Local primary children to perform at Fairport's Cropredy Convention

Music is ‘in the blood’ of Cropredy Church of England Primary School’s headteacher, so much so that he’s placed his passion at the heart of an innovative curriculum to inspire pupils… now they’re about to become folk stars.

Will Reeves wants to transform lessons, making them exciting and interactive for children, using deep rooted music that runs through the local community as his starting point.

Helped by Oxfordshire County Council’s music service, pupils can now eagerly look forward to hands-on learning in history, geography and art, and a day of destiny at Fairport's Cropredy Convention.

The event runs from 7-9 August, and the pupils will be the first act on stage on Friday 8 August.

Will explains: “Our young people were missing an opportunity by not learning about folk music, which is a huge part of the Cropredy community, I was determined to change that.

“Supported by the county council’s brilliant peripatetic folk teacher and singer, Katie Harris, I shared my dream of the school’s children playing at a major event.

“We put our heads together, used our shared vision and contacts to open doors, and now things have fallen into place, some of our pupils will be performing in front of over 6,000 people at the Fairport Convention festival in Cropredy.”

However, preparing for the folk festival is only part of Will’s masterplan, he’s completely overhauled the rest of the school’s curriculum to give it a musical theme.

Pupils have been learning about local history through subtle music connections, such as ‘Red and Gold’ (a Fairport Convention song). The lyrics are about the Battle of Cropredy Bridge in 1644, during the English civil war, when Parliamentary soldiers failed in their attempt to capture King Charles I.

The humanities have been transformed too, with children learning about the canal system that flows through Cropredy. Geography and art fieldwork around the waterways and meadows of Fairport prove much more interesting than classroom work.

Councillor Sean Gaul, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “For most school children, it’s nerve-wracking enough standing up in the school hall, so imagine the jitters, also the incredible excitement, for those lucky Cropredy primary pupils who will be performing in front of thousands of people at Fairport's Cropredy Convention.

“Across Oxfordshire, many pupils supported by our music service have special educational needs and disabilities. Music is a way for them to express themselves, overcome their challenges and provides them with aspirations and goals.

“At Cropredy Church of England Primary School, they’ve taken it to another level. Here music is central to the whole learning and development experience. I congratulate the headteacher and his team for having the foresight and determination to turn a vision into reality for the benefit of young people.”

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