National Artsmark award recognises school contribution to arts

Georgian Gardens Community Primary School applied for consideration by Artsmark, an organisation which awards schools for achievements in art education.

The panel of judges who made the Artsmark Gold award recognised the high-quality art and cultural curriculum offered by the school, which is supported by a good range of partnerships.

When congratulating the school staff, the judges highlighted the support Georgian Gardens gives to other schools through arts awards and the continued professional development and training which staff take part in. Head teacher Amie Bowers was very pleased with the recognition for the school.

She said: “We are delighted that Georgian Gardens has received this acclaimed award in recognition of the valuable work of the school.

“It is fantastic to see how the arts can enrich pupil’s learning and give them a new breadth of experience.

“Thanks go to all staff who have been involved in making these opportunities possible for our pupils. In particular I would like to thank Deirdre Carolin.”

Mrs Carolin will be retiring from Georgian Gardens at the end of the academic year after teaching at the school for 22 years.

Staff said that she had led the schools arts from strength to strength and many of the strong community links have resulted from her commitment to inspire young people in the arts. The school has built partnerships with the art department at Aldingbourne, the National Association of Design and Fine Arts Society, Pallant House Gallery in Chichester and Angmering Station Community Railway Partnership, giving them the opportunity the chance to showcase their work in the wider community.

Pupils are taken on school trips and visits to concerts and exhibitions which provide valuable experiences and give them confidence in their own arts experiences in music, drama and visual art.

Another highlight of the school’s arts education is the school choir and dance group, which take part in many community events.

Staff said that the school choir even managed to get a 94-year-old resident of Rustington Hall to rock around the Christmas tree at the end of last year during one of their concerts in the community.

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