A PRESTIGIOUS Silver Artsmark Award has been presented to St John’s Primary School, recognising its outstanding commitment to creativity, culture, and the arts.

The award celebrates the school’s dedication to embedding arts and cultural learning across every aspect of school life. Achieving an Artsmark Award is a significant milestone, reflecting the passion, hard work, and teamwork of pupils, staff, and the wider school community.

The Artsmark assessors commended St John’s for ensuring that “engaging with the arts is having tangible results on pupils and staff.” They praised the school’s strong leadership support, the consistent access all pupils have to a wide range of arts experiences, and the vibrant partnerships built with local cultural organisations.

The school’s arts journey has included the creation of a school art gallery to celebrate pupils’ creativity, participation in Young Voices concerts giving children the chance to perform on a national stage, the development of Art Curators, a pupil-led initiative allowing children to shape the school’s creative direction, and an increasing focus on equity, diversity, and staff development through creative CPD and collaboration.

The assessors also recognised the school’s growing ambition to strengthen long-term partnerships with local artists and cultural organisations, ensuring that authentic, diverse voices continue to enrich the curriculum.

Mrs Vu, the school’s art lead, said:“We are thrilled to receive the Silver Artsmark Award. This recognition celebrates the creativity and enthusiasm that runs through everything we do at St John’s. The arts inspire confidence, empathy, and imagination in our pupils, and we are excited to continue developing these opportunities even further.”

As St John’s looks ahead to its next Artsmark journey, the school aims to deepen its partnerships with artists and cultural organisations, while continuing to measure and celebrate the long-term impact of its arts education.