Northdown Primary School children have travelled en masse to the West End to see The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre, London.
Seven coaches ferried the excited children and adults to the West End musical with a scheduled lunch stop at Blackheath where the children enjoyed the sunshine in Greenwich Park.
The trip was organised by Wider Curriculum Lead Emma Stow who explained the idea behind it: “We wanted to broaden the children’s horizons and raise their aspirations as well as giving them experiences beyond the classroom.”
Even the coach journey proved a big hit with the children as they kept an eagle eye out for London buses, taxis and, of course, the iconic Big Ben. Having studied London last term, Year 1 in particular were impressed with seeing the many monuments in real life. Jasper, age 6, was enthralled by the London skyline: “I loved the bus journey best and then my lunch in the park.”
Taking 350 children and adults from Year 1 to Year 6 was quite an adventure and entirely free as it was fully funded by the school.
Northdown’s Deputy Head, Cara Adelsberg said: “The school decided to fund the trip to enrich the life experiences of every child in our community. For some it was their first ever time travelling on a coach and visiting London.”
As soon as the curtain went up and the lights dimmed, there was a buzz in the air as the children marvelled at the animal puppets and dramatic staging. Leo, age 6, said: “I thought it was amazing how they swung from the ceiling” after witnessing the character of Mufasa sail across the stage.
During the interval, all children and adults were treated to an ice cream whilst enjoying the big finale and watching Simba save the day before heading home, tired but full of memories.
Headteacher Matthew Harris said: “The whole day was amazing and the children did us all proud. We organised the trip to raise the cultural capital of our children and to introduce new opportunities for them – the joy on their faces was unforgettable.”
The children will now use this experience and put what they have seen into practice with an end-of-term whole school show in front of parents.
