“I absolutely loved this workshop! It was so exciting to explore how to lift people in the air and it was so fun to have a turn! It was a bit scary, but Miss Daler helped to build our confidence!” – Year 9 Student 

On Tuesday 18th March our Year 7 students immersed themselves in a dynamic West African drumming session with Inspire Works. 

 

“The African Drumming workshop was fabulous! The drums were so loud, and Mohamed was amazing at teaching us and showing us all his skills.  It was loud but joyful!” – Year 7 Student 

Meanwhile, students across Years 7–10 worked with Mr. Sorzano, blending spoken word and songwriting to explore the cultural roots of Soca music. 

“I never knew I could learn about culture and make a song at the same time.” – Year 7 Student 

Lunchtime featured a relaxed Live Art Drawing session in the Hall at ran by the Art Department.  

Wednesday 19th March, Students in Year 8 and 9 were learning the art of stage combat in a high-energy ‘They Fight’ workshop with Squire Stage Combat.  

“The stage combat workshop was REALLY fun! I liked the fist fighting the best and learnt loads of techniques.” – Year 8 student 

In the evening, our Arts Award Evening honoured and celebrated our students outstanding achievements in Dance, Drama, and Music.  

 

On Thursday 20th March, our GCSE Music students had the rare opportunity to experience a live performance and interactive session with the Nonesuch Orchestra. 

 

“Many thanks to you and your students for a superb morning of music-making. Your students were a credit to you; so attentive and collaborative and all our members mentioned how polite they were. It was also great fun.” – Caroline Cox. from the Nonesuch Orchestra.  

Later, staff members showcased their musical talents in an inspiring staff concert. We experienced fantastic performances from Mr Appleman on the tuba, Mr Sandu on the bass guitar, Ms Yu on the Chinese lute and Mr Goulding, Mr Patel and Mrs Molloy singing and playing guitar. 

“We absolutely loved seeing our teachers perform for us!” – Year 7 Student 

Friday 21st March, saw a Park High alumni, Anna Nicholls, return to lead a high-energy dance session for Year 7 and 9. Since graduating in 2021, Anna has established her own company ‘Hallomai Dance,’ and has worked as a freelance dance practitioner alongside companies such as the Royal Academy of Dance. 

“I absolutely loved the workshop. Anna is such a great teacher, and I learnt a lot from her.” - Year 9 student 

Meanwhile, GCSE and A-Level drama students engaged in thought-provoking workshops and performances with Synergy Theatre Company. A hard-hitting play about the realities of living in modern-day Britain. 

“I really enjoyed working with Synergy on Friday, it was really interesting to hear the stories of the company members, and it made me think about my own choices and future – making me want to do well in life and work hard to achieve my GCSEs” – Year 10 Student 

The festival continued into the following week, with The Mozartists leading musical theatre workshops on Monday 24th March for over 50 of our students.   

 

 

“I was absolutely amazed by the Mozartists. I loved every activity” – Year 9 student. 

On Tuesday 25th March, our Year 9 students attended a London Symphony Orchestra concert at the Barbican, analysing Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. 

Our Year 11 GCSE Dance students showcased their creative choreography projects, on Wednesday 26th March, impressing audiences with their originality and skill. 

“I was blown away by the whole performance. Each choreographer had a completely different creative idea, and each piece had a different point of view in terms of the movement content. Just fantastic!” – Audience member 

The festival concluded with a powerful immersive performance of ‘Vinegar Tom’ by our A Level students. The students created two immersive and captivating spaces for the performance, exploring 16th century witch accusations and its relevance to women today.  

“One of the most powerful student performances I’ve seen.” – Mr. Darby, Deputy Head 

“I never fail to be excited by the creativity of our students and staff and always enjoy seeing our student shine on stage.  In this year’s Festival, our students have been inspired by an array of professional artists and I am grateful to all our staff for providing them with these rich opportunities”. - Mrs O’Dwyer said 

These activities showcased Park High’s commitment to giving students a wide and diverse range of experiences. This was recently recognised when we received the prestigious Bronze Equalities Award, acknowledging our dedication to fostering an inclusive and diverse school environment.. 

Additionally, our Performing Arts department has recently been awarded 'Artsmark Gold', a national accolade presented by Arts Council England. This recognition celebrates our school’s commitment to embedding creativity and culture at the heart of education, enhancing teaching and learning across the curriculum. 

Mrs Molloy, head of Performing Arts, who organised the festival events said, “This year’s Arts and Culture Festival was our biggest and best one yet. Students absolutely loved getting to learn and experience other cultures through music and drama.”  A huge thank you to the Arts Department and everyone involved for making this festival such a success. We can’t wait for next year!