Pupils 'blown away' as Ed Sheeran appears at school for surprise performance

Pupils at school in Cardiff were greeted with a huge surprise when Ed Sheeran walked into their morning assembly on Thursday.

The superstar singer performed for nearly 2,000 pupils at a Fitzalan High School in Cardiff on Thursday morning, much to their shock and delight, reports Wales Online.

A whole school assembly was in progress when staff and pupils were told to expect a special guest, but nobody was expecting the pop star to walk in. The visit marked the official launch of the Ed Sheeran Foundation, an initiative designed to support youth music education across the UK.

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Welsh choir Only Boys Aloud had been singing for pupils at the assembly, and headteacher Mr Adam Lear said that most pupils and staff thought they were the only special guests. However, half-way through the assembly, Mr Lear walked in and was followed by Ed Sheeran. "It was incredible. He walked out and as you can imagine, everyone was absolutely blown away. The atmosphere was amazing," he said.

Ed had already surprised 80 music students as they were performing prior to his appearance at the full school assembly. "Their faces were amazing," Mr Lear said.

During the assembly, Ed performed two songs, including Shape of You, with pupils joining in during the chorus. He then did a Q and A with the pupils. Mr Lear said he was "inspirational" and encouraged pupils to keep chasing their dreams. Ed was joined by Welsh songwriter Amy Wadge, who co-wrote Thinking Out Loud.

"It's been a very special day - the assembly was first organised to celebrate our 'outstanding' Estyn inspection," Mr Lear added. "Now that the visit is over, I've spoken to some pupils and they are just completely overwhelmed. They have been saying 'I was performing on that stage last week and now Ed Sheeran is performing on it'. The school is on a real high after the visit so we are delighted."

The Ed Sheeran Foundation website says: "We support music education grassroots organisations and state school music departments to provide inclusive, high-quality music education. We also advocate for a greater focus on music education – one that recognises the power of music in changing young people's lives."

The Foundation has set out to work with communities, industry and government to make a change in how music has taught in the UK. "We want every child to have equal access to express themselves through music and opportunity to pursue a music career," it says.

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