Springfield pupils perform at London's O2 Arena

Springfield Primary School in Sunbury is building up an impressive reputation for its musical achievements and there was another one to add to the list recently as members of the school choir performed at London’s O2 Arena.

The 35 Springfield choristers were part of an 8,000-strong children’s choir taking part in the Young Voices concert, the latest performance in a series which has now been running for 20 years, becoming the world’s biggest choral event.

The young singers performed pieces including World in Union, Utter Madness and a pop medley including the Lego song, as well as having a chance to see fellow performers such as award-winning soprano Laura Wright, who sang at the closing ceremony of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, dance troupe Urban Strides and the Beat Box Collective.

“This was an amazing experience for the children,” said teacher Hannah Gregson, who was in charge of the Springfield singers at the event. “The opportunity to take to perform at such a world-famous venue, and to feel part of something so big and so communal as Young Voices, is incredibly exciting, so we’re thrilled that our school is part of it, and that we’re in a position to offer it to our pupils.”

Singing plays an important role in school life at Springfield, which is part of the GLF group of schools, a rapidly-expanding Surrey-based multi-academy trust which runs over a dozen schools across Surrey, Middlesex, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, based on a model of collaborative learning. Earlier this term, London-based band The Melodic held a song-writing workshop at the school, and last year Springfield’s singers performed at the Royal Albert Hall.

“Some schools may treat music and singing as optional extras, but they’re at the heart of how we teach at Springfield, and we really want to instill a life-long love of them in our pupils,” Miss Gregson explained. “Giving the children the opportunity to be part of something as special as this is one of the best ways I can think of to do just that.”