The students of this Warwick primary school are leading the way by creating a week-long arts festival that will take place in 2023.
Launch assembly
Recently we attended the Arts 4 All Festival launch assembly at Heathcote Primary School.
At the assembly, six student arts ambassadors talked to their classes and teachers about why they thought the arts matter. They announced how they are going to produce and put on an arts festival to be held the week of 27th February 2023 at their school.
“Today is a very exciting day at Heathcote Primary. There has been lots of work going on behind the scenes to prepare for our arts festival for the whole school. This will be a week-long festival in which the Heathcote family will celebrate our diversity and our community through the arts. We will be reading, listening to, and telling stories from all around the world. We will use these stories to make art and music. We will draw, paint, dance and welcome many special guests during our week. We are all so excited.”
Words of the students, telling the school about their festival in Friday’s assembly.
Culture from around the world
During the festival week, organised by the ambassadors, the whole school will be immersed in the arts.
Students will create dance, stories, sculpture and music and share their new skills to parents and friends at the end of the week in a special community event on 3rd March.
“By the end of the week, children will have explored, engaged in, experienced and enjoyed a range of new art activities. They will share what they have learnt with the school and its communities.”
Max Lawson, Heathcote Primary School
Each year group has a different continent to inspire them. Each class will be working with a different artist during the week, taking part in workshops to learn new art skills.
Themes and skills they will cover include bangra, storytelling and clay modelling.
Developing skills
“We are shouting out for the arts and shouting out for Heathcote, to show the world what our students are capable of. These art leaders have worked so hard, they have put this assembly together, rehearsed on their own, prepared the slides and logos. They are an incredible group. They are going to lead the whole school into something really exciting.”
Teacher Max Lawson announces the festival at Heathcote Primary School
By the end of the festival the school children will have:
- Experienced different cultures, stories and traditions
- Developed a range of artistic, creative and performance skills
- Connected with the local community of Heathcote
- So much more!
Entirely youth-led
The festival, which is funded by Shout Out for the Arts, has been entirely coordinated by the arts ambassadors from the school.
Six students who presented in assembly form part of a larger group of ‘arts leaders’ throughout the primary school, bringing children across different year groups together to work as a group.
“The best thing about this festival is that it has been the children’s idea. The whole festival has come from them, not me, not the teachers, not anyone else. And that’s what Shout Out for the Arts is all about – listening to what children have to say about the art they want in their schools. This fesitval is facilitating their leadership, which is the entire mission of this programme.”
Amy, Programme Manager, Shout Out for the Arts
It’s now less than 100 days to go until the big event!
Heathcote, we can’t wait to work with you in 2022 and 2023 and to the arts ambassadors – a huge well done, keep up your excellent work!
Photos by Shout Out for the Arts Warwickshire.
