A Spectacular Send-Off to the School Year

The final day of term at Westholme was one to remember, filled with celebration and laughter with plenty of unforgettable moments as pupils and staff came together for a fitting end to another fantastic school year.

The day began with our special Year 6 Leaving Assembly, where parents, grandparents and family members joined us to celebrate our Prep 6 pupils as they prepared for the next exciting chapter of their Westholme journey. The pupils shared a thoughtful and heartfelt poem reflecting on their time in Prep before taking to the stage once more to perform a song from this year’s much-loved production of Jungle Book. It was a wonderful opportunity to look back on the memories they have made throughout their time in Prep. We wish every one of our Year 6 pupils the very best as they move into Year 7, and we look forward to watching them continue to thrive.

The celebrations continued with the Annual House Speaking Competition, one of the first House events of the new academic year. Pupils from Years 7 and 8 confidently took to the stage to deliver a series of engaging and thought-provoking speeches on a wide range of topics. Audiences heard inspiring talks on resilience in sport, the importance of language, why Pakistan is one of the world’s most underrated countries and the question, Do you want to live in a world without rhinos? Every speaker demonstrated impressive public speaking skills, making it a difficult task for the judges. Congratulations to Pendle House, who were crowned this year’s winners.

After a busy morning, pupils enjoyed one final lunch together before the summer holidays. The ever-popular chicken nuggets proved to be a firm favourite, while the spectacular dessert table was packed with sweet treats and quickly became the highlight of lunchtime for many pupils.

The afternoon was filled with laughter as the much-anticipated Staff Entertainment took centre stage with this year’s much-loved tradition of Strictly Come Dancing. Staff swapped classrooms for the stage, treating pupils to a series of entertaining dance performances. Huge congratulations go to Miss J Jones, Miss E Hall, Mr Z Forster, Mrs A Cunliffe and Mrs N Kewin, who all embraced the challenge and delighted the audience with their routines.

The coveted Strictly trophy was awarded to Mr Z Forster for his outstanding Thriller medley, complete with impressive choreography including the famous Michael Jackson moonwalk and even the worm. During his acceptance speech, he paid tribute to his dance coach, Year 10 pupil Lily, whose expert tuition clearly paid off and the crowd cheered for an encore.

To round off an incredible day, staff treated pupils with a special live performance inspired by Mary Poppins. Mrs C Lewis was simply superb as the practically perfect Mary Poppins, while Mr Oracz delighted everyone with his portrayal of the wonderfully grumpy Mr Banks.

What a way to end the academic year. We wish all of our pupils, families and staff a wonderful summer break and look forward to welcoming everyone back in September for another exciting year at Westholme!