, adjusting the environment, or finding the right way to communicate, we work hard to remove barriers and help every child succeed.

For neurodivergent young people, these small adjustments can make a huge difference. When children feel understood and supported in a way that works for them, they are more confident, engaged and able to thrive.

Because true inclusion isn't about expecting children to fit the system. It's about adapting the system to meet the needs of the child. 🌟

💙💛

05/08/2026

🤖📱 Wake Up Wednesday: AI Chatbots and Young People

AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and My AI are becoming a bigger part of young people's lives. While they can support learning and creativity, it's important that children understand how to use them safely and responsibly.

We encourage all families to take a few minutes to read this week's guide, which highlights key considerations around online safety, privacy, wellbeing and learning.

📖 Read more: https://vist.ly/5dm5c

AI chatbots are increasingly part of children’s digital lives, with tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and My AI being used for questions, ideas, homework support and content generation.

While these tools can create opportunities for learning and creativity, they also introduce important safeguarding, wellbeing and learning considerations.

Our latest guide supports parents, carers and educators in understanding how AI chatbots work and how to help young people use them responsibly.

The guide explores:
• Inaccurate information and the need for critical evaluation
• Inappropriate content and age-related concerns
• Academic dishonesty and over-reliance
• Emotional dependency and blurred boundaries
• Data privacy risks and safe use of settings

With clear, practical advice, this resource helps adults support safe, balanced and informed AI use.

Access the guide: https://vist.ly/5dm5c