Kings’ Forest Primary School
What difference has the Artsmark journey made in your school/setting?
Taking part in Artsmark enabled me as the arts leader to really assess where we were with the arts and where we needed to go: what we were already doing well and what we could improve. It galvanised our determination as a school to offer our children the most broad ranging, exciting and engaging arts experiences possible. The development of our annual arts week and our weekly masterclass program to include a wider offer of arts activities and the willingness of staff to push the boundaries has seen a shift in arts culture in the school. Our school community has now got a fearless attitude towards the arts. Staff, children and parents alike now understand how highly we value the arts. We are now sharing our achievements through radio, film and online via an arts twitter account because there is so much to celebrate.
Staff response to Artsmark
“Mr Ivanovich has been working tirelessly to provide the children with as many arts opportunities as possible, including: Arts Week, KFPS Radio, choir, KFTV, live performances, visits and masterclass
opportunities. We are so pleased that this work has been recognised and so proud that our children have access to such high quality arts provision.”
– Helen Porter, Headteacher
Children’s response to Artsmark
“I loved Arts Week 2018 because it was all about the history of art. We learned about Pop Artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein from the 1960s as well as modern pop art from around the world. At the end of the week we made a film about our art and created an arts trail for our parents to come and see. I loved completing the quiz with my class as we went around!”
– Year 5 pupil.
What surprised you about your Artsmark journey?
The most surprising thing about the Artsmark journey at Kings’ Forest has been how much cultural change has taken place. There is a real sense that over the two years (as access to arts opportunities has grown) we have become more confident to take risks and to take part. An example would be that over 25% of the school auditioned to be in our new school choir last March, which was a huge (and brilliant) surprise!
