Creative Arts was added to the Learning Framework as an Area of Learning in the 2025/26 academic year, following the opening of the Piper Arts Centre at Prior's Court in June 2026.

The Creative Arts Area of Learning facilitates fun and motivating sessions where young people can practice communication, social interaction, and self-expression skills. It is about supporting young people to explore drama, dance, music and art in a way that is meaningful to them. 

The aim is to use the arts to promote and track pupils’ confidence, self-esteem, and happiness and to develop a work experience programme exploring theatre-based job roles such as stewarding, health and safety, lighting, and front of house

Ultimately, the aims are to give young people the opportunity to practice these skills within live performance environments and to prepare to potentially take them into a community-based theatre.

The aim will be to acquire these skills to as high a level as possible so that all young people are able to use their skills in a range of environments.

Creative Arts is a complementary Area of Learning in the sense that the work being done here can support other Areas of Learning, such as Communication, Functional Academics and Vocational Skills.

Within this section, there are three strands of learning within each creative subject. These areas help articulate the vast range of skills that are targeted during these sessions.  

These strands are based on the Sounds of Intent creative framework and consist of:  

• Responding to creative arts
• Making the creative arts
• Interacting through the creative arts

Under each programme of learning, there are skills to be learnt. These are selected based on the individual’s level of understanding and what is achievable for them. To support the learning, skill steps are used by the staff team to offer a consistent approach.

For example:

Area of learning: Creative Arts

Programme of learning: Drama

Learning focus: Making drama

I Can statement: I can try on a costume piece relating to a specific character style

Find out more about our curriculum

To find out more about what young people learn at Prior's Court, please contact Annette Robinson, Education and Care PA.

Email Annette See all the areas of learning See our policies and key documents