 Teaching the curriculum through the arts
About the school
This primary school has 305 pupils on roll aged 3 to 11. Pupils are culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse -- nearly half of all pupils speak English as an additional language. The school is in an area of economic deprivation and 62% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
When the school opened in 1999, a high proportion of its intake had been unsuccessful in previous schools. Many pupils were already disillusioned with education and regular attendance was an issue. Nearly half of all pupils had special educational needs (this has now fallen to under a third) and over 30% had emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Last year's key stage 2 national curriculum results for reading were outstanding, with 97% of pupils achieving level 4 and above. The figures for writing and mathematics were 48% and 59% respectively. As the table below shows, all pupils excel in the arts.
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Level 4 |
Level 5 |
Level 6 |
Art and design |
100% |
69% |
10% |
Music |
100% |
34% |
14% |
Drama |
100% |
86% |
34% |
Dance |
100% |
52% |
14% |
Media Arts |
100% |
21% |
0% |
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Arts in the school
The school's improvement plan is largely based on its vision for the arts. The aims of the school's arts policy are:
- An entitlement to a wide range of quality arts experiences for every person in the school.
- To teach everyone in the school the necessary skills to be able to participate in arts activities.
- To provide training for staff to enhance their skills in teaching the arts.
- To work in partnership with a wide range of professional artists and arts organisations.
- To involve the community in our arts activities.
- To experience the artforms of different cultures.
- To develop an environment in which everyone can use the arts to enhance the rest of their lives.
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