As a regular fixture on the county arts calendar, we are no strangers to the Arts Festival, but we have been on 'hiatus' for a while! It was nice to return to the environs of a professional theatre to showcase quite how strong our talent can be.

The day was, as ever, organised by Paul Martin of Latimer school, but as a nice surprise he was ably assisted by our former colleague Mr Jon Green. They both ensured that the hordes of (mostly primary) students moved quickly on and off the stage and created a heartwarming spectacle that showed chart performance and creativity are still alive and well despite the austerity of the educational wind that is currently blowing.

The Year 12 company were the fifth act in the first half and before going on they were treated to some excellent performances from the primary schools. A notable and moving highlight was the county junior strings group who transfixed the auditorium with fantastic playing. Goosebumps and tears appeared, and not for the only time that night.

When our performers took the stage they were already outstanding, by being six or seven years older than the other performers! As we have come to expect, they took everything in their stride and gave an excellent showing of themselves. Sally had devised a physical piece based around the play Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker. The students positively throbbed with confidence and delivered an electric performance of both intelligence and wit. They entertained both young and old alike, which is no mean feat.

Although they stood out for their age, it was the quality of the performance that really set them apart and was a timely reminder of what The Kingswood School's students can achieve. We look forward to seeing what else they will come up with next year!