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Use the '£ per head' buttons below to browse ideas for your budget, plus explore what you could offer if your available resources change.
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The play’s the thing, as Shakespeare wrote!
So why not get pupils to write their own adaptation from a well-known story, such as a traditional tale? Children could also get involved with making the props and costumes.
For just £2 per child you can cover the costs by using some recycled or donated materials.
Organising an exhibition of finished artwork offers pupils all kinds of valuable skills.
Your £2 per head budget could cover materials needed to mount displays and promote the event.
The National Portrait Gallery’s ‘Museum in your Classroom’ toolkit – developed with schools, museums and galleries – offers valuable tips on planning your exhibition, developing displays, publicity and beyond.
One of the most rewarding and enjoyable options for all!
A choir offers pupils the opportunity to develop teamwork, listening skills and cooperation, while having a lot of fun. Motivate pupils by working towards a performance; use your budget to print song sheets to encourage parents and other visitors to take part and provide light refreshments to lubricate vocal chords!
Get started with one of the free songs and resources from the Friday Afternoons song bank.
The debates around STEM vs STEAM rumble on.
Meanwhile there are some great ways to make your primary computing curriculum creative, exciting and engaging. Resources such as Power Up and Algorithmic Art link the primary computing curriculum to literature, maths and art.
Use your budget to help fund CPD for staff to upskill them in creative computing, or put it towards a STEAM focussed Arts Award Discover project.
To really motivate young people with the world of the arts, they need to be immersed in it.
That’s why a visit to a gallery or museum – somewhere away from school – will really get their creative thoughts flowing and leave them feeling inspired.
Within your £5 per child budget, the cost of transport could be covered, making the whole day a smooth ride. The visit could count towards a cross-curricular project.
Seeing stories come to life before their very eyes is a guaranteed way to inspire children.
That’s why inviting a storyteller to visit your school to do a live reading and talk to your pupils about writing is an excellent idea for this budget.
Spin-off activities such as creative writing, book cover design and drama workshops could result from this visit and it would tie in beautifully with Children’s Book Week.
Use your budget to bring a music specialist into school to work with a whole class, or even a whole year group.
Coming together to make music offers many benefits to pupils. Make contact with your Music Hub or Service for instrument hire; they may be able to suggest or offer someone to run the workshop, or support longer-term music making as well.
The theatre creates a totally immersive experience for audiences – exposing children to professional productions is a great way to get them interested in the arts.
A £15 per child budget could allow pupils to go on a theatre trip, with perhaps only a small contribution required from parents.
The cost of transport could be covered, as well as a private tour or Q&A session with an actor or director, making this a thoroughly invaluable experience for children. Many theatres provide opportunities for children and young people and you can find one near you using the Arts Award Supporter map.
If you’ve got an end-of-term arts week planned, why not get that extra something special out of it this year? Arts Award Discover can easily map to your existing plans, meaning that not only will all children take part in the arts, they also get a certificate to remember it by.
From arts activity ideas to visits from local artists and trips to art centres, there are so many ways you can open the arts up to children within £15 per child while enhancing their experience with Arts Award Discover.
With Arts Award, children can get a certificate or qualification for taking part in arts activities, starting from just £3.95 per pupil. Find out what teachers say about Arts Award and how it could work in your primary school.
