Memorandum submitted by Ann Gosse, Director of Culture, Sheffield City Council

 

Operational context

1. Creative Partnerships Sheffield (CPS) has been operating since January 2005. Its pilot projects in 15 core schools have generally been positively received and it is now beginning to show its ability to have a wider impact in the city. In 2007-2008 it will be working directly with 20% of the city's schools.

 

2. CPS works hand-in-hand with Sheffield Arts Education (SAE) to plan and deliver an extensive CPD programme which, in the year so far, has reached 67% of schools in the city and nearly 2000 teachers. SAE is taking the lead on training Lead Professionals in creative approaches to teaching and learning, drawing on models of good practice from the USA and Europe as well as the UK. A recent course for senior managers, run by Roy Leighton, was particularly well-received, inspiring current and future school leaders to be bolder in developing distinctive curricula in their schools.

 

Every Child Matters

3. I note that the 2006 Ofsted report stated that: "Convincing evidence was provided in all Creative Partnerships areas about the contribution of the programmes to Every Child Matters outcomes. The vast majority of pupils directly involved enjoyed their education in and through Creative Partnerships; good behaviour, cooperation, enthusiasm and pride were common outcomes. Skills that were consistently improved - literacy, numeracy, ICT, self-confidence, team working, an ability to show enterprise and handle change - are likely to contribute to pupils' future economic well-being."

 

4. Being healthy: Schools such as Wybourn Community Primary have linked their Creative Partnerships funding to their Healthy School ambitions. Their Community Café project not only taught the children about designing healthy menus, it assisted with parental engagement, bringing large numbers of parents into the school to taste the food and hear the poetry and songs the children had been writing.

 

5. Safeguarding: By engaging in creative programmes that develop their confidence in speaking for themselves and their ability to interact maturely with adults, we hope that our children will build the self-esteem and skills that will help them protect themselves from those who might wish to hurt them. I note that one of the city's leading cultural institutions, Sheffield Theatres, designed and delivered the training in SafetyNET for CYPD staff and also organised two tours of a powerful youth theatre production warning fellow teenagers of the dangers of grooming.

 

6. Enjoy and achieve: Creative Partnerships is helping to animate and enrich curriculum delivery in all key stages, through the programmes it supports in schools and through the CPD it offers with Sheffield Arts Education. Having visited the "Global Gateway" Modern and Foreign Languages project in Ecclesfield School, one of our large secondaries that is now on a strong improvement trajectory, I was impressed by the way the programme was engaging both staff and pupils, as well as enhancing the learning environment.

 

7. Making a positive contribution: Creative Partnerships programmes are essentially collaborative and teach young people the value of team work, of learning how to listen to each other, of working with other pupils' strengths and weaknesses towards a motivating shared goal. Projects such as the Young Citizens at Abbeydale Grange employ creative practitioners to develop young people's ability to participate in and influence their own education. Creative Partnerships has taken steps to provide positive adult role models for vulnerable pupils; 25% of its recommended partners this year are Black or Minority Ethnic or specialise in working with people with disabilities.

 

8. Economic well-being: Creative Partnerships has provided specific work experience with the BBC, about which young people make enthusiastic reports, and Sheffield Arts Education runs an introduction to careers in the creative industries every year. Of even greater impact, perhaps, is the bringing into the school environment of working professionals who can inspire entrepreneurial attitudes in young people through their evident dedication and real-world experience.

 

Strategic impact

9. By linking all of its programmes in with School Improvement Plans, Creative Partnerships is contributing positively to raising achievement , improving standards and developing strategic leadership skills in Sheffield. As it is concerned with pedagogy and partnership, rather than content, it is able to support and enhance the delivery and development of other programmes such as Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning, bringing additional capacity, expertise and motivation. It has made an explicit commitment to exploring and supporting the complex processes of cultural change in participating schools, asking school staff and external partners to think systemically and continuously about the effects they are having on the whole school and the educational community.

 

Recommendations

10. I believe that Creative Partnerships has produced abundant anecdotal evidence of positive impact. I would like to see it doing more work over the coming years to develop tools for diagnosing the readiness of schools for effective engagement and for demonstrating the impact on standards over the longer term.

 

July 2007