One of the final events of last term was the stupendous gala concert, the first time for eight years that we have hosted a large-scale Senior and Junior School concert. It took place in the atmospheric Reading Great Hall and included 181 performers, from some of our youngest to our oldest students.
The programme ended with an absolute showstopper. The lights in the hall were darkened, a soloist opened Barry Manilow’s ‘One Voice singing in the darkness’, it was a shiver-down-the-spine moment. Then, when the lights came up, we became aware that a large number of Seniors and Junior students, all mixed up, had formed a huge ring around the audience. They sang the rest of the song beautifully together and were joined brilliantly by the Concert Band.
To see those students interacting with one another and, in particular, to witness the younger pupils looking with such admiration at their older peers, was very moving. The song choice by Helen Bilkey was inspired and the evening a wonderful testament to the extraordinary work she has done at the school as our resident maestra. It felt like The Abbey really was singing with one voice. The song was entirely appropriate to the occasion and indeed to our school in general.
One Voice taps into something very simple and very human: the idea that individual voices matter even more when they come together as the song builds from the quiet and individual to the collective. That message literally became visible and audible to us through our massed choir. The moment was so powerful not only because it was beautiful, but because it embodied the idea that every voice matters and that extraordinary things can be achieved in unison.
We are so lucky to be an all-through school from three to 18. It is something which adds real richness to our offering and to our students’ experiences. Whether students have been at the school for 15 years or just for one or two, they are important individual parts of a strong wider community.
It has been lovely to see Junior and Senior School links really deepening this year. Of course, this is partly about the important continuity we can offer in teaching & learning and pastoral support, but it is also about a far wider range of opportunities for our older and younger students. When I am at the Junior School or Little Knellies I often encounter Senior School students tutoring, helping out or leading art or other clubs. At the gala concert and at other times Junior School musicians have the amazing opportunity of playing within the Senior School Symphony Orchestra. I have taken Sixth Formers, including our Head Girls, Deputy Head Girls and House Captains, to a number of Junior School events and it’s always wonderful to see the students’ interest in them and to hear the questions they ask. Just before the holidays, Rosa in Year 6, had the opportunity to co-host our podcast with a cake with Saskia in Year 13. How many schools would do that and do it with so much joy?
Being a through-school means students do not have to face disruptive or difficult transitions and means that younger students are more likely to have encountered Senior-level opportunities earlier, whether inside or outside the classroom. Our older students have genuine leadership opportunities in which they can really make a difference and inspire younger ones. All of our students are more likely to leave with incredibly deep and lifelong friendships and having had the chance to flourish in a unique community.
From first notes to final chords, one school, one song, one voice.
Dr Sarah Tullis, Head