David Nieper Academy is delighted to have been awarded a Silver Artsmark accreditation through the Arts Council England.

It follows a two year process of submitting a Statement of Commitment to Arts & Cultural Education, before tracking the impact and evaluating our successes through a 3,500 word Statement of Impact that was submitted in March 2023 by Mrs Charlotte Harrison, Head of Music, who has overseen the journey since the Spring of 2021.

Feedback from the Arts Council report included:

“David Nieper Academy has a strong commitment to developing its arts offer within and beyond the timetabled day. Your KS3 curriculum provides for weekly Dance/Drama, Music and Art.

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“The enterprise element of your provision gives arts subjects a real-world context with a focus on authentic outcomes that demonstrates and embodies the employment and career potential of the arts. This is a very strong base on which to build, and you have developed a wide range of extra curricular opportunities in which students are engaged, which include the Arts.

“You clearly listen to your students’ views and the examples you give pay tribute to how they value their arts experiences and state how they contribute to their personal development. You have also used the arts to develop links to the community beyond the school by showcasing pupils’ talents.

“The Arts are extremely well suited to your approach to education. They offer opportunities for collaboration, communication, craft, and creativity with real-world outcomes in performance and display.”

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Dr Kathryn Hobbs, headteacher of David Nieper Academy, commented: “I am delighted that we have received this award. It reflects the high importance that the academy places on the Arts and the hard work and efforts of the students and staff.

“Many thanks to Mrs Harrison and Mr Sharp (Trustee) who have led and guided the accreditation process.

“We are very much looking forward to our next musical production ‘School of Rock’ which takes place in June – tickets will be available from the academy in due course.”

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