Why performing arts? How will my son/daughter benefit?

Here are a list of some of the skills your son or daughter will gain from participating in performing arts lessons:

1. Creativity and problem solving – in all the arts, pupils have to ‘think on their feet/think outside the box’ and approach tasks from a variety of perspectives. “How would my character react in this situation? How do I portray this emotion through dance? Without even realising it your son or daughter is consistently being challenged to solve problems which develops their skills in reasoning and understanding. In an ever changing world where today’s knowledge is useless tomorrow, creativity and problem solving skills are necessary to be successful in any career.
2. Confidence – Drama, Dance and Music all train a pupil how to convincingly deliver a message. Moreover, they allow a child to practice stepping out of their comfort zone, to make mistakes and learn from them through rehearsal. This process gives children the confidence to perform in a variety of situations, whether it be in front of a large audience or for a job interview.
3. Perseverance and dedication– All of the performing arts are highly disciplined requiring healthy work habits such as attendance, punctuality, and effort. The reward for this in the world of performing arts is the applause of the audience when work is accomplished to a high standard.   Video clips of professional artists are often used at BHP as an inspiring stimulus for many performing arts lessons. Pupils learn that to achieve excellence, he/she has to practise in order to pick up the skills and techniques. In an increasingly competitive world, where people are being asked to continually develop new skills, perseverance is essential to achieving success.
4. Focus– This is a skill needed to achieve in any subject. During group work children must keep a balance between listening/watching and contributing which involves concentration and focus. Furthermore, it requires each participant to not only think about their role, but how their role contributes to the big picture of what is being created.
5. Collaboration – much of the work undertaken in Drama, Dance and Music involves shared responsibility. This means that a goal is accomplished through compromise. This helps children to learn that their role in society, however small, makes a difference to the world.
    

How often do pupils at BHP participate in performing arts lessons?

Years 2-6 receive one lesson in either Drama, Dance or Music per week.
 

Are there any extra-curricular opportunities in the Performing ?

There are a number of clubs at Bush Hill Park Primary School such as The Musical Theatre Club, the Enfield Dance Festival Club and Street Dance. They offer pupils with a particular interest/talent in the Performing Arts a place to hone their skills, develop a deeper understanding and to practise something they enjoy with the support of expert staff who are passionate about the subject. 

PE is not only an integral part of our school’s curriculum it is an essential element of our school ethos.

All children in KS1 and KS2 receive two lessons of high quality Physical Education each week as well as Active 15 sessions with their class teacher. The two lessons are split between Games, Gymnastics and Athletics (Summer Term). At Bush Hill Park Primary School we have a specialist Performing Arts Teacher who delivers Dance lessons across the school. When delivering the curriculum we follow the Enfield Scheme of Work, written by the Enfield PE Team. This has the KS1 & KS2 National Curriculum expectations at the forefront of their work. The Gymnastics curriculum is delivered by our own sports coaches, games and athletics curriculum is team taught with our sports coaches and class teachers for continual professional development. In addition, in Year 5, children receive weekly swimming lessons for half a year delivered by the expert staff at Southbury Leisure Centre.

At Bush Hill Park Primary School we believe it is vital to embed the importance of Physical Education as well as the fun element of being active within Early Years. In Early Years the PE timetable is slightly more flexible, children receive one lesson of PE each week along with physically active play throughout the day. 

Extra Curricular

At Bush Hill Park Primary School we offer a wide variety of seasonal clubs for children in both KS1 and KS2. We feel it is essential that our children to gain experience a variety of different sports. This includes; Boxing, Fencing and in the summer Tri-Golf with our local golf club. Participants from these clubs then get the opportunity to represent the school in borough competitions using the skills that they have acquired.

In order to encourage as many children to be active as possible and enrich extra-curricular clubs we use external coaches as well as our in school sports coaches. We currently have a link with Tottenham Hotspur in the Community where they provide us with a coach who trains the girl’s football team.

Sport Teams

Here at Bush Hill Park Primary School we offer an array of opportunities for all children to get involved in competitive sport. We have:

• two football teams (boys and girls)
• a netball team
• a mixed tag rugby team
• a mixed cricket team
• a mixed rounders team
• a mixed cross country team
• an SEN team
• an athletics team
• a basketball team
• a gymnastics team

We encourage and allow children to represent our school in competitions regardless of their ability level. As we offer such a range of sporting opportunities (both competitive and non-competitive) children have demonstrated raised levels of confidence, self-esteem and social skills throughout the school.