After the successful launch of our first 'Picnic in the Park' showcase last year, our Expressive Arts team decided to make this outdoor event a regular in our school calendar. On Tuesday 19 July 2022 members of the school community were invited to bring picnics, setting up on the front field, ready for an evening of entertainment. As usual, the pupils of Deer Park did not disappoint, as performers from all year groups took to the outdoor stage to perform in front of a large audience, singing, dancing and performing gymnastics; showing the passion and enthusiasm they have for the arts.

The audience were treated to a range of solo performances as well as a number of up-and-coming bands, all ranging in genre and style. The Steel Band, an audience favourite, wowed again with an enthusiastic performance of 'Wake Me Up' by Avicii. There were pupils in the line-up who had not performed before, but they had been encouraged by work they had completed in Music lessons to form a band and perform in the event. For others, they had come together to form new performance groups as a result of extra-curricular clubs. We saw a fantastic first performance from a newly formed dance group of Key Stage 3 pupils, dancing to a song by G.R.L.

Maddison in new Year 9 said “It was such an enjoyable experience, everyone was amazing! It was a bit nerve-wracking, performing in front of everyone but the performances were incredible!”

Some of our more experienced pupils performed too; Isabel, Martha, Amber and Betsy sang a fantastic rendition of 'No Scrubs’, by TLC. In addition to this, a pupil from the Class of 2022 who has been a regular in the Expressive Arts events, Joe, gave his last performance as a Deer Park pupil, performing a beautiful gymnastics routine to ‘Time to say Goodbye’.

‘Thank you all so much for yet another fantastic event. The smiles from all the performers as well as the audience are proof of how enjoyable it was. For all the young people taking part, you have all instilled enough confidence within themselves to get onto that stage and not just perform but commit to rehearsing, develop new friendships, learn (and crucially move on) from making mistakes, feel included in a team, be inspired to form groups, try new instruments, listen to others, build self-assurance… the list goes on. As parents, we feel incredibly lucky our children are at a school which values Expressive Arts for all its many merits and, of course, has the most enthusiastic and dedicated team of teachers.’ Parent

The relaxed evening finished off with the Songwriting Project, who the previous day had been filming and recording their song We're On Our Way Up at a music studio in Gloucester. Read more...

It was lovely to join our Expressive Arts team's Picnic in the Park and to see pupils and parents revelling in the balmy festival-feeling, music-fuelled, summer evening. The programme reflected a range of genres and it was great to see the progress pupils have made and the confidence with which they performed in the open air! The music was well chosen and the whole evening definitely demonstrated the positivity in our songwriters' lyrics (the last act). There are 'no limits'. Our pupils are on their 'way up' and 'moving forward'. I wish them all every success on their journeys!

Chiquita Henson, Headteacher