Sixth Form students have gained valuable work and life experience as part of the 2015 Glastonbury Festival Volunteer Team.

Following months of fundraising activities to raise money for the three Glastonbury charities, the team of fourteen students, accompanied by Mr Longstaff and Miss Whitaker, joined the massive volunteer litter picking team at the iconic music festival.

Assistant Head Teacher, Mr Longstaff, who leads the trip each year said, "Working at Glastonbury is an amazing experience for our Year 13's in terms of building confidence, independence, team working and social skills, and one which is particularly beneficial for those who are about to leave King James to enter university or full time employment. The work schedule cannot be underestimated; with litter picking shifts from 6.00am until noon each day, students have to be incredibly disciplined and resilient. This year's team coped extremely well and all returned with a huge sense of personal achievement."

Of course it wasn't all work for our Glastonbury volunteers as they were free to enjoy the festival at the end of their working shift Team favourites included Pyramid Stage performances by Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, The Who and Lionel Richie, plus a number of alternative venue acts such as Mark Ronson and Enter Shikari.

This annual trip provides our Sixth Formers with the enviable opportunity to gain working experience in a world-renowned festival environment, alongside the chance to discover and celebrate global diversity through music, dance, food and cultural activities. On their return, students cited the friendly atmosphere and the new people that they had met as the overall highlight, adding that the whole experience had given them greater confidence in their ability to face new challenges.