Performing & Creative Arts
Kensington Aldridge Academy is a performing arts specialist academy, but despite this, the costs of music, drama and dance can be prohibitive to our students. We look to subsidise the costs of these activities, particularly for the most disadvantaged students, and create opportunity across arts, culture, literature and media.
104 students received free or subsidised weekly instrumental tuition (up from 93 in 2020-21), with lesson duration extended from 20 to 30 minutes.
143 students took part in KIT-sponsored drama & musical performances.
36 Performing Arts Scholars receive specialist tuition including Rambert Dance, LAMDA and instrumental tuition subsidies .
Music
Beginning in September 2018, with funding from KIT donors, a programme of highly subsidised 1:1 tuition in has been rolled out at the school. Each year around 100 students from all year groups enjoy the opportunity to learn By subsidising tuition we have ensured that the opportunity to learn piano, singing, drums, guitar, woodwind or strings. This funding has also enabled us to increase lesson time from 20 to 30 minutes, allowing greater depth of learning. All students in tuition are strongly encouraged to take Music GCSE and do a grade each year and to join the growing number of musical ensembles at the school.
Through lockdown, we were able to continue tuition remotely with only a small drop-off in numbers. One third of participants are Pupil Premium students, with instruments distributed and free tuition offered according to circumstance.
Agatha speaks about how much she values being able to learn piano at school.
Drama
Post-Grenfell and then not long after, during the pandemic, stage productions and opportunities for our students to perform were greatly curtailed, and missed by all. And these opportunities have been needed more than ever. ‘Hairspray’, involving students across dance, drama and music disciplines, and seven months of rehearsals, was the first musical back in our building since Grenfell and we wanted it to be an event that would be remembered and celebrated. The professional set, costumes and props, generously funded by a KIT donor, set off the fantastic comic delivery, superb choreography and singing, not to mention the Baltimore accents!
Funding from the Intrepidus Trust sponsors two to three productions a year - the summer productions (‘Hairspray’, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and ‘High School Musical’) pantomimes (‘Peter Pan' and ‘Aladdin’) and also performances by the school’s drama company ‘KADA’ (‘Alice’).
Annual Literary Festival
KIT sponsors an annual literary festival at the academy - a magnificent week-long celebration of literature and the written word in all its forms, designed to open minds and inspire.
"It reminded me of the importance of reading - I can't wait for next year's literary festival!”
Past years have featured engaging and inspiring workshops by authors and journalists including Sam Angus, Anthony McGowan, Katherine Rundell, Non Pratt, Adam Kammerling, Andy Mulligan, and Lindsey Barraclough.
