As you will be aware, Trinity College London has been delivering Artsmark on behalf of Arts Council England for the past three years. During this time the application criteria have been streamlined and Trinity has strengthened, supported and connected the Artsmark community with advice, guidance and a community magazine.
The three-year grant agreement is now coming to an end and therefore, from 1 April 2015, Artsmark will be delivered by Arts Council England rather than Trinity.
Trinity will continue to manage Artsmark’s sister programme Arts Award in association with the Arts Council.
Arts Council England is currently updating Artsmark so that it can be as effective as possible in helping to achieve their ambition of ensuring all children and young people have access to high quality arts and culture, as part of their 10-year strategy Achieving great art and culture for everyone.
The new Artsmark has been designed by and for schools and teachers and will ensure that many more young people can participate in the best arts and cultural experiences.
The refreshed Artsmark will be an irresistible way for schools and other youth educational settings to demonstrate and celebrate the impact of their arts and culture activities. It will be a straightforward way for schools to demonstrate their approach to a broad and balanced curriculum as required by the new Ofsted inspection framework, and of supporting them to deliver the new curriculum.
Schools and other organisations in England that wish to participate in Artsmark are encouraged either to get involved in piloting, which will run from April 2015 to July 2015, or apply when Artsmark is formally launched in September 2015. You can express an interest in being involved in the refreshed Artsmark or contact the Arts Council if you would like to find out more.
We will keep you updated on developments throughout the year and further information on the refreshed programme will be available on the Artsmark website.