News

A Poole school has received a Silver Award for its strong commitment to the Arts. Haymoor Middle School has been praised for its full range of art & design, music, dance and drama.

The award scheme was launched this year by the Arts Council of England to increase the range of arts education provision in schools and raise the profile of arts education generally.

Peter Schouten, Headteacher, said "I believe Haymoor was the only Poole school to receive an award in the scheme's first year. At Haymoor we consider the Arts to be a very important part of the education we provide and have achieved very high standards over a number of years. We have staff with considerable expertise in the Arts and major contributions enabling the school to achieve this award have been made by Stephen Ward, Kay Spratt, Jan Farrington and Caroline Cooper. We believe that high performance in the Arts raises pupil's self esteem and develops a range of skills and attitudes that have a positive effect on other important aspects of our curriculum."

Jeff Hart, Chief Adviser, Borough of Poole, said: "Haymoor Middle School has done extremely well to gain this award. It reflects the desire of schools in Poole to provide a broad education for pupils."

Councillor Brian Clements, Executive spokesperson for Education, said: "This is a wonderful achievement for Haymoor Middle and I would like to congratulate the staff and pupils at the school for their work. Our school's endeavour to provide an interesting and vibrant curriculum and this is a shining example of how learning can be enhanced."