Music and BTEC Hospitality deliver an impressive Community Concert and Tea Party

February 27th 2026

Preparation for today’s Community Concert has been underway since the start of the school year, and everyone in the Military Band has worked incredibly hard. Unlike our school concerts, where we usually perform just one or two pieces, this event asks the band to present a full and varied programme — from lively marches such as The Liberty Bell and High School Cadets, to film favourites from Pixar and Aladdin, popular music by Coldplay and ABBA, and a range of colourful concert works.

That is a big challenge for any ensemble, so I was absolutely delighted with how well the whole band performed this afternoon. Their commitment, focus, and enthusiasm really shone through in the performance.

Flickr album: Community Concert & Tea Party - 27th February 2026 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin

I have always enjoyed the annual Community Concert, as it gives us the opportunity to share music beyond the school and to see how much it is appreciated by our local community. It is always a pleasure to see how much enjoyment the audience takes from the music we perform — many made the effort to speak to me afterwards to thank the Military Band for a wonderful afternoon of music.

Well done and congratulations to all involved and our thanks to the BTEC Hospitality pupils for preparing and serving a wonderful afternoon tea.

Ashley Marshfield - Director of Music

Preparations for the Community Concert began in earnest at the start of the week, with Lower Sixth pupils baking enough cakes to cater for more than one hundred guests. They also received their personalised chef whites — part of their professional kitchen uniform for the BTEC course — and wore them with pride.

An event of this scale requires careful coordination, with BTEC Hospitality, Lodestone Caterers, the Music Department and the Events Team working collaboratively for weeks to ensure everything meets the highest standards.

Guests were served a traditional afternoon tea of scones with jam and clotted cream, sandwiches and a selection of delicious cakes, all prepared and presented by BTEC Hospitality pupils from both the Upper and Lower Sixth as part of their assessed coursework.

The pupils worked exceptionally well as a team, offering teas and coffees with efficiency, courtesy and warm smiles. Serving more than one hundred guests can be a daunting task, but they demonstrated professionalism throughout and were proactive in their approach. It was wonderful to see Upper and Lower Sixth pupils working seamlessly together to deliver such a successful event.

Emily McMunn - Head of Food Studies