On Monday 17 January, our first ever Songwriters’ Concert took place, showcasing some of the rich creative musical talent that we have within the school. The concert, in the wonderful surroundings of the Pamoja Hall, featured 24 students. Some played solo and some within groups, all performing songs that they had written themselves.

The standard was incredibly high, especially given that many were performing their own compositions in front of people for the first time. Highlights included a mesmeric performance across two songs from Louis Nevison (Y11), a heartrending song about homelessness by Natalia Gonzalez-Morales (Y11) and a fragile, yet incredibly powerful piece called ‘Knives’ by our youngest performer, Kat White (Y8), whose mature and confident performance was well beyond her years.

There were also some staff performances, with Mr Drury opening and closing the evening, playing tracks from his recently recorded CD, a free copy of which was given to each member of the audience. Mr Connell and Mr Stuart added some style and panache and Mr Richards was at his irreverent best. The event was well attended, and there was a huge swell of support from the appreciative audience.

But the most encouraging aspect of the evening was witnessing the demonstrable blossoming in confidence of all students who took part, who will hopefully build on this hugely positive experience and continue with their own writing with fresh passion and energy.