Our Year 13 pupils thoroughly enjoyed an inspiring Enrichment talk from our most recent guest speaker, David Bailey. David, whose distinguished career includes a pivotal role in bringing the Apple Store to high streets globally, offered a fascinating insight into his marketing journey and the evolution of brand experience at one of the world’s most influential companies.

He shared the message that success is rarely linear and encouraged pupils to stay curious, seize opportunities, and to step forward to explore new experiences. His advice reinforced the value of curiosity, initiative and taking opportunity.

This term’s production of Lord of the Flies has been a highlight in the Drama Department showcasing the imagination, discipline and talent of our Year 9 and 10 performers.

Our adaptation of William Golding’s classic story blended Nigel Williams’ script with modern design, stylised movement and an ensemble-driven approach. By reimagining the cast as a mixed-gender group of children in an unnamed time and place, the production illuminated the timeless themes of leadership, fear and the fragile balance between order and chaos.

The cast delivered fantastic performances, bringing these well-loved characters to life with real energy and emotion. The striking visual design and seamless technical work transformed the stage into a vivid, atmospheric island world.

Pupils from all year groups supported the production across stage management, makeup and technical roles, contributing to the smooth running of every performance. From evocative lighting and sound to detailed makeup and carefully crafted props, each element reflected the dedication of our Auden team and the collaborative spirit that made this production such a success.

We are incredibly proud of everyone involved in creating this production.

We’re thrilled to announce that a short film produced by our IB Film Studies and BTEC Performing Arts pupils has won a national competition!

Our team came first in the ‘Best Sequel Film’ category at this year’s 10 Shot Film Awards run by Young Film Academy, the UK’s leading provider of film education for young people aged 6-19.

The awards recognise filmmaking excellence in over 150 UK and International schools. Since 2008, more than 100,000 students have participated in the One Day Film School, learning all aspects of the filmmaking process from screenwriting, fight choreography and film history, to camerawork and editing.

The 10 Shot Film Awards showcase the best 2-minute films produced throughout the year. Promoting originality, combined with technical filmmaking skills, the awards provide a platform for emerging talent and to encourage young people to pursue a career in the British film industry.

Year 12 pupils, Ana A, Paula A, Ilana B, Scarlett H, Casimir L-K, Austin L, Alissa M and Charlotte M made up our winning team.

As part of their prize, in January these pupils will travel to The Walt Disney Company’s UK headquarters in London for a special screening of their film, along with the winning entries from other categories, followed by an exclusive special preview of a new Disney film.

Our sixth annual Christmas Tree Festival began with a sparkle on Saturday. Our Heads of School led the celebrations with the Cutting the Tinsel ceremony to officially open the event.

Every pupil has had the opportunity to decorate a tree, with wonderful support from our catering, library and estates teams, who all joined in to make the festival truly special.

This year’s performance took place in the ruined Benedictine Priory of St Mary’s Binham, where the Schola Cantorum Chamber Choir, Senior School musicians, and professional orchestral players performed a top-tier classical programme. The repertoire included Fauré’s Requiem and selected arias from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.

As Storm Claudia raged outside, knocking out the village’s power, the performers found themselves in complete darkness. But the Gresham’s spirit of resilience shone through, and the concert went on by torchlight. The show must go on – and it did, impressively. Well done to all!

Our Year 13 pupils were thrilled to welcome British film producer Debra Hayward, whose latest film The Woman in Cabin 10 has recently launched on Netflix. Debra’s impressive filmography also includes Back to Black, Les Misérables, About a Boy, Atonement, Mary Queen of Scots and more. Debra shared a fascinating insight into the journey of taking a story from page to screen.

Pupils learned about the vast range of career opportunities within the film industry — from lighting, sound, engineering, props, costume and makeup to visual effects, editing, graphic design and post-production — emphasising the collaborative creativity behind every production.

This was a truly inspiring session that opened pupils’ eyes to the many pathways into the film and creative media sector.