Enrichment at Abbey College Cambridge (Spotlight on Animation Club) – Student Blog
13th June 25
Student blog piece by Maia (Year 9)
At Abbey College Cambridge, there is a club for everyone. There are clubs for people who enjoy sport, creative students interested in art, people looking to improve their science skills and much more.
Active: Rowing
One of our sport clubs is rowing. Located just next to the riverside, it provides an amazing view of the River Cam. Students first warm up, doing their movements perfectly in sync. After this, they practice lifting the boat, an essential rowing skill. Finally, they begin the rowing, working together to achieve synchronisation. Our other sport clubs include football, walking, and golf.
Creative Arts: Happiness programme
One of the less thought of enrichments is the Happiness Programme. Students can relax after a day of lessons through yoga and meditation. Students in this club also do mindful artwork to rewind. Our other creative Arts enrichments include Drama Club, Art and Design and Media and Marketing.
Community: Active Citizen volunteering
This club is perfect for students wanting to contribute to society. They can visit various places, such as Addenbrooke’s hospital. They can also apply to assist in charity shops. This can also help students reach their volunteering goals for the Duke of Edinburgh award. The joy they gain from helping others means a lot to them. Our other Community enrichment is Student Lead Conferences.
Music: Performance class
Musical students at Abbey share the same view on this music club; most students find it enjoyable, and it supports their passions. The music teacher is excellent at guiding students to their musical goals. Whether you are a vocalist or an instrumentalist, this club is the perfect stage to show your talent. Our other music enrichments include Song Writing and Classical Music.
Science and Technology: STEM
The STEM club at Abbey College Cambridge is perfect for all kinds of students. Whether you want to have fun doing science experiments or practice for exams, this club is suited to all those interested in the sciences. It also provides opportunities for students to participate in science competitions and awards such as the Crest Award. Our other Science and Technology enrichments include Coding Club, Medic Club and Maths Beyond the Curriculum.
Thinking: Model United Nations
The Model United Nations enrichment at Abbey welcomes all students interested in politics and global issues. This club can help with debate skills, speaking skills and knowledge on international issues. Students discuss and debate current affairs while representing different nations. Our other thinking clubs are Young Enterprise, TED Talks, Abbey Project, Academic Reading, Strategic Thinking, British Cultures and Values and Presentation skills.
Spotlight – Animation Club
“Animation is part of the Art and Design enrichment. Students enjoy this club for many reasons. Some say that it allows them to freely express their imagination and bring it to life, others take an interest because of how different genres and ideas can be portrayed through cartoons rather than live-action portrayals. Students created very different animations, with very different inspirations behind them, such as a simplistic yet entertaining storyline that could be understood by the audience even without any script, or picked ideas that felt exciting and shaped them into a meaningful story.
Of course, their work wasn’t complete before facing any problems. The time that the animation would take was underestimated, and some students had to make their videos shorter than planned. Another felt the behaviour of their characters didn’t look very smooth, and solved this by trying to change the way they draw and using some apps to make it appear smoother.
For anyone considering taking this enrichment, here is some advice from the current students: take things slow, start simple, experiment and have fun!”
By Maia (Year 9)
Hear more about Animation Club from our art teacher Su Conroy:
Bringing Ideas to Life: Inside Animation Club
“Animation is more than just moving images, it’s an art form that blends creativity, storytelling, and technical skill. This term, Animation Club has been an exciting hub of innovation, where students have explored the world of stop-motion animation, experimented with traditional techniques, and developed their own short films or flipbooks from scratch.”
Exploring the History of Animation
“We began by looking back at where it all started. From early optical toys like the Zoetrope to the golden age of hand-drawn animation and the rise of digital techniques, we traced the evolution of animated storytelling. Understanding different genres and styles helped us appreciate the diversity of animation and gave us inspiration for our own projects.”
Mastering the Art of Movement
“The key to great animation lies in mastering its core principles. We explored timing, spacing, and movement to create natural and expressive motion. Students experimented with stop-motion techniques such as claymation, puppet animation, and object animation, as well as crafting their own Zoetropes and two-frame hand-drawn animations. Each exercise helped to build an understanding of how small changes between frames can bring characters and scenes to life.”
From Concept to Creation
“With a strong foundation in animation principles, students moved on to the creative process of designing their own animated sequences. Storyboarding played a crucial role in planning out keyframes and structuring narratives. From initial sketches to set-building and character design, every aspect of the animation was carefully considered before bringing ideas to life through stop-motion or traditional drawn animation.
Animation Club has been a space for creativity, patience, problem-solving and fun. Whether working digitally or with physical models, students have gained an appreciation for the craft and techniques behind animation. We look forward to showcasing the incredible work produced and, of course, continuing to push the boundaries of our creativity in future sessions!”
We are delighted to announce that our talented students from Abbey College Cambridge have received prestigious recognition in the Independent Schools Association (ISA) Animation Awards! The animation entries are now published on the ISA website.
In the Key Stage 3–4 category, students Zhirui (Year 10) and Xuanyi (Year 11) were awarded Highly Commended for their charming stop-motion animation “Hey Carrot!” This creative piece tells the delightful story of a group of animals chasing an elusive carrot. As the carrot continually evades them, the animals learn to work together in a fun and engaging narrative that captured the judges’ attention. Click here to view
In the Key Stage 5 category, Lu (Year 12) won First Place with her imaginative animation titled “Homework.” This inspiring film captures students rebelling against the monotony of homework by transforming their assignments into paper aeroplanes and racing them—a clever metaphor that resonated strongly with the judges from the company ‘One Day Film School’. Click here to view
We are also thrilled to announce that Thune (Year 12) and Yu Thinzar (Year 12) were awarded Highly Commended in the Key Stage 5 category for their enchanting animation depicting the journey of a feather. The film beautifully illustrates a feather falling from a bird, travelling across the seas, and eventually reuniting with the bird on a distant beach, a touching and poetic visual narrative. Click here to view
These outstanding animations were created during enrichment sessions as part of the Animation Club, led by Su Conroy and supported by Aiden Stephens.
Congratulations to Zhirui, Lora, Claudia, Yu Yu, and Mona for their creativity, dedication, and well-deserved success!
