Chantry Academy celebrates


Students and staff at Chantry Academy are celebrating after the school’s commitment to arts and cultural education was awarded the Platinum level in the Artsmark Award, the highest possible grading a school can achieve.

The Artsmark Award, which is valid for two years and accredited by Arts Council England, helps build young people’s confidence, character and resilience through arts and cultural education.

In order to achieve this award, Chantry Academy, which is part of The Active Learning Trust, had to develop the arts and culture provision at the academy and embed it in a broad and balanced curriculum. This was achieved by creating an overall plan that was committed to and delivered across the whole school.

Student Art Leaders were appointed at the Academy, encouraging these students to develop a wide range of leadership skills, as well as being responsible for promoting the arts amongst their peers.

Chantry Academy also ran an arts week linked to the theme of festivals and holidays for its students and pupils from the surrounding primary schools. Students and staff participated in a whole school colour run for a dazzling end to the festivities and to raise money for mental health charity, Mind.
Craig D’Cunha, Executive Principal at Chantry Academy, said: “At Chantry Academy, we strive for excellence and quality in everything we do and believe there should be no barriers when it comes to learning.

“We are extremely proud of all our pupils and colleagues for all their hard work and dedication which has allowed us to achieve the Artsmark Award to its highest possible grading. We hope to build further on this and retain the accreditation in 2022.”