Collaboration and connection at the CORE of the JQ
Reading Time: 2 minutes
JQ Life Magazine Guest Column: Jamie Barton, Jewellery Quarter Academy
What makes Jewellery Quarter Academy special is the commitment and drive to build partnerships with organisations to give our students a wide range of wonderful opportunities.
We serve many students that come from disadvantaged backgrounds in some of the most deprived areas of Birmingham and we embrace our geographic location to give students access to opportunities that they might not otherwise get. We have put character development around our CORE values of collaboration, opportunity, respect and excellence at the heart of what we do. Part of the ‘journey’ for a student at JQA is being encouraged to value the historic community around them in the Jewellery Quarter; we want students to be proud to be part of the Jewellery Quarter community, to respect its history, and contribute to its future.
Our students’ excellent artwork has recently been displayed in the beautiful setting of the English Heritage site at JW Evans Silver Factory on Albion St, whilst we have taken talented Year 9 artists to the RBSA to inspire them with the work of local artists. We value working with partners in the Jewellery Quarter and have recently started planning with the JQ Townscape Heritage Project to provide the opportunity for students to work on a craft project and exhibit it in The Hive on Vittoria St.
Another local group we are collaborating with is JQ Neighbourhood Forum. Our students in Year 8 are excited about volunteering on a weekend on their Adopt a Canal project, working together on canal restoration – an important symbol of our shared industrial heritage.
Sporting students have benefitted greatly from our ongoing partnership with the stylish Henrietta St Gym, offering them opportunities to benefit from the superb facilities and gain boxing qualifications, and even sponsorship to recognise their promising talent.
We are always looking to support our students with opportunities to explore more of our community, meet the amazing people that make up the Jewellery Quarter, and make the most of the inspirational culture and heritage all around them, including galleries, museums, and workplaces. We also offer work experience opportunities in March/April for Year 10 students each year and we hope that more organisations in the JQ will continue to open their doors to our students so that, together, we can open students’ eyes to the history, heritage, and opportunities within the community of the Jewellery Quarter.
Jamie Barton is Deputy Headteacher at Jewellery Quarter Academy. If you would like to collaborate with JQA, email: jbarton@jewelleryquarter.academy.
Read more articles from JQ Life Issue 8 on our website.