Sky Arts’ Access All Arts Week, a free nationwide arts week for primary schools, returns for its fourth year this week, with over 20,000 teachers from almost 12,000 schools across the UK and Ireland already signed up to take part. In just 3 years, the initiative has already reached over 715,000 children.
Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts:
“Access All Arts Week was launched in October 2021, following the lockdown, with the aim of helping children reconnect and highlighting the essential role the arts play in supporting their well-being. We are thrilled by the positive reception it has received from the teaching community, and now, four years later, the initiative continues to thrive as it embarks on its fourth week this June.”
Access All Arts Week is a free educational programme designed to help teachers bring the arts into classrooms and celebrate creative expression. Each year, Sky Arts collaborates with teachers, educational experts, and partner arts organisations to develop a brand-new range of free resources. Schools can choose from five modules — Marks, Images, Sounds, Moves, and Words — spanning 11 art forms, including poetry, music, drawing, and dance.
In May 2025 Access All Arts won the ‘Free Educational Resource’ category at the Education Resource Awards in Birmingham.
New live lessons for 2025: For the first time, this year’s programme will feature live lessons lead by some of the UK’s best creatives, including:
- Former ballerina & creator of DDMix Dame Darcey Bussell DBE leads the way with an energising movement workshop, teaching fun dance moves from all around in a global dance adventure.
- Singer, songwriter and broadcaster Fleur East brings the beats, teaching pupils the basics of rap and how to have fun with music.
- Spoken-word artist and podcaster George the Poet guides students to craft their own poem about the library, using lyrical storytelling to explore a setting.
- Marvel comic book artist Will Sliney guides pupils step-by-step in his drawing masterclass, teaching them how to draw their very own superhero.
- Oscar winning Wicked costumer designer Paul Tazewell talks about the inspiration behind his stunning Wicked costumes and sets a design challenge centered around nature.
The lessons, filmed at iconic locations including the Royal Academy of Dance, the Cartoon Museum in Soho, Hits Radio (part of the Bauer Media Group) and the Library in Willesden Green, will give pupils an insight into the creative world.
Access All Arts Week is available for free to all primary school teachers and children in the UK and Ireland, celebrating the arts and highlighting its importance in supporting the health and wellbeing of young people. The programme supports teachers with ready-made lesson plans, video content, and interactive activities, helping to make arts education more accessible.
