What is Artsmark?

Artsmark is a national award scheme managed by Arts Council England which celebrates schools’ commitment to the arts. It provides a benchmark for arts provision in schools and encourages them to assess the opportunities available to children and young people in dance, drama, music, art and design. After ten successful years and over 10,000 Artsmark awards, Artsmark is happy to be back – with a new online application system and welcoming a wider range of organisations to apply, including further education colleges and youth justice settings. Applications are now open for round 12, Deadline: 12 January 2012. Visit www.artsmark.org.uk for more information

Artsmad training on Artsmark
Artsmad will be offering training for:

Those wishing to renew their Artsmark award
Those wishing to upgrade to Gold Artsmark
Those who are applying for the first time.
The training will be delivered by Sarah Foulkes, School Improvement Advisor and Arts Council’s nominated Artsmark trainer for Swindon, supported by Dienka Hines, Culture Education Manager and Arts Awards trainer.

The training will consist of two twilight sessions:

Wednesday 9 November 3.30pm-5pm: An introduction to Artsmark and overview of the new scheme. Details of how to apply and the application stages.
Wednesday 23 November 3.30pm-5pm: Explore how to evaluate the quality of your arts provision in order to complete the second stage of the application.
Surgeries and Q&A to help with applications so far.
Training will be hosted at Orchid Vale Primary School, Torun Way, Haydon End, Swindon, SN25 1UG. The cost of training is £40 for the two sessions. Prior to the training all attendees are invited to read the ‘How to Apply’ guidance on the Artsmark website www.artsmark.org.uk to ensure you are ready to apply for round 12.

To book on to training and for more information please contact Jennifer Blackwood jblackwood@swindon.gov.uk