The Arts
The arts are uniquely placed to inspire learning at River Beach and are an essential component in the planning of learning opportunities for all children. The use of music, dance, drama, and visual expression supports the children’s learning within a topic based creative curriculum.
We have created a clear, dynamic and exciting arts curriculum which features carefully planned sequences of lessons that develop subject knowledge and opportunities to create in a variety of media. We regularly work with visiting professional artists and our pupils have been involved in a number of projects, from head-dress making to drama workshops and game design.
Children attending workshops at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
We offer a wide range of opportunities for our pupils to be creative. In addition to the curriculum, we have popular art, drama, dance and choir clubs. We value and celebrate the work the children create, both in school and to a wider audience through public performance and on our website and social media.
Our 2024 Drama Production of Shrek Jr
Our Dance House performance
Curriculum design, particularly in foundation subjects such as History, Art and Music, places an importance on key historical and contemporary figures to both inspire children and place their learning and the resulting work in a cultural context. By focusing on a wide range of artists from different eras, cultures and disciplines, we are able to reflect members of our school community.
A key strength of our art provision is the establishment of the art studio and role of Arts and Culture Lead. This role has a number of strands; initially to deliver art lessons in the studio that complement art taught in class based lessons. The aim is to enrich the teaching of art by placing a focus on aspects of disciplinary knowledge, for example, using clay or drawing techniques. The pupils are aware of which projects different year groups work on and their anticipation of when it will be their turn is evident. (Pic of studio clay, painting and collage work) Pupils are encouraged to develop their own ideas and those in Key Stage Two are each given a ‘Creative Journal’ for them to record their drawings and ideas at, for example, playtimes.
Children using their creative journal
It has also enabled us to develop and maintain creative partnerships with cultural organisations such as Chichester Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery. Our work with them has led to over one hundred of our pupils gaining Arts Award Explore in the past two years.
Chichester Festival Theatre performing to children in EYFS
We have embedded the role of our Arts Ambassadors who give out award stickers to pupils throughout the school that they choose independently. Our enthusiastic team has also worked with Arun Inspires, a local initiative working to advance cultural opportunities for the young people in our area. They have been involved in the selection of professional artists to work on projects with other local schools, which have a fantastic visual impact on the town.
Artsmark
We are proud to be an Artsmark school. Our last Artsmark was a Gold award and are now officially ‘Working Towards’ our next award, building on our previous success and aiming high!