Memorandum submitted by Caroline Veal, Business Development Manager,

Greentop Community Circus, Sheffield

 

 

Greentop Community Circus is an independent charity in Sheffield that has worked directly with schools and community clients since 1995 teaching and performing contemporary circus skills. In this memorandum I have used the briefing paper as a guide to my comments and have answered the questions mainly in relation to contemporary circus skills, as that is Greentop's area of expertise. Greentop is not working, at present, through the national Creative Partnerships programme. The aims of our work are, however, similar and we support the aims of this current national initiative.

 

Greentop believes that the Government needs to initiate a change in perception that creative activities are a separate and unconnected from the "real work of work." In this age of easy access to information, via the Internet, it is creative approaches to education and work that will supply a well-motivated work force, and stimulate creative solutions to issues. Creative arts, of all kinds, can be used as a positive catalyst for change.

 

Track Record

Greentop has a proven track record of delivery and receives regular funding from the Arts Council to support our work in deprived communities.

 

In order to access grant funding to support our charitable work, over the last 12 years, the charity has had to develop a deep understanding of the issues involved in bringing "creativity" to deprived areas and schools. In 2006/7 we had 82 community clients and for some of them we delivered substantial creative programmes. For example, we have recently completed an 8 week weekly programme of activity in a school in Halifax and have also delivered two eight week weekly programmes for the Youth Offending Team of Sheffield this spring. We will also be working with the Sheffield YOT on the Summer school programme (part of a national programme with 11 YOT's across the UK). The YOT recently said of our work:

 

"We are privileged to have access to this specialist resource in Sheffield and hope that the valuable work will continue"

 

1. How should we define creativity in the context of education and childcare?

 

As an opportunity to extend the current educational model beyond the accepted norms of quantifiable results and structured play into one which embraces quality and content through creativity and uses it for positive change.

 

2. What effect have existing creative initiatives had on teachers' skills and ability to work with creative professional in the classroom?

 

Greentop's current model of work with circus skills is to provide group activities and not work in the classroom with teachers. Teachers are, however, encouraged to attend these sessions along with pupils.

 

We have a very high percentage of repeat custom and glowing reports from teachers. Our strength with circus skills is engaging both teachers and pupils alike and involving them in an enjoyable and challenging experience.

 

"The work your tutors undertook with 8-13 year olds successfully engaged some difficult to reach young people. Feedback from staff and children alike was extremely positive"

 

 

3. What are the implications of a curriculum shift in favour of creativity for the training of heads, teachers and cultural animators?

 

· To change the perception that creative projects are separate activities to core subjects.

 

· To encourage lateral thinking in the classroom through fostering a wider educational and enjoyable experience for both teachers and children. Many skills such as numeracy can be included in a creative programme as part of a holistic approach to teaching through projects that use many skills.

 

· By working creatively with children teachers can communicate many subjects more effectively, as illustrated by the teacher who recently won a teacher of the year award by teaching maths using rap. Greentop also has a professional clown who demonstrates the properties of a black hole through the use of a dustbin and black plastic bin liner.

 

 

4. How might parents and education and care providers be persuaded to encourage creativity in the home?

 

· Through innovative schemes that involve families, such as Dads and Lads clowning,

or shows that involve parents in preparing for shows or audience members.

· This is evidenced through comments such as the following:

"I observed one session and was impressed with the tutor^'s ability to engage the young people and facilitate physical activity that stretched them and became the focus for praise from families, building these vital relationships and the children's self esteem".

 

5. What special contribution do the arts have to make to creative education?

 

· A non-competitive environment - where individuals can thrive - learning to juggle whilst balancing on a unicycle, for example.

· The development of team building and sharing through joint projects - working towards a show with others or jointly creating a piece of artwork.

 

· Improvement in concentration-learning to juggle, for example, requires focused concentration.

 

· Analysis- juggling can be a deeply philosophical process where a shape or form is broken down and reassembled by each individual pupil. In the process of doing this pupils learn a lot about how they tackle problem solving.

 

· Use of memory, observation There are many examples of this. I saw two teenage girls develop a comedy piece using a diabolo routine based on going to the shops and buying clothes. The girls incorporated into this performance all the foibles and petty arguments and compromises on comfort for fashion that teenagers have it was a superb piece of observation, a joint project requiring precision timing, skill and very well presented.

 

· Numeracy which is routinely integrated into warm up games for circus skills and more complex mathematics is used when rigging equipment for shows or calculating weight -bearing loads.

 

· Focused risk taking - by learning to use potentially dangerous equipment such as a trapeze or a tight wire. Particularly relevant to aggressive teenage boys who might otherwise be vandalizing property.

 

· Self-discipline and awareness of others - when learning to stilt walk you can easily be hurt by others knocking into you and to remain upright on stilts requires concentration and self-discipline.

 

· Problem solving - for example by using creative solutions to produce an illusion in a show.

 

· The use of IT - to produce artwork, promotional material or backdrops for shows.

 

6. To what degree should creative education be structured to accommodate the needs of creative industries?

· This needs a comprehensive review of what those needs might be.

· Conducting a national mapping exercise or using the information held by national organizations, such as the Arts Council, could achieve this. The review could comment on current provision and possible provision if more funds were available.

7. What evidence is there that a creative curriculum assists achievement in other areas?

· As a small charity Greentop does not have the capacity to provide statistical evidence of this but we have many anecdotes. For example, we have two members of Youth Circus who suffer from attention deficit disorder; their parents have praised the work of Greentop on improving their concentration, motivation and ability to co-operate with others. This has had a beneficial effect on their social skills and relieved the pressure on the family at home.

 

8. What is the impact of a creative curriculum on:

a) pupil confidence, motivation, behavior and team work, and b) literacy, numeracy, ICT and communication skills?

· Entirely beneficial because it engages children with all these issues in an interesting way that is not perceived as class learning.

· Please also see paragraph 5, which provides a comprehensive list.

 

9. How can creative achievement among young people be acknowledged and assessed?

· By well-motivated teachers who draw out the best from their pupils and understand, from their own teacher training, the value of individual achievements and give praise for work well done.

· By the use of innovative and flexible schemes such as the Arts Awards Scheme.

 

10. How can creativity be embedded across the curriculum and within the philosophy of schools?

· Through clear government support and direct training of teachers by artists, and artists working in the classroom with teachers, to bring about a change in perception and the understanding of the improvements creativity can bring.

 

11.How can creativity in schools best be linked to the real work of work and leisure?

· As stated before by embracing a change in perception that creativity is separate to work and leisure. Creativity is the catalyst for improving the standard of all education and embedding self-discipline, self-motivation and innovation in individuals.

· Creativity is about quality and content and is applicable to work and leisure.

 

July 2007