In 2018, our former art and textiles teacher, Ms Zafirakou, was awarded the prestigious Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize for her outstanding contributions to education. With the $1 million award she received, Ms Zafirakou founded a charity named Artists in Residence (AiR) with the aim to improve arts education in schools and demonstrate the benefits of a career in the creative industries.
Artists in Residence has been working to raise the profile of the arts in education by connecting creative professionals and arts organisations with schools in deprived areas bringing high-quality artist residencies to schools across the UK.
They have been working with UK schools, helping them to improve their art curriculum by connecting them with artists to co-design a residency project that meets the needs of individual schools and students. These residencies not only offer the students a chance to develop practical artistic skills but also offer an insight into what a career in the arts may look like.
More information is available on the Artists in Residence website.
