Double gold delight for Greenacres Primary Academy

Greenacres Primary Academy staff and pupils celebrated a double success this summer, with the school achieving the gold standard in two prestigious education awards.

The Historical Association Quality Mark is awarded to recognise the excellence of history provision in a school.

The assessor remarked that “history has a very high status at Greenacres”.

The Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England.

Entering both for the first time, staff were delighted to receive the official accolades, which demonstrated the breadth of the curriculum offer at the Oldham primary school.

David Dean, history lead, said: “The process provided us with a framework for ensuring we have a broad and balanced curriculum.

"The gold award has vindicated the high status that we feel history has at Greenacres.”

The school’s curriculum features a combination of British and world history, along with a generous helping of learning about Oldham’s past.

The report highlighted the scope of history throughout the school, stating: “A tour of the school provided ample evidence of the prominence of history within the curriculum.

"Considerable work has been undertaken to make the curriculum more diverse.

“Pupils were able to discuss a range of examples of history within their immediate locality.

"For example, one child was able to tell the assessor about the local park and how he had seen a plaque that told him about how it was created.

"Another example was a child that had independently completed a project about their family history and how they came to settle in the local area.

"There is also a strong focus on Annie Kenney, the local suffragette.”

Tara Gould, Early Year and arts leader, said: “We are extremely proud that we have received the Gold Artsmark Award here at Greenacres.

"This really highlights the opportunities that have been provided for our children, whether that be musical, performance or creativity.

"We have also developed and maintained strong relationships with outside agencies that allow us to expand those opportunities far and wide.”

The Artsmark report acknowledged the school’s efforts in promoting creativity through their curriculum.

“Collaborations with cultural organisations such as with Oldham Coliseum, Oldham Art Gallery, Speech Bubbles [Oldham Theatre Workshop], and a poet and illustrator are contributing to quality arts and cultural education and experiences," the report added.

These awards will be added to the already impressive list that the school possesses.

However, not to rest on their laurels, they are already preparing for the reaccreditation of the Geography mark, and the capture of a Primary Science Quality Mark.

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