Blog

Involvement with arts and culture is crucial to imagination, self-expression and creativity in young people.

Local places in receipt of the Levelling Up Fund are most likely to deliver better heritage and culture projects because of the advice they receive from the ALBs in the Levelling Up Places Service.

Sportlight teaser - For many schools, artistic achievement and academic rigour may seem like polar opposites. With limited funds and time, schools often feel like they need to focus on one (academic) over the other (the arts). However, at The Victory Academy we’ve shown it’s possible to drive both cultural and academic success simultaneously. We’ve drawn inspiration from our Platinum Artsmark Award to offer an expansive, well-rounded education that unleashes the potential of every one of our students.

Peterhouse School in Southport is a non-maintained specialist school for pupils aged 5 to 19 on the Autism Spectrum. They currently hold an Artsmark Gold award and are on their third Artsmark journey. By placing the arts at the heart of their provision, they’ve seen young people’s confidence transform.

Weaverham’s student-led podcast not only transformed engagement in the arts, but also changed the community’s perception of arts, culture and creativity.

As schools readjust to life after the pandemic, Victor Guerro (Curriculum Lead in Creative Arts at Hillyfield Primary Academy), discusses the power that art and creativity have when embedded into the curriculum.

Race Leys Junior School's environment is very bespoke, with each communal area focusing on a classic children's book such as Harry Potter, or JM Barry's Peter Pan. Find out how they redesigned the school environment to improve a love of reading for pupils. 

In just under three months, The Victory Academy’s new librarian transformed their awkward, unloved library into an inclusive and vibrant space where children now feel welcome and safe. We speak to their Head of English, Layla Steeples, and librarian Jo Gallant about their vision.