School has art of gold

Pupils at a South Reading primary are in very good art after winning a top accolade.

Arts Council England has awarded an Artsmark Gold to New Christ Church Primary School in recognition of its commitment to, and excellence in, arts education.

Since Artsmark began nine years ago, almost 10,000 awards have been made, with 1,649 schools receiving the award this year.

Maria Soulsby, headteacher of New Christ Church School in Milman Road, said: “I’m delighted that the Arts Council has recognised our dynamic arts education programme.

“Our children really enjoy the opportunities we provide to enhance and develop their learning within the arts.

“I am so proud of their enthusiasm and talent, which is evident across our whole school.

“It’s wonderful for our work to be recognised with this prestigious award and I’d like to thank all our staff for their hard work in achieving this award, especially Jane Taylor, our arts co-ordinator.”

Alan Davey, chief executive of Arts Council England, said: “Arts Council England is committed to great art for everyone and we believe that the earlier children are creatively inspired, the more likely they are to have a lifelong engagement with art.

“Artsmark sets the standard for an outstanding arts offer in schools and it’s to see so many new schools attaining the Artsmark award this year.

“The award recognises New Christ Church’s passion for the arts and belief in the power of creativity.”

A school must dedicate a minimum of 10 per cent of its curricular teaching time to the arts to receive an Artsmark; 12 per cent wins a Silver Artsmark and 15 per cent qualifies for Artsmark Gold.

An Artsmark school also provides teachers’ professional development and involvement with local artists and arts groups.

Any school in England can apply for Artsmark at www.artsmark.org.uk.

© Reading Evening Post, 18.06.'09 - reproduced with permission.

School of quality praised

Original Article

Children at New Christ Church Primary School had lots to celebrate as they returned to school after the summer break.

They were told the school had been recommended to receive the prestigious Inclusion Quality Mark, in recognition of the very good work it does in supporting all the children in its care.

Assessor Barbara Curry visited the Milman Road, South Reading, school in the summer term and spent time meeting children, staff, parents and governors, as well as inspecting school records and policies.

She made judgements of the school in 10 areas, identifying many strengths. In conclusion she found that New Christ Church was a “truly inclusive school”, with a “strong learning culture”, and “harmonious” relationships, which have led to the school achieving good standards in learning and behaviour.

Headteacher Maria Solsby said “We have a very strong family ethos at New Christ Church, and welcome children from a wide variety of social and cultural backgrounds.

“I am very proud that all our hard work in welcoming, supporting and caring for every child has been recognised in this report.”

© Reading Evening Post, 16.10.'08 - reproduced with permission.

Pupils out - to be streetwise!

Children from Class 5/6 joined the police and Reading Borough Council to carry out an Environmental Visual Audit. We want to try to help keep our community safe.

Original Article

Pupils from New Christ Church School in Katesgrove joined police officers and environmental officers to inspect the state of their neighbourhood.

The headteacher of the Milman Road school, Maria Soulsby, accompanied the seven children on the environmental visual audit, during which they identified general litter, overhanging vegetation, broken glass bottles, abandoned shopping trolleys, graffiti, and exposed junction boxes.

The audit was organised by Katesgrove Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG), which conducts an environmental audit every month.

This was the first time schoolchildren took part.

© Reading Weekend Post, 23.05.'08 - reproduced with permission.

Teachers willing to 'go the extra mile'

Original Article

Two Reading teachers have been nominated for the Pride of Reading awards after making a special contribution to their schools.

Maria Soulsby, the headteacher at New Christ Church Primary School in Milman Road, Katesgrove, and Maggie Donaldson of St. john's and St. Stephen's Primary School in Orts Road, Newtown, have both been put forward in the Community Champion category.

Michelle Isley, whose daughter attends New Christ Church Primary School, said Mrs Soulsby was a "special headteacher".

She added: "My daughter has been going through some tough times in her life but Maria has always been there for her.

"She always checks that she is okay. She is very special as she really cares for the children and treats them like her own.

"Whenever my daughter has been sad she has always been there for her. She always checks that she is okay, even though these problems are out of school she always asks how my daughter feels about things.

"My daughter loves her very much. Maria goes that extra mile to care for the children at New Christ Church. Parents, children and teachers, we are all a big family."

Nominator Angela Armstrong said Mrs Donaldson had improved a number of schools in the area .

She said "Not only is she our headmistress at our school she had also changed around quite a few of the primary schools in Reading for the better."

© Thom Airs 30.10.'07