Staff at Monkton Combe School in the UK, led by Principal Chris Wheeler, surprise school-leavers with One Day More.

A school principal in the UK and his staff have become a viral sensation with a surprise performance of the rousing song One Day More from Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s musical Les Misérables.

Last Saturday, Chris Wheeler, the Head Master at Monkton Combe School, located a mile outside Bath, was mid-way through his end-of-term speech for school-leavers and their families when he stunned everyone by bursting into song.

Unleashing his inner Jean Valjean, Wheeler began to sing One Day More, with its opening lyrics, “One day more! Another day, another destiny”. Gradually other teachers sitting in the audience rose to their feet and joined in, taking on the parts of Marius, Cosette, Eponine, Enjolras, Javert and the Thenardiers to the obvious astonishment and then delight of the assembled crowd.

A video of the performance, filmed from the audience, was posted on the school’s Facebook page and has already been seen by over 12,000 people, with hundreds of enthusiastic comments.

One parent said: “Been to a few prize givings, this was one was outstanding!!” A Monkton pupil said: “It was brilliant. Genius idea! Chris an co., you really rock!” while a former student added: “Makes me nostalgic for my Monkton days!! Wish this had happened in my time there! Amazing!”

Wheeler said: “’I am always keen to show pupils that just as we ask them to put themselves out there, so we are prepared to do the same. There aren’t many schools where the deputy head, medical centre nurse, a houseparent, pupils and even a governor would be prepared to risk embarrassment in the name of fun but I am very proud that Monkton is one.”

There’s nothing new under the sun, of course. In 2015, the District Superintendent of the West Des Moines Community School in the US was making her ‘welcome back’ speech when teachers burst into the same song, parading through the theatre and waving a flag.