The last week of term before Christmas is a magical time at Churchill. We keep our lessons going right up until the end, but on the final day we all get together to celebrate. The Sixth Form lead the way with their annual fancy dress parade, closely followed by the four Houses with their carol services, tutor events and mini-competitions. Enjoy the photos below, and I wish everyone in the Churchill Academy & Sixth Form community (and beyond) a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!
I’ve had a fantastic time enjoying my first Christmas at Churchill, witnessing all the traditions I’ve heard so much about first hand! We’ve got into the Christmas spirit with an array of spectacular festive knitwear on Wednesday and Thursday as lessons continued – it’s quite a sight to see a teacher dressed as an elf explaining the details of an exam mark scheme to a student wearing a fluffy reindeer jumper with a light-up red nose…
We also had a delicious Christmas lunch prepared on Wednesday and Thursday, with the main hall transformed into an elegant family dining room with crackers, streamers and squeaky blowouts!
Today, Friday, saw us celebrate Christmas proper. The day began early with the senior team in from 6:30am to cook and serve breakfast for all the staff of the Academy, to say thank you for all their hard work this year. I managed to grab some leftovers – it was delicious!
The day continued with our carol services at the Methodist and St John the Baptist Churches, alongside our in-school activities for students in the four houses. The Sixth Form did not let us down with their spectacular fancy dress parade around the Academy site at break time! See the website for some more photos of their amazingly creative costumes. They also put on a brilliant Revue performance in which I was honoured to play a small part.
As is traditional , the Sixth Form team had been busy putting on a little entertainment of their own. See if you can spot the teachers taking on Queen in our very own Bohemian Rhapsody:
I was also lucky enough to get a treat in the English Department’s Secret Santa draw which has set me up nicely for 2017…
A merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!
This year’s Christmas Concert was an absolute triumph, as you can read in my review for the website and all the lovely emails and messages which were sent in afterwards. The standard of music-making and performance was exceptional, and the variety of acts was joyous. But for me, and I think for most of the audience, the Junior Choir was the perfect way to close the show. Here’s why I love the Junior Choir…
By my count there are 237 students listed on the programme in the Junior Choir, including 21 soloists. This captures the ethos of the Academy – it’s inclusive, where all students are valued, where everyone has a voice. And what a fantastic sound 237 Year 7 and 8 students make when they’re together!
The soloists – and the rest of the choir – who performed on the night were incredible. It’s important to remember that some of them had only been at Churchill for eleven weeks before they took to the Playhouse stage! To sing so skilfully, word- and note-perfect (or dressed as Elvis!) on a professional theatre stage is testament to all we do to build the confidence of our young people; it is this work that makes our students our best ambassadors.
The songs that the Junior Choir sang were all composed by Churchill students. This year we had new compositions from Finn Williamson, Lois Hart and Brooke Knight alongside some from previous years’ songwriting competitions. The chance for students to showcase their creativity on this huge scale is such a fantastic opportunity! And the songs are great too; a fantastic alternative to traditional Christmas carols.
As well as the sound, the sight of all those students moving together is breathtaking! The choreography really brings energy to the singing, too, and brings the words to life.
The Junior Choir are the Youthful Spirit of tomorrow. Having the younger students in the Playhouse to hear the senior students sing, play, act and perform allows them to see where the performing arts can take them at Churchill. Our senior students are superb role models, and having the Junior Choir alongside them in the theatre ensures that this vital area of our work remains strong into the future.
Although our Christmas Concert takes place at the end of November, for me it marks the start of the Christmas season. It’s the first time this year – outside of shopping centres! – that I’d seen festive tinsel and it got me properly into the Christmas spirit.
You can watch and download a video of the Junior Choir, along with a selection of other performances from the Christmas Concert, at the Music Department website.
The Headteacher's Blog 