EAST Tilbury Primary School & Nursery one of a hundred schools leading the way in cultural education across England
Arts Council England launches nationwide Cultural Education Challenge to urge arts and education leaders to place greater focus on cultural education provision
East Tilbury Primary School & Nursery in Thurrock is one of 100 schools nationally to have taken part in a nationwide pilot of the Arts Council’s refreshed Artsmark Award – illustrating the school’s commitment to providing a strong cultural education for its students.
Now in its fifteenth year, the Artsmark award has helped the Arts Council and schools – such as East Tilbury Primary School & Nursery – to ensure more children and young people have access to high quality arts and culture.
The Arts Council’s refreshed Artsmark Award, which opened this autumn, has been designed by schools, for schools and will offer schools greater opportunity to build arts and culture into the school curriculum and their own strategic ambitions. The most important change with the refreshed Artsmark is that the new award is forward looking, creating the opportunity for schools to set ambitious objectives for their arts and cultural provision in school, and how that positively impacts on the local community.
Over the summer term 2015, the new Artsmark Award was tested across 100 schools nationally – including East Tilbury Primary School & Nursery. All the pilot schools were supported by Bridge organisations – a network of 10 organisations located across the country that help connect schools, children and young people with arts and cultural activity.
As part of its commitment, the school has incorporated arts and cultural visits and visitors, as well as opportunities for pupils to apply their learning through staging events, into the structure of each unit of work. This has greatly increased the cultural provision for pupils.
Central to the school’s success has been partnerships with local arts and cultural providers, particularly through the Royal Opera House Thurrock Trailblazer programme.
Mrs Louise Coates, Headteacher, East Tilbury Primary School & Nursery, said: "The last year has provided so many exciting opportunities for both the children & Staff at East Tilbury Primary School & Nursery. The participation in Cultural learning experiences has ignited a love of learning that has impacted and benefited all areas of the curriculum. The involvement with the different arts has helped our children to express themselves and find their voice and this has enhanced all areas of learning. We are excited for the future as we continue to work together to ensure full Cultural Entitlement for the children of Thurrock."
In a continuing focus on cultural education, Arts Council England has today urged all those working in the arts and education industries to work together in offering a consistent education for all children and young people.
The Cultural Education Challenge, which was launched today (14 October 2015) at the Barbican, London, challenges sector leaders across the arts, education, local authorities, schools, higher education institutions and others to create new ways of working – sharing resources to create joined-up arts and cultural provisions locally, at a time when public funding remains under pressure.
Watch the Cultural Education Challenge video here: www.artscouncilengland.org.uk/culturaleducationchallenge
The Arts Council announced 50 new Cultural Education Partnerships across the country in areas of most need of arts and cultural provisions. They will be modelled on previous pilot cultural education partnerships established in Great Yarmouth, Bristol and Barking & Dagenham, initiated by the Arts Council with partners the British Film Institute, Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage, in response to a number of recommendations made in the Henley Review on Cultural Education in England.
These Cultural Education Partnerships will be led and initiated by ‘Bridge organisations’. Bridges receive £10 million in funding a year from the Arts Council and will play a leading role in delivering the Challenge, although strong convenors are encouraged to come forward to help deliver the Challenge locally.
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said: "A great arts and cultural education gives children and young people the confidence and creative skills to thrive, as individuals, as members of our society, and as the next generation of creative talent. All children and young people, wherever and whatever their start in life, should have the opportunity to have an arts and cultural education that nurtures innovation and unlocks the vital skills that are helping to drive our world leading creative industries.”
