In addition to their academic development, we encourage our pupils to embrace the creative arts. Duncombe has a dedicated arts and craft studio, a music room and a hall with staging and lighting within the school and also provides various opportunities to experience theatre performances, art galleries and concerts in London and elsewhere.

Dance is taught from the Nursery stage onwards by specialist staff, as part of the curriculum. In addition, ballet and tap are very popular after school activities and the pupils regularly attain high marks in their grade exams.

Our specialist music staff teach all the children from the Reception year to Year 6. In Year 2 every pupil learns to play the recorder and individual tuition is offered in a wide range of instruments. All our children are encouraged to participate in music making, be it singing in one of the choirs, playing in an instrumental group, performing in a music assembly or taking part in one of the Coffee Concerts. Our choirs perform on a local, regional and national stage, such as the annual Richard Stilgoe Concerts at the Royal Festival Hall.

Duncombe's drama students achieve consistent success in prestigious and national events. Pupils from Years 3 - 6 take LAMDA Speech and Drama exams and each Autumn our Year 6 Speech and Drama students participate in the Chelmsford Festival of Music and Drama, regularly winning a number of the top awards.

In addition, each year the whole of Year 6 present a Leavers' play in the final weeks of the Summer Term which is always a well deserved sell-out for both performances.

Every May, Creative Arts Week finds the whole school abandoning the regular timetable and experiencing history, geography, English, music, DT, art, drama and dance through workshops and performances by both visiting and in-house artists, musicians, dancers, storytellers, puppeteers and actors.

Complementary to all the creative arts experiences provided as part of the curriculum, the Parents' Association supports a variety of additional arts events for all ages in the school throughout the year.