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