Kate's Choir

Kate Hicks Beach, a parent and professional mezzo-soprano, works with Hatherop Primary children in a weekly lunchtime choir club. The choir is open to any child from year 2 upwards. Enthusiasm is more important than ability. They sing lots of different songs from pop to classical and also compete in the annual Cheltenham Festival of Music. They have great fun as well as producing the most wonderful sound. Their achievements in the competition have been amazing. They earned a ‘distinction’ in 2005, an ‘honour’ in 2006 and were very proud to come first in the Small Village Schools class in the 2007 and 2008 Performing Arts Competition, both with ‘honours’. The adjudicator praised their beautiful tone and excellent discipline. The choir feature on a CD ‘Hatherop Rocks!’ which includes pupils past and present. The CD was produced by the PTA to raise funds a whiteboard.

Listen to the choir here

Instrumental Music

Guitar Lessons - Every week Mr Mead comes to teach the children guitar. They are taught in small groups and learn different chords to accompany melody. They all enjoy the lessons and parents have commented on how the children love playing the guitar at home, even singing along to the tunes they have learned! A large group of our guitarists performed at our Open Morning and three of our boys chose to play some John Lennon songs that Mr Mead had taught them at the special Year 6 Leavers Service.

Recorder Lessons - Every child starts to learn the recorder from Year 1. These lessons continue throughout their schooling with us. They play hymns and songs for Harvest and Christmas and are also taught to accompany other instruments.

Musical Productions

We produce a Summer Play and a Christmas Nativity Play. These are a great highlight of the school year. Children, parents and staff all have to work very hard together learning scripts, making costumes and scenery. Every child has a line and a part to play. We hire a nearby village hall for our Summer Play on two nights to fit everybody in.

Our Christmas production is held in the beautiful church near the school.

Art

We received the Silver Arts Mark in 2005 in recognition of the quantity and quality of the Arts that take place at our school. We aim to invite in specialist artists to share their skills with the children and the school places great importance on displays of the children’s work that are changed regularly throughout the school and that are generated as part of the Art lessons the children receive. The children all enjoy art and derive great pleasure from seeing their work on the walls. We also display Art work at the Sculpture exhibition that is held every other year in Quenington. This is visited by several thousand people from around the country.

Design and Technology

Hatherop Primary pupils love their D&T – Design and Technology. Over the years they have worked on a range of projects Younger pupils have made model playgrounds, wind-up toys and working torches. 

Years 5 and 6 have to make something that moves and uses electricity. Daleks have been very popular this year!  They have also crafted some amazing hand-operated toy fairground rides.