Here at LEO Academy Trust, our focus on nurturing children’s holistic character education goes beyond academic achievement. 

We believe in giving all pupils the opportunity to express themselves and stretch their creativity in different ways, including cultivating a lifelong love of the arts. 

The LEO Arts Curriculum has steadily expanded its scope, assessment strategies and partnerships since 2022, now encompassing a wide range of experiences, both in and outside the classroom. 

Here is what you need to know about the evolving arts curriculum at LEO Academy Trust and the incredible results we have achieved so far. 

The Arts Curriculum 

Throughout the years, LEO’s curriculum offer for the arts has developed to include a wide range of enriching programmes, all designed to encourage children’s creativity, confidence and character strengths. 

Our efforts since refining the curriculum have continued to bear fruit. 

In recent years, five LEO schools have achieved Silver Artsmark awards, while Manor Park and Cheam Common Junior have been awarded a Gold Artsmark in 2023 and 2025 respectively. 

As we continue to expand our core and extracurricular offer, including large-scale performances and exciting residentials, the LEO Arts Curriculum is opening horizons for all children to develop their talents and skills for the future. 

Music 

LEO follows the Sing Up Music Curriculum, with a progressive scheme of work for each year group from Nursery to Year 6, in addition to a wealth of extracurricular activities and peripatetic sessions. 

We highly value giving children the opportunity to perform on a variety of stages, experience different audiences, and see music as a career path available to them. 

Beyond singing, pupils can study World Music lessons with Inspire Works or Donal O’Neill in Year 3, while in Year 4 children take part in Whole Class Ensemble Tuition, delivered by experienced tutors from Sutton Music Service.  

By the end of Year 6, it is our aim that a successful learner enjoys music, is enthusiastic and wants to continue their musical learning, as our intent is for pupils to leave us with a love of music and be well-equipped for music at secondary school. 

Once again this year, pupils from Brookfield, Cheam Common Junior, Cheam Fields, Cheam Park Farm, Hurst Park, Shawley Community, and West Ashtead joined thousands of children in the prestigious Young Voices concert, the largest children's choir in the world. 

This event provided teachers with an invaluable platform to nurture musicianship and teamwork. Performing in a renowned arena was an unforgettable experience for our pupils, creating lasting memories and fostering a deep sense of unity. 

Art and DT 

LEO has adopted the AccessArt curriculum, refined to ensure progression, following guidance from Artsmark and creating additional opportunities for CPD, led by the Trust’s Art Director. 

Today, the Trust holds regular sessions with Art leads to align objectives and share best practice, including setting a clear framework for measuring progress from Nursery to Year 6. 

From annual public exhibits in local libraries to termly showcases, children always have an opportunity to showcase their artwork, including photography, to parents and the community. 

Working with The Royal Opera House and various theatre workshops, pupils at LEO also experience set design as a viable career, getting to know the magic that happens backstage through the creation of set pieces and the weaving of textiles. 

Drama and Performing Arts 

Many of our schools have adopted Now Press Play as an enriching addition to their curriculum, allowing for an immersive and engaging lesson. 

Our latest development in the performing arts provision involves creating a Performance Art Action Plan, which establishes the vision for enhancing participation and outcomes in performing arts. 

LEO has also collaborated with English and Drama leads to create a Working Party to include the LAMDA performance syllabus in poetry units. 

Shifting the focus from written poetry to its performance aspect, the integration of the LAMDA syllabus into our existing curriculum has helped us improve assessment. 

Children also help inform our book collection, actively taking part in the decision-making for the library’s summer reading challenge, which challenges children to read certain books over the summer holidays. 

Their participation in informing the collection helps them take ownership of their reading journey, give feedback on what they’re learning in class, and ultimately encourage all children to read more. 

Beyond the classroom 

The LEO Arts Curriculum is designed not only to allow pupils to express their creativity and learn new skills, but also to support their overall development by inspiring independence, perseverance and confidence in their abilities. 

The transferable skills and character traits that children develop through the arts go beyond the classroom, helping them prepare for their future after school and the challenges that come with adulthood. 

Community partnerships  

Throughout the last term, we’ve been working hard to foster local, national, and global partnerships that support active citizenship through the arts. 

Some of our main achievements and highlights include: 

• Denise’s Promise Fundraising: One of the standout achievements was the development and launch of the Denise’s Promise fundraising and awareness campaign. This initiative was created in partnership with Cheam Common Junior and included a tennis fundraiser alongside a pupil-produced documentary. The campaign successfully raised both funds and awareness for Denise’s Promise charity, which supports children's education in Uganda. In addition to these efforts, we provided technical support to the charity to help them establish their own Just Giving page, further enhancing their ability to reach donors and supporters online. 

• Literary Engagement & Support: We established the Literary Review Council to foster a love of reading and strengthen literary engagement among pupils. This group has played a pivotal role in building connections with the Summer Reading Challenge and linking local schools with Sutton Libraries. These collaborations encouraged literacy development and promoted wider community involvement among students. 

• Mental Health Support: We distributed Sky Arts mental health resources to schools to address mental health and emotional wellbeing. These materials have provided staff with creative tools to support pupils in expressing themselves and managing their mental health through the arts. 

The impact 

These initiatives have collectively helped us nurture a deeper sense of global citizenship and local involvement among all pupils. 

The partnerships formed with charities, local libraries and cultural institutions significantly strengthen the relationships between schools and the wider community, enriching pupils’ educational experiences and broadening their exposure to diverse extracurricular activities. 

Whether through environmental projects, music performances, or community service, students at LEO are empowered to see themselves as active, responsible citizens making a positive impact both locally and globally. 

Preparing children for their future in the arts 

The LEO Arts Curriculum goes beyond providing opportunities to perform and create. It provides children with the opportunity to meet and learn from real, tangible role models in the arts, helping them see themselves in careers that many people might think are out of reach. 

We incorporate theatre and performing arts into DT because we want learners to see the broad range of talents that work to create the magic on stage, beyond the main performer. 

There is always a dedicated team behind every show or exhibition, and we want our pupils to know that their talents can serve a multitude of productions, from creating stage props and costumes to working with lighting and sound design.  

There is a career path in the arts for all who are passionate and driven to pursue it – our job is to help children see it for themselves!