We actively encourage creative curiosity to help every child gain confidence in their own artistic abilities and self-expression and by offering a wide range of mediums they can explore, experiment and discover.

Through a vibrant and energetic art and design programme, our children learn to use their imagination, trust their ideas, solve problems, and express themselves freely. We encourage our children to enter national and local art competitions and they enjoy the success and exposure this brings. Our well-resourced Art Department enables us to introduce our children to a wide range of mediums through drawing, painting, print making and sculpting, which ensures that they are provided with the best possible opportunity to discover the enormous potential of creative materials and processes. An introduction to art history also helps to develop their cultural awareness and nurtures an appreciation of different artistic styles and techniques. 

 

St Margaret’s musical reputation is well-established, both locally and nationally, thanks to its strong tradition of choral singing and instrumental ensembles.  Children throughout the school enjoy twice-weekly music and performing arts lessons, enabling them to perform confidently and read music.  The curriculum encompasses practical skills on the recorder and percussion, as well as music appreciation, music technology and composition.  Progression in singing is assured through our choral programme, which includes Pre-Prep and Prep Choirs for all abilities and auditioned choirs for keen singers.  In recent years, singers from St Margaret’s have been named Wiltshire Choir of the Year on several occasions and reached the national stages of both Barnardo’s and BBC Songs of Praise choral competitions.  They have also been privileged to compete twice at the Royal Festival Hall.  Our soloists and instrumental ensembles also enjoy performing in local festivals as well as at school; our Orchestra, String groups and Rock School are very popular.

We arrange informal concerts throughout the year for children of all ages and experience and our evening concerts in the Spring term and Carol Service at Christmas demonstrate the diverse talents of our children.  Individual music lessons are available as follows from Year 2:
 
(Please note that individual lessons incur an additional charge, invoiced on a termly basis.)
 
Our pupils enjoy regular success in music examinations, held on site and entered through well recognised music schools, such as The Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music and Trinity Guildhall.  More contemporary tastes are also catered for with rock and pop exams, again organised through the school.

 

Specialist tuition in speech and drama is available to children once they reach Year 2.  Our children are encouraged to participate, both in school and in classes at local festivals.  Pupils have won many awards in these events, as well as gaining confidence by performing for the wider public.

The school year provides the opportunity for every child to perform on stage; we rehearse with each class towards an age-appropriate production.  In the autumn term, the children in Bluebird Nursery and Reception prepare for their nativity, whilst those in Year 1 and 2 work towards their Christmas production.  The Year 3 and 4 children present their show (often in the form of a pantomime) in the spring term and the children in Years 5 and 6 complete the year with a vibrant musical production in the summer!

Children taking speech and drama tuition also enjoy the opportunity to succeed in Verse and Prose or Acting examinations, provided by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).