Melksham school concludes year of free arts activities

Pupils at a Melksham primary school marked the end of an arts enrichment programme with a day of creative workshops and a gallery exhibition.

Children at River Mead School took part in activities including samba band sessions, ballroom dancing, drumming circles and drama at the end of last term. The event concluded with an exhibition displaying a piece of artwork from every child for visiting parents and family members.

The day celebrated the school’s year-long focus on the arts, which provided free cultural experiences to families through funding from the Friends of River Mead.

Throughout the academic year, children visited the Victoria Art Gallery and the Holburne Museum in Bath, the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Somerset, Roche Court Sculpture Park, and Bristol to see street art by Banksy. The programme also included a musical dance workshop, singing with the Southwest Youth Orchestra, a poetry event, and the Key Stage 2 Wiltshire Dance Festival.

Headteacher Louise Harrison said, “Our aim is to establish a four-year enrichment cycle that gives our children high-quality experiences throughout their time at school. By focusing on an area of the curriculum each year, we can ensure we are ambitious and that their experiences are consistently of a high quality.

“Our children had such an inspiring year and have thoroughly enjoyed it. As we begin our new school year, we are looking forward to focusing on Science and Technology with trips to We The Curious and a WonderDome visit to school already planned.”