Starting the day with arts activities

Summary

This small primary school constantly strives to develop its learning environment and curriculum to improve pupils' learning. For this project, it introduced 15 minutes of arts activities at the start of every school day. The arts activities (observational drawing, dance, clay modelling, listening to classical music and rhythm work) were carefully chosen to appeal to the interests and learning styles of all pupils. They were also chosen because they demand concentration and careful attention to detail.

Although the whole school took part in the activities, a small cohort of pupils from years 5 and 6 were targeted for a research study. 6 out of the 8 pupils studied showed improved attitudes to work, better concentration and were more motivated in lessons directly after the arts sessions. The pupils' arts skills also improved -- they applied the skills they learned in the short sessions to longer lessons, helping the creative development of their ideas.