It was nowhere near bedtime and the pupils of Horrabridge Primary and Nursery are wide awake, but they were all dressed in their pyjamas.

This was not however, an apparent lapse in uniform standards, for one special day the children were allowed to wear their favourite PJs to show their thanks to a choir.

The sponsored charity jim-jam day was a way of raising £150 for a ‘sing and sign’ choir, run by the At The Park Cornwall group near Launceston, which visits Horrabridge School to entertain the children for a mass singalong, including sign language, to help include people with a range of capabilities.

The choir, comprising members of varying limitations, performs popular songs in schools, nursing/care homes and in public at local events such as festivals.

John Clarke, headteacher, said: “We have built a wonderful connection with the sing and sign choir since their first visit last year. The choir has continued to visit each term, bringing warmth and smiles to pupils and staff.

“Each visit has been incredibly special and many children ask to go up on stage and sign with the choir.

“To show our appreciation and to give something back, the pupil’s school council organised the pyjama day to buy the choir a new set of T-shirts. We truly value the connection we’ve established and look forward to welcoming them again at Christmas when we will give them the T-shirts.”

Sing and sign choirs combine vocal singing with hand gestures, keyword signing (or Makaton Signalong) to make music accessible and expressive for people of all communication abilities.

Sessions are designed to involve and entertain all experiences, neurodivergent singers and anyone with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and those classed as non-verbal.

Keyword signing is where performers use hand signs for key words in a song to support verbal lyrics and aid comprehension.

Generic Makaton choirs combine vocal singing with Makaton—a unique language program using signs and symbols to help people communicate.