It’s a wrap! A protracted and really busy yr in performimg arts at Chiswick Faculty

It’s been a protracted yr. Properly really it’s been so long as every other yr: 195 days 39 weeks, 4 full phrases. Nonetheless, whenever you fill an empty bag with as a lot as we do, it someway feels fuller.

In a yr that has seen industrial motion that has restricted the attain of extracurricular, each by faculties and transport, we might have been excused for taking our foot off the accelerator, and college students shedding impetus.

Preserving the scholars in class in our precedence and Chiswick faculty does that significantly nicely, we’re nicely above common for attendance and this yr was recognised with an FFT Nationwide faculty Attendance Award, which places us within the high 10% within the nation!

Picture above: Finish of yr manufacturing CHARLIE

So why do college students go to highschool?

The reply is straightforward, to make a greater life for themselves, to get an training and to make use of this training to make sure they’ve alternatives. This may be the case throughout the spectrum and in all faculties, so what makes Chiswick Faculty so completely different?

We see ourselves as a group, and every particular person locally is handled with equity and respect. Each time a scholar enters the varsity, they’re reminded of this, and each scholar is given the identical alternatives as the remaining.

It’s as much as the person scholar to take these alternatives and run with them. Ultimately it’s the expertise of college that will likely be mirrored of their expertise of grownup life, For those who had a great, optimistic and enriching faculty expertise the chances are high that you’ll really feel extra assured, and do higher in later life.

Picture above: TES award – Winner, Excellence in Inventive Arts, Chiswick Faculty

After all, alternatives are one thing the performing arts excel at! 2022/23 has been our largest yr EVER! And the alternatives to carry out have been wider than we might have ever imagined. The tip of this tutorial yr has mirrored this.

It began on the finish of June with our TES Schooling Award success. We had been happy at first to be shortlisted, not for one however two awards for the humanities (excellence within the artistic arts and division head).

On the day of the awards we made our means into central London, all suited and booted, took our seats and cheered our collective heads off as we had been introduced as winners of the Inventive Arts award!

Photos above: Summer time Music

We didn’t relaxation nonetheless. Subsequent on the ever-increasing diary was our summer time live performance which occurred at St Nicholas Church. The night was a mixture of orchestral items and choral songs. The church was full, and really appreciative.

Subsequent was our Summer time Arts competition. Within the pouring rain our bands and metal pans carried out to an viewers filled with wraps and crepes. Along with this for the primary time we invited our primaries alongside to carry out some dances.

Photos above: Finish of yr manufacturing CHARLIE

Lower than every week later was our essential faculty manufacturing CHARLIE. The manufacturing, tailored by Mr Robinson (yours really) was a riot of color and craziness. The most important shock for the viewers nonetheless was the interval.

Throughout this time they had been handled to goodies, sweets, chocolate drinks and marshmallows. On their return your entire corridor had magically reworked from a boring and gray faculty and Bucket home right into a magical house, filled with sweets, inflatables and Umpah Lumpahs working round and inflicting absolute chaos!

Picture above: Dance manufacturing of Aberfan

The following efficiency was a track and dance present. The primary piece was a dance interpretation of the story Aberfan. Lots of the viewers members had household from South Wales or had been from the world itself. Via a specifically combined sound monitor of Karl Jenkins music and archive footage of survivors and modern information reviews the story was instructed with delicacy, maturity and expertise. This was a really outstanding efficiency, by some extraordinarily gifted dancers.

Lastly in the identical week, we celebrated our college students. We as a division had been celebrated at quite a few award ceremonies already so it was our flip to present the scholars their well-deserved awards.

Picture above: Traditional automobiles and Champagne had been the order of the day

Traditional automobiles and champagne had been the order of the night, the scholars arrived of their most accurately fits and frocks and a quartet performed them into the corridor. Awards got for dance, drama and music and performances from every space held the night collectively.

We additionally gave our Arts Champion award to 1 deserving winner, who had proven outstanding dedication and dedication for the entire yr. Ruth Cadbury MP was our visitor. She gave a speech concerning the significance of the artistic industries, and the relevance of their inventive endeavours to the scholars’ lives.

Photos above: Ruth Cadbury MP, visitor speaker at a particular awards ceremony for college students

And it’s not over but! As I’m scripting this, we’re planning a visit to see Depraved and Pineapple Dance studio within the ultimate week of time period, and in addition being harassed by the scholars for plans for September.

What is evident from this yr, within the performing arts at the very least, is that sure college students come to highschool to be taught. They arrive to highschool to higher their lives and provides them the keys to open the door to success. However retaining them engaged, completely happy, enriched, entertained and giving them a way of well-being and significance is what we within the performing arts do greatest.

Photos above: Particular awards ceremony for college students

We at the moment are trying ahead to a brand new time period in September, and a brand new bunch of over enthusiastic, energetic and noisy college students …..however not earlier than a pleasant lengthy break!

Tommy Robinson is Coordinator for Inventive and Performing Arts at Chiswick Faculty. In Might he gained a prestigious ‘Pearson Nationwide Educating Award’ for his “excellent work” as the varsity’s Head of Drama and in June the varsity was offered with the Tes Excellence in Inventive Arts Award.