St. John’s Catholic School and Sixth Form College is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a grant of £80,000 from the Wolfson Foundation, an independent grant-making charity dedicated to supporting high-quality research and education. This significant funding will enable the school to undertake a major upgrade of its Performing Arts facilities and equipment, benefiting students, staff and the wider community.
The Wolfson Foundation’s aim is to contribute to civil society by supporting high-quality projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts. Since it was established in 1955, it has awarded over £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) to around 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
Natalie Rose, Assistant Headteacher and Project Lead at St. John’s, explained the motivation behind the application:
“Our application for the Wolfson Foundation grant came from a desire to further improve our Performing Arts facilities and opportunities for both our young people and the wider community. Following our success last year in achieving the Gold Artsmark Award as recognition for our contributions to arts education, we wanted to be able to develop our offering further. We are extremely proud of the incredible experiences we offer our students in Performing Arts, from school productions and concerts to trips and workshops, but we knew that a complete overhaul of our facilities, spaces and equipment was necessary to improve further.”
The comprehensive bid outlined the school’s context, the anticipated impact of the grant, and a detailed breakdown of how the funding would be used. The project will include:
• A complete refurbishment of the Main Hall and Performing Arts spaces
• Creation of a ‘black box’ drama space
• Installation of brand-new lighting and sound equipment
• A new stage with full-length wings
• Upgrades to music classrooms, including keyboards and PCs
• A fully equipped recording studio to enhance the technological aspects of music and drama
These improvements will significantly enrich both curricular and extracurricular opportunities for students and strengthen the school’s commitment to arts education both within and beyond St John's.
Natalie added:
“We are absolutely over the moon to have been awarded such a prestigious grant and have the opportunity to improve our Performing Arts facilities and spaces. In a society where arts education has suffered in recent years, the money will be transformative to both our Performing Arts curriculum and our enrichment opportunities and will help to further solidify the importance of the arts in St. John's.”
Lisa Byron, Head Teacher, said,
"We are delighted and incredibly grateful to have been awarded this amazing grant from the Wolfson Foundation, which will transform our Performing Arts facilities. Such investment is particularly significant in light of the Government's response to the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which highlights the need to revitalise Arts education and foster creativity. With this much-needed investment, our inspiring Arts education, fantastic provision and amazing facilities will provide wonderful opportunities for St John's and the wider community."