Congratulations to the Greensward Academy Ska Band who recently performed a two hour set at the gala dinner of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust's annual National Conference at the ICC in Birmingham. The Ska band, solo artists and musicians consisting of all age groups rehearsed every Tuesday for months leading up to this event. It was a great honour to provide the entertainment for the night which was an enormous success and was tremendous to witness everyone’s hard efforts. A big thank you must go to Mr Welton and Mr Gore for their hard work in supporting the students and to Miss Geoghegan for her choreography.
The students said:
"I really enjoyed playing drums in front of all the headteachers. I felt very proud." (Max Crook, Year 9) "I thought Birmingham was fun because it was a day filled with music and excitement." (James Martin, Year 10) "Birmingham was a great chance to spend time with friends and get the chance to perform; I loved it!" (Elise Woolnough, Year 12) "Performing at the ICC was a great chance to show what the Ska Band can do." (Danielle Blackburn, Year 11) "Birmingham was a great experience to show everyone the Ska Band." (Lucy Gleed, Year 11) "An amazing opportunity to perform and have a fun time with my friends. A fantastic two days." (Annie Harding, Year 12) "Great time, really enjoyed myself. The atmosphere was amazing! I was proud to be from Greensward." (Abby Cronin, Year 8) "One of the best experiences of my life. It couldn't have gone any better. Thank you to all the teachers - I was so proud to represent Greensward Academy." (Sophie Cave, Year 8)
We also received some lovely compliments from headteachers who were are the conference that evening:
"I have just got back from the SSAT Conference in Birmingham. Spent last night dancing to the fantastic music performed by Greensward pupils. Just wanted to let you know that the kids were tremendous. Your pupils' performance was truly amazing and not reaffirmed the quality of teaching and learning at Greensward, but put Essex firmly on the map as a world class centre of excellence, so my thanks to you for that."
"I had the pleasure of your Ska Band at the Schools Network Conference last week. Please could you pass on my thanks and admiration to all those involved, teachers and students. They were incredible. Enough said!"
