Season of events will help bring different entertainment to a wider audience

Things started with a performance from the Tony Farrell Big Band on January 24, and the season will also feature live poetry, a performance of Hamlet and a show by the Harlequin School of Dance, based in nearby Langwith.

All the events are being held at school, and all will be free and open to all, in the hope that as many people as possible can come along and enjoy the entertainment on offer.

I admit it’s an unusual move for a school, but here at Shirebrook we’re lucky to have a wonderful building to share, as well as the foresight of our original corporate sponsors, who set aside an endowment fund to pay for community events when we became an academy ten years ago.

Our relationship with the community is very important to us and we hope that by inviting parents into school, they will play more of a role in their child’s education, which studies show increases student attainment.

However, we also wanted to help our neighbourhood by hosting the types of events that are taken for granted in cities, but which are harder to access if you live in a small town.

When I was growing up in Sheffield, it was easy to go to the theatre because it was within walking distance.

But if you live in Shirebrook, you need to take a car ride or bus trip to Sheffield or Chesterfield or Nottingham.

This puts people living in Shirebrook at an immediate cultural disadvantage, while their children, who all have to learn material such as Shakespeare’s Macbeth as part of English GCSE, will find it harder to get to grips with than students with access to a local theatre.

Our cultural programme will not only help us to foster links with the community, it will ensure that everyone can enjoy a good night out without having to travel miles or pay through the nose for the privilege.

Mark Cottingham is the principal at Shirebrook Academy. For more details of events at the venue, visit www.shirebrookacademy.org.