Congratulations to Yr 11 Performing Arts students who hosted a fabulous evening of song and dance at Theatre Peckham. A sell out on both nights, performers delighted the packed audience with their acting, dancing and vocal talents. It really was a pleasure to see such a committed and talented group of students who had clearly worked so hard over a long period of time, enjoying and making the most of every minute of their performances! A true favourite of any musical theatre fan, Grease was a resounding success and will undoubtedly be a real confidence boost to all those Yr 11’s who are returning to study Theatre Studies, Acting Music or Dance in the Sixth Form in September, or for those choosing a different pathway, a memorable experience that will always remain with them.

A special thank you must go to Ms Burton, who directed the show but also to Mr Townsend, musical director and Ms Wright, choreographer, without whose incredible hard work, dedication and determination the show just wouldn’t have been such a success.

Just to let you know that the first FEAST of the year will be taking place in the middle of the holiday. The West Norwood Young Entrepreneurs (6th form students) will be exhibiting their work and selling their 'knit your own muesli' canvas bags and t-shirts. We will also have a group of students volunteering as stewards.

The West Norwood Feast takes place on the first Sunday of every month. It is a people-powered market brought to the local community by local people and businesses working together, aiming to celebrate diversity, talent and entrepreneurial skills in the area. FEAST comprises of four hubs: an Artisan’s Market, a Food Fair, Fresh n’ Green and a Retro Village, all located in and around West Norwood High Street. (westnorwoodfeast.com)

Please come down and say hello.

Students in year 7 attended the annual Phoenix Book Award ceremony, held at Clapham Library on World Book Day.

The Phoenix Book Award is an event which promotes reading for pleasure among year 6 and KS3 students in Lambeth. Each student who took part read the three shortlisted titles and then voted for their favourite at the ceremony. The nominees this year were: A Medal for Leroy, by Michael Morpurgo, Twelve Minutes to Midnight, by Christopher Edge and May Contain Nuts: The World According to Norm, by Jonathan Meres. For more information, visit www.phoenixbookaward.org.uk

The year 7 students were very excited about attending the ceremony. Norwood student and Lambeth Youth mayor, Samuel Davies, was also in attendance and he spoke to the audience about the importance of reading, the type of books he likes to read and also his position within the Youth Council. He also asked pupils what their favourite reads were and created great interaction with the crowd. The public and school library staff were very impressed by him and how inspiring he was!

We then had presentations from the various schools in attendance and two of our year 7 students, Kian O'Connell and Jahzeel Vassell-Hamilton, created a poster based on one of the short-listed titles and took to the stage to showcase their work.

Samuel presented certificates and prizes to students from all the schools who had been awarded for either best book review or for a special achievement; Sharif, Ruby, Leroy, Kian and Jahzeel were all awarded with prizes for these categories. Each student that attended the event was given a goody bag containing books and a few sweet treats as a thank you for their participation. Samuel was also given a special award for his role and presented with two books - both of which he said he couldn't wait to read!

The whole event was a very good one and was definitely enjoyed by all!