The event brought together local organisations, performers and families to celebrate the rich diversity of North Swindon, giving pupils the chance to experience cultures from across the globe without leaving the school grounds.
Workshops throughout the morning covered everything from dance and sport to spoken word, graffiti art and cultural heritage, before the afternoon saw the school transformed into a festival of international food stalls, live performances, sports and community activities.
Assistant Principal Dan Barrington, who led the project, said the idea came from a desire to better celebrate the school’s diverse community.
“We have over 40 spoken languages amongst our students, but on a day-to-day basis you just wouldn’t know that,” he said.
“We started thinking about how we recognise and celebrate all of those differences. Music, food, art and our identities are the things that bring people together, so that’s what Communities Day has become.
“Hopefully students recognise they’re part of a wider community that goes beyond the school and out into the wider Swindon area. It’s also been fantastic seeing students from different year groups working together in a completely different atmosphere.”
Among those visiting was Councillor Kate Tomlinson, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, who praised the initiative.
“It’s basically celebrating the heritage, culture and backgrounds of all of the different students here at GWA,” she said. “There are lots of different food cultures, henna art and community organisations here today. It’s a bit chaotic, but it’s fun chaos.”
Principal Mr Clarke revealed the event was inspired by students themselves.
“It was the idea of a group of Year 11 students who said we needed to do more to celebrate the richness and diversity of the cultures we have here in North Swindon,” he explained.
“This is the culmination of that idea and, as you can see, it’s gone really well.
“We’ve had around 27 different cuisines represented, alongside drumming workshops, rap artists, face painting, henna artists and so many people sharing a glimpse of their culture, heritage and history. We simply couldn’t have done it without the wider community.”
He said the school hopes Communities Day will become a regular fixture alongside other events such as its community iftar and expanded Black History Month celebrations.
“It’s important to remind students they’re growing up in an area with incredible richness of culture and heritage. As a school we’re here to serve that community and bring people together.”
Students were equally enthusiastic about the day.
Year 9 student Erin said: “It’s been good learning about different cultures and tasting food I’d never tried before.”
Fellow Year 9 student Keaton added: “It’s important to accept communities that aren’t familiar to you because there’s always going to be people different to you in life. Things like this help you understand and accept that.”
Year 10 student Josh Donnelly Brown said events like Communities Day gave pupils opportunities they would not normally experience.
“It’s really nice to see what other cultures are like,” he said. “The boxing workshop was probably my favourite.”
As Swindon’s population continues to become more diverse, Great Western Academy hopes Communities Day will not only become an annual tradition, but inspire other schools to find new ways of celebrating the communities they serve.
