Stimulating Creativity

Creative Partnerships: Change School programme

  • Date:
    17 August 2009
  • Categories:
    Articl
  • Introduction:
    The Change School programme supported schools in bringing about sustainable change in approaches to teaching and learning.
  • Article:

    Schools in areas with significant challenges engaged in an intensive 2-3 year programme that supported the creative development of the whole school.  Over this time, the whole school worked collaboratively with creative professionals to achieve a sustained impact fo young people through developing schools as creative learning environments.

    Change Schools worked with artists and other creative professionals across the school on a range of projects that involved and explored the creative potential of the pupils, professional development for staff in the school as well as involvement of the wider community including parents and families.

    Change School projects were driven by what the school needed, and a school applied to be a Change School because it had a real commitment to putting creativity at the heart of its teaching practice.  Change Schools supported change across the whole school rather than the more focused approach taken by Enquiry Schools.  Like an Enquiry School, a Change School had a focus, but this could be explored in a deeper and more meaningful way.  There was an expectation that Change Schools would embed creative learning beyond the three year period.

    The Change school programme focused on generating long-term dialogue about creative teaching and learning, and how schools could become effective creative learning environments.  Change schools were expected to explore in depth how they were providing the conditions where creativity could thrive.  This programme looked at:

    • the role of leaders in developing a creative school;
    • how the curriculum is planned and organised;
    • the ways in which teachers teach and learn creatively;
    • the ways in which children are encouraged to learn creatively;
    • the ways that spaces and other resources are used;
    • the ways in which external partners, especially from the creative and cultural sectors, are involved in the life of the school.

    The pace of change was (and is!) different in every school and was (and is!) shaped by a myriad of influences and demands.  Creative change programmes sometimes resulted in rapid and dramatic changes in a school's culture and a complete re-working of its ethos and approach.  More commonly, the changes were gradual, building over time to an embedded approach.

    There is great evidence to show that Change School pupils' results were improved, behaviour improved, and young people and teachers developed their skill sets (e.g. in risk taking, teamwork and questioning).  We know that teaching improved and that teachers became more engaged with what they do.

    Funding:

    Cre8us provided access to funding of up to £15,000 per year with 25% contribution from school i.e. £5,000.  This funding helped creative practitioners and external partners to develop the creative programme with school staff and pupils, and created professional development opportunities for staff.  Building on existing expertise in the school, funding created space, time and resources to try new ideas, take risks and extend practice.

    Change Schools work when creativity becomes an integral part of how the school runs.  Each school worked with the pupils and creative professionals evaluating its progress, learning from what it's done, and through this led to sustainable change in the way the school operated.

    How did the Change School programme work?

    Initiatives or projects varied greatly, as the programmes and projects within them were designed to be individual responses to the needs of each school.  Please follow this link to find out more information about how the Change School programme worked.

    Please see the downloadable FAQ pdf document below for more information on the Change School programme. 

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