Education: Batley school earns prestigious Artsmark Gold Award

Accredited by Arts Council England, the award celebrates schools’ commitments to the arts and cultural education.

The award was secured for the Windmill Lane based school as a result of a written proposal, led by the art department, to prove the the criteria had been met to a gold standard, which included evidencing the Artsmark Quality Principles to convey that arts, culture and creativity is embedded across the whole curriculum, as well as the positive impact it has on the whole school community.

Jessica Barratt, who teaches art at the school and who led the submission, said:

“We’re really proud to have achieved this award. The arts is something that has been intrinsic to the history of the school and we wanted to showcase the impact this has had more broadly as well as the evolution of our work in this area.

“We will continue to uphold the Artsmark Principles and plan to work towards attaining the Platinum award.”

Upon receiving the award, a report was also published on the school’s commendable work.

It states: “You clearly have a strong, long-term commitment to arts and culture which seems to be having clear measurable effects on staff, pupils, and community engagement.

“All pupils can access an established range of arts and cultural provision through work with local arts and cultural organisations, both in school and on visits outside the classroom supported by extra-curricular activities, leading to effective showcasing opportunities.”

The school’s head of art, Lucy Swierczynski, said:

“We believe that the benefits of the arts are wide-reaching and it’s brilliant that we’re now able to signpost this through the Artsmark accreditation.

“It’s a real credit to Jessica, her drive and ambition that we can now proudly state what we’ve achieved as well as establish our plans for the future.”

Simon Riley, executive headteacher of Batley Girls’ High School, added:

“Developing creative individuals who can go on to use these skills regardless of the career path they take is really important to us.

“We know that it builds character and confidence, along with a host of other personal development benefits that are powerful attributes for our young people in future life.”