I grew up in Edinburgh and one of my favourite aspects of being an Edinburger is the annual Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe. Together, these make up the world’s largest festival of culture and performing arts. For three weeks in August the city is transformed by thousands of events and shows of every type imaginable. The sheer talent, verve and variety on display is always incredible. 

The Edinburgh International Festival was created to celebrate and enrich European cultural life in 1947 during the bleak years of austerity after the Second World War.  In that first year of the Festival eight theatre groups turned up uninvited but hoping to perform. They were undeterred that they were not part of the official programme and staged their shows on the fringe of the Festival anyway. 

In this way the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was born. It is now far larger than the Festival around which it grew.  To preserve the ethos of those original eight theatre companies who came to the city under their own steam in 1947, the constitution of the Edinburgh Fringe Society makes it clear that nobody, including the Society itself, should take any part in vetting the Fringe programme. Instead, it is only shaped by the performers’ vision and initiative. Millions come to Edinburgh to produce and enjoy art of literally every genre you could imagine. The Fringe is intentionally and ongoingly groundbreaking.

We have seen this ethos of vibrant and varied cultural offerings during this week’s Abbey Fringe programme, a wonderful culmination of our Year of Creative Industries. Highlights have included: art, design and VFX events involving a sound and visual effects expert, an interior designer and an architect; a poetry workshop; sessions from industry experts on ‘finding the facts’ in journalism and on ‘how a book is born’; a ‘behind the mic’ podcasting evening with a senior podcast producer at The Economist; songwriting and strings events with professionals from the music industry and an exciting interactive drama workshop. Every one of these has been inspirational.

Fostering and nurturing passion and opportunity is one of our central aims as a school, enabling every individual to find the activities and interests that will excite and inspire them. Now, during a time in which independent schools are being challenged in various ways, it is particularly important to celebrate who we are and what makes us special, not least in the fields of culture and the arts.  

We are particularly proud, too, of the way in which all of these opportunities are shared with the wider local community through our ARCH programme. This week’s drama workshop, for example, involves students from eight different local schools and our art, design and VFX event was attended by over 60 local students. These build on the exciting partnerships work we are doing through our masterclass programme.

Education that happens within classrooms is, of course, central to what any school does, but a truly rich education is about so much more than that. The opportunities around the fringe of the classroom education are often the ones which can best build confidence, purpose and joy, shaping lifelong interests and sometimes careers. The fringe benefits can become the star attractions.

Sarah Tullis, Head of The Abbey Senior School