With the focus on literacy and numeracy tending to squeeze creative arts out of the curriculum, teachers at Kingston Buci decided to devote a week to this vital element of children’s education.

Staff took advantage of a natural resource at the school - the families of pupils of African origin - by making Africa the theme for the week, adapting the curriculum to take in relevant activities.

So maths lessons focused on traditional patterns, literacy hour discussions centred on folk tales or pictures, and humanities and music introduced pupils to the cultures and sounds of another continent.

Arts co-ordinator Sally McGinty says the week brought the whole community together: a local music shop loaned instruments; a grant from South East Arts paid for a locally based dance and drumming group, Batafon Arts, and dance and visual artists to visit the school; the library service provided a whole-school topic loan, and parents and friends, especially those of African origin, chipped in to collect inspiring resources and lead classes.

Pupils made masks, wall hangings, batiks, necklaces, collages and other artworks that went on display in the school and at the local shopping centre. Percussion-based music sessions were particularly rousing, says Ms McGinty.

Running alongside the week were preparations for a dance performance with nine local schools, which culminated in a spectacular show involving 200 pupils as part of the local Adur festival the following week. Parents made picnics, the sun shone and the day was “just as we hoped it would be”, says Ms McGinty, who is already planning the next one.

Snaps by Sally McGinty

Big noise: Batafon Arts’ Ali Bangoura gets some help on the drums

Work in progress: everyone helps out on a fabric painting

Best foot forward: Batafon Arts members lead the dancing

Melody maker: Alice plays a mean tune on the mbira, an African thumb piano

Highly tropical: parent helper Yvonne Waller with fruit

Bean team: making a collage in pasta and pulses

All together: the big performance

Aisle be seeing you: masks and shields on display at the supermarket