Known to be the world’s largest amateur variety show, the Schools Spectacular arena show featured more than 5,500 Kindergarten to Year 12 students from almost 400 schools.

They travelled up to 800 kilometres to come together over four spectacular performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Wangal land on Friday, 28 and Saturday, 29 November.

Marking an impressive six years each with Schools Spectacular, featured vocalists Isabella Laga’ai from Newtown High School of the Performing Arts; and Jazmin Castle from Wagga Wagga High School, combined with featured dancer Abigail Flaherty from Elizabeth Macarthur High School, to showcase their ongoing commitment and passion to the annual variety show.

Songs in ‘Remarkable’ included a wide range of genres from Steve’s Lava Chicken from A Minecraft Movie to We're in the Money from the Broadway Musical 42nd Street, Jai Ho from the 2008 hit movie Slumdog Millionaire, Blackbird by The Beatles and Defying Gravity from Wicked the Musical.

Just outside Qudos Bank Arena, the entertainment and activity hub, SpecFest, witnessed a flashmob of more than 500 students dance to Isabella Laga’aia’s original song ‘Remarkable', a track she wrote, composed and performed for this special occasion.

Also on offer were performances by the NSW Public Schools Millenium Marching Band, and solo and ensemble performances; Film By SpecFest viewings in the SpecFest gallery, and rural and remote band competition Surround Sound.

Full-circle moments

It was an exciting year for the Burton family with Year 5, St Ives North Public School student Xavier Burton, son of Human Nature band member Phil Burton, making his Schools Spectacular debut in the 1146-member Moving Choir.

Known originally as ‘4 Trax’, Human Nature started their careers in the Schools Spectacular in the early 90s. Years before he joined the musical foursome, Phil set the stage for the very first ‘Spec’ with his primary school choir in 1983, making this a full-circle moment.

“Being part of the show does teach you a lot about the discipline of being part of a show … backing off and being quiet and letting other people have their turn when it’s their go … (but) when it’s your moment, it is your moment to shine, so grab it,” Phil said.

Also keeping it in the family was Maya Harriman-Khan, the Spectacular Co-Host and Year 11 Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, whose family has been part of Schools Spectacular since its inception 42 years ago; a remarkable legacy spanning three generations of siblings, cousins, parents, aunties, uncles and grandparents.

“My grandma sketched designs as a costume designer and ran lots of working bees for the costume creations when the show first started,” Maya said.

“My aunt was a lead dancer, and mum and her other sister was part of various dance ensembles. We’ve all given Spec a go in one way or another, it’s been a real family affair.”

Twenty-five years ago, Year 6 student Tabitha Bean performed as a school group dancer for the first and only time as a student at Freemans Reach Public School. The students danced to the song ‘Pure Imagination’ and were dressed as Mintie lollies as a tie into the iconic Willy Wonka song.

Now as a teacher at Wilberforce Public School, 12 of Mrs Bean’s students danced as part of the Primary Combined Dance group to the song ‘Pure Imagination’. The girls were dressed as Minties, paying homage to their teacher in the year 2000.

“When I became a teacher at Wilberforce Public School it was my goal to take students to Schools Spec so they too could share the stage with so many talented students and create many fabulous lifelong memories,” Mrs Bean said

“2025 is our school’s fourth time in Spec and it’s so cool to see how excited the students get and share in the joy with them, made even more special when my own child is involved through her school and to see how excited she gets practising with her little sisters at home and in the lead up to show week which is great.

“It is definitely a full circle moment for me to be a Mintie and now my students to be Minties. Very special.”

Spectacularly original

Original music was another key component of the 2025 production with Triple J Unearthed Indigenous Artist of the Year and Gomeroi featured vocalist Kyla-Belle Roberts from Moree Secondary College performing her song ‘Scars’ for the first time with backing vocals and an orchestral accompaniment.

The 16-year-old expressed her pride in performing her song at Schools Spectacular sharing that it was “more than she could have ever expected and more”.

The arena show’s closing number ‘Remarkable’ was written and composed by featured vocalist and Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School Year 12 graduate Ocean Lim.

The song was performed by all 5,500 students. Ocean is no stranger to creating music for the show, performing another original ‘Follow your Dreams’ at the 2023 show and for King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their visit to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt in October 2024.

As mentioned above, Isabella Laga’aia’s original song 'Remarkable', was a feature at SpecFest, but it also served as the soundtrack to the arena show’s opening video.

Schools Spectacular Creative Director Sonja Sjolander said this year’s show was focused on student voice more than ever before.

“The 2025 show theme ‘Remarkable’ explored what it means to stand out, speak up, and shine – a fitting motif for the trailblazing students who led the show,” she said.

“Whether it’s a heartfelt solo, a dazzling instrumental, or a choreographed group number, these students blow you away”.

The 2025 Schools Spectacular was proudly supported by sponsors: Telstra, the NSW Teachers Federation, School Bytes, Smart, Teachers Health, Supporters: Woolworths, Hertz and Steinway Australia and Event Partners: Qudos Bank Arena, Seven Network, Gravity Media and Ticketek.

SpecFest 2025 was proudly supported by the NSW Teachers Federation, ACCO Brands Australia, Teachers Health, A Start in Life, AlphaTheta / Jands, ASI Solutions, Back to the Future: The Musical, Big Red Group, Booktopia, BounceInc, Cancer Council NSW, Eclipse Lighting and Sound, GIANTS Netball, Global Dance Tours, Golf Cart World, GSP Print/JC Decaux, Hertz, Life Education NSW, Monster Skatepark, NRL, NSW Swifts, Office for Youth, Office of Sport - Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia (NSW), Pan Macmillan Australia, Seven Network, Smart, Spriggy, Spriggy Schools, TeenBreathe, Telstra, Tennis Australia, The School Magazine, Sydney Conservatorium, Taronga Zoo, Unison Designs, URBNSURF and Woolworths.

Surround Sound 2025 was proudly supported by Eclipse Lighting and Sound and Turramurra Music.