Students showed off their acting, singing and even ventriloquism skills in their bid for stardom when their school held a series of auditions after announcing that its live end-of-term talent show will make a return for 2021.

Shirebrook’s Got Talent, the annual showcase of Shirebrook Academy’s natural-born entertainers, will once again take to the stage next month after a year away due to the majority of students having been sent home to study during the coronavirus pandemic.

It takes place on July 22 and will see 13 acts go head-to-head in front of a panel of judges and watched by the rest of the school who, because of the ongoing social distancing restrictions, will be following the action live on YouTube.

The four judges – made up of school staff who each have their own red button to press mid-act if they’ve seen enough – vote for who they would like to win, with students and staff watching elsewhere also allowed to have their say.

The show first took place 10 years ago and has showcased many talented and memorable performers in its time.

The academy has just held a week’s worth of auditions, which featured songs, musical performances, a ventriloquism act and a stand-up routine, and show organiser Natalie Mehrotra-Hughes, the school’s head of computing as well as acting assistant principal, said that the standard this year is as high as ever.

But she said there is an added element to the show this year, with many of the students having developed their talents while they were prevented from being in school with their friends during lockdown and because it is her last show before she leaves the school for a new life in Gloucestershire after 14 years at Shirebrook.

She said: “Shirebrook’s Got Talent is a wonderful opportunity for the school to come together and, after such a difficult and challenging year, everyone’s really looking forward to it.

“It’s going to be very difficult whittling down the acts from the auditions, but we’ll make our decision based on who’s worked the hardest to perfect their act and, as a result, deserves to be on the stage.

“I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the show and I’m sure I’ll be in bits on the day. One of the best things about it is seeing students who maybe are a bit shy in class going on stage and really showing people what they can do.

“I’ve seen so many examples where that experience has changed someone’s life. I love singing myself and there’s a wonderful sense of camaraderie among people who put on a school show. I’m really going to miss that, so I’m hoping that this year I’ll be going out on a high.”