The Creative Arts
“The Arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic… music, dance, painting, and theatre are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.”
At Graven Hill Primary and Preschool, we believe that the Arts are a vital part of a broad, balanced and enriching education. Through creative and performing arts, children are given opportunities to express themselves, explore ideas and emotions, and develop confidence, imagination and individuality.
Our Arts curriculum values creativity as a fundamental human capacity. It nurtures curiosity, encourages risk‑taking and supports children in developing a strong sense of identity and self‑belief. The Arts also play an important role in supporting wellbeing, communication and personal development, helping children to make sense of themselves and the world around them.
Our Creative Arts Curriculum
Within The Warriner Multi Academy Trust, the Creative Arts encompass a range of subjects, including art and design, music, dance and drama. At Graven Hill, these disciplines are taught in a cohesive and connected way, allowing children to make meaningful links across different forms of creative expression.
Our learning environment is carefully designed to stimulate creativity and innovation, enabling children to unleash their imagination and develop their creative potential. Across all areas of the Arts, pupils are encouraged to explore, experiment and reflect, developing both technical skills and expressive confidence.
Art and Design
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
Edgar Degas
Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. Our art and design curriculum engages, inspires and challenges pupils, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to experiment, invent and create their own works.
Children learn to:
- Use a range of materials, tools and techniques
- Develop drawing, painting, sculpting and design skills
- Explore the work of artists, designers and craftspeople
- Reflect on and evaluate their own and others’ work
As pupils progress, they develop critical thinking and a growing understanding of how art and design reflect and shape history, culture and society.
Dance
“And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon.”
Edward Lear
Dance is a powerful form of creative expression that transforms ideas, images and feelings into movement. Through dance, children develop physical coordination alongside emotional and social awareness.
In Key Stage 1, pupils develop fundamental movement skills and grow in confidence as they explore agility, balance and coordination individually and with others. In Key Stage 2, children build on these foundations by applying and combining movements into more complex sequences, using their bodies expressively and purposefully.
Dance supports children’s physical development, creativity, teamwork and emotional wellbeing, allowing them to communicate ideas and feelings beyond words.
Drama
“The most valuable asset a nation has is the creativity of its children.”
Alan Plater
Drama is an art form, a practical activity and an intellectual discipline. Beginning naturally with imaginative play, drama supports children in exploring characters, situations and relationships through role‑play and performance.
Through drama, children:
- Use imagination to explore real and imagined situations
- Develop speaking, listening and communication skills
- Build empathy and understanding of others’ perspectives
- Gain confidence in expressing ideas and emotions
Drama helps children to make sense of the world, develop resilience and work collaboratively, while also supporting literacy, oracy and personal development.
Creativity, Confidence and Wellbeing
Across all areas of the Arts, children at Graven Hill are encouraged to take creative risks, value effort and see mistakes as part of the learning process. The Arts play a key role in supporting mental wellbeing, self‑expression and confidence, providing children with safe and meaningful ways to explore ideas and emotions.
Collaborative creative work helps children to develop teamwork, respect for others and a sense of shared achievement.
Preparing Children for the Future
Our Creative Arts curriculum ensures that children leave Graven Hill with:
- Confidence to express themselves creatively
- Skills across a range of artistic and performance disciplines
- An appreciation of creativity in different cultures and contexts
- Resilience, imagination and independent thinking
- A lifelong enjoyment of the Arts
By valuing creativity alongside academic learning, our Arts curriculum supports children to become confident, expressive and reflective individuals — ready to engage with the world creatively and thoughtfully.