Teaching for creativity

Teaching for Creativity is a collaboration between eight small, semi-rural schools in the High Peaks where one-form entry is considered a large setting. The area has stunning scenery and pockets of affluence, but these mask rural poverty for many and deprivation of opportunity for all. Access to the arts is harder in the communities we serve. There are very few large arts organisations locally, and a real effort must be made to ensure children believe the arts are for them. Our school-led programme partners with local artist practitioners from our catchment. 

We wanted to make a sustainable change to our schools and so made the involvement of the senior leadership team (SLT) a requirement. We have an overarching question: ​“How can working with creative practitioners develop and embed teaching for creativity?” Each school has an individual research question aligned to their school improvement plan and is collaborating with a visual or performance artist to develop teaching skills and to implement their action research. Two former head teachers act as mentors supporting the schools, planning the professional learning structure and ensuring things remain on track.

The most powerful thing we have done is build ongoing review into our professional learning cycle. The artists and teachers meet at least half-termly, and the head teachers meet at least termly. I know a meeting; the world is full of too many meetings! However, getting together to support and challenge each other has ensured change can be embedded and the project remains a key priority in the schools. At these meetings, there are always elements of both review and training. This has helped us tailor the support to the needs of the schools and artists. For example, the head teachers received input on creative school improvement planning in Year One. In our end-of-year reflections, artists and teachers identified that children experiencing attachment issues have, and create, barriers to involvement for themselves and others. Our Year Two professional learning plan now includes support in this area.

Here’s what we found out this year.

• The teachers and artists are all learning.
• Creativity is playfulness and very important. Play is how humans learn.
• Creative teaching methods can easily be applied to other curricula areas.
• It is ok to get it wrong and adapt.
• Artists have identified that teachers are working at capacity, so any change needs to be doable, to be intrinsic rather than an add-on.
• Short interactions and evaluations on the hoof are often more beneficial than longer, less frequent sessions. (Assessment for Learning principles applied to adults)
• Planning is very important, and time spent on it is not wasted time.
• The SLT is fully on board and is making changes.

• Relationships between the artist and teacher are less strong.
• Schools are using it as an add-on.

• Bringing reluctant staff onboard.
• Staff movement.
• Heads involvement in the project.
• Sharing learning with schools outside the project in an effective manner.
• Sharing learning with the arts sector in the area — particularly with those with emerging creative learning programmes. 
• Tailoring support to need — for example, some schools need more support than others.

As we enter our second year, teachers and artists are working towards embedding their learning across their settings through both staff training and resource creation. At strategic level, our head teachers are focusing on how the programme can be a catalyst to shift school ethos. And together, we are all exploring the role of creativity in improving assessment across the curriculum in our schools. We have all learned so much and we want to ensure the strongest legacy from this programme in our schools and across the High Peaks.

During our launch of Year Two, one teacher who, before this project, did not see herself as a leader said: