The Artsmark Silver Award

We are delighted that Whitfield Aspen School has been awarded an Artsmark Silver Award.

Your school clearly values the Arts and in particular the inclusive opportunities that they can provide, strengthening pupil engagement. You have laid some foundations for development, creating your Arts Committee to foster planning, restructuring your School Council to strengthen pupil voice, training staff to deliver Arts Award, creating a skills progression document and developing new curriculum pathways framing cross-curricular learning in a creative context. You have seen the benefits of working with a drama professional and you should now look to expand your partnerships and connections with artists and arts organisations. A clear plan for Arts CPD could be supported by such partnerships, which would also enhance the children’s arts experiences of the Arts, as you have seen in your growing relationship with the Turner Contemporary. It is a pity that you have not yet joined the National Theatre project, but it is good that this is still part of your plans, as is the development of wheelchair dance in partnership with Confidance. Increasing your links with local schools should also allow you to share resources and good practice, in particular your ways of implementing your deeply impressive commitment to equality and diversity. As you expand your range of offer, it will be important to evidence the impact of the Arts on attainment within the Arts and across the curriculum as well as on engagement, using your Levels of Engagement tool as planned. There is much for your new Art Committee to build on and it will be exciting to track how the development of the Arts at Whitfield Aspen contributes to children’s learning and lives as you continue to progress.

Congratulations on your Artsmark Silver Award!

For 2023 we have been awarded the Gold School Games Mark Award. Thank you to everyone who has helped us achieve this through engaging with our extra-curricular events