On Thursday 2 July, children from Lakeside School performed their end-of-year show in the Clarissa Farr Theatre. It marked the culmination of two terms' work with our Dramatist-in-Residence, Alice Hanton, L6 students and the staff of Lakeside school.


The performers explored the changing seasons through a series of songs, dances and activities, culminating in a headlining set on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury! After the concert, attended by Queenswood's Year 10 and L6 students, and the pupils, parents and staff of Lakeside, the children enjoyed a barbecue in the marquee on Trew Lawn.

Queenswood's partnership with Lakeside

The Drama department at Queenswood has enjoyed close links with Lakeside, a school for children with severe and complex learning disability, since the late 1990s. We run weekly workshops at our school theatre, where the children of Lakeside have the opportunity to explore aspects of their curriculum using drama, movement and music. We exploit the full technical resources of our facilities, including lighting, sound, special effects and video projection, to offer Lakeside students a truly memorable, interactive experience. In the past our theatre has been transformed into a jungle, a rocket in deep space, a giant weather machine, the bottom of the ocean, a desert...

In addition, one Lakeside class is selected every year to perform a summer show in the theatre at Queenswood, to which staff, students and parents of both schools are invited. The Drama staff and a group of Queenswood's Lower Sixth Community Action students help to devise, stage and rehearse the show during the summer term. Recently we have staged an adaptation of West Side Story and a selection of African tales.

Queenswood girls reciprocate with weekly visits to Lakeside school, where they assist the students with their classwork.