Parents, carers, students and the local community were invited to experience a huge array of talent at the Turner’s Got Talent awards 2026. The awards have been running for 4 years and are designed to showcase and nurture the talent of students within the family of schools of Turner Schools Trust, in Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone.
The competition took place over two consecutive Wednesdays, with forty five students taking part in all. For the secondary schools event, students from Aspen 2, Dover Christ Church Academy, Folkestone Academy, Turner Free School and Turner Sixth Form showcased their artistry in dancing, singing and performing in groups together. The audience were treated to a creative display of talent, with judges having the difficult task of choosing a winner. The judging panel consisted of Lucy McGirr, Folkestone’s Town Mayor, Jackie Meade, local councillor for Folkestone East, Matt Tate, Turner Schools Director of Secondary and Am’e Moris, Turner Schools Executive Principal, Primaries. The judges decided on these overall awards, praising the array of talent on display :
The Secondaries Winner: Hemi, from DCCA singing ‘Chasing Pavements’ by Adele
The Murphy Prize: Louie from Aspen 2 dancing to ‘Radio Ga Ga’ from We Will Rock You musical.
Best in Key Stage 3: Shannon, Elsie, Honey, Maisie, Bridie, Poppy and Evie from DCCA - Girl band performing ‘Piano Man’ by Elton John
Best in Key Stage 4 / 5: Angel and Ava from FA, a singing and dance duet performing ‘I’m Not That Girl’ from the Wicked musical
Children from Chartham Primary, Folkestone Primary, Martello Primary, Morehall Primary and St Stephen’s Infant School performed a ribbon dance, stand up comedy, cheerleading and a piano recital, with Phoebe and Charlotte who took part from Folkestone Primary saying:
“It was exciting and scary all in one. I enjoyed it.”
“I enjoyed it but I was nervous.”
At this event, the judges were Jackie Meade, local councillor for Folkestone East, Ellie Beedham, freelance project manager and associate of Creative Folkestone, Duncan Moris, local singer, choir leader and music teacher and Manj Nijjer, Principal at Dover Christ Church Academy. They awarded prizes to:
The Primaries Winner: Isaac from Chartham performing a piano medley of moderato/german/dance/arabesque. Isaac also won the Primaries winner last year.
The Murphy Prize: Freddy from Morehall with his speed times table extravaganza. He got 121 timetables correct in 1 min. He is placed 2nd in the world of TT Rockstars timetable app.
Best in Key Stage 1: Poppy, from Chartham singing ‘This Girl is on Fire’ by Alicia Keys
Best in Key Stage 2: The Year 6 Morehall Band who performed a mash up of ‘Stargazing’ by Myles Smith and ‘Someone You Loved’ by Lewis Capaldi.
Mrs Michelle Foxwood, Director of Creative Arts at Turner Schools, who organised the event said of the awards:
“This was another exceptional evening of talent and I would like to thank everyone who took part, practised and gave their all in their performances. We are extremely proud of every young person who took part.”
Matt Tate, Director of Secondary at Turner Schools said: “It was a real privilege to attend Turner’s Got Talent and see such an extraordinary range of performances from our students. The standard was genuinely impressive across all age groups, from powerful vocal performances to expressive dance and ballet. What stood out most was the confidence, creativity and joy on display. Events like this remind us that our schools are not just about academic success, but about nurturing the whole person and giving young people the opportunity to shine.”
Folkestone Town’s Mayor, Lucy McGirr said: “I was delighted to be invited to judge Turner's Got Talent secondary edition. What a wholesome experience to witness the individual talent in all Turner schools. As current Folkestone Mayor I am so impressed with the hard work of the staff for all their support. To all the students well done on your achievements and keep up the hard work.
Turner Schools Executive Principal, Primaries, Am'e Moris said:”It was so heartwarming to have seen so many children showcasing their incredible talents - their smiles and confidence were abundant and the audience were treated to singing, dancing, bands, comedy routines and even the fastest times table completion we've ever seen!”
Ellie Beedham, Associate of Creative Folkestone said: “Wow Turner Schools kids have great talent. The competition showcased stars across the board in singing, dancing, maths, comedy, cheerleading, piano playing and rhythmic gymnastics.”