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Patronage of the Arts

 

Almost unique for state secondary schools, we are very fortunate to be under the patronage of two of our best known actors from stage and screen.

We would like to thank our patrons for their gracious advocacy of the arts not only in our school but beyond. At a time when Arts education has been in decline, it is a privilege to continually develop an arts provision which both the Senior Leadership and Trust Board are fundamentally committed to as part of education at the school.

This year also sees the commencement of our journey to Arts Mark Platinum where we will see values of arts education and creativity become embedded as a pillar of our educational principles impacting far beyond our own subjects.

Arts Mark Platinum will also enhance our journey towards becoming a regional centre of excellence in the arts, supported by the launch of our new sixth form in September 2024.

Dame Imelda Staunton

Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton DBE is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre productions in the United Kingdom.

Staunton has performed in a variety of plays and musicals in London throughout her career, winning four Laurence Olivier Awards; three for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her roles in the musicals Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy, and one for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Play for her work in both A Chorus of Disapproval and The Corn Is Green. 

Her other stage appearances include The Beggar's Opera, The Wizard of Oz, Uncle Vanya, Guys and Dolls, Entertaining Mr Sloane, and Good People. She has been nominated for 13 Olivier Awards.


On film, Staunton's roles in the 1990s include Antonia and Jane, Peter's Friends, Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, and Shakespeare in Love. She received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for playing the title role of Vera Drake. She gained a  wider audience for her role as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films The Order of the Phoenix and The Deathly Hallows - Part 1. She also appeared in the films Nanny McPhee, Another Year, Pride, Finding Your Feet, and Downton Abbey, and provided voice roles for Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, and Paddington.

On television, Staunton starred in the sitcoms Up the Garden Path and Is it Legal?. Her performance in My Family and Other Animals earned her a nomination for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress, while her roles in Return to Cranford and The Girl earned her BAFTA TV Award nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. For the latter, she was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in the final two seasons of The Crown, gaining nominations for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

Imelda is currently starring in the West End revival of ‘Hello Dolly’ at the Royal Palladium.

James Carter OBE 



James Carter OBE is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Mr Carson in the ITV historical drama series Downton Abbey (2010– 2015), which earned him four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2012–2015). He reprised the role in the feature films Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022).

Carter's films include A Private Function (1984), The Company of Wolves (1984), A Month in the Country (1987), The Witches (1990), A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992), Stalin (1992), The Madness of King George (1994), Richard III (1995), Brassed Off (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Little Vampire (2000), Ella Enchanted (2004), The Thief Lord (2006), The Golden Compass (2007), Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), The Good Liar (2019), and Wonka (2023)

His television credits include Lipstick on Your Collar (1993), Cracker (1994), The Way We Live Now (2001), The Singing Detective (1986), Minder (1994), Arabian Nights (2000), The Chest (1997), Red Riding (2009), A Very British Coup (1988), the Hornblower episode "Duty" (2003) and the Midsomer Murders episode "The Fisher King" (2004), and Dinotopia (2002).

James is currently working on the new film of Downton Abbey.