Creative & Expressive Arts Policy
Our over-arching Teaching and Learning Policy explains in detail how the curriculum is delivered at Blandford St Mary. This policy focuses upon the specific qualities, the key skills and concepts that the Creative Arts add to this. We are committed to the Arts at Blandford St Mary. Providing our children with high quality art and design, music, drama and dance experiences is firmly embedded in our school culture. Why? We believe the Arts provide………. The channel for inspiring our children, stimulating in them a desire to learn and discover. Developing opportunities for individual self-expression. Opportunities for everyone to shine, it is truly inclusive. Opportunities for children to develop the confidence to break boundaries to take risks within a safe setting. ♦ A vehicle to enrich and enthuse, to fire the imagination ~ a vehicle to travel to new and exciting places. ♦ Opportunities for children to express themselves in a non-verbal way. ♦ An enrichment to life both within and beyond school. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
We therefore provide opportunities for children to:♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Engage with a variety of artforms to explore values, attitudes, feelings and meanings. Develop the ability to create, appreciate and make critical judgements about artworks. Work both independently and in groups to share arts experiences and present artworks to others. Create an understanding and appreciation of the arts that will last a lifetime. Work with professionals to gain a wider perspective i.e. galleries / initiatives.
……..through Arts experiences which are carefully planned to ensure progression and breadth of experience. A project approach forms the basis of our teaching with each year group focusing on related themes. QCA schemes are incorporated into this where appropriate. The Arts play an integral role in the planning and delivery of our curriculum ~ inspiring and driving our teaching and learning. Long term our curriculum map refers to these projects, identifying generic and subject specific skills taught within each. Within the curriculum overview are included large scale Arts activities delivered both in school, and in the wider community. We implement our philosophy of inclusion by ensuring that every child in our school is able to access and enjoy the broad, balanced and progressive curriculum regardless of age, gender or ability. At Blandford St Mary we aim to support all children, within the entire curriculum as fully as possible. We ensure that all children have equality of opportunity to achieve according to their full capabilities having regard to their ethnic background, their beliefs and their cultural traditions. Review date: May 2007
Date adopted by Governing Body: Date of next review: May 2008