Highfields was turned red to shine a light on the crisis faced by the performing arts industry amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The school was lit up as part of the Light It In Red campaign, which was launched to draw attention to the challenges facing venues in the live events, arts, theatre and music industry.
Companies, venues and organisations were encouraged to light buildings in red to symbolise the 'red alert' level the industry is under due to restrictions on large-scale events.
The government announced a £1.57billion support package this week after weeks of crisis talks, but the emergency fund will not be able to save every venue.
Ms S Bishop, Highfields’ Head of Extra-Curricular Performance, said: “We were proud to participate in the Light It In Red project to draw attention to the crisis facing the Arts industry.
“With venues closed, nobody is making any money and so some production companies, event support companies, hire companies, venues and freelance staff are under threat.
“The government’s recent announcement has been a very welcome one, but the situation is still concerning.
“As a school, we pride ourselves on nurturing the talents of our young performers, providing students of every ability with the opportunity to take part in a range of activities, workshops, trips and live performances.
“We see that programme as a vital complement to the curriculum, helping to develop well-rounded, socially skilled and confident students, which is why the Arts are so important.
“As we form part of the fabric of Arts across the country, we were delighted to support this campaign.”
The school has embraced the challenge of getting creative during the ‘new normal’, by staging the Lockdown Live Lounge concert, starring Beverley Knight, and the first ever live-streamed Highfields Got Talent contest. Ms Bishop and her team are now looking at ways of launching the school’s next musical production with social distancing measures.
