The Village School Expressive Arts Curriculum Overview
A big emphasis is placed on the Expressive Arts at The Village School as it is an area in which our pupils over time have achieved very successful outcomes, both in terms of formal qualifications and also with regards to self-esteem, communication, behaviour, independence and developing self-expression.

At The Village, we take the view that ALL children can enjoy and achieve in the arts and that all children should have equal access to arts opportunities no matter what their style of learning or baseline assessment may be.

We have high expectations of success and frequently see children exceeding expectations. We teach the arts so that our pupils can become skilled practitioners in art, music, drama and dance. We also recognise that through this teaching other transferable skills are gained, such as social interaction, communication and the ability to behave appropriately and learn independently.

The arts subjects are linked to other learning in the school through following the whole school curriculum theme-based learning for each term.

Provision
Every pupil at The Village has music and art lessons throughout the year taught by a specialist. Throughout their time at school they also have access to drama and dance lessons with a specialist for a period of time.
Lessons, which include off-site learning at galleries and concert halls as well as in our linked mainstream schools, culminate in performances and exhibitions both in and out of school so that children have the experience of sharing their achievements with others in and beyond the community.
Arts lessons follow the Stepping Stones, Tracks and Lanes pathways for personalised learning. Themes are adapted to work in multi-sensory ways with children on the Stepping Stones pathway. Lessons are differentiated to embed progress, inclusion and entitlement for all. 

Assessment, recording and Accreditations
The Village School is dedicated to monitoring the impact of our arts provision. We do this by offering a vast array of accreditations in the arts as well as having strong assessment and recording procedures in place.

• Sounds of Intent moderated assessments
• Arts Awards at Discover, Explore and Bronze Levels.
• AQA Unit Awards
• Entry Level Certificates.
• G.C.S.E.
• Involvement in Pilot Projects for Marks of Intent, Movements of Intent and
• Sounds of Intent Accreditation.

Progression
As pupils progress through the Key Stages, age appropriate learning is ensured and progression maintained through the schemes of work. For example, Village 1 children follow early Years and Foundation Stage principles with exploratory learning through play and games and in Key Stage 5 there is formal accreditation linked to outside partnerships with organisations which can provide future work and leisure opportunities.

Communication/Accessibility
All teachers of the arts liaise routinely with the multi-disciplinary team of professionals at The Village School and visiting arts professionals are advised of our range of communication systems. In addition to this the arts themselves, at the Village School, have been shown to provide a vehicle for communication and self-expression at the deepest level. There is also joint working with the Occupational Therapists and the Positive Behaviour Inclusion team to ensure safety, progress and inclusion in all arts lessons.

Partnerships for improvement
The arts curriculum at The Village School is enriched by its links and partnerships with a big variety of the learning departments of galleries, concert halls and theatre groups as well as through our arts links in our two linked mainstream schools. Research into improving curriculum planning and assessment methods is ongoing through a partnership with Roehampton University. 

Live Music Now Partnership

Live Music Now (LMN) collaborated with Media Trust and filmmaker Tyro Heath to capture the importance of music to children with additional learning needs.

The result is a moving insight into the positive effects of music. The featured project took place at The Village School in Brent and is part of LMN’s Inspire programme – providing enriching and inclusive music provision in special schools, led by professional musicians from Live Music Now.