Hathershaw College wins prestigious Gold Artsmark award
Hathershaw College has been awarded the prestigious Gold Artsmark by Arts Council England for its commitment to embedding arts, culture, and creativity across its curriculum, enhancing student outcomes and wellbeing.
Hathershaw College has secured the coveted Gold Artsmark award, the highest accolade in the national creative quality standard for schools accredited by Arts Council England.
The recognition follows the school’s two-year drive to weave arts, culture and creativity into every subject, a move staff say has already lifted pupils’ results and wellbeing. Working with Goldsmiths, University of London - world-renowned for creative teaching and cultural placemaking - teachers drew up a whole-school plan that placed the arts at the heart of lessons from science to Spanish.
Mrs Mills, Curriculum leader for Expressive Arts, said the journey began with a simple conviction: “At the start of our Artsmark journey, we knew our school was firmly committed to providing high-quality opportunities for all our students. The school’s mission statement is to improve the lives and life chances of young people through raising aspirations. We aligned our Artsmark journey goals alongside the school priorities and used the Artsmark quality standards to identify and drive our intentions forward. We recognise that our students need to be well informed about the 21st-century creative industries workforce and establishing cultural partnerships benefits all of us in so many ways. Our students experienced a real sense of belonging and personal progression throughout our Artsmark journey and we could not be more delighted to announce that our school has been awarded Artsmark Gold by Arts Council England. We are excited about the future and the exciting ways we will continue to provide authentic experiences for Hathershaw students.”
Principal Mark Giles said the award vindicates the school’s decision to protect creative space in a crowded curriculum. “We must not underestimate the impact of the arts on the development of young people and it is therefore important to make space in the curriculum for creativity. Cultural capital and having an awareness of the world are all developed through the arts, which Hathershaw delivers extremely well. I am delighted with our Artsmark status, which reflects the hard work and determination of the team at Hathershaw.”
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