Young people find their voice in our first Trust-wide arts conference
This month, Anglian Learning proudly launched its first arts conference for pupils across our secondary schools. ‘Visions and Voices’ was designed to bring young people together to explore the value of the arts and develop their confidence in public speaking and presentation skills.
Pupils from Bottisham Village College, Joyce Frankland Academy, Newport, Linton Village College, Sawston Village College and Stour Valley Community School gathered at Linton Village College, which kindly hosted the day’s activities.
Participants were joined by special guest speaker, Geoff Barton. Previously General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). Among many of his current roles, Geoff now chairs the Oracy Education Commission, helping to raise the profile of speaking and listening in education.
The day started with a welcome from Helena Marsh, Principal of Linton Village College, while Helen Frost, Head of Dance and Enrichment at Linton Village College, outlined the plans for the day. Following introductions, Geoff delivered an inspiring keynote on the importance of the arts, offering insightful advice on how to craft and deliver powerful presentations.
Working in mixed-school groups, pupils then set to work on developing their presentations, choosing discussion topics such as:
- The need for more music at KS3 in schools
- Why the arts should not be considered as ‘easy’ GCSE choices
- The benefits of getting involved with a school production, among other topics.
Each group delivered their presentations to Geoff, who offered feedback to help refine their discussions. Final versions were then recorded for short films to be shared at a later date.
Despite only meeting that morning, pupils collaborated exceptionally well. Many described the conference as “inspiring” and highlighted the value of working with pupils from other schools in our Trust.
Helen Frost, organiser of the event, said, “The schools in Anglian Learning provide a wealth of rich and varied opportunities within the arts. We were keen to develop a new platform which encourages pupils to develop oracy skills surrounding the arts. The participants did this brilliantly by developing presentations without any prompts, such as visual aids or notes”.
Reflecting on the event, Geoff said, “Anglian Learning’s trust-wide commitment to arts education and oracy is palpable. Thanks for a terrific day”.
Our thanks go to Helen Frost for organising the day with support from our Trust Arts Development Manager, Lesley Morgan. Also, to the Creativity Collaboratives project, whose funding helped to make the day possible.
Schools are already looking forward to next year’s conference!

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Anglian Learning, Bottisham Village College, Lode Road, Bottisham, Cambridge, CB25 9DL