Blog

Because literacy is so important in the primary curriculum, there are all sorts of tried-and-tested strategies, such as the use of synthetic phonics and guided-reading, which have become essential components of teaching. These methods are very effective, but using a variety of approaches can help maintain the children’s interest in their work, and the performing arts provide a buoyant, enjoyable platform from which to do this.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of working with a truly inspirational secondary school teacher who taught a class with a variety of learning needs. In this mix, was a shy young boy from Morocco who was struggling with English, both reading and comprehension. In order to make […]

With the end of term quickly approaching, we’d like to share a few stories about the work that’s been created by our Specialists and children during the Autumn term.   “Year 5 have been learning all about the Tudors – they have particularly enjoyed the gruesome facts! We have been […]

Helping children take their first steps in mathematics through the performing arts? Is that possible?   We think so. And so do the schools we work with.   Phil Baldwin, class teacher at Edward Wilson School, explains more:   “Our Artis Specialist Smiles started working with my class last year. […]

We had an unusual beginning 10 years ago. It all started with a phone call from the House of Lords, which was swiftly followed by a meeting with an enigmatic educational investor. I was engaged on the spot to set up a music education outsourcing company to provide the likes of Eton with their music department. But during my business planning process a very different vision and educational methodology emerged.

We recently posted the first installment in our Top 10 Tips, how to teach maths through the performing arts blog. Written by Stuart Barter, an Artis Specialist, these final 5 tips are great for breathing some life in to maths lessons in your school.

Each academic year we are reminded of the importance of Maths in the primary curriculum, as the news is flooded with KS2 SATs results. A recent article in The Guardian’s online publication helpfully illustrates the national trends, presenting children’s Maths (and literacy) results using percentages, numbers and coloured bar charts; it […]

Tell me and I will forget Show me and I may remember Involve me and I will understand Confucius   At Artis, when we talk about education through the arts, we don’t just mean weekly music, drama or art lessons. We’re talking about teaching the core primary curriculum of science, […]

When I attended Dr Peter Lovatt’s Movement Improvisation and Thinking workshop at the 2013 Learning Brain Europe Conference I hadn’t anticipated that I would be rolling around on the floor and cutting some seriously weird shapes in a room full of strangers. Yet within a few minutes I was doing […]

As a Secondary History trainee teacher, I was given the opportunity to complete two weeks of ‘Professional Enrichment’ in a school-based context. As a former actress, the choice was simple: an organisation that synthesised creative arts with teaching, learning and professional development. Artis ticked all these boxes.   The recent […]