Newminster and Chantry Middle Schools in Morpeth have both been awarded the prestigious Platinum Artsmark, accredited by Arts Council England. This is the second time that the two schools have been given Artmark’s top ranking. In making these latest awards, which are reassessed every two years, the Artsmark panels praised the breadth of arts and cultural education offerings at the schools, and pointed to the commitment to and the support for these activities given at governing body level. They also commended the clear management at the schools and the collaboration and sharing of the Artsmark experience with other schools. There was recognition of the contribution that the arts could make to the wellbeing, confidence and skills of pupils.

Simon Taylor, CEO of the Three Rivers Learning Trust: ”The Artsmark Platinum Award is very well deserved by both Chantry and Newminster Middle Schools, and celebrates the breadth of our curriculum and the many wider enrichment opportunities, which are available for all students  The Three Rivers Learning Trust has a firm commitment to supporting the arts and I would like to congratulate the schools on this wonderful achievement and thank the staff who contribute their expertise and energy to promote the arts.”

Bryan Stewart, Headteacher of Chantry Middle School: “This is fantastic news and a real sign of the dedication of the students and staff towards the Arts at Chantry Middle School. We focus on developing the whole education of each child and this award supports our core aims and philosophy. Well done to all involved!”

Charlotte Jones, Curriculum Leader of the Creative Arts across the two middle schools, who has coordinated progress in the Artsmark journey: “I am so delighted that we have now achieved the Artsmark Platinum Award twice for both schools. This is a huge accolade would not have been possible without the support of pupils, staff, parents and carers, governors and the Trust. The partnerships that we have been able to build and sustain with the local community, together with a range of local, regional and national organisations, have also been essential to our journey. We have shared our Artsmark experience with other schools and organisations and hope to be able to do so with many more in the future.”

Chantry Middle School

Staff at Morpeth Chantry Middle School’s long-serving dedication to the Arts is impressive. The school works resolutely with pupils, external professionals and arts organisations so that a wide range of exciting arts and cultural experiences are firmly established across the whole school. The high level of commitment to the Arts from school leaders and the arts governor is commendable in ensuring the school’s support for the Arts continues to evolve. Effective and enduring partnerships with local arts and culture organisations (such as with Music Partnership North and Mushroom Works Artists) have further enhanced the curriculum and enabled pupils to develop new skills. Staff and pupils are motivated to raise funds for charitable causes through their artistic endeavours, such as the ‘Comic Relief Rock Choir’, a project which reached a wide audience by a performance on regional television – what a wonderful accolade for everyone who participated! Other regular opportunities to perform reinforce the school’s core values; increase pupils’ self-confidence and foster a sense of unity across the whole school community. Despite the challenges it presented, the ‘School of Rock’ end of year musical performance was a fantastic way to celebrate the achievement of the pupil in Chantry’s partner school getting to the final auditions for the West End production. Music is evidently a strength of the curriculum and, over their latest Artsmark journey, the school has developed a progression in skills framework in collaboration with other local settings in the Morpeth Music Partnership so that expectations are mapped from EYFS to the end of KS5. This expertise in music is being shared with trainee teachers across the Trust as part of their CPD programme, improving their skills and confidence. The school’s commitment to celebrating pupils’ diversity and equality through the Arts is evident and has had a further positive impact of increasing parental involvement, for example, through the opportunity to participate in the ‘Cheviot Ceilidh’, honouring a local cultural tradition. Links to careers in the Arts have been strengthened and made more explicit by arts professionals sharing pen portraits of their career paths and choices before commencing workshops with pupils. We wish the school every success with the planned ‘One Big Performance’ next March.

Congratulations on your Artsmark Platinum Award!