Northants Report

Issue one

Inside: Spotlight on Schools

Join the conversation

www.themightycreatives.com

NEWSFLASH!

Showcase report on young people’s creativity in the countyCreativity

in Northamptonshire

Creative Exchanges Northamptonshire Sharing

eventP.14

Celebrating pupils talents through our

Creative Partnerships programme p.8

Tennyson Road: © Catalyst Theatre Arts Ltd

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Chief Executive of The Mighty CreativesRichard Clark

Where does creativity make an impact? Case studies in this Showcase Report describe just how involved children can become in their learning, often exceeding expectations and thus creating new and exciting opportunities.

It is clear from these case studies that children want to learn, regardless of ability or background. Powerful creative learning is achieved when schools and their creative partners commit to working collaboratively, drawing upon each other’s strengths to make new opportunities possible.

Collaboration is not always easy and there are often challenges along the way. This is in pursuit of one simple ideal: that creativity sits at the heart of powerful teaching and learning, and that by helping children and young people unlock their creativity, we can inspire them to even greater levels of success.

As you will see from the case studies, schools identifi ed new forms of co-operation between children that enhanced their language acquisition and increased their confi dence. Staff also became more confi dent in their own creative skills and ways to draw out creativity with their pupils.

Schools asked some key questions:• how can we involve young people in co-constructing learning? Children and young people redesigned their classrooms to form their own creative councils. Young people relish the opportunity to become active learners, taking responsibility (including the risks!) for their learning and driving it forward. • how can we improve our collaboration to get results? Joint planning is essential, as is the need to review progress and tackle challenges. It is great to see parents and guardians becoming involved in learning and allowing these creative learning approaches to go beyond the classroom.

The projects listed in this Showcase Report demonstrate that it takes time to understand the impact of learning and what it means to genuinely unleash young people’s creativity, whilst sustaining their engagement.

I would like to ask the question what should we do next? It is certainly something that The Mighty Creatives’ team look forward to addressing and answering in our Creative Partnerships programme for 2011/2012. We thank all our partners in Northamptonshire for their commitment to creating the very best learning opportunities with and for children and young people.

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Meet The Mighty Creatives’ Northamptonshire teamProgramme ManagerKaren EffordT: 0116 2533 431 M: 07796954741 E: [email protected]

Programme CoordinatorSamantha Lockwood-Lee T: 0116 2533 484 M: 07702958879 E: [email protected]

Quote from Karen or Sam

TEAM PHOTO?

“This has reminded me of why I came into teaching.” (Teacher from Magdalen School)

“Teachers don’t normally do that, it was good and unexpected.” (Pupil at The Guilsborough School)

“I’m more confident and willing to help others in class. It makes me feel really good. I can actually do anything if I try.” (Young Creative Expert from South End Junior School)

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About us

The Mighty Creatives (TMC) is the young people’s creative development agency for the East Midlands. Launched on 1st April 2009, our programmes and partnerships prepare young people for a lifetime of leadership, innovation and enterprise by giving them the creative skills to drive positive change in their lives and communities.

We believe that creative children and young people are integral to our region’s success. They can use their imaginations to address the region’s priorities, driving forward innovation in schools, communities, business and the environment.

We are committed to involving children and young people in every aspect of our work. This is why our name was chosen by young people, and why we continue to be driven by their ideas and talent.

It’s thanks to the collaboration of TMC staff, creative agents, creative practitioners, schools, local authorities, communities and beyond that young people are successfully driving positive change.

Our vision for the future: creative young

people at the heart of our fl ourishing regionpeople at the heart of our fl ourishing region

Creative young people at the heart of:– successful schools and children’s centres

– safe and strong communities

– a thriving economy

– a vibrant cultural offer

Creativity at the heart of The Mighty Creatives – gaining a better understanding of young lives

– building systems and structures for youth participation– building systems and structures for youth participation

– building innovative, trusted partnerships and programmes– building innovative, trusted partnerships and programmes

Why Creativity? see page 16 for more

Our current programmes include:

Our programmes are delivered through a substantial network of partner agencies, organisations and freelancers across the East Midlands and East of England.

A commitment to young people’s creative leadership and engagement features strongly in each programme.

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Northamptonshire County Council working in partnership with TMC.

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Creative What is Creative Partnerships?

The Creative Partnerships (CP) programme brings creative workers such as artists, architects and scientists into schools to work with teachers to inspire young people and help them learn. The programme has worked with over one million children, and over 90,000 teachers in more than 8000 projects in England since 2002.

Creative Partnerships is the Government’s fl agship creative learning programme, designed to develop the skills of young people across England, raising their

aspirations and achievements and opening up more opportunities for their futures.

Creative Partnerships aims to infl uence policy and practice in both the education and cultural sectors. It is managed by the national organisation Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE), with funding from Arts Council England (ACE), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in response to the report by the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education (NACCCE) All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education (1999).

Schools at the heart of creativity A national Creative Partnerships programme planning and evaluation framework for creative learning was introduced in 2008 for the delivery of the following three school strands of delivery:

• The Schools of Creativity programme enables a small number of leading Creative Partnerships schools to engage in cutting-edge practice over an initial three year period. They will develop innovative programmes with other schools and play a pivotal role in the strategic leadership of Creative Partnerships.

• The Change Schools programme enables schools with signifi cant challenges to engage in an intensive three-year programme that supports the creative development of the whole school.

• The Enquiry Schools programme enables any school in England to engage in a three term creative learning programme targeted at a specifi c group of pupils and teachers.

Photographer: James Sutton

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Partnerships

The collaboration and impact of our work

Want to see the evidence of this impact?See pages 8-11for case studies

9 Creative Agents and 54 creative professionals have worked in partnership with

young people and schools to make change happen

265 teachers have delivered activities as part of Creative Partnerships24 groups of young people have co-planned, delivered and evaluated creative learning

projects in schools

4, 910 young people have participated in creative activities

26 school coordinators have driven their schools creative learning programme forward

£156,000 invested in delivering the creative learning programme in Northamptonshire during 2008/9 academic year

2009/10

Millbrook Infant School ©Wendy Grant Photography.Millbrook Infant School ©Wendy Grant Photography. Photographer: Gerald Porter. Northampton Academy.

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School: South End Junior School, Rushden, Northamptonshire

Project start date: October 2009 End date: July 2010

Partners: Suzanne Oliver, Creative Agent/Creative

Practitioners Norm Keech/Threshold Studios/Ayd Instone

Question / Background

How can we develop school-wide Creative Confidences?

Project: I Spy Creativity

Objectives

- Develop creative confidences

- Set-up a Creative Council

- Appoint and train new Creative Experts

- Run creative skills workshops for parents and governors

- Establish a creative brand for the school

What happened

As savvy as James Bond is with his gadgets now the pupils turned Creative Experts at South End are as equally dynamic with their creative skills.

Activities over the course of the year were devised to focus explicitly on six key creative skills. Pupils were appointed as ‘Creative Experts’, given training by Catalyst Theatre Arts, and became part of the core team developing and evaluating creative learning within their school.

Alongside this, staff investigated creative learning in sessions facilitated by Norm Keech and Creative Agent, Suzanna Oliver, and then applied the approaches in their own sessions. Creativity Wheels were introduced in all classrooms to identify creative behaviours. Staff planned and delivered creative lessons with creative experts including a whole school creativity week in the summer term.

The school’s Creative Council launched in February to help embed creativity across the school.

In the spring term, Threshold Studios worked with creative experts to produce a short film (I Spy) about creativity within the school which was shared with the school community and wider audiences, and used to help recruit and train new creative experts.

In the summer term creative experts took part in recruitment training with an outside agency.

WATCH NOW - I Spy Creativity

Spotlight on South End

Junior School

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Outcomes

The creative experts recognised that they have taken risks, assumed new levels of responsibility and learnt and applied new skills through working together with creative practitioners, teachers and across year groups.

They are proud of their film and how they have supported younger pupils in developing their creative skills.

The core group of creative experts have talked at length about how they have become more organised and developed their confidence in their own ideas about how to demonstrate creative skills, and in other areas of school life.

Data analysis has also revealed a rise in attainment levels of four points on average, double national expectations of progress.

Through interviewing and working with the practitioner young people have identified potential creative career paths.

The teacher developed new creative skills and an enhanced understanding of social and emotional wellbeing-social pedagogy.

Plus the practitioner gained an understanding of restrictions imposed within secure units, with high risk and vulnerable young people.

“I’ve always felt uncreative in my stories in literacy but now I am more creative and I can keep going when before I would stop. I feel more confident because I have something to work with. I’ve really let myself go.” - A young person.

“I’m more confident and willing to help others in class. It makes me feel really good. I can actually do anything if I try”. - A young person.

Next Steps

Next Steps are to work with creative experts to embed creative skills into the core curriculum (science, maths, literacy, ICT).

As well as:

- Teach more people creative skills.

- Develop evaluation activities for the whole school as part of a week-long creative project.

- Observations in class to identify teaching which develops key creative skills

- Secret Mission - What makes a fantastic lesson? What are pupils doing? What are teachers doing that makes it a fantastic learning experience?

School logo

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School Enquiry

Questions 2009/10

Here you’ll fi nd the list of other Creative Partnerships projects from across the county to give you a fl avour of some of our areas of enquiry.Plus some key facts showcasing the change or improvement the projects have had on individual schools.

Lodge Park Technology College and Studfall Junior SchoolEnquiry Question: How do we judge our own success?This joint change school project equipped year eight students with refl ection, planning and evaluating skills through creative workshops.

Student centred learning approach to literacy activitiesMagdalen College Enquiry Question: How can we explore and develop new student-centred learning approaches to inspire literacy activities?

Rowan Gate Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: Is on-going individual therapeutics intervention helpful within the school setting for identifi ed young people?

Rowan Gate Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we support and develop creative teaching and learning to support inclusion and integration throughout the school?

Deanshanger Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: How does the school need to evolve to best prepare our pupils for their lives in the twenty fi rst century? A smaller sub-project looking at creative play.

Deanshanger Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: How does the school need to evolve to best prepare our pupils for their lives in the twenty fi rst century? From this broad question this project is centred around children developing a greater understanding of their identity and self hence the project title ‘Me, Myself and I’.

Students in year seven, eight and nine used literacy as their stimulus to lead, plan and construct their own work in a variety of subjects.

They learnt to share and incorporate other students’ ideas and worked together which in turn had a noticeable improvement in behaviour.


Success is a judgement

Continuing therapy

Whole School Creating

Project Play

Me, Myself and

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The Kingswood SchoolEnquiry Question: What approaches improve students’ motivation and attainment?

Guilsborough SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we be the change we want to be?

Art By MeIsebrook Special SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we develop a sustainable, successful creative business enterprise which involves the students making, marketing and selling their own high quality abstract art to the public?

Loddington Church of England Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we capture and interpret the history of Loddington C of E Primary School through ICT and the creative arts?

Millbrook Infant SchoolEnquiry Question: How can creativity develop children’s speaking and listening skills?

Campion SchoolEnquiry Question: How can creative learning approaches improve student engagement and enjoyment within MFL lessons?

Gretton Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we bring the curriculum and learning to life and make it relevant to children’s futures through the use of fi lm and drama?

Corby Kingswood Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we learn about games from the past and best use our outside space in order to work well together?

Northampton AcademyEnquiry Question: How can creativity help us connect to the world?

Wollaston SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we make all subject areas more aware of how to embed the arts to impact on student progress and engagement in lessons?

Woodnewton Enquiry Question: How can we enhance the visibility of the global dimension in school?

Towcester Church of England Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: What impact does a creative approach to learning and thinking have on the understanding of number?

Tennyson Road Infant SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we utilise our outdoor areas to engage all pupils and improve boys’ writing through role play?

Art By Me. Isebrook School

Pupils’ confi dence increased through their experience of using new materials and over coming their inhibitions.

This project saw pupils work go on display and for sale to the public and was featured in the lo-cal press in January 2010 when Lady Mayoress of Ketterinfg unveiled their exhibition.

The Learning Consultancy

The Change We Want to Be

Creative Loddington

The Magical Book

Breaking Language Barriers

Rainforest Film Making

Great Bonanza

How can creativity help us connect to the world?

The Wollaston Carnival Event

Global Dimension

I’m a Year 6 - get me into maths!

Inside and Outside

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Sywell Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we work as a whole school to develop our experiences of dance and culture and work together to produce some whole school creative projects?

Visual Arts DevelopmentFerrers Specialist Arts CollegeEnquiry Question: How can we raise the standards of attainment for all students in Visual Art and encourage the more able to opt for Art at GCSE?

Silverstone InfantsEnquiry Question: How can we effectively use the outdoor environment to inspire us towards creativity and learning in science?

Sywell Primary School.

This project saw students experimenting with different processes and materials which helped them meet the criteria for their GCSE coursework.

Year 10 students strenghtened their problem solving skills and enjoyed learning from each other and the practitioners.

Dance across the world

Who lives in a house like this?

St Mary’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: Will increasing the depth and broadening of cultural and artistic experiences raise the life chances of our pupils? Will it give them greater linguistic skills and develop thinking skills?

Polebrook Church of England Primary SchoolEnquiry Question: How can we develop children’s skills for life by working in collaboration with our local community to explore innovative, exciting and challenging ways of learning to create quality outcomes?

Jungle Hood The Spirit of Polebrook

Cedar Road Primary SchoolEnquiry Question:

Celebrations across world cultures in clay

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“We were more relaxed for learning so we could find our own way to do things more” (Pupil at Wollaston School)

“Before Creative Partnerships we saw each other as ‘one person’ - we found out that if we worked together we are stronger .. we can do more things.” (Pupils at Corby Kingswood Primary School)

“The school, as a whole, has become aware of a change in the Year fives from doing this project .. it is as a result of working with others and being responsible to others.” (A teacher at Corby Kingswood Primary School)

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Introduction

The Northamptonshire celebration and sharing event ‘Creative Exchanges’ took place on Monday 27th September 2010, 9.15am – 1.30pm at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton.

The event was a partnership between Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) and The Mighty Creatives (TMC). It was funded out of the NCC Continuing Professional Development (CPD) funding.*

The event was a sharing opportunity aimed at all of the Creative Partnerships programme participants; children, young people, teachers, creative practitioners and creative agents and wanted to ensure that there were learning outcomes for all.

Workshops

Children and young people had the opportunity to take part in two workshops which were led by children and young people alongside teachers/creative practitioners/creative agents from selected schools. The workshops were based on the following themes;

1. Creative children and young people working in partnership with adults to lead change – led by Lodge Park Technology College and Studfall Juniors

2. Creativity in teaching and learning – led by Wollaston

3. Creative children and young people working in partnership with adults to lead change – led by South End Junior School

4. Creativity in teaching and learning – led by Campion School

*CPD adds value to the core Creative Partnerships programme, through supporting additional learning and development opportunities for participants.

Creative Exchanges Northamptonshire Sharing Event

Spark Wall ©Richard Frost Photography.

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Celebrate!Refl ectionEach workshop/session was followed by a brief refl ection period of 10-15 minutes. This time allowed both young people and adults to think critically about the workshop they have just experienced, refl ect on what they learnt from it, and think creatively about how they could develop what they had learnt for use in their own school or their own learning.

A special thanks to the young consultants from Magdalen College who worked with Suzanne Oliver to plan the ongoing refl ection sessions and facilitated these on the day.

Objectives of the day For all participants to:• Network with others and share experiences and ideas• Take part in creative activity to explore priority themes• Exchange creative skills and ways of working together on creative learning projects

For young people to:• Improve their team working skills, communication skills and confi dence to work in partnership with others• Contribute to aspects of the planning and delivery of the event• Young people facilitating workshops to develop their presentation and organisation skills, as well developing their leadership skills and skills in peer to peer teaching and learning• Gain inspiration, ideas and share knowledge and skills with other young people and adults• Develop their creative thinking skills

For Adults to:• Exercise refl ection and evaluation skills• Make links with other schools and share thoughts and ideas with others• Participate in refl ective discussion• Gain inspiration and ideas for future creative learning work in schools


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Creative Exchanges Northamptonshire sharing event

Spark WallFacilitated by Richard Frost, the Spark Wall was a mapping of ideas, thoughts and refl ections from throughout the day and fed into the fi nal evaluation session.

Evaluation At the end of the event, Suzanne Oliver from Catalyst Theatre Arts facilitated a larger evaluation session with everyone present. The session measured how successful the event had been in meeting the aims and objectives of the day, and gave an insight into the thoughts and experiences of all participants.

Below are the fi ndings of the evaluation on the day:

Spot the difference: some of their differences that the schools noted on the dayThey have Creative Experts in their schoolThey have learnt about the world through dance from different countriesThey are doing GCSEsThey have homework during Creative Partnerships Projects They are from a secondary school in a different part of Northamptonshire

What the schools felt they had learnt from the dayThe need for: Structured (approach)• Evidence• Improvements• AttainmentWhere are we going? - How will we know when you get there?TIME to develop ideas – Allowing processHow can a Creativity Council work for us? Who can help us?Journey to the unknownWe want creative experts in our school


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Thank Yous For the development of the Creative Exchanges Event:Anna-Marie Whitaker-Johnson, NCC/Suzanne Oliver, TMC Creative Agent/Catalyst Theatre Arts/Esther Field, NCC/Samantha Lockwood-Lee, TMC/Daisy Edwards, TMC/Nicola Scott, NCC/Karen Efford, TMC/Karen Birch, TMCFor support at the Creative Exchanges Event:Sophie Loosemore, NCC/Richard Frost, Creative PractitionerFor running workshops at the Creative Exchanges Event:Pupils and Staff from Wollaston School/Lodge Park Technology College and Studfall Junior School/Campion School/South End Junior SchoolFor Evaluation throughout the Event:Students from Magdalen College

Questions and thinking for the futureWhat do we mean by whole school? Students, Teaching Staff, Governors, Parents, Local CommunityHow do we get EVERYONE on board?Everyone can have a role – different ages working togetherWhat different areas of the curriculum can be linked together?What responsibility can children be given?

ContinuedMaking something old NEW!Are we nearly there yet?How can we use the 5 creative skills in literacy?Creativity week

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“If we didn’t learn creativity we would have a disgraceful world and we couldn’t have a job and we would argue all the time” - young consultant.

When children and young people work creatively, they use their imaginations to solve problems, experiment with new ways of doing things, learn new skills and develop “stickability”, the determination to succeed.

Through taking part in cultural activities, from visiting museums to writing computer games, young people develop their sense of belonging, better understand themselves and others and raise their aspirations. Culture can support young people through transitions, from the moment they are born through to adulthood. It helps ensure young people reach their full potential and is a key driver for their creativity.

Creativity and culture give children and young people the tools they need to make positive change happen.

Photographer:Andy BillingtonPhotographer: Tom Nowobilski

Why Creativity?

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1. Young people’s creativity is a valuable and necessary asset for the region’s prosperity, underpinning skills, productivity and cohesion

2. Young people’s creative skills need nurturing from an early age through to adulthood to help realise their potential

3. Creative children and young people can be effective change agents in their schools and communities when given the opportunity to take part in decision-making and develop their leadership skills

4. Adults from different sectors can work together in new ways to provide rich, ambitious and challenging opportunities for young people and create a stronger, evidence driven argument for culture

5. We all need to fi nd new ways of working with young people that empower them as innovators and social entrepreneurs to build a sustainable future.

Our vision for the future: creative young people at the heart of our fl ourishing region

Creative young people TMC’s 5 arguments for change

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*Innovation and Skills

Becky Williamson

[email protected]

0116 2616 834

07725660530

*Sector Development

Karen Birch

[email protected]

0116 2533 479

07909680385

TMC is currently developing some exciting new projects and programmes under a campaign called ‘Be Mighty Be Creative’. Feel free to contact one of the TMC directors who are developing our new business planets.

Children and young people at the heart of: -

a thriving economy

a vibrant cultural sector

*Learning

Hugh James

[email protected]

0116 2533 476

0776956475

Creative Learning LabsGroups of schools working together to reinvent teaching and learning.

successful schools and children’s settings

*Leadership

Caroline Barth

[email protected]

0116 2533 486

07540668250

dynamic communitiesMy WorldA web-based platform for young community activists.

Creative Community HubsPutting resources in the hands of children and young people to lead creative action around issues that are important to them.

Street Art AcademyProviding high quality vocational training for young people at risk of exclusion.

Business as (Un)usualFostering new ways of working in business by inviting SMEs and larger employers to collaborate with children and young people.

Bank of TMCInvesting in the next generation of social entrepreneurs to develop the skills, resources and networks to tackle diffi cult social challenges.

in-volveHelping cultural organisations fully engage with children and young people to drive forward innovation and inclusion.

in-workGiving young people from disadvantaged backgrounds a head start to their careers in the cultural industries through accredited work placements, internships and apprenticeships.

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“I think I am more confi dent in all subjects because in literacy I have been doing really well, maths I’ve been doing well in my homework and I think I’m being more creative in all my work.” (Pupil from South End Junior School)

“By engaging young children in creative activities and persuits allows them to express themselves verbally and connect with their peers.” (A teacher at Millbrook Primary School)

“Telling a story in front of peole. It was scary but now I feel more confi dent.” (A pupil from Deanshanger Primary School)

© February 2011

The Mighty Creatives is a company registered in England and Wales, company number: 06652046, charity number: 1129006

Thanks to...all the schools mentioned in this report and the Creative Agents and Practitioners who supported the pupils.Plus a huge thanks to the teachers, parents and communities who have helped pupils celebrate their creativity!

www.themightycreatives.com

Sywell Primary School

Northants Report

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