MARCH 2009 futures
7futures
TEST FOR COCKERMOUTH'S
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
SCHOOLS
RussellColman Photography
Join us for lunch 12.30-4pm
on 3rd March in Ulverston or 5th March in Penrith,
for an afternoon guaranteed to fire your imagination...
CREATIVITYCREATIVITY
Supported by
ARTS COUNCIL
ENGLAND
For a booking form visit: www.creativefuturescumbria.org
tel 01768 893810
In partnership with
BOOKINGDEADLINE
25TH
FEBRUARY.
Ideas: find out about the government's
�140m Creative Partnerships programme,
and how it fits with the curriculum
Inspiration: hear presentations from the
Local Authority, students, practitioners and
teachers already involved,
Action: practical advice on how to apply for
Creative Partnerships funding for 2009-10
(�3,000-�15,000 p.a. per school) and what
is on offer
For Head Teachers, Senior Managers, Staff
and Governors. Two delegates per school.
Begins with lunch 12.30pm
Places are limited and available on a first come first
served basis.
and the Curriculum
B
UDDING entrepreneurs were on show
at Cockermouth school recently as
they took part in a Dragon's Den style
event.
Year 10 pupils designed colouring books
and picnic boxes that young children would
be able to use. They then presented their
designs to a panel acting as the dragons
including development manager Joan Ellis,
human resource manager Jill Paton and
supply teacher Michael Van Gulik.
The winning team included Amy Shaw,
Tanya Barclay, Jessie Parkin, Hannah Byrne
and Sophie Vatter who designed a
walkie-talkie box.
Form teacher Natalie Havard said she was
very proud of their efforts. "They have
done really well and taken on board what
was asked of them," she said.
"It was very brave of them to stand up
and present their design to a large
audience."
Angie Ainley, who organised the event,
said: "The focus of this event was to get the
pupils working in teams and to do some
planning, research into their designs and
improve their presentation skills.
"Their effort will support their work in
class and further their personal
development.
"We hold these days at regular intervals
throughout the year for different year
groups focussing on different aspects.
"The pupils have had an excellent day
and I think we have some very promising
entrepreneurs in the school."
W
E BELIEVE that the best
education has creativity at its
heart" � that is how the House
of Commons Education and
Skills Committee described the
role of creativity in learning in 2007.
Since then the introduction of the new
secondary curriculum last year and the
ongoing primary curriculum review have
provided increased flexibility to tailor
learning to learners' needs and focus on
developing dimensions such as creativity.
To some people the name Creative
Partnerships might not ring many bells,
but the government's flagship creative
learning programme is making an impact
in areas right across England, including
here in Cumbria.
Working with 40 schools since 2004,
Creative Partnerships Cumbria is hosted
by Creative Futures Cumbria, and aims to
develop the skills of young people so they
can perform well not only in exams and
extra-curricular activities but also in the
workplace and their community.
Creative practitioners � anyone from
architects and scientists to multimedia
developers and artists � work directly
with pupils and staff. But take a look at
Creative Partnerships Cumbria and its
clear this initiative is about more than
`doing the arts'.
It is concerned with exploring how
creativity can support learning in the
widest possible sense, from developing
questioning and problem-solving skills to
innovation and reflection.
Each school is assigned a `creative
agent', who manages the various
programmes, which operate at two levels.
Enquiry Schools run a year-long
programme targeted at a specific group of
pupils and teachers. For 2008-9 CP
Cumbria has 25 Enquiry Schools.
The Change School programme is an
intensive three-year programme for
schools facing significant challenges, and
supports the creative development of the
whole school.
Enquiry schools receive a grant of
�3,000 from Creative Partnerships and
must provide an additional �1,000, while
Change Schools receive �15,000 and
provide an additional �5,000.
Paul Jenkins, programme director for
Creative Partnerships Cumbria said: "At
its best creative learning is open-ended,
not shying away from challenge or risk,
and it develops a greater sense of freedom
for teachers and pupils to try out new
ideas and remain open to unexpected
outcomes.
"Nurturing creativity is important
because it is the key skill that enables us
to manage change, which is surely
essential for survival in uncertain times.
Being able to see new possibilities and
envision new ways of working means we
can approach change more as an
opportunity than a threat.
"Our programmes are not about asking
creative practitioners to become teachers
or expecting teachers to become artists.
Rather they are about exploring
sustainable change through long-term
partnerships between schools and
creative professionals.
"They make time for proper in-depth
planning to ensure they are relevant to
the needs of the school and its pupils, and
are supported by time for reflection and
quality evaluation.
"Young people are at the heart of what
we do and our programmes are most
effective when young people are actively
involved in leading and shaping them,
taking responsibility for their own
learning.
"We are pleased to have developed good
links with Cumbria County Council's
Children's Services, which we see as key
to successful working."
So does it work? Ofsted (2008), a
parliamentary select committee in 2007
and research completed by The National
Foundation for Educational Research
have all shown that Creative Partnerships
has a significant positive effect on
everyone involved.
Brenda Fishwick, a creative agent
working with Dean School, near
Workington, said her role was to broker
the partnership and act as a critical
friend. "This is a pupil-led approach for
the chance to have a creative take on the
curriculum," she said. "The school is
currently running an Enquiry
programme and one of the first things the
pupils took part in was interviewing the
creative practitioners who would possibly
be working with them to see what their
plans were.
"It was amazing to see five- to 11-year-
olds taking charge of their future, and
some of the questions they were putting
forward most adults wouldn't think to
ask.
"We also held a really successful launch
evening where parents, staff and
governors got the chance to meet the
practitioners who would be working with
the pupils and take part in some hands-on
activities. The response from the launch
was so positive and it was a chance to
show how partnership is about both
involving the community and getting
involved in the community."
Brenda began her role as the school's
creative agent last June by discussing
with the teachers where they wanted to
take things and how the programme
would fit into their plans for the school's
development. Together they identified a
need to highlight art and visual aids as a
learning support for the pupils. They
agreed a programme which would see
pupils explore learning through visual art
to stimulate language, enabling them to
have a fuller and richer approach to other
topics in the curriculum.
Brenda added: "Over the next term and
a half, creative practitioners will be
coming into school to focus on a project
based on the theme of water. Every year
group will be involved to some extent."
Information on how to apply to the 2009-10
programme is available at
www.creativefuturescumbria.org and schools who
want to get involved can attend an afternoon event
in Lantern House, Ulverston on March 3, or Rheged,
Penrith on March 5, where they can hear from
participants and find out how to apply.
gets creative
EYE EYE: Pupils taking part in Creative
Partnership activitiesPicture: Maddi Nicholson.
A NEW VIEW: Pupils taking part in Creative
Partnership activities Picture: Russell Colman.

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