On 22nd October, Twyford held its annual celebration of Black culture in our ‘Black History Month Showcase’, celebrating the national BHM 2026 theme, which was ‘Honouring our Communities’. In today’s world, stories are powerful tools that shape how we understand our past, present, and future, and this year’s theme was a powerful tribute to the strength, resilience and unwavering commitment of local community that defines the Black community globally. The Showcase is an entirely student-led event, and the aim of the evening was to honour generations of resilience, cultural strength and identity through poetry, spoken word, song and dance.

Students wrote and performed their own poems and spoken-word pieces; you can read some of their work here.

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Shayla and Eden in Year 11 wrote a powerful piece about the power of music (maybe inspired by their years in the ‘Sacred’ Gospel Choir with Karen Gibson), Kayann in Year 13 wrote a letter ‘From my Future Self’, and Okuolise in Year 13 performed a passionate spoken-word piece he wrote about being a young black man in West London.  There were also powerful performances of other poetry, including ‘I Will Not be Palatable’ by Autumn Lynn, and ‘The Unbroken Thread’ by Ted Grant. Music was also a highlight, with Y7-8 students Ramona, Zarah and Louise singing ‘Man in the Mirror’, and Heldana in Y9 performing ‘Rise Up’ by Andra Day.  a Year 11 band performed Corinne Bailey Rae’s ‘Put Your Records On’, and a family of three brothers performed ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder.  As always, the finale was an impressive group dance, featuring 50 students in total, and lasting 12 minutes!  This was entirely created, choreographed and rehearsed by the student leaders.

It was also an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of two special Year 13 students to our school community as Mr Bennett awarded the Joycelyn Poole Award for 2026 to Kelechi and Mikhel.

Kelechi has made an exceptional contribution to the life of the school through his sustained involvement in chaplaincy, ‘Sacred’ (gospel choir) and wider community activities. Over the last three years, he has shown remarkable personal development, growing from a quiet student who would sit at the back of choir and mumble along, to confidently performing at Westminster Abbey. He has given generously of his time to support events and initiatives, demonstrating leadership, service and a strong commitment to helping others. Kelechi is a highly respected role model whose character, growth and dedication have had a positive impact on those around him, particularly this term in his leadership of the dance group for the showcase tonight.  Mikhel has been an outstanding role model throughout his time in the Sixth Form and has led by example in all aspects of school life. As a Y13 Sports Student Leader, he has shown exceptional commitment and maturity, making a significant contribution to the wider school community. His positive attitude, willingness to support others and dedication to representing the school's values make him a highly deserving recipient of this award.  Congratulations to both.

We are proud that the evening raised just under £1000, which will be donated to Ealing charity Descendants Childrens Charity.