St Joseph's pupils visit Houses of Parliament with the English National Opera

On Tuesday 3 December, pupils from St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Chelsea accompanied by the Head of School, James Stacey visited the Houses of Parliament. They attended a reception about ‘Why children should have an arts education’ hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Opera with English National Opera (ENO).

St Joseph’s is a top-performing, outstanding (OFSTED, 2024) state primary in the heart of Kensington and Chelsea. The school is one of the Lead Schools for Music in the Tri-Borough (Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, and Hammersmith and Fulham) and 20 pupils have recently performed at the London Coliseum in the English National Opera's production of La bohème.

Helen Wiles, Music Specialist Teacher and Leader of the Arts commented: "Opportunities like this have a significant impact on our pupils. Their horizons are broadened; they are encouraged to dream bigger and consider areas of The Arts that may have been relatively unknown to them before. The children have matured a lot in a short space of time. The effect on their self-esteem, confidence and self-belief has been transformational. Opera is part of our musical culture now!"

James Stacey added: “After performing with the ENO, pupils further develop not just an 'I CAN do it' attitude, but perhaps most importantly a 'why not me?' attitude. They develop a greater resilience and 'growth mindset' (which we value and foster at school). It is not an arrogance that can come after, but an assuredness; and that is a good thing. In fact, the impact this can have on their future is almost immeasurable as the legacy of their involvement in such a wonderful project stays with them far past the time we wave them off to secondary school.”

Music, in particular, is a thriving subject at St Joseph's. 130 pupils, which is over half of the school, engage in the three choirs and orchestra and the school has 6 instrumental teachers who deliver over 70 lessons each week to pupils in Years 1-6. Pupils at St Joseph’s want the same opportunities to be available and accessible for all.

Alongside members of the ENO, the pupils spoke in Parliament and demonstrated the added value of a comprehensive enrichment programme in the Arts, explaining their experience of performing in ENO’s La bohème on the stage and how they benefited from it.

This was followed by Dr Simon Opher MP in conversation Lesley Garrett CBE, soprano singer, musician, and broadcaster, who discussed with her the importance and impact of music on our physical and mental health before a discussion from the floor raised the question - how can all schools have the kind of fantastic Music provision we have at St Joseph's?

The State of the Arts report published by the Campaign for the Arts and the University of Warwick revealed that the UK has one of the lowest levels of government spending on arts and culture among European countries, having reduced its total culture budget by 6% since 2010.

The aim of this event is to ensure that every child in primary school does get to have that experience and those advantages.

Also published on the Diocese of Westminster website here.