St John’s School has been awarded the prestigious Artsmark Gold Award, a national recognition of excellence in arts and cultural education. This significant achievement follows a two-year developmental process and a comprehensive application submitted earlier this year, building on the school’s previous Silver Award status.
The Artsmark Gold Award celebrates St John’s commitment to creativity, enrichment, and the provision of high-quality arts opportunities for all students. The assessors noted that the school had not only met its initial goals but exceeded them, embedding the arts across both curriculum and wider school life in a way that is both strategic and inclusive.
In their assessment, Artsmark praised St John’s for its ambitious and inclusive approach, highlighting a number of initiatives that exemplify the school’s dedication. These included music masterclasses delivered as part of enrichment days, and targeted projects such as a Macbeth workshop aimed at engaging disadvantaged and SEN students.
The school’s Arts FORE fund (Facilities, Opportunities, Resources and Experiences) was also commended for its role in tackling socioeconomic disadvantage, ensuring that every pupil can access the full range of creative and cultural opportunities. In addition, the school was praised for upskilling staff through high-quality CPD, including training with the Royal Shakespeare Company, to further enhance the delivery of arts education.
The assessors noted:
“You have demonstrated a broad and deep valuing both of the arts and culture and also each individual pupil’s access to them and the value it has to their progress and time in school.”
Other highlights included the school’s ‘Artist of the Week’ celebration, strong community engagement, and a renewed commitment to the arts despite the tragic loss of a key staff member. The appointment of a creative arts lead to the senior leadership team was described as a powerful and symbolic step, further embedding the arts within the school’s strategic vision.
Natalie Rose, Assistant Headteacher and Artsmark Lead, said:
“We are delighted to have been awarded the Gold Artsmark Award after a lot of hard work to further improve our arts provision and opportunities. We have so many talented students in music, drama, dance and art and it is wonderful to be acknowledged as a school which offers amazing opportunities for them to shine in the arts, and we hope we can continue to do so for many students and the wider community.”
St John’s now looks ahead to building on this success by expanding pupil voice within arts strategy and exploring opportunities to share its expertise through broader cultural collaborations and leadership across the sector.
This Gold Award represents a remarkable milestone for the school and a shining example of how arts and creativity can enrich every aspect of school life.