Students and staff at Outwood Academy Portland are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Artsmark Gold Award in a momentous year for the programme as it celebrates 20 years of arts, culture and creativity in schools.

The Artsmark Award is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England. It supports schools to develop and celebrate arts and cultural education, putting creativity and wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum. Artsmark ensures every young person can be creative and access a diverse, high-quality cultural education.

On receiving the award, Sally Nelson-Fish, Head of Expressive Arts at Outwood Academy Portland said:

“We are delighted that the hard work and dedication of our outstanding Expressive Arts team has been recognised. The determination not to allow covid to diminish the strength of the arts at Portland has been rewarded. It is a joy to work with such talented, creative and committed students.”

Danielle Sheehan, Principal, added:

“I am thrilled for our school and its students to achieve such a rare and prestigious achievement. It fills me with pride that our students receive such an excellent education, specifically when it comes to the Arts.

“Thank you to the Expressive Arts team for all their commitment to the award, and to Sophie Pilsworth, Music Teacher, for the hard work put in to evidence us meeting the criteria.”

In order to achieve its Artsmark Award, the academy had to develop its arts and culture provision to embed a broad and ambitious curriculum. This was achieved by creating an overall plan that was committed to and delivered across the whole school, including activities and experiences such as a school musical production, a London theatre trip, art competitions, dance events, drama workshops, music concerts and festivals. Working with professional artists and giving students experiences of live performance was also a key part of inspiring students.

The Artsmark assessor stated in their feedback that the academy is ‘well placed to contribute strongly to the wider educational community, developing the confidence, skills and understanding of staff in a range of other settings and advocating for the positive impact of arts and culture on all children and young people.’

Dr Darren Henley CBE, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, said:

“I would like to congratulate Outwood Academy Portland on their Artsmark Award. Becoming an Artsmark school demonstrates that through offering a broad, ambitious, and creative curriculum, every pupil can develop character and resilience, increasing their knowledge, curiosity and skills that will remain with them through to adult life.”