We were thrilled to welcome Helen Minshall, Classic FM’s visiting instrumental teacher of the year, who ame in to give an assembly to the whole school about brass instruments and then Year 2-4 enjoyed workshops learning to play mini trombones and trumpets.  It was a fabulous morning and very inspiring!

On Thursday we had the fabulous Backchat Brass in to entertain all the children with high energy concerts and audience participation.  We have seen them before but they never fail to amaze with their fabulous performances.

Children in Years 1, 2 and 5 enjoyed a visit to our local art gallery at Sunny Bank Mills, where they explored the current exhibition, Make Shift, which showcases contemporary crafts. The children loved spotting everyday objects within the artworks and learning about the different materials the artists had used. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to experience art in the heart of our village. We were especially proud to receive such positive feedback from the gallery staff, who commented on how well-behaved and respectful our pupils were throughout their visit.

We had a visit from two ex-Springbank students, Woody and Jessica, who are currently second year students at Leeds Conservatoire, the city’s amazing Music University. Woody is studying Folk Music and Jessica is studying Popular Music. They came in and entertained everyone with live performances, original songs written and sung by Jessica, and then Woody played his banjo and taught us some folk songs.  It was fabulous to see past pupils flourishing with their music careers.

Year 3 enjoyed a trip to Leeds Art Gallery to explore a range of artworks displayed in a real gallery setting. The children were full of excitement as they wandered through the different rooms, taking in the colourful paintings, drawings and detailed sculptures. The children had the opportunity to discuss their favourite piece of artwork and shared their thoughts on why it stood out to them — some loved the bold colours and shapes, while others were drawn to the stories hidden in the paintings. It was wonderful to see how thoughtfully they observed and discussed each piece, showing great curiosity and creativity. 

The Northern Arts Factory delivered some fantastic drama workshops that truly engaged the children. Through a variety of fun and energetic games, the sessions encouraged pupils to express emotions using movement and facial expressions. The children explored characterisation and used mime to act out different scenarios, building their confidence and imagination along the way. These sessions were full of energy and laughter — a brilliant experience that the children thoroughly enjoyed.

As part of arts and culture week, Year 6 headed off for the day to explore Yorkshire Sculpture Park and take part in an artist led workshop.   Yorkshire Sculpture Park is massive and the children enjoyed a couple of hours walking around the park and exploring the sculptures they saw.  The artist led workshop was amazing and really emphasised the personal nature of art.  They worked collaboratively and experimented adding elements of nature to the sketches.  It was a great day!

We were thrilled to welcome Matt Abbott, a local award-winning poet, to our school on Monday. Throughout the day, year groups had the exciting opportunity to work with Matt to create their own poems, all inspired by our wonderful community of Farsley. Matt brought a range of creative and engaging ideas that really sparked the children’s imaginations and helped them develop a deeper understanding of how to express themselves through poetry. It was a fantastic experience that left everyone feeling inspired!

Our annual Arts and Culture week always brings a bit of magic!  The arts are such an important part of every child’s development and whilst arts and culture are a part of school life across the year, our arts week provides a wide variety of experiences for the children to immerse themselves in. It is fabulous to see the children being inspired by the people and places they see, the music they hear and the art they create.  We have several musician, a poet and drama specialists visiting the school and all year groups are heading out to visit arts venues so you can find out more about what is happening over the week here.

As part of Year 1’s topic ‘What was life like when grandparents were children?’ the children headed out on a local walk around Farsley. The children had a map from 1957 and one from the present day and they were looking for the changes in the last 60-70 years. They noticed that Farsley has fewer fields, more houses and more people now than in the past.   They really enjoyed comparing the maps and finding the differences!