It was a very exciting time in Expressive Arts on Wednesday 14 July 2021 as we held our first event this year with a face-to-face audience: Picnic in the Park. An array of passionate and talented pupils took to an outdoor stage to perform in front of an audience, singing, dancing and performing gymnastics; showing they had not lost their love for the arts over the past year.

Picnic in the Park replaced our annual Summer Showcase which takes place in the Main Hall. Due to Covid-19 and the government restrictions in place, the Expressive Arts team decided to host the event outdoors, inviting pupils’ friends and family to bring picnics, setting up on the front field, ready for an evening of entertainment.  

Lexi (new Year 10) said: ‘I really enjoyed performing at school again after such a long time. I loved the new setup outside, we had lovely weather and a great audience.’

There were pupils in the line-up who have been performing at Deer Park events for several years who enjoyed being back on stage, and some fresh faces too. Gil, in Year 9, has been attending the new extracurricular club ‘Band Club’ and has recently formed a new group which he performed with at Picnic in the Park.  

Gil (new Year 9) said: ‘It was a really exciting evening for me. It was my first performance of this kind, so it was nerve-wracking but fun. The weather was lovely too!’

The Steel Band kicked off the event with a confident performance of ‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish, a toe-tapping number for all! We were thrilled to hear some of our Young Singer of the Year performers again and were pleased that this time their friends and family were able to watch the performances. The audience cheered the highly skilled performance from gymnast Joe (new Year 11), wowing audiences again with his multiple tumbles and turns. These are just a few of the fantastic performances we were treated to during the evening.

‘I really enjoyed this event, we were regularly checking the weather forecast leading up to the day, so I am so glad it turned out well. It was a fantastic feeling to see the happiness of each child in performing to a face to face audience again. I think this event may be here to stay.’ Mrs Gleed, Head of Expressive Arts

Congratulations to all the pupils who took part in our first outdoor concert. It was a lovely summer evening and the quality of the music and dance was impressive. I am extremely grateful to our Expressive Arts Team for thinking out of the box and for their inspiration. Throughout the pandemic, they have been determined to ensure great things can still happen at Deer Park. This has led them to create new and different performance spaces to celebrate and share our pupils’ accomplishments. Thank you.

Chiquita Henson, Headteacher