Award recognises school's commitment to the arts
Released: 13 September 2007
Staff and pupils at a Wolverhampton school today celebrated achieving a prestigious award in recognition of its dynamic arts programme.
Wolverhampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools, Councillor Christine Irvine, joined the celebrations at St Paul’s Church of England (Aided) Primary School by presenting the Artsmark award during a special assembly this morning. She congratulated the school on its achievement and handed over the plaque to headteacher, Jane Morris.
Arts Council England, West Midlands, awarded the Pendeford school the Silver Artsmark title in the seventh annual round of the scheme, announced earlier this year.
An additional four Wolverhampton schools also gained Artsmark awards in the same round: Heath Park Business and Enterprise College (gold); Lanesfield Primary School (standard); Tettenhall Wood School (silver) and Trinity Church of England Primary School (gold). More than 40 schools in the city have now earned the distinction.
Acknowledging the commitment of schools to the arts, the Artsmark is a national award which promotes and spreads good practice in providing arts education, from drama to music, design to literature and dance to sculpture.
The initiative encourages schools to work in partnership with artists and arts organisations as well as work with local communities to engage them in the arts.
Councillor Irvine added that the award represented hard work by school staff and high standards achieved by pupils.
She said: “I was delighted to be part of the celebrations at St Paul’s Primary School today.
“The award is a very well deserved accolade for the school, highlighting its strong commitment to developing a varied and innovative arts programme.
“By gaining an Artsmark, a school shows its dedication to the wider development of young people and teachers and to raising the profile of the arts in the school and local community.
“I am very proud of all of our schools with this prestigious title which are creating a full range of opportunities to explore the arts.”
St Paul’s extensive arts programme has included inviting experts to lead art sessions, visiting venues such as Wolverhampton Art Gallery, creative days such as a Caribbean Day and bringing art into the community through projects such as pavement art linked to the Wolverhampton in Bloom competition.
The school was also required to show that, at the same time, children take responsibility for their own learning; that they are encouraged to be involved in planning their art topics and are asked to reflect on what they have learned.
Headteacher of St Paul’s Primary, Miss Morris, said: “We are over the moon to have been awarded the Artsmark, especially as we pride ourselves on having a very enriched curriculum.
“This award is a credit to our staff who have all contributed to the achievement. In particular I’d like to give special mention to Sue Williams, our arts co-ordinator who did a fantastic job in putting our bid together.”
Evidence has shown that many of the schools that have received the award have noticed a number of positive improvements, including an increase in pride and self-esteem among pupils, more professional development opportunities for teachers, and a better profile of the school within the community.
The deadline for applications for round eight of the Artsmark scheme is November 16 this year and further details are available at www.artsmark.org.uk.
Issued by the press office.