STAHS staff and students are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Artsmark Platinum Award in recognition of the School’s outstanding arts provision.  

Accredited by Arts Council England, the award supports schools to develop and celebrate arts and cultural education, putting creativity and wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum. Platinum is its highest accolade.  

In order to achieve the Artsmark Award, STAHS had to develop its arts and culture provision to embed a broad and ambitious curriculum. This was achieved by creating an overall plan that was delivered across the whole school. 

In glowing feedback, the Artsmark assessor commended the School for appointing a lead Governor for the Arts (Carol Jewell), maintaining good levels of engagement with the arts at GCSE and A level, and establishing strong creative partnerships with St Columba’s, Maple and Townsend schools. 

The assessor added: ‘You are clearly making a difference through the arts and drawing attention to its benefits and affordances.’

On receiving the award, Director of Drama Holly Whymark said: ‘We’re extremely proud of achieving our Artsmark Platinum Award. We are committed to delivering a high-quality arts and cultural education and look forward to continuing to grow across and beyond all areas of the creative curriculum.’