Sunderland school celebrating award for 'teaching through creativity'
The city school has been recognised as a “leading school in the delivery of arts and cultural excellence.”
“We’re extremely proud of achieving our Artsmark Gold Award,” says the headteacher at Broadway Junior School.
Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England.
It transforms teaching through creativity, empowering teachers with the skills they need to embed arts, culture and creativity across the whole curriculum, and is proven to support pupil outcomes and wellbeing.
To achieve their Artsmark Award, Broadway Junior School had to develop their arts and cultural 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.
Over two years, Broadway Junior School received professional support through an immersive learning programme from Artsmark’s delivery partner, Goldsmiths, University of London, who are world-renowned leaders in creative pedagogy and cultural placemaking.
The Artsmark Assessor commended Broadway Junior School on their leadership of arts and culture within their school community: “Acting as a leading school in the delivery of arts and cultural excellence in a first Artsmark journey is very challenging, and you have demonstrated impressive strengths in this area, organising high profile local events, engaging with arts communities and positively influencing the arts conversation in your region.”
On receiving the award, Mr Walton-Jonas, headteacher, said: “We’re extremely proud of achieving our Artsmark Gold Award. We are committed to delivering a high-quality arts and cultural education.
“Our Artsmark journey has transformed our school by providing pupils an increased amount of experiences in a variety of art forms. Music and dance provision, in particular, has grown impressively, with pupils benefitting from enhanced teaching and opportunities to showcase their performances beyond the school.”
Dr Darren Henley OBE, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said: “I would like to congratulate Broadway Junior School on their Artsmark Award. Creative activities and cultural experiences enrich our lives, open our minds to new possibilities and help us make sense of the world around us.
“As an awarded Artsmark school, you’re demonstrating that by offering a broad, ambitious and creative curriculum, your young people will develop character and resilience, increasing their knowledge, curiosity and skills that will remain with them through to adult life.”