Creative links lead to pupil skills success

Sep 24 2007 by Helen Logan, The Journal

The creative industry is helping school pupils to develop new skills to lead them to success in the employment market. Joanna Desira spoke to Creative Partnerships Tees Valley to find out more.

SCHOOL children in the Tees Valley are benefiting from the expertise of artists from across the creative world. Creative Partnerships Tees Valley is one of 36 programmes set up in deprived areas across the country in 2002 to bring artistic flair into schools.

So far pupils in 150 schools in the area have reaped the benefits of working with Billingham-based Creative Partnerships Tees Valley to improve pupils’ skills and attainment.

The partnerships were set up after a report highlighted the need for young people to develop a new set of skills for today’s workplace.

The aims of Creative Partnerships are to develop the creativity of young people to help raise their aspirations and achievements, develop the skills of teachers and their ability to work with creative practitioners, and develop schools’ approach to creativity and culture.

It is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, and is supported by the Arts Council.

Artists, dancers, singers, and writers are among the creative practitioners which visit schools to work with teachers and pupils on specific programmes.

Among the latest schools to benefit are Roseberry Junior School and Hardwick Primary School in Stockton, which have used creativity to help improve skills in speaking and listening skills.

An evaluation of Creative Partnerships has found 92% of headteachers at schools involved in the programme had found an improvement in pupils’ confidence; 91% had seen an improvement in communication skills; 87% had seen an improvement in motivation; 79% felt Creative Partnerships had improved attainment.

Ofsted found pupils made significant gains in their personal and social development; Creative Partnerships Programmes were effective in developing pupils’ ability to take risks, show resilience, improvise and work with others; pupils’ interest, concentration, attendance, behaviour and participation were improved; and there were improvements in literacy, particularly speaking and writing.

Sally Fixter, programmer at Creative Partnerships Tees Valley, said: “Our whole aim is to develop creative teaching and learning practices in schools across the Tees Valley.

“We do that by bringing in partners, usually creative professionals, such as visual artists and film-makers but also work with non-cultural professionals who are seen as creative, such as entrepreneurs or academics who have particular specialisms in creative learning.

“In 2001/2002, a report called All Our Futures creativity is key in developing a set of key skills which young people need, to be able to go confidently into employment in the future.

“We no longer have jobs for life and young people need to be very flexible, have to work more readily, have to take more risks.”

Creative Partnerships Tees Valley has been working with nine lead creative schools, over a long time, a network of 30 to 40 schools, over shorter periods.

From September, the way Creative Partnerships works will change.

The organisation will work closely with schools named as national creative schools, with schools to address specific challenges and with schools which want to do shorter projects.

Sally said: “It is important schools know we are changing and there will be more opportunities to get involved, as previously we have been quite a small contained programme and we have been only working with a set number of schools.”

Programmes were set up at Roseberry and Hardwick schools after Stockton Children Services found it wanted to improve speaking, listening and writing skills and Key Stage 2.

Creative Partnerships worked with the schools to set up programmes.

Roseberry wanted to focus on foreign languages to improve speaking and listening and worked with Hexham-based Theatre Sans Frontiere producing a Spanish puppet show.

The children worked as teams writing for the show and developed their speaking and listening skills.

Hardwick Primary School decided to focus on the theme of transition, tying in with the redevelopment of the Hardwick estate and the construction of a new school building.

The children, aged seven and eight, worked with Effervescent Theatre on a production called Finding Hope, which used creative video, theatre and installation to improve their communication skills.

Sally said: “It was incredibly exciting for the children.

“There was a lot of emphasis on planning with the teachers because the teachers and practitioners have a lot of experience to share with one another, and by planning thoroughly the project can really take off.”

Sally said: “It is working and we want to continue to work in the Tees Valley. The plan is to be around until 2014 and there will be plenty more opportunities for schools from autumn onwards.”

Creative Partnerships Tees valley is planning to hold sessions when teachers can find out more in October.