Glyn pupils hope anniversary’s musical celebrations prove a big hit

​​The new school term may only be a couple of weeks old but staff and pupils at the Glyn School in Ewell could be forgiven for counting down the days to Thursday 30 March as that is when a special evening of performance to celebrate the school’s 90th birthday will be taking place.

Over 1000 present and former Glyn students and staff have been invited to the event, which is being organised by pupils and will feature live music, drama and art, with guest speaker former Glyn pupil Barry Wordsworth, the former musical director of the Royal Ballet, who has conducted the Last Night of the Proms.

The event is just the first of a series of commemorations throughout the year to mark the school’s landmark birthday. Preparations for the anniversary festivities began last term, with a competition to design the logo.

“It was hugely popular, with more than 60 entries, and the winner was a design by Year 7 student Ryan Grant,” said Glyn head boy Jack Pepper.

“There’s a dedicated Twitter account - @Glyn90th – which will have details of all that goes on across the year, and Ryan’s winning design can be seen there. As well as giving information on what is coming up, every Friday the account will be tweeting material from the school archives.”

Music will be playing a key role in the festivities at Glyn, a founder member of the Surrey-based GLF Schools multi-academy trust, which now runs schools across four counties in south east England.

“Every week there are special lunchtime concerts, showcasing the strength of the school’s music department and teaching,” said Jack, who recently won a young composers’ competition at the Royal Opera House.

“I have written a special piece which will be played throughout the celebration, and it’s really fitting that music is playing such a significant role in the festivities. A lot of people are putting in a great amount of time and effort, so the event at the end of March should be a fitting finale to all their efforts.”