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At St Bartholomew’s, we strive to provide children with a range of opportunities to develop their own understanding of culture, the arts and run many endeavours as a supplement to our curriculum. The following are snapshots of what we do to encourage an excellent cultural education:
- An annual multicultural week and evening, where the school celebrated the wide range of cultures in our school.
- A key emphasis on black history, which we are currently embedding throughout our wider curriculum, including through history topics.
- Visits to local libraries, supplemented via a range of library boxes to promote a wider love of reading.
- Trips to a range of local museums and areas of importance in our local area.
- In KS2, we celebrate National Film Week, attending our local cinema.
- Art lessons are taught in half term topics across school. Every year group has a focus on drawing and painting and two other areas of art.
- DT lessons are also taught in half term blocks, with every year group having a focus on cooking and two other areas on a whole school cycle.
- The school offers a wide range of diverse clubs, both curricular and to support the child’s wider development; Mindfulness, science, art and religious stories, keyboard, crafts, board games, French, singing, computing, first aid, drama, yoga, lego, football and magazine club.
- As well as music being taught weekly through individual music lessons and in worship assemblies, we celebrate music through a music week each year. This encourages and develops a further love of music, involving a range of visitors and visits with a local high school, music performers into assemblies and workshops and a whole school talent show: St Bart’s got talent!
- There are a range of exciting trips to areas of historical interest – Armley Mills, Temple Newsam, local parks, farms, The Royal Armories and many others!
- Year groups put on a Christmas performance for parents, peers and residents from the local care homes. We also have a range of children who regularly visit the local care homes to hear stories from the residents and play games with them.
- Each year group in school has 20 things they are to complete each year to work towards their cultural education called ‘The St Bart’s Bucket List’.
- Music tuition is a central part to our music curriculum, including recorders and glockenspiels. Our music leaders also run keyboard and guitar clubs, purchased using music grants, which can be loaned to pupils each week. We also have various school choirs.
- Many year groups also enter a range of writing competitions, lots of which have been published in various books. We also have a book week, where children get to work with a range of authors.
- As a school, we highly value the worth of books. Each child gets their own reading book, which they borrow and return. Older children also have a book they read for pleasure. We also purchase a book at Christmas time for each child.
- We get the children involved in a range of charitable days, raising money for various good causes.
Curriculum - Cultural Education - West Yorkshire Playhouse
Class 10 had a great afternoon at West Yorkshire Playhouse. We visited each of the three theatres, had a look inside the rehearsal rooms and even had a peek inside the costume department. We then took part in a fun workshop recreating the story of Macbeth.
Curriculum - Cultural Education - Leeds City of Culture
Children from reception to year 6 have been taking part in the Leeds City of Culture - Waking the artist project. We have looked at lots of different things that make our city great and culturally diverse. Reception recreated Leeds Town Hall with construction materials and drew the lions that are found on the steps of the town hall. Year 1 used a variety of drawing and colouring techniques to create their own owls. In year 2, we used watercolours to paint the famous Leeds to Liverpool Canal. Years 3 and 4 looked at different logos and badges found in and around Leeds. They used printing tiles to recreate the logos. Years 5 and 6 looked at different famous people from Leeds and things invented in Leeds. They used collage to make these.
Curriculum - Cultural Education - Farm Trip
Year 1 really enjoyed their visit to Meanwood Valley Urban Farm. We learned about composting and how compost is made. The children then collected a variety of green and brown matter, along with some minibeasts to make their own compost. We planted some herb seeds and are taking care of them to make sure they grow. The children enjoyed seeing and stroking the animals around the farm. We even got to touch some frog spawn from the pond.
