Last week we had an excellent ELD event celebrating Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture, a year-long collaborative programme promoting culture across the capital. Students participated in a range of year-specific activities focusing on the four core questions of the programme: Where are we? Where we come from? How do we live? Where are we going?

Our year 7 students were asked to create a book of recipes, researching the origins and history of their favourite recipes. The year 8 created a performance piece celebrating a variety of cultural songs and poems, and the year 9 students engaged in a fantasy design brief for a local artist to transform an area in our school, reflecting our culture. Year 10 worked with Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge facilitators and were asked to present a speech about ways to improve the future of young people in Brent.

Year 11 wrote and performed an original poem or a piece of creative writing about Ealing Road, whilst our year 12 students spent the day on workshops focusing on their UCAS application. Year 13 planned and created a podcast surrounding key issues affecting youth today, addressing topics such as politics and identity, love and dating, crime, culture and the environment. Many thanks to all staff involved in organising the event – the feedback received from students has been excellent!