Music and the Performing Arts are strengths of the school. This was recognised by OFSTED and our recent award of Gold Artsmark. (Click here to find out more about our Artsmark award).

We provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop the skills to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music. We believe that singing lies at the heart of good music teaching. Our teaching focuses on developing the children's ability to sing in tune and with other people. Through singing songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of music. Chldren develop descriptive skills in music lessons when learning how music can represent feelings and emotions. We teach them the disciplined skills of recognising pulse and pitch. We also teach children how to work with others to make music and how individiuals combine together to make sounds. We also teach them musical notation and how to compose music.

All children are encouraged to learn a musical instrument. Weekly recorder classes for different groups are taught by five members of staff. We have an excellent ensemble who won the Bristol Eisteddfod cup for five consecutive years.

Peripatetic staff teach children flute, clarinet, keyboard and violin up to groups of a maximum of four children, once a week for 30 minutes.

We have an exceptional school choir and singing throughout the school is a strength. For the past five years the choir have been invited to sing with the Bendix Band, a brass band of national excellence, at their Christmas concert.

The choir join a mass choir in an annual South Gloucestershire Music Festival at the Colston Hall each year.

This 'Wild West' infant music workshop took place in September 2004. Our school hosted it and children from other local primaries attended. The children in Red Area learnt songs with a wild west theme. The morning was a great success, the children dressed up, sang songs and played games.

We hold a bi-annual production which involves all of our KS2 children singing.

Music is used in many curriculum areas to enhance learning, e.g french vocabulary, maths, science etc. It also helps to keep children focussed and on task.

Multicultural experiences in music are rich. For example, recently an EMAS teacher provided opportunities for Year 3 and Year 4 pupils to listen and play Asian instruments.

Many different musicians visit the school and give children opportunities to listen and play a range of musical instruments.