Erdington Academy Culture Festival: Students, families and staff came together at Erdington Academy for an evening of music, food, fashion and performances celebrating the school’s annual Culture Festival.
The event, held on Thursday 2 July, showcased the school’s diverse community and inclusive ethos, with students at the heart of both the planning and the performances.
Associate Assistant Principal Mrs Kerrian Folkes said the festival had been months in the making and driven by student leadership from the outset.
She said: “We’ve been preparing this since the start of the school year, and it’s an important part of our calendar.
“The students have been a vital part of every aspect of the festival, planning, organising and performing. We couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve achieved.”
The programme featured young vocalists, an excerpt from the school’s production of Matilda, spoken‑word pieces and cultural history presentations.
School band Black Out, winners of Erdington’s Got Talent, performed before professional band Kioko closed the evening.
Guests were invited to wear clothing representing their heritage, while students took part in a vibrant fashion show celebrating cultural identity.
Food was another highlight, with dishes including jerk chicken, curry, dumplings, samosas, fried rice and jollof rice.
Mrs Folkes added that the festival deepens pupils’ understanding of the world around them.
She said: “Through the Erdington Academy Culture Festival, students gain an appreciation, knowledge and respect of different cultures, which all goes back to the school’s values of respect and tradition.
“It’s a matter of different cultures, different roots, one future. One of our strengths as an academy is that we’re so diverse, yet we all believe in one thing and come together as the best of the academy.”
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