The Arts

Here at Greatwood we classify 'The Arts' as Art, Music, Drama, Dancing and opportunities.

Learning through and about the arts enriches the experience of studying while at school as well as preparing our children for life after school.

• Arts subjects encourage self-expression and creativity and can build confidence as well as a sense of individual identity.

• Creativity can also help with wellbeing and improving health and happiness. Arts lessons act as an outlet for releasing the pressures of studying as well as those of everyday life.

• Studying arts subjects also help to develop critical thinking and the ability to interpret the world around us.

Being creative is one of our six key school values that were chosen by both the children, their families and our staff members.  When you walk around school there is a strong sense of creativity, our corridor and classrooms are adorned with high quality art work and when you speak to our children they clearly love art.  

Since the introduction of sketchbook use within the KS2 National Curriculum, sketchbooks play a key role in our creative curriculum here at Greatwood. Every child from Year 1 to Year 6 has a sketchbook. Sketchbooks, we believe are an opportunity for our children to express themselves in a creative form and therefore we do not expect these books to follow our school presentation and feedback policy. 

The purpose of Art education is to give pupils the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express their responses to ideas and experiences in a visual or tactile form. It fires their imagination and is a fundamental means of personal expression. While it is essentially a practical subject, Art should provide opportunities for reflection and, with increasing sensitivity, pupils should acquire the ability to make informed, critical responses of their own work and that of others.

There is great pleasure to be derived from Art and, through deeper understanding pupils can gain access to cultural richness and diversity. The appreciation and enjoyment of the visual Arts enriches all our lives.

We are fortunate enough to have an enriching arts curriculum which includes weekly art and music lessons with our music specialist teacher, Mrs Meads as well as:

-Weekly whole school singing assembly

-Choir after school club

-Performing at the Christmas Light Switch On

-Drawing after school club

-Performing with the Young Voices Children's Choir at Sheffield Arena

-Theatre visits (including The Lion King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wizard of Oz) and this year we will be watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

-Opera Visits

-Skipton Town Hall visits

-Visits to The Lowry

-Working collaboratively with Skipton Girls High School Art Department

-Working collaboratively with Skipton Girls High School Music Department

All of our children from Nursery to Year 6 perform on the stage here at Greatwood for their family members every single year. Our class performances range from an EYFS traditional nativity play to a Year 6 professional performance at Skipton Town Hall to end their time here at Greatwood.