James B Partridge

James B Partridge
Born (1991-01-11) January 11, 1991
Poole, England
EducationDowning College, Cambridge
OccupationsMusician, singing teacher, performer
Years active2010s–present
Known forPrimary School Bangers
Websitejamesbpartridge.com

James Bradley Partridge (born January 11 1991[1][2]) is a British musician and teacher. He is the creator of Primary School Bangers, a live sing-along show based on songs traditionally sung in British primary school assemblies.[3] Partridge initially gained attention through social media videos featuring these songs.[4][5]

Early life and education

Partridge was born in Poole, Dorset, in 1991. Both of his parents were teachers.[6] He has three brothers, including actor Dan Partridge.[7] He sang in his local church choir and with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus.[8] After attending Poole Grammar School,[9] Partridge studied music at Downing College, Cambridge, where he was the college's first choral scholar.[10]

Career

Teaching and musical work

After graduating, Partridge worked for music companies such as PRS for Music[11] before becoming a music and singing teacher in primary schools in London.[12]

Alongside teaching, he worked as a freelance singer and choral performer singing with artists from Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones[5] and was involved with Gareth Malone’s choir Voices, appearing in high-profile events including the Royal Variety Show and the Classic Brit Awards.[13] From 2013, Partridge also performed regularly around the UK and internationally with his vocal group The Harbour[14] and function band Truly Medley Deeply.[15][16]

Social media success

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Partridge began posting musical videos online for pupils and audiences to sing along with. In 2021 he posted a TikTok video ranking popular British school assembly songs, which gained viral attention.[4]

His videos frequently feature nostalgic assembly songs such as Lord of the Dance and Give Me Oil in My Lamp.[17]

Primary School Bangers

The popularity of Partridge’s videos led to the creation of the live show Primary School Bangers, a participatory sing-along performance featuring songs associated with British primary school assemblies.[18]

The show features Partridge accompanying audiences on piano while encouraging communal singing and sharing humorous reflections on school life.[12]

Festivals and media appearances

Partridge has performed at events including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe[19], Camp Bestival[20] and Glastonbury Festival[21][22]. The Glastonbury Festival 2025 set was filmed for the official BBC Glastonbury coverage and the BBC News TikTok video of his set achieved 6.8 million views[23].

He has appeared on television and radio programmes including BBC Breakfast[24], The One Show[25], Sunday Brunch [26] and Newsround.[27] He regularly appears on BBC national and regional radio stations to talk about singing and education[28][29] as well as commercial stations such as Virgin Radio.[30]

Personal life

Partridge lives in London and has continued teaching alongside his performing career.[18] He has also written a children's fiction book Dahlia and the Land Without Music, published by Sweet Cherry Publishing.[11][31]

References

  1. ↑ "Happy Birthday TikTok".
  2. ↑ Kinney, Fergal (5 March 2026). "Bright and beautiful? The man causing millennial rapture with his school hymn singalongs". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  3. ↑ "Sing it out with James Partridge's joyous assembly | Seen & Unseen". www.seenandunseen.com. 24 March 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 Marshall, Alex (5 March 2026). "The millennial rapture of school hymn singalongs". The Guardian.
  5. 1 2 Columnist, Guest (30 October 2025). "Meet James B Partridge, the man who made school assembly bangers cool". Big Issue. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  6. ↑ "James B Partridge on the Big Christmas Assembly tour". Great British Life. 19 November 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  7. ↑ Ep 23: Post-Glasto catch-up with Dan Partridge - Notes from School. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026 – via notesfromschool.buzzsprout.com.
  8. ↑ "Primary School Assembly Bangers go festive". BBC News. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "A dream come true: James selected from thousands to perform with Gareth Malone at the BIC". Bournemouth Echo. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  10. ↑ "Interview: James B. Partridge". Alternative Classical.
  11. 1 2 Money-Coutts, Sophia (14 April 2025). "Put your hands in the air! My big night out clubbing to school assembly hymns". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Teacher turned singer takes audiences back to school". InYourArea.
  13. ↑ "About James B Partridge". James B Partridge official site.
  14. ↑ "The Harbour". YouTube. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "About Me". James B Partridge. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  16. ↑ "Bournemouth star's Christmas show 'nearly filled the Pavilion'". Bournemouth Echo. 22 November 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  17. ↑ "Interview with James B Partridge". Alternative Classical.
  18. 1 2 "This viral school singalong is heading to Barnstaple". Exeter Today.
  19. ↑ Guide, British Comedy. "Primary School Assembly Bangers Live!". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  20. ↑ "School 'bangers' performed back where they began - in Dorset". BBC News. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  21. ↑ "About James B Partridge". James B Partridge official site.
  22. ↑ "'Primary School Bangers' set draws in Glastonbury Festival crowds". BBC News. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  23. ↑ "BBC News Glastonbury 2025 TikTok".
  24. ↑ James B Partridge (9 July 2023). Bringing the school assembly to BBC Breakfast! FULL FEATURE. Retrieved 9 March 2026 – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ James B Partridge (27 May 2024). Primary School Assembly Live on BBC The One Show. Retrieved 9 March 2026 – via YouTube.
  26. ↑ "Sunday Brunch Facebook".
  27. ↑ "About James B Partridge". James B Partridge official site.
  28. ↑ James B Partridge (3 January 2025). BBC Radio 2 x James B Partridge with Tina Daheley. Retrieved 9 March 2026 – via YouTube.
  29. ↑ James B Partridge (24 August 2023). James B Partridge Primary School Assembly Bangers on BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show FULL AUDIO. Retrieved 9 March 2026 – via YouTube.
  30. ↑ James B Partridge (10 October 2024). Harvest Festival Bangers with Tom Allen on Virgin Radio. Retrieved 9 March 2026 – via YouTube.
  31. ↑ admin (9 July 2025). "Dahlia and the Land Without Music". Sweet Cherry Publishing. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
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