News

Artsmark Journey Update

Our Artsmark journey continues to gather momentum, with the Development Stage drawing towards a close later this year. Throughout this journey, we have been guided by our two key goals:

1. To provoke excitement, curiosity and engagement - creating opportunities for students to experience new forms of creativity, explore the arts and be inspired by the world around them.

2. To work collaboratively across disciplines in the creative and performing arts, ensuring all students have a positive and inclusive experience and are given the opportunity to take ownership of their creative ideas.

These goals have shaped many of the experiences we have offered our students. We have worked to immerse students in the world of art and design, taking learning beyond the classroom through visits to the Tate, Courtauld Gallery and Moco Museum.

A particular highlight has been taking students to Central Saint Martins. Experiencing a leading creative university first-hand gave students an insight into the exciting possibilities within art and design and allowed them to see where their creativity could take them in the future. These experiences have helped students to understand that the arts extend far beyond the classroom and can open doors to exciting future pathways.

Our second goal has been brought to life through cross-curricular collaboration, with creative projects connecting art and design with STEM, engineering, character education and other areas of school life. Students have developed practical skills through set design, photography, sewing, exhibitions and collaborative projects, with opportunities such as the Creative Arts Exhibition providing a platform for students to celebrate and share their work with the wider school community.

An important part of our Artsmark journey has also been developing stronger relationships with our local creative community. We have established a valuable partnership with Feltham Arts, working collaboratively on the mosaic project located in Feltham High Street. This has given our students the opportunity to contribute to a permanent piece of art and see their creativity become part of their local community.

We have also established a relationship with TimeGivers, collaborating throughout the year to bring art and crafts into the local community. One particularly special experience was seeing our students work alongside residents at a local care home. Sharing creativity, stories and skills across generations was incredibily rewarding and reminded us of the power of the arts to connect people and bring communities together.

We now enter Year Three of our Creative Arts Specialist Programme, which was created to nurture and support our budding artists. The programme provides students with additional opportunities to develop their skills, experiment with different techniques and explore their individual creative identities. It aims to give students the confidence to take their creativity further, while providing greater challenge and opportunities for those who have a particular passion for the arts.

As we move towards the end of the Development Stage, we are proud of the breadth of opportunities our students have experienced. Our Artsmark journey continues to inspire curiosity, develop creative confidence, strengthen community connections and give every student the opportunity to experience, create and celebrate the arts.

And this is only a snapshot of our Artsmark journey. We have achieved and experienced so much more along the way that capturing it all in one news article simply wouldn't do it justice.