The Royal High Junior School in Bath has been shortlisted for the prestigious TES Schools Awards 2017, for the award of Creative School of the Year.
The TES Schools Awards, also known as ‘TESSA’s’ are run by the Times Educational Supplement and are now in their ninth year.
They celebrate the innovation, achievement and dedication of the staff in schools across the country.
The Royal High Junior School has been shortlisted along with just 7 other schools in the creative category and is the only school within the South West, and the only Bath school in any category.
Head of the Junior School, Heidi Hughes, said: “I am absolutely delighted that The Royal High Junior School has been shortlisted for this award. At RHJS we teach a little differently; we truly believe that creativity is at the heart of enjoyable and effective learning, and to have this recognised by the TES Schools Awards is fantastic.”
To have been shortlisted for creative school of the year is an incredible achievement and shows that creativity is truly at the heart of teaching and learning at the school.
The criteria set out by TES for the creative category states: “this isn’t about individual projects in art, drama, music or design – although it could take in one or all of these subjects – this is about making children think differently, beyond the strictures of the conventional curriculum. Ideally, schools that enter should have taken a whole-school or cross-curricular approach to one or more projects and seen a blossoming in creativity in their pupils.”
At The Royal High Junior School, the criteria have been met largely through the Cranwell Curriculum, which is a creative curriculum model designed to be diverse, engaging and girl-centered. It draws on the philosophies nurtured by the schools of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy and encourages learners to become integral in creating their own environments, taking ownership of their learning.
As well as being recognised by the TESSA’s, the school’s recent ISI inspection report (November 2016) stated: “The well-designed, creative activities provided and the close monitoring by the staff contribute to their high level of achievement.
“Pupils achieve so well due to them responding readily and positively to the breadth of the junior school curriculum, together with its emphasis on real life experiences.”