We are delighted to announce that we have achieved an Artsmark Silver Award!

Our Statement of Commitment and Statement of Impact have been assessed and we’re pleased to share this feedback from our assessors with you:

‘It was positive to read about the wide range of arts and cultural experiences pupils have had access to such as annual theatre visits, trips to the Baltic, Great North Museum, Durham Cathedral, Laing Art gallery, Sunderland Winter Gardens and South Shields Customs House. Following the COVID restrictions it is really good to hear your choirs are back to full strength and able to take part in performance opportunities including, the Big Sing, ‘Different voices in Harmony,’ where pupils visit venues including the SAGE and Customs House. A specialist has led Art and DT planning, leading to a significant increase in lessons being deemed outstanding across all year groups. Art was also showcased as a school strength in the OFSTED inspection of 2022. Unfortunately, during COVID connection with your local music hub was severed, which left your students without a valued area of the curriculum. However, you counteracted this by providing remote learning opportunities to continue to immerse the pupils in the arts curriculum, whilst funding a music trolly with a full set of keyboards and glockenspiels to allow class teachers to provide instrumental lessons to their classes. Teachers now have access to the Charanga platform to support music lessons. During COVID you also adapted your Christmas performances to be shown on DVD and invited parents, outside of the school, to hear your Christmas Carol service. Since restrictions lifted events such as ‘Cultural Week’, ‘Craft Fayres’ and ‘Enterprise Week’ have been reinstated and involve musicians and the local community by extending the route and advertising the Cultural Parade to involve members of the community. These events appear to be very successful and help to keep the Arts in high profile. It was positive to read how you make links between the Arts and possible career paths, with pupils regularly relating their learning to possible jobs they could acquire when they leave school. Perhaps you may also want to consider the diversity of role models pupils explore to enhance this area. It will be interesting to see how your after schools clubs develop as opportunities expand for pupils. You have identified appropriate areas for development in your Statement of Impact, and you may also want to consider building a bank of case studies which could be shared with schools locally or regionally to support their engagement with the Arts.’

Congratulations on your Artsmark Silver Award!

Silver Artsmark