Why the arts?
All children deserve to have access to music, dance, visual arts, theatre and the full spectrum of creative activity and learning. The arts can stimulate curiosity, creativity and imagination, and support the development of transferable skills such as communication and problem solving. But with the average primary school teacher receiving as little as three hours of art and design training, and only 21% having attended CPD in the subject*, this is often easier said than done.
*APPG, Art Now: An Inquiry into the State of Art and Design teaching in Early Years Foundation Stage, Primary and Secondary Education, 2023.
What is Access All Arts week?
Access All Arts week is a week dedicated to promoting the arts and supporting teachers to deliver them in their classrooms. With the ready-to-teach resources, teachers can explore eleven different art forms each with their own lesson plans, video tutorials and activity sheets covering:
- Sounds – Singing and Instruments
- Marks – 2D, 3D and Digital Mark Making
- Words – Poetry and Storytelling
- Images – Photography and Filmmaking
- Moves – Dance and Drama
The benefits for your school
Be part of a nationwide movement! Last year over 360,000 children took part and there are now over 14,000 teachers and 9,000 schools signed up. Four out of five teachers told us that they felt more confident to teach the arts after using the Access All Arts week resources and 92% said that the week had a positive impact on their pupils, helping them to build their confidence and develop skills such as self-expression and resilience, as well as arts literacy.
“It allowed our pupils freedom of expression, opportunities to take creative risks and be proud of their achievements.”
Head of Art and DT
Plus, new for 2024, is a series of Creative Pathways videos where pupils will go on a creative careers journey, diving behind the scenes of some amazing arts organisations including The National Portrait Gallery, Canva and Sky Cinema. These videos will show children the vast range of skills and possibilities open to them within the arts, while breaking down stereotypes and broadening horizons.
Join in!
Sign up today to get your school involved and access your free resources.
Your thoughts