Any Year 3 pupil joining Redmaids’ High Junior School in Bristol from September 2021 will have one-to-one music or drama lessons with a specialist teacher, completely free of charge for a year.
This move is part of the school’s renewed emphasis on the arts and will run until the end of the 2021-22 academic year
“Careers in the arts are essential to our country’s economy, not to mention our collective well-being, sense of community and general enjoyment of life,” said Lisa Brown, Headteacher of the school. “At Redmaids’ High Junior School, we feel passionately that the future of music and theatre needs to be preserved and invested in, rather than side-lined and ignored.”
As part of this offer, girls can choose between singing lessons or an instrument of their choice. Alternatively, they can opt for weekly speech and drama lessons, building confidence and vocabulary, that could lead to them take LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) qualifications. The investment amounts to approximately £600 per pupil and is in addition to the timetabled music and drama lessons for the whole class.
The school is guaranteeing that anyone who joins its Year 3 waiting list by 31 August 2021 – even if their daughter is currently in infant or nursery school – will qualify for these lessons when their daughter starts at the school.
As well as encouraging a love of performing arts, there is also an academic benefit. Studies have found that music students often outperform their peers in English, maths and science, and engagement with theatre can boost academic performance, social bonding, emotional and cognitive skills in children.
“Our aim is to inspire a generation of children who have a discerning appreciation of music and performance, as well as enhancing their general development” says Mrs Brown. “Long gone are the days when children should be seen and not heard. We want our pupils to act out, play up and make some noise!
T&Cs apply – please visit www.redmaidshigh.co.uk for details