Eastgate Academy in King’s Lynn became the second primary school to become part of the CWA Academy Trust, with its official opening on Friday 25th April. Prinicpal of the College of West Anglia and chief executive of the CWA Academy Trust, David Pomfret said: "I am delighted to officially welcome Eastgate Academy as the first primary school in King’s Lynn to join the Trust." The academy's 266 pupils showed off their new blue and yellow uniforms and posed in front of wall inside the entrance which features 48 tiles painted by Year 6 pupils and feature the outline of the new school logo. Among Eastgate’s attractions are its menagerie and two of its pupils posed for the media with three of the most unusual, guinea pigs which are taken for walks wearing their own hi-visibility jackets. Eastgate Academy is popular and has a waiting list for its 270-capacity school in Littleport Terrace, with some parents bringing their children from miles away. David Pomfret added, "Eastgate Academy is joining a mutually-supportive family of academies with strong leadership practices which aims to bring out the best in each other and, most importantly, in all of our students and pupils." Linda Hothersall, Principal, joined the school five years ago and has been leading it through change and its new status as an Academy. She has many years of experience as both a teacher and then a headteacher, having lived in Norfolk for more than 15 years. She said: "I am very excited by becoming part of the CWA Academy Trust family of schools. The partnerships that we are already beginning to make are going to have a massive impact on the attainment of the pupils and I feel strongly that we will be able to offer even more to the families of the community we serve. "We are a passionate staff here at Eastgate Academy, and we are privileged to work with committed and highly motivated pupils and families. With such great support, the sky is the limit." David Pomfret added: "We are seeing great progress at our two secondary academies (King’s Lynn Academy and Downham Market Academy) and I am really pleased at the positive development of our first primary academy - Nelson Academy in Downham Market. I am equally confident that we can harness the support, expertise and commitment to excellence within the CWA Academy Trust to help Eastgate to deliver an outstanding education for its pupils." Eastgate Academy was created as a school on its present site back in 1911 and while it has an interesting past, now enjoys a present and future with so much to offer learners in the area. The first building was burned down and then rebuilt and retained its original name of St. James. In the 1960s the school was for infants, split into St. James' Boys and St. James' Girls. In the 1980s, the school became Eastgate Community Primary, a mixed primary school.