View the full timetable here: VC timetable
Welcome to Queen’s Cross Centre, which runs at Northampton High School in Hardingstone. We run a wide range of music and drama classes for children from age 5 upwards.
Music, dance and drama are life-long skills, with the benefits of being involved in them from an early age now well documented. The centre is a fun, well-resourced place to be, where all classes are run to a high standard. There is no better way to spend a Saturday morning!
A timetable of face-to-face activities will be made available once we have confirmation around resuming meetings at the Centre.
Our music groups for those who already play an instrument include:
We cater for all abilities from beginners to more advanced players.
For those who do not play an instrument it is possible to join in some of the above groups playing a percussion instrument.
Our recorder and ukulele groups welcome complete beginners, and we have instruments you can borrow to try them. Similarly our Djembes at Dawn group is open to everyone regardless of standard.
If you would like to learn an instrument from scratch (flute, clarinet, violin, etc.) please add your name to the sheet in reception, or email us, and as soon as we have enough interest, we will start a complete beginner group for that instrument. We will probably be able to lend you an instrument to play, at least in the initial stages.
Many aspects of art will be covered during the year, including drawing, paints and pastel colours. You will also be able to design and make craft items as well.
Through Centre Stage, drama is available throughout the morning and covers speech, drama creative movement, and musical theatre. Activities include improvisation, role-play, scripted work and mime.
Every child is entitled to a no obligation taster session as this will give them a chance to experience the centre before committing themselves. We therefore welcome you to come and see us any Saturday during term time, and one of our staff members will go through our timetable and show you around.
Under normal circumstances we meet at:
Northampton High School
Newport Pagnell Road
Hardingstone
Northampton
NN4 6UU
Saturday mornings during term time: 9:15am to 12:15pm.
The autumn term will begin virtually – please register here or contact VC@NMPAT.co.uk for more information.
In the event of unavoidable closures, information will be via the centre on our Facebook feed.
The centre head is local strings teacher, Tom Smith.
You can email the centre: queenscross@nmpat.co.uk
You can also contact the main NMPAT office.
There is some important information we would need in order to safeguard your child to the best of our ability. Please complete and return it to your Centre Head.
Please see the payments page for details of membership subscriptions and how to pay.
Help us reduce costs by paying online through Parent Pay and please consider Gift Aiding your membership subscription so that we can avoid raising subscription rates unnecessarily.
How to pay – ParentPay shop >>
You can find our child protection policy, code of conduct, and photographic policy on our policies page.
15th January 2021
As a result of the Third National Lockdown and closure of schools, we are making plans with partner schools who are able to facilitate on-line lessons, and have started work in some of them. We are aware that not all schools will be able to facilitate this, and not all staff may be in a position to deliver lessons. We will provide lessons wherever circumstances allow.
County Group rehearsals and individual lessons will not be taking place face-to-face during the period of the Lockdown. We have reduced the number of County Group rehearsals that we will be meeting on-line. County Group conductors and teachers will share details of on-line sessions with their groups.
We will continue to follow Government guidance when considering options for the future and will return to face-to-face activity as soon as this is permitted.
The NMPAT Virtual Centre is meeting on Saturdays and welcomes any new members or visitors who may like to join us. To register for the Spring Term as a new students please visit use the online form.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support us through this difficult time. We look forward to seeing you all later in the year, and hope to invite you to a performance sometime soon
Peter Smalley, Chief Executive