Coventry City Council and Cultural Education Partnership (CCEP) is proud to announce the launch of the very first Coventry Schools' Arts Week, taking place across the city this week.
This exciting new initiative brings together children and young people from schools' across Coventry to celebrate creativity, self-expression and the rich cultural life of our city. Organised by CCEP – a vibrant network of professionals and organisations committed to lifelong learning – this landmark event aims to showcase the artistic talents of our youngest residents while nurturing a passion for arts and culture from an early age.
CCEP supports learning opportunities for children and young people aged 0–30, drawing on the strengths of both the creative and cultural sectors and the city’s formal education settings. By coming together, schools, artists, educators and cultural organisations are working in unison to inspire the next generation and open doors to new opportunities.
So far, the week has already seen the Sky Arts Bus at West Coventry Academy. This initiative is aimed at promoting and celebrating arts in education. The bus provided arts-related activities and resources for students.
There has also been the launch of a school's art exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery on Tuesday 24 June. This free exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into childhood artistic development and is open throughout the summer holidays. Last night also saw seven music groups from Coventry Music and nine schools' come together to perform at Butterworth Hall at Warwick Ars Centre, with a further nine schools performing throughout the day to each other.
Councillor Dr Kindy Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills said: "I am incredibly proud to see initiatives like Coventry Schools' Arts Week taking place in our city. It provides a chance to showcase our young people, their creativity, and the opportunities we create together. This is about more than just art—it’s about confidence, collaboration and giving every child the chance to shine."
This Friday (27 June) at 11am there will be a city-wide school’s performance of “Lady Godiva’s Birthday Suit The Musical”, by Aaron Ashmore. The performance will bring together around 750 pupils from schools' across the city to share their musical retelling of the legendary local story.
The project is a collaboration between Coventry Music, Coventry Cultural Education Partnership (CCEP), Child Friendly Coventry, and national partners including the Royal Ballet and Opera. Every school in Coventry has been gifted a free copy of the musical to use in school.
Local Coventry Author, Aaron Ashmore said: "To see so many young people bring this story to life with such energy and creativity will be incredibly inspiring. Lady Godiva is a symbol of courage and community - and that’s exactly what this performance is about."
On Saturday 28 June, as part of the art’s week festival there will be a ‘Booknic’ taking place at War Memorial Park between 11am – 3pm. This is a free reading picnic that encourages people to relax, eat and chat about books. There will also be a range of sport and art activities.
Families are invited to meet next to the playground in the War Memorial Park at 11am to take part in a carnival-style parade.
After the parade, families can stay and enjoy activities such as author and illustrator events; book trails; a giant book swap; library events; circus skills; skateboarding; tennis and much more.
Mark Steele, Coventry Music Lead and Chair of Coventry Cultural Education Partnership said: “Creative and Cultural Education is crucial for young people, so having the opportunity to sing, dance and act with other pupils across the city is so important to develop hidden talents and skills in students”.
To keep up to date with the latest news, sign up for our Your Coventry email newsletter or follow the Council on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.