Gold Artsmark Award
May 2022
Holly Grove School receives prestigious Artsmark Award
Pupils and staff at Holly Grove School are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Artsmark Award in a momentous year for the programme as it celebrates 20 years of arts, culture and creativity in schools.
The Artsmark Award is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England. It supports schools to develop and celebrate arts and cultural education, putting creativity and wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum. Artsmark ensures every young person can be creative and access a diverse, high-quality cultural education.
In order to achieve their Artsmark Award, Holly Grove School had to develop their arts and culture provision to embed a broad and ambitious curriculum. This was achieved by creating an overall plan that was committed to and delivered across the whole school.
Holly Grove School was supported by Curious Minds (their local Bridge organisation) in planning and developing their objectives. Curious Minds worked alongside the school at various stages to support their Artsmark Award achievement.
The Artsmark assessor commended Holly Grove School on:
“Holly Grove School has many strengths when it comes to the Arts. Your sheer enthusiasm and determination to see things through is to be celebrated. You had a number of shielded pupils during the pandemic and school closures but this did not deter you from continuing with your plans, adapting them to the individual needs of your pupils. The high value you place on CPD for your staff led by external professionals is commendable and is having a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes and on staff’s confidence. For example, it was great read about the TA who has set up a Samba Drumming Club as a direct result of the Samba CPD. Your practice of deploying creative practitioners and arts-based organisations such as Burnley Youth Theatre, Little Voices, Live Music Now and More Music to work with classes provides yet more opportunities for staff to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of delivering high quality arts education.
You ensure no child is left out from such opportunities and has access to new musical experiences. We had goose bumps reading about the positive impact such opportunities are having on individual pupils such as the boy with severe autism being able to not only join in with the musical performances but also of the outstanding progress he has made across the curriculum and the little girl who can now sit calmly without hurting others because of the music therapy she has received”.
On receiving the award, Karen Alty (Headteacher) said: “We’re extremely proud of achieving our Artsmark Gold Award. We are committed to delivering a high-quality arts and cultural education and providing our pupils with opportunities to develop their self-esteem, confidence and skills as part of our broad and balanced curriculum.”
Dr Darren Henley OBE, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, said:
“I would like to congratulate Holly Grove School on their Artsmark Award. Becoming an Artsmark school demonstrates that through offering a broad, ambitious, and creative curriculum, every pupil can develop character and resilience, increasing their knowledge, curiosity and skills that will remain with them through to adult life.”
About Artsmark Award
This year, the Artsmark Award celebrates its 20th anniversary as the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings. It can help unlock young people’s potential, building their confidence, character, and resilience.
Artsmark’s clear and flexible framework can be used to embed creativity across the whole curriculum, address school improvement priorities and ensure every young person can access a diverse, high-quality cultural education.
Artsmark is open to primary, secondary, and special schools, pupil referral units, secure settings, youth offending teams, hospital schools and sixth form colleges. Artsmark is awarded at three levels; Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Visit artsmark.org.uk for more information.
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision.
Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s unprecedented £1.96 billion Culture Recovery Funds. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.
Visit artscouncil.org.uk for more information.
