Arts in the Primary Curriculum
The Arts in the Primary Curriculum session is designed to help arts organisations understand the primary curriculum and explore how they can work with schools to create impactful, curriculum-aligned arts projects. The session will provide valuable insight into the challenges schools face when integrating arts initiatives, offering a collaborative platform for arts organisations and school leaders to connect, co-create, and problem-solve together.
Schools face constant pressure from curriculum restrictions, tight budgets, and limited resources, which can make it difficult to fully embrace arts projects, even when these projects are engaging and high-quality. Often, arts organisations create fantastic projects, but schools may struggle to adapt them to fit their specific curriculum needs. This session will help arts organisations better understand how to align their projects with the National Curriculum, while also considering schools’ unique circumstances.
With a focus on practical strategies, this session will give arts organisations the tools they need to work alongside schools to co-create meaningful arts projects that support both creative expression and curriculum goals. Led by Tania Yasmin, Headteacher of Greet Primary School, and Bhavik Parmar, Director of Birmingham Arts School, the session will explore curriculum entry points and provide an opportunity for arts organisations to directly address their challenges with headteachers and arts leads.
By the end of this session, you will leave with concrete templates for planning arts projects, resources that break down the National Curriculum’s relevance to the arts, and strategies for strengthening school partnerships. This session will offer 2 free places to all BAS Cultural Partners. The cost is £35 per staff member for additional spaces and for non-partner arts organisations.
Agenda:
1. Contextualising Curriculum Pressures on Schools: Understanding the constraints that schools face in balancing curriculum requirements with creativity, and exploring ways to navigate these pressures to allow for creative, impactful arts projects. (15 mins)
2. Exploring the Primary Curriculum Led by Tania Yasmin and Assistant Headteachers, this segment will offer an in-depth look at the National Curriculum and explore how arts subjects can be aligned with other core subjects. We will identify key entry points for arts projects that can support subject areas such as history, literacy, numeracy, and science. (25 mins)
3. Practical Task – Collaborative Project Development A hands-on brainstorming session where arts organisations will work alongside school leaders to co-create an arts project based on a curriculum topic or theme. This practical exercise will give participants the chance to develop tailored ideas that directly address curriculum needs. (30 mins)
4. Incentivising Project Curation with Schools: A discussion on how to pitch arts projects effectively to schools, incentivise collaboration, and build stronger, sustainable relationships with school leaders. This segment will explore strategies for long-term engagement and aligning arts work with school priorities. It will delve into ways to plan-ahead for projects, include community and find ways to get parent-support buy in from projects (20 mins)
5. Approaches for Touring/Production-Based Companies: Exploring how touring or production-based arts companies can adapt their work for schools, ensuring flexibility and relevance. This segment will offer guidance on tailoring shows, workshops, and activities to fit various school settings, budgets, and curriculum requirements. (10 mins)
6. What Challenges Are You Facing as Arts Organisations? An open Q&A session where arts organisations can present their specific challenges to headteachers and arts leads. This is an opportunity for a direct dialogue where solutions, advice, and suggestions can be shared. (25 mins)
7. Case Study Presentations by Arts Leads: Real-world examples from arts leads who have successfully implemented arts projects in schools. These case studies will showcase a variety of approaches, including co-created projects, curriculum-aligned work, and creative solutions to funding or logistical constraints. (20 mins)
8. Reflection and Next Steps: Time for reflection and discussion on the key takeaways from the session. This segment will also provide resources, templates, and action points for arts organisations to begin applying the strategies learned in their own practice. (15 mins)
By the end of this session, participants will have a deeper understanding of how to create arts projects that truly resonate with the needs of schools, helping to ensure that arts are integrated meaningfully into the primary curriculum. There is one FREE place for each of our Cultural Partner Organisations.
