We are delighted to announce that LIFE school, Margaretting CofE Primary School, has been awarded the Artsmark Gold Award. Artsmark supports settings to develop and celebrate their commitment to arts and cultural education. It signifies that Margaretting equips its pupils with the cultural capital they need to succeed in life, and nurtures their imagination and creativity through high-quality arts and cultural education.
This is what they said about Margaretting:
‘Now part of LIFE MAT, Margaretting Primary School have maintained their thriving arts culture while embedding their unique provision within the wider values and ambitions of the Trust. The transition has been smooth, and the Arts remain a key focus within the school with all children singing daily (punctuated with performances at the Barbican and St Pauls Cathedral) and participating in high quality dance sessions twice a week. Your senior and middle leaders have helped take a more thematic approach to curriculum design and this has increased the chances to use the Arts in cross curricular ways. You have invested in your staff development, utilising more creative approaches to CPD and giving dedicated planning time for subject lead teachers in foundation areas including Music, Drama, Dance and Art. You have seen dramatic improvements in academic attainment with SATs now above 90% and you feel this is a direct result of your arts-rich learning environment and the positive disposition to school this has developed in your young people. Your adoption of the Power of Reading approach saw a boost in literacy attainment but also afforded many opportunities to study a shared text from many vantage points and via different modes and media. As you continue to develop and your Artsmark journey continues it would be great to see some reflection on the effectiveness of your CPD approach. How is it making a difference to teacher confidence and expertise? How, also, are young people able to share their views and hear their own voices through the Arts? Has this way of learning been empowering for them in any way? And now you are part of a Trust what opportunities are there to act as an advocate for your principles and practice so that other settings can learn from your experience, both within and beyond your immediate environs?
Congratulations to everyone involved in achieving this award! It is a fantastic accomplishment for Margaretting CofE Primary School.
