Coxhoe Primary School

     Artsmark at Coxhoe

What is Artsmark?

Artsmark is an award accredited by Arts Countil Enland to schools who show exceptional creativity to the arts. This award is the only award for arts and culture provision in England. As well as recognising schools that are making the arts come alive, the Artsmark award is a practical and valuable tool for enriching a school’s arts provision, whatever the starting point.  It supports schools to develop and celebrate arts and cultural education, putting creativity and wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum. Artsmark ensures every young person can be creative and access a diverse, high-quality cultural education.

What are we aiming for?

At Coxhoe Primary School, we are aiming for the Artsmark Silver award. This page will inform you about the arts provision in our school, allow you to explore the children's opinions on the arts, as well as help to celebrate our artistic achievements in school. You can follow our Artsmark journey here or in our school newsletters.

What are the arts?

The arts are a group of subjects which are modes of expression where skills, imagination and creativity are used. They also develop critical thinking, problem solving and language skills.

These subjects include:

• dance
• drama
• music
• art
• design technology
• literature

Why are the arts important to us?

The arts are essential in Coxhoe Primary school because they provide a holistic foundation for children's development, fostering creativity, emotional expression, and critical skills that complement academic learning. Here's why they matter:

Enhance Creativity and Imagination: Artistic activities encourage children to think creatively, explore ideas, and express themselves uniquely, skills that are essential across all areas of learning and life.

Support Emotional Development: The arts provide a safe space for children to explore and express emotions, helping them develop empathy and self-awareness.

Develop Fine and Gross Motor Skills: Activities like painting, sculpting, or playing instruments refine fine motor skills, while dance and drama improve coordination and gross motor abilities.

Cultural Awareness and Appreciation: The arts expose children to diverse cultures and perspectives, fostering inclusivity and broadening their worldview.

Boost Academic Performance: Studies show that integrating the arts with other subjects can improve learning outcomes in areas like maths, literacy, and science by making lessons more engaging and memorable.

Improving Communication Skills: Through activities like drama or storytelling, children learn to convey ideas, collaborate with others, and build confidence in public speaking.

Meet our Artsmark Ambassadors

Our Artsmark Ambassadors are charged with a mission: to make the arts at Coxhoe Primary the best it can possibly be!  We are passionate about delivering a creative and inspiring curriculum for our pupils. Our school’s commitment to the arts is encapsulated by our Artsmark journey where we monitor and review our arts provision. This helps to ensure we are striving for excellence and all children have the opportunity for personal progression. 

What do our Artsmark Ambassadors say about the arts at Coxhoe Primary School?

Key stage 1

Emily is a keen dancer and attends dance school where she enjoys learning; Pop, Tap and Modern. She is keen to share her skills with her peers.

Imogen, "I'm really good at drawing. I like to draw stars `and trees. I even teach my friends how to draw stars."

Enzo, "I love to take photos of animals. Highland cows are my favourite thing to photograph - I just love being near them!"

Key stage 2

Emily, "I love arts and drama. I am in a theatre/ drama club. I want to have that as part of my career when I'm older. I just love to perform! I have performed solo dances on stage and I'm also in a choir." 

Cyrus, "I love the arts! In the past I have enjoyed painting, felt and paper craft. I have the perserverance and an indomitable spirit to be an excellent arts ambassador."

What do our children say about the arts at Coxhoe Primary School?

We've been learning about Jazz music and have been practising our scat singing. It was great fun! -Emily (Year 5)

We love designing and making new things, especially when we created a Ferris wheel! - Henry (Year 2)

I love pretending to be a character from a story. I'm pretty good at doing their voices. It always makes everyone laugh! Enzo - (Year 2)

I loved learning about the Titanic. We pretended to be passengers on the ship, I was a first class passenger! Cedric had to carry my bags and I got a room at the top of the ship - Archie (Year 2)

We learnt about facial expressions in Art today. Illustrators have to know how to make a character look happy or sad or sometimes even angry! - Freddie (Year 6)

Take a look at the arts in our school

Can you perform a song with actions to tell a story?

Today, children used actions and discussed new lyrics to recall the story, The Elves and the Shoemaker.

Our children in Reception have been learning about Diwalli. They made saltdough diya lamps and learnt a song to perform. They loved learning the actions and singing in unison!