The Arts
Reception children make good use of their art in role play
It is our strongly held belief that all children should have the opportunity to express themselves both inside and outside the classroom and as such the arts have traditionally had a high profile and impact on the range of curriculum activities and experiences available for our pupils. Whilst it is true that creativity can be shown in any subject area or activity there is no doubt that the arts provide a particularly rich source of inspiration for children to express themselves in different forms.
In Spring 2008 we were presented with the Artsmark Gold which is a national award managed by Arts Council England that rewards the high level of commitment the school shows towards art, drama, dance and music and recognises the strong impact that the Arts have had on the range of curriculum activities and experiences available for our pupils. Subjects such as music and dance have always had a high profile at our school but more recently we have also been particularly committed to encouraging children to find their singing voice and acquire the language of music through the Voices Foundation programme. In June 2008 Cookridge Primary School became the first primary school in Leeds to be awarded the Sing Up Platinum award. This was a national recognition of how we place singing and music at the heart of our curriculum, and make sure that every child is given the opportunity to take part in the full range of musical activities which form part of the creative Arts curriculum we provide at our school. Having heard us, it was declared that we were truly worthy of the title “A Singing School!”
Musical opportunities for our pupils are second to none. During their time at Cookridge, children are invited to develop the skills to play a range of instruments which may lead to them performing as a member of our incredible whole school orchestra who enhance many of our school productions. We also have a well established Samba band whose performances are breathtaking, and a Steel Pan band who provide the musical accompaniment to our children’s lunchtime experience as well as performing regularly before a large and appreciative audience.
Year 1 prepare for their puppet show
During recent years, our close partnership working with a wide range of local artists has allowed our staff and children to develop skills above and beyond those typical of a primary school.
Our highly effective partnership working has underpinned innovative curriculum redesign and the development and delivery of effective learning projects and programmes across the city. 2010-11’s ‘Year of the Arts’ supported by a team of creative practitioners through the Change School programme has supported the professional development of teachers and other school staff as they have worked alongside artists, learned new techniques, gained ideas and developed the vocabulary of arts language in addition to providing richer and deeper learning for our pupils. We are fully committed to maintaining and developing this very important aspect of our school and to continuing to develop our expertise in this area.
Our passion for the Arts is a well established part of our culture and, as a result, there are many ways in which our children can tune into their creative side and express themselves at Cookridge.
