Admiral Lord Nelson School becomes first to achieve Artsmark Platinum Award for a second time
Admiral Lord Nelson School in Portsmouth has become the first school in England to receive an Artsmark Platinum Award for the second time, achieving the highest level of recognition for its arts and cultural provision.
Artsmark is Arts Council England’s award recognising excellence in cultural education. It celebrates schools’ commitments to embedding arts across the curriculum and bringing creative learning to life for children and young people.
Admiral Lord Nelson has been involved with Artsmark since 2003 and was one of the first schools to achieve the Platinum Award when the programme was refreshed in 2015. The new award recognises the school’s commitment to cultural education, which sees the arts strongly embedded across their whole curriculum and playing a key role in their School Improvement Plan.
Amanda Rigler, Senior Officer for Artsmark, said: “We’d like to congratulate Admiral Lord Nelson School on this fantastic achievement. The Artsmark awarding panel were extremely impressed by their commitment and dedication to arts education, exemplified by the extensive involvement of pupils, staff, parents and governors in cultural activities, the professional development opportunities offered to staff and students, and the support they have offered to other schools on their Artsmark journeys.”
Nys Hardingham, Admiral Lord Nelson headteacher, said: “We’re delighted to be recognised for our commitment to our students’ arts experience and our dedication to improving our own practice. Achieving the second Platinum Award will only strengthen our resolve to continue this work and share what we have learned with other schools and the wider community.”
Darren Henley, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, said: “Congratulations to all the staff, students, governors and parents at Admiral Lord Nelson on becoming the first school in England to achieve two Artsmark Platinum Awards. Schools remain the most important places where children can experience arts education, and Admiral Lord Nelson is a shining example of the vital role schools play in raising the breadth and quality of cultural learning.”
