High Bentham pupils sing up for gold award (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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High Bentham pupils sing up for gold award
2:00pm Saturday 26th March 2011 in High and Low Bentham news
ON SONG: Pupils at High Bentham Primary School
High Bentham Primary School’s use of song to support, enrich and enhance the curriculum has earned it a gold Sing Up award.
Sing Up is led by award winning composer Howard Goodall and aims to put singing at the heart of every primary school. High Bentham is one of just five schools in the country to achieve the gold standard.
Sing Up’s Cathy Roberts said the school had presented an outstanding submission.
“The quality of singing and the enthusiasm and enjoyment of singing by children from reception to year 5 is clear to see,” she said. “Children are given a wide range of opportunities to develop and share their singing with each other and with the wider community.”
The school uses music to enhance all areas of the curriculum, including numeracy, French and science. Song is used to energise everyday activities for younger children, such as getting changed and lining up, while older children have created ruler raps to help improve the presentation of their work.
There are opportunities for pupils to sing in groups or to perform duets or solos and, for the past four years, the school has staged an ambitious end-of-term musical.
The school’s music co-ordinator, Sue Marshall, said: “We are delighted to have received the gold award. It is a real coup for the school.
“Song is a very powerful tool for learning which we use across the curriculum. We have been very fortunate at High Bentham to have staff, such as Jane Whitton and Libby Wheildon, who are incredible musicians and have led singing with real energy and passion.
“We also have a very strong staff team, incorporating musicians, actors and artists, who create amazing end-of-term productions which I believe are really exceptional for a small primary school. I have no doubt that the children’s self-confidence, self-esteem and ability to work as a team has been boosted considerably through our productions.”
