Today, HSDC can announce that the College has embarked on an exciting journey to obtain the prestigious Artsmark Award.
Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings, accredited by Arts Council England. The programme is proven to support students outcomes and wellbeing, teacher recruitment, retention and confidence, and whole school improvement. Artsmark has over 20 years’ experience in transforming schools through arts and culture, and HSDC will join a growing network of nearly two million students and around 4,000 schools across the country.
HSDC’s dance students.
Through Artsmark, HSDC will embed arts, culture and creativity to support its students’ learning, health and wellbeing, helping them to build resilience, confidence and character.
HSDC will embark on an immersive learning programme from Artsmark’s national delivery partner, Goldsmiths, University of London. Goldsmiths are world-renowned leaders in creative pedagogy and cultural placemaking.
To become an awarded Artsmark school, HSDC will be developing their arts and cultural provision to ensure they have a broad and ambitious curriculum for its students. They will achieve this by creating an overall plan demonstrating their commitment to cultural education that will be delivered across the whole school.
On striving for their Artsmark award, Pete Budd, Assistant Principal at HSDC Havant said:
“We’re really excited to be developing creative learning opportunities for our students; we value the Arts enormously at HSDC for the skills our students develop and for the transformative opportunities that an arts-rich education provides.”
HSDC’s music performance students showing off their skills.
When asked about what this journey means for HSDC, Pete said:
“During our Artsmark journey, our students will enjoy arts-based learning opportunities across the curriculum – we’re seeking to develop creative ways of teaching across our provision, encompassing students from Level 1 to Level 4, adult learners and apprentices. We enjoy superb cultural collaborations with arts organisations, and will be further extending these partnerships to enhance our curriculum and give our students wonderful experiences.”
Sally Barlow, Head of Faculty for Creative Industries at HSDC South Downs said: “
“Pete and I were delighted to have our statement of intent signed off by the Senior Leadership Team, showing a strong, college-wide commitment to this vital goal. It’s clear that this journey is about deeply embedding the arts to benefit every student, regardless of their course level. Expanding our existing cultural collaborations and integrating arts-based learning across the curriculum—as Pete Budd mentioned—is the key. This ensures HSDC continues to provide an arts-rich education that prepares students not only with technical skills but also with the creative agility needed for the future.”
Alton College’s textiles students recently held an exhibition of their work.
HSDC strives to embed the arts into every aspect of college life. We recently announced our landmark partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company as a Lead Associate School, bringing Shakespeare and the RSC’s pedagogy to a cluster of local schools in the region.
Last week, our South Downs Campus celebrated Performing Arts Industry Week, where students were lucky enough to meet industry experts who helped to enrich their learning through workshops and panel discussions. Many of these experts were HSDC alumni themselves, highlighting the true value of an arts course at the College.
Havant student Grace Jones-Parker took advantage of HSDC’s comprehensive extracurricular art programmes, joining the College’s Online Creative Writing Group. One of Grace’s poems, ‘The Dreamscape’, was recently selected for publication in the Young Writers’ poetry anthology, and was the runner-up in the YW’s annual poetry competition!
L4 Creative Enterprise students at South Downs host a pop-up shop every year.
HSDC’s creative students leave the College well-equipped for a successful career in the creative industries. Recently, two students from Alton College completed work experience with renowned London paper artist (and Alton College alumnus) Nathan Ward, providing them with unique experiences and networking opportunities in a dynamic and exciting working environment.
The College’s journey towards Artsmark so far has been punctuated by artistic success across all three campuses. Suki Dhesi, HSDC’s Deputy Principal, provided a statement on the significance of Artsmark and the College’s artistic philosophy:
“We are proud to have committed to Artsmark, as it validates our firm belief in the transformative power of the arts. At HSDC, we’re dedicated to more than academic results; we embed art, culture, and creativity into activities across every department, recognising them as essential tools for life. By giving our students spaces for self-expression, problem-solving, and collaboration, we are actively building their resilience to challenges and significantly improving their overall wellbeing. This holistic focus ensures our young people are equipped not just with qualifications, but with the essential emotional and creative capacities they need to thrive in a complex world.”
HSDC is very proud to be striving towards the Artsmark, and is continually working to develop and improve the arts provision across all three campuses.