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Memorandum submitted by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA Partnership)
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is the lead strategic agency for museums, libraries and archives in England. MLA is part of a wider MLA Partnership, working with 9 regional agencies to improve people's lives by building knowledge, supporting learning and inspiring creativity. The Partnership acts collectively for the benefit of the sector and the public.
MLA is a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The MLA Partnership welcomes the opportunity to submit evidence to the Inquiry into Creative Partnerships
1 How should we define creativity in the context of education and child care? 1.1 Creativity in this context can be defined as offering children and young people opportunities to develop their imaginations and interests through accessing stimulating and imaginative experiences that encourage curiosity and exploration and prompt reflection and dialogue. Museums, libraries and archives are skilled at supporting schools to embed creative approaches across the curriculum. The sector is widely used by families out of school, who appreciate the access to inspirational resources and creative learning environments.
2 What effect have existing creative initiatives had on teachers' skills and ability to work with creative professionals in the classroom 2.1 The Learning Links programme, funded by Strategic Commissioning, placed 786 practising teachers in museums and archives between 2004 -2007. A further 2,423 teachers have engaged in further Continuous Professional Development activity. As a result of their placements, teachers have gained confidence and skills to use new resources in the classroom. 71% of the teachers who took part in Learning Links were new to working with museums and archives and 98% of them said that they would continue to use the resources on offer to support their teaching in the future. These placement programmes: · Provided teachers with a greater understanding of how they can embed museums, archives and their collections into their teaching · Allowed museum and archive staff to understand the curriculum more fully
2.2 The Strategic Commissioning programme has also worked with ITT students to embed the use of cultural and creative resources in classroom teaching at the beginning of a teacher's career. Since 2006 regional agencies have worked with 750 ITT students. From 2007, MLA will work with Creative Partnerships to manage a national programme linking ITT providers and students to placements in cultural and creative out of school settings.
MLA Yorkshire worked in partnership with York St John University to place an entire year group of trainee students in paired placements in settings other than schools. Museum and archive staff were trained as accredited mentors and the programme was so successful it has been embedded within the university degree course.
3 What are the implications of a curriculum shift in favour of creativity for the training of heads, teachers and cultural animators? 3.1 The welcome reform of the curriculum which embraces creativity in all schemes of work should be accompanied by new partnerships between schools and the cultural sector if heads and teachers are to develop the skills and confidence needed to support a personalised approach. A key finding from the evaluation report 'What did you learn at the Museum Today' which examined the first museum learning programme funded by Renaissance in the Regions was that although teachers recognised the enormous contribution of museum learning programmes on children's outcomes and behaviour, they felt unable to replicate this creative approach without the support of a museum educator.
The Strategic Commissioning programme is supporting the embedding of creativity within the curriculum by building the confidence of trainee teachers to develop their creative practice. The programme is also supporting reciprocal placements of cultural practitioners into schools to break down barriers and support partnership working.
To support secondary curriculum reform a clear ladder of progression should be developed within teacher's CPD to reinforce the importance of creativity in establishing a broad and balanced curriculum, and to embed this approach at the start of a teacher's career.
3.2 Renaissance in the Regions has increased the capacity of regional museums to support learning. A national museum survey carried out in 2006 found that 77% of museums have facilities used solely or primarily for educational purposes and 53% have an education room. This compares to 36% with an education room in 1994. Renaissance funding has supported the creation of 167 new learning posts in museums and a further 69 museum outreach officers who take collections out of museums into schools.
3.3 Partnerships between museums and teachers will support heads to introduce creative learning approaches and build confidence in developing cross-curricular learning. A museum survey in 2003 found that only 4% of teachers used museums to support cross-curricular work but this had jumped dramatically to 27% by 2005.
4 How might parents and education and care providers be persuaded to encourage creativity in the home? 4.1. Museums, libraries and archives are skilled at working with parents, carers and families. They have enormous expertise in engaging parents , carers and children in creative and inspiring activities that encourages them to learn together as a family, promotes inter- generational dialogue and directly supports the development of enriched homes. Schools, including extended schools, should develop partnerships with Museums, libraries and archives so that they can use the creative resources on offer plus the reach into communities to engage parents and care providers and support them to be more creative at home.
5 To what degree should creative education be structured to accommodate the needs of creative industries? 5.1 There has been a rapid development of creative industries in this country fuelled by the enormous creativity of our nation. Creative education should offer all young people the opportunity to realise their creative potential and should particularly ensure that BME and other under represented groups in the creative industries are given this opportunity. The new creative and media 14 - 19 diploma will provide opportunities for young people who want to develop their creative skills. Museums, libraries and archives wish to support this development but the sector needs to be properly funded to deliver creative education.
6 What evidence is there that a creative curriculum assists achievement in other areas? 6.1 A creative curriculum allows for opportunities of self-expression, the exploration of new ideas and enables children and young people to develop an understanding of the world around them and their place within it. Evidence from the 2005 'What did you learn at the museum today?' research demonstrated that after participating in creative activity in the museum, 95% of teachers thought pupils would be inspired to learn more. 92% of teachers anticipated an interest in thinking skills, and 87% expected an improvement in communication skills.
6.2 Teachers were also explicit about the causal link between enjoyment of the creative experience and learning "Enjoyment opens children up to learning" Teachers reported that students' attainment levels were higher than other groups following their experience of a museum learning programme.
7 What is the impact of a creative curriculum on a) pupils confidence, motivation, behaviour and team work and b) pupils literacy, numeracy, ICT and communications skills? 7.1 The Magpie project delivered through museums and schools in the North West showed a link between creative activity and improvement in pupil literacy with a higher level of improvement for boys and younger pupils. Teachers reported qualitative improvements in many aspects of writing, though the impact on grammar and punctuation appears to have been less marked. In addition, pupils wrote at greater length and with greater enjoyment. Progress in writing was measured by longitudinal teacher assessment for 201 pupils at baseline, mid- and end-point and for 176 pupils through voluntary SATs.
8 How can creative achievement among young people be acknowledged and assessed? 8.1 By building creative portfolios which record and acknowledge young people's creative work. The ACE/ MLA Cultural Hubs programme has supported young people to plan and deliver creative activities in partnership with creative practitioners and with their schools. 8.2 By extending the Arts Award to other cultural organisations and linking it to the 14-19 Creative and Media Diploma. 8.3 By embedding creativity within the Self Evaluation Forms and OFSTED school inspections 8.4 By working with QCA on the methodology for assessing creativity in the new assessment framework. The Generic Learning Outcomes (GLOs) and Inspiring Learning for All framework can support this work by aligning the GLOs to the new curriculum's wider accountable measures.
9 How can creativity be embedded across the curriculum and within the philosophy of schools? 9.1 By using the evidence from creative placement schemes already in place to demonstrate that creativity supports learning. 9.2 By working with Head Teachers and ensuring that creativity is embedded within the National Professional Qualification for Headship.
10 How can creativity in schools best be linked to the real world of work and leisure? 10.1 Work experience placements within creative environments should be developed and promoted to schools. A pilot programme supporting creative work experiences is currently underway in Herefordshire, as part of MLA West Midlands creative learning strand of strategic commissioning. The programme has placed work experience students in museums to work alongside creative practitioners. The placements are developing the students understanding of employment in the creative industries as well as their confidence in their own creative potential and how this can be inspired by cultural environments. 10.2 Career advice and progression routes for young people in the creative and cultural industries should be promoted through school career programmes. These can be developed alongside partners such as Connections and Aimhigher to ensure that young people have access to the progression routes into these sectors and information is made available through existing career support.
July 2007 |