A PRIMARY school has won a prestigious award for supporting pupils with creativity and culture.

Wix and Wrabness Primary School has scooped the Artsmark Award, which is the only creative quality standard for schools accredited by Arts Council England.

To achieve this award, the school had to develop its arts and culture provision to embed a broad and balanced curriculum.

One element of the Artsmark journey has been the Year of Culture programme, which was managed by deputy headteacher Vanessa Lindsay and headteacher James Newell.

The final project, which was called Lost Words and Magical Moments, encouraged outdoor learning and featured the gathering of objects.

On receiving the award, Mr Newell said: “We’re extremely proud of achieving our Artsmark Platinum Award.

“We are committed to delivering a high-quality arts and cultural education and we look forward to continue to grow with Artsmark.”

To get the recognition, the primary school has also worked closely with the Royal Opera House Bridge, which aims to connect children and young people with art and culture.

The organisation’s school engagement officer said: “It is widely noted that Artsmark Platinum is a rarity amongst primary schools and even more rare when the school is rural due to the lack of easy access to cultural venues.

“The school has achieved remarkably, and certainly beyond external expectation. For a small, rural school, this has only been possible due to the stellar work of the staff.”

Ms Lindsay added: “Now we have the award we want to continue this journey and hold onto it and see how we can embed the arts further within our curriculum and build our networks.

“Our vision is to give children inspiring and cultural experiences which will broaden their horizons.”

An Artsmark assessor added: “The school has an understanding of high-quality arts and cultural provision that connects subjects and learning outcomes across all phases and links to the whole setting’s pedagogy.”

“Children have continuous access to a wider range of challenging arts and cultural experiences that are stretching their knowledge, skills and understanding.”