Pupils and staff at Colchester Prep & High School are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Artsmark Award.

Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England. It supports them to develop and celebrate arts and cultural education across the whole curriculum, bringing learning to life for children and young people.

In order to achieve its Artsmark Award, Colchester Prep & High School had to develop its arts and culture provision to embed a broad and balanced curriculum. This was achieved by creating an overall plan that was committed to and delivered across the whole school.

Colchester Prep & High School was supported by the Royal Opera House in planning and developing its objectives. The Royal Opera House worked alongside the school at various stages to support their Artsmark Award achievement.

The Artsmark assessor commended Colchester Prep & High School on the value we place on “the contribution the Arts make to personal development and wellbeing and to learning across the curriculum.”

On receiving the award, Ms Gracie-Langrick, Headteacher said: “We’re extremely proud of achieving our Artsmark Gold Award. The Arts are at the heart of our STEAM curriculum, inspiring creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills in our pupils. We are committed to delivering a high-quality arts and cultural education and we look forward to continue to grow with Artsmark.”

Dr Darren Henley OBE, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, said:

“I would like to congratulate Colchester Prep & High School on their Artsmark Award. Becoming an Artsmark school demonstrates that through offering a broad, balanced and creative curriculum, young people have the opportunity to develop character and resilience, increasing their knowledge, curiosity and skills that will remain with them through to adult life.”