Ashfield School’s annual ArtsFest returned on Friday 10th July, bringing together students, families, staff and the wider community for an evening that celebrated the outstanding creativity and talent of our students.
A much-loved fixture in the school calendar, ArtsFest once again transformed the school campus into a vibrant hub of music, drama, dance, art and photography, showcasing the breadth of talent within the school.
Live music filled the Quad as audiences relaxed on the grass whilst enjoying lawn games and face painting. There was a fantastic programme of performances ranging from rock bands, musical theatre favourites to the school choir.
Inside the theatre, students from every year group delivered a spectacular programme of musical theatre and dance, while the octagon hosted an impressive range of devised and scripted drama performances alongside classic comedy sketches. Visitors also enjoyed a stunning exhibition of GCSE and A Level Art and Photography work.
This year’s expanded food court added to the festival atmosphere, with five local businesses serving everything from wood-fired pizza and loaded fries to homemade cakes, artisan coffee and ice cream. It all helped make the event have a truly community feel.
One of the highlights of the festival was the debut of the alumni stage, where former Ashfield students Kole Darby, Demi Mitchell, Savannah Pinto and our own Miss Nussey returned to perform. Their inspiring performances demonstrated the lasting impact of our performing arts programme and gave current students a glimpse of where their own talents could take them.
The evening concluded with the exciting announcement that Ashfield is beginning an exciting new chapter for performing arts.
As part of the school’s new building project, due for completion in 2029, Ashfield will benefit from outstanding new learning environments for students. Alongside these plans, the school has also committed to creating a dedicated theatre space by transforming one of the existing buildings behind Post 16 into a purpose-designed home for Performing Arts. Further details about this exciting project will be shared over the coming months.
Headteacher Mrs Jenny Brown said:
“ArtsFest perfectly captures what makes Ashfield so special! Seeing our students perform with such confidence and creativity, with support from families, staff and the wider community, is inspiring. We are incredibly proud of everything our students achieved throughout the evening.”
“As we look ahead to our new school building, we are equally excited about the opportunity to create a dedicated theatre space for our students. It is an ambitious vision that reflects how highly we value the arts at Ashfield and we look forward to sharing more about our plans as they develop.”
Head of Performing Arts, Mr Sluman, added:
“Our students have achieved extraordinary things in our current theatre. If they can accomplish so much there, I cannot wait to see what they will create, what they will achieve and how they will flourish in a purpose-designed performance space built with the future in mind.”
A huge thank you goes to the many staff, student volunteers, performers, local businesses and families who made ArtsFest 2026 such a memorable occasion. The professionalism and enthusiasm shown by our students, together with the fantastic support from everyone who attended, helped create a night many students won’t forget anytime soon.