National Apprenticeship Week was an exciting and inspiring time at Bury College, filled with activities that helped mark the occasion and celebrate the exceptional talent, dedication and achievements of Apprentices.
We all love a good panto at Christmas time and the Bury College Performing Arts department have well and truly got into the spirit of things.
They spent time entertaining local schools with their adaptation of The Nutcracker ahead of their sold-out show at the Jim Cartwright Theatre.
Madeleine Fisher was one of the performers entertaining the crowds and loved the experience. The former Phillips High School pupil said: “I have loved having the opportunity to entertain a younger audience, interacting with them and making them laugh. Throughout the whole process, I have also learnt a lot and improved my characterisation skills.”

Mathew Britten, an English teacher at The Elton High School, told us: "We were delighted that we were able to attend the Bury College pantomime with our Year 7s. Bury College' Performing Arts students expertly brought to life the fairytale world for our students, who have been studying performance skills in Oracy, English and Drama lessons. It was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to see role models of those skills, and the future pathways open to them. Clara's positive catchphrase "There's always time for kindness" and her commitment to helping others resonated with our own school values of Ambition, Resilience and Kindness."
Unsworth Primary posted on Twitter: “Thank you to the drama department @Bury_College, we had a great time at the pantomime.”
The Derby High also posted on the same platform: “Year 7 students enjoyed their trip to see The Nutcracker pantomime. Thank you for making us feel so welcome. @Bury_College, we have had two fantastic trips this week.”
Andy Tomlinson, Head of School of Performance at Bury College, said: “The Panto process, and performance opportunities, is a great learning experience for our performers as they have to learn new skills and take part in a two week ‘professional’ engagement to children and evening family audiences. The energy and excitement of the local children is always infectious. Panto is a great experience for all the children, big and small.”
Our Performing Arts courses give you the knowledge, skills and understanding required to gain employment in the performing arts, dance and drama industries. Click here for more information: https://burycollege.ac.uk/courses/vocational/performing-arts-level-3
National Apprenticeship Week was an exciting and inspiring time at Bury College, filled with activities that helped mark the occasion and celebrate the exceptional talent, dedication and achievements of Apprentices.
On Monday 9th February, Bury College’s Hairdressing Apprentices came together for a charity Blowdryathon, raising almost £500 for Little Lady Locks during National Apprenticeship Week!
On Wednesday 11th February, as part of National Apprenticeship Week celebrations, Bury College proudly hosted an Apprenticeship Star Awards Ceremony.
Employers - did you know that now is the perfect time to start thinking about your school leaver Apprenticeship vacancies?
Shape the future of education and find out about opportunities to work at Bury College at our Work for Us Event 2026. Find out about a wide range of career opportunities including teaching, business, and governance roles.
Find out how our Performing Arts students are developing their skills in this year's Christmas Panto.