Last week, we received the extremely exciting news from the Arts Council that we have been awarded a Silver Artsmark Award. The road to receiving this award is a lengthy one and could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of our staff who organise the different opportunities for the children which goes as evidence for the award and, in particular, Mrs McCash who coordinated and wrote the Artsmark application. The application required her to write in great detail about the various opportunities in the arts that have been provided for the children and most importantly, the impact that it has on them.

Here is some of the fantastic feedback from our application:

“Since the end of restrictions due to the COVID pandemic, pupils have had the opportunity to attend authentic productions and visit a range of cultural venues including museums and galleries. Your partnership with Norwich Theatre Royal continues through What’s in the box and Wise About Words. These organisations have also delivered drama training and mentoring to four of your class teachers over the past two years. You continue to work with Norwich Music Hub, Rocksteady and Rock Notes to further enhance your music and extra-curricular provision. It was good to read about the positive impact the Primary Strategic Lead is having across the school, with your Art lead developing the curriculum so that children are inspired by a wide range of artists. Pupils now keep an authentic artist’s sketchbook that contains their research, notes and original artwork. During lockdown, you rose well to the challenges presented, for example the Art leader arranged an art competition and curated an online gallery for all to view. Pupils were inspired when they attended an online workshop with a professional illustrator and you created art displays along the school fence for the local community and adapted your Christmas celebration to an outdoor carol concert. It is positive that senior leaders and staff are involved in developing the curriculum and generally raising the profile of the arts across the school.

A huge thank you to Mrs McCash for her tireless efforts in promoting the arts in our curriculum and for this fantastic achievement for our school.