Access All Arts Week, a nationwide arts week for primary schools, will return for its third year between 17th and 21st June.
16,900 teachers in 9,500 schools across the UK and Ireland are already signed up to take part.
Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts:
“There is increasing acknowledgement that a grounding in arts and creative learning is vital for a child’s development and future prospects. We’ve long known this to be the case and Access all Arts Week provides useful and, above all, fun tools to help children, teachers and parents experience the joyful benefits of making things. It turns our having fun is good for you!”
Access All Arts Week is a free learning programme which aims to help teachers celebrate the arts, inspiring them to take their classes on a creative adventure by providing them with a wide range of free resources developed by Sky Arts, arts organisations and teachers. Teachers can select from five modules (Marks, Images, Sounds, Moves and Words) covering 11 different artforms, covering everything from poetry and music to drawing and dancing.
Brand new resources for this year feature Konnie Huq in Words, Myleene Klass in Sounds, Oliver Jeffers in Marks and a peek behind the curtain at Matthew Bourne’s ballet based on Edward Scissorhands in Moves.
Available to all primary school teachers and children in the UK and Ireland, Access All Arts Week celebrates the arts and highlights their importance in supporting the health and wellbeing of young people. The theme for 2024 is ‘connection’, encouraging pupils to explore how they can connect with themselves, each other and the world around them through the arts.
This year, a new series of videos supporting creative career paths will also allow children to see behind the scenes at well-known arts organisations such as the National Portrait Gallery, New Adventures and the National Jazz Orchestra, showcasing the wide range of roles available within the arts sector.
To coincide with Access All Arts Week, Sky Arts is bringing two brand new specials to screens: Painting Birds: Kids Special with Jim and Nancy Moir, available from 18 June at 8pm and Bill Bailey’s Musical Master Crafters: Juniors airing on 20 June at 8pm.
Bird-painting fanatics Jim and Nancy Moir will be joined by art-loving kids this springtime as they search for beautiful birds found in everyday places, from gardens and playgrounds, to coastlines and parks. Jim himself fell in love with art and birdwatching as a child, so he’ll pass on some ornithological wisdom to his new protegees, and take on a seaside painting challenge with friend and comedian, Harry Hill.
Viewers will also be able to enjoy a one-off special of Musical Master Crafters, a spin off from the main Master Crafters series, as host Bill Bailey unleashes his passion for all things music and heritage. He’ll speak to the next generation of young musicians and explore the skills required to maintain musical instruments in the UK.
Access All Arts Week aims to become an annual staple in the primary school calendar, with four out of five teachers who took part last year feeling more confident in teaching the arts, and 92% noting a positive impact on their pupils. Teachers will also be able to download resource packs for parents to use with their children to continue their Access All Arts journey at home.
There’s still time to get involved in Access All Arts Week – find out more here: https://accessallarts.skyarts.uk/
