Pupils from a Spalding school have been chosen to showcase the game they love.
Those behind the internationally popular Warhammer game visited Spalding Grammar School’s thriving club that’s dedicated to the tabletop war game last week.
The Spalding Grammar Hammers are one of the largest clubs in the country with over 30 members.
They’re regulars in national competitions, finishing fifth in the most recent British championships.
With the manufacturer Games Workshop needing to film a school to promote the educational benefits to other teachers, it was to Spalding Grammar School they turned.
Teacher Tom Hopkins is an advocate of the game and helped set up the club.
“We started the club about four years ago and it’s just grown and grown,” he said. “The kids love it.
“Through the game they learn a whole lot of skills which makes it ideal for learning.
“The game involves a huge amount of arithmetic, numeracy, probability and they have to develop strategies if they want to be good at it.
“It helps their literacy and there’s the idea that each game has a story to it.
“All of the characters they use are hand painted as well so it aids the youngsters’ artistic development too.”
On Friday, February 9 a group from the Games Workshop came to record the students and interview them to promote the use of the game in schools across the country.
The entourage included artist Duncan Rhodes who is something of a star in the community that’s built up around the games’ aficionados due to being a regular on the You Tube broadcast Warhammer TV.
Spalding Grammar students were honoured to welcome Duncan to the classroom they’ve decked out in Warhammer regalia, which Duncan remarked to The Voice as being “amazing”.
“It’s great to see the children this excited about the game.”
Gemma Pearce, the schools coordinator for Games Workshop, is looking to promote the company’s Schools Alliance via the students.
She said: “Spalding Grammar School pupils were the perfect choice. It’s one of the best clubs in the country and we’ve got around 1,000 of them.
“We know we’re getting the best of clubs in the country in a fantastic environment.
“It’s a great example of what teachers can achieve through using the game.
“It’s also a chance to give something back and say thank you to the Grammar School who are always supportive of the schools programme as a whole and the national competitions.
“They always turn out for those and they always do well.”
