Art, Music & Drama

Art

The Art room is a safe space for children to express themselves freely and individually. There are no mistakes: only creativity.

Our specialist Art teachers have high expectations of the children and their abilities. We use references from across diverse histories, cultures and identities and link the work to contemporary life. Every child has a voice in the Art room. This approach not only nurtures artistic skill but also equips our young artists with empathy, critical thinking and a strong sense of personal identity. We believe that Art is a communication and that it is a powerful tool for developing problem solving skills and supporting lateral thinking.

Pupils are regularly selected to show at the Royal Academy Young Artists’ Summer Exhibition and every June, Year 6 pupils proudly display their work at our own Roche School Year 6 Art Exhibition.

“I feel my art is really important. I am very proud of the work I do.”
Pupil

“Art is my favourite subject and I love having the Art lessons as I learn so much.”
Pupil

Music

We believe that music is a vital part of every child’s development, which is why we dedicate two full lessons each week to it.

Our weekly singing lessons, from Nursery to Year 6, are all about having fun while developing a true sense of musicality. Children learn to sing with clarity, expression and rhythm and their passion is simply outstanding. In our Music lessons, we journey through a world of musical styles—from early music to modern-day hits. We teach children to read music, understand rhythm, and even use sol-fa to develop pitch.

Children get hands-on experience by learning the recorder in Years 3 and 4 and the ukulele in Years 5 and 6. For those who want to explore further, we have a variety of extracurricular clubs, including orchestra and choirs, as well as individual tuition in a range of instruments.

“We love having Mr Gunther to play piano when we sing.”
Pupil

“The ukeleles are so much fun! We got to write our own songs and play them.”
Pupil

Drama

Drama, speech and performance are a particular strength of The Roche School. We believe in the power of drama to make learning interactive and memorable and use drama in lessons across the curriculum, allowing children to explore the perspectives of different characters through exercises such as hot-seating and conscience alleys. Pupils’ understanding of setting, plot and mood are expanded with the use of living landscapes and freeze-frames.

Every pupil participates in their annual year group play, performing in front of a packed house. The only exception is Year 5, when pupils are deeply ensconced in 11+ exam preparation and can instead opt-in to participate in the Coram Shakespeare Festival, where they get the chance to perform one of Shakespeare’s plays before a fresh audience at a real theatre.