Alvaston Moor Academy achieves Artsmark Silver recognition
Alvaston Moor Academy has been granted the Artsmark Silver Award for championing arts and culture. The school, which is part of Archway Learning Trust, demonstrated commitment to art, drama and music through expert teaching, a developed curriculum in the arts and the opportunity for extended arts learning in enrichment clubs, trips, exhibitions and performances.
Awarded by Arts Council England, the national award is recognition of schools delivering a high-quality arts and cultural education. The Arts Council highlighted the following examples of excellent practice in the school.
“We believe every child should have the opportunity to create, compose, and perform, as well as to visit, experience, participate in and review extraordinary work,” Arts Council England said. “The arts help unlock the potential of children and young people, help to develop character and talent, and increase their knowledge and understanding.”
The council noted it was inspiring to see the school’s music club attracting students from the Roma communities, particularly boys, with a significant rise in numbers playing guitar and singing. It also praised the introduction of Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 Drama and Alvaston Moor’s association with Derby Theatre, which has opened new opportunities for students to see live productions, meet directors, engage in workshops and work experience to learn about the technical aspects of theatre.
The report from Arts Council England read: “In summary, you have shown particular strength in the Leadership of the arts. School leaders value the arts and this can be evidenced by the creation of two ‘Inspire’ Assistant Principals posts with one to lead the enrichment and personal development programme and the other to lead on careers including promoting carers in the creative industries. Another strength is your development of Cultural Collaborations which is having a positive impact on students’ arts-based experiences. Your partnership with Derby Theatre and work with Derby Music Services is supporting you in offering richer arts activities. Your future plans sound exciting and we look forward to hearing how these are progressed as the arts continue to evolve. Well done on all that you have achieved.”
Commenting on the outstanding achievement, Gemma Tyres, Principal of Alvaston Moor Academy said: “This award is a wonderful achievement by our arts staff and the commitment to arts education in Alvaston Moor Academy, I am delighted to see the Arts Council recognise how our arts offer has had a positive impact on the school community too.
“There has been a significant rise in attendance at arts showcases, performances and open evenings. The AMA in Bloom has enabled students to work with a senior leader to produce and run an arts festival to celebrate the diversity in the school giving a platform to students to share their heritage and cultural traditions in dance, music, poetry and art.”
Martha Toogood, Arts Lead for Archway Learning Trust said: “Alvaston Moor Academy have demonstrated how much they value arts education through the opportunities they give students to express themselves and connect with creativity and cultural learning. This enhances students’ sense of belonging and the chance to succeed at school. Recently at the trust arts celebration, Archway Together, we saw Alvaston Moor present incredibly talented performances in solo singing and dancing. Congratulations to everyone for this fantastic award.”
Archway Learning Trust is the largest Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) in Nottingham, educating one third of the city’s children across its 11 academies in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire.