Lessons from Inspiring Learning 

10 February 2023

“Children know when they are being invested in”

This is a quote from the headteacher at Leith Academy in Edinburgh, celebrating the far-reaching outcomes of a residency by the Edinburgh International Festival that lasted four years. The festival’s residency had brought a number of arts and theatre companies into the school to work with students and teachers in a holistic way, interacting with different curriculum areas and culminating in an exciting performance which expanded students’ learning as well as their creative and critical thinking, confidence, wellbeing and aspiration.

Implied in this quote is the view that to invest time and resources in something new, something different, something creative, is to invest in children as creative and cultural producers, thinkers, researchers, decision-makers and leaders, as well as school learners.

Additionally, working in partnership with artists signals an investment in teachers and leaders’ own learning and development; placing value on them as creative educators and leaders who can advocate for the arts as a vital part of children’s development.

This echoes throughout The arts in schools: Inspiring Learning: 24 Case Studies highlighting the value of arts in schools and beyond. This suite of case studies brings together 24 inspiring examples of arts initiatives in schools. The case studies include all four areas of the UK and include a rich mix of art forms, tailored to support individuals, school needs and community change. Each one has been written by a Bridge organisation, arts organisation or individual practitioner.

A vast amount of learning about arts projects has been generously shared by these authors, but three key learning themes cut across them all: take your time; listen and include; embed and share. These are summarised below, and in each learning theme there are implications for school leaders and sector leaders to further support the investment in children’s creative development through arts initiatives.

1. Take your time

Time… there’s never enough of it, is there? Most case studies recommend investing the right amount of time needed to create fruitful relationships between arts and education, highlighting the increased impacts when more time is afforded to pave the way for working together. When projects take a longer-term view - planning across terms, or even years, rather than weeks - creativity seeps further into different areas of school life and learning, and, in some cases, the wider community.

Some case studies observed the challenge of two cycles working together - the cycle of arts festivals, performances and exhibitions, alongside school calendars, exam schedules and the structure of school days.

The need for an alignment of calendars, flexibility, more time to plan and to think in the long-term requires school leaders to value the project, trust the process and be thoroughly invested in the potential outcomes for their students and staff. Equally, schools need cultural partners to understand the pressures of the school year and the requirements of the education system placed on school leaders. Plenty of time for communications and planning, as well as a single point of contact who can manage the process for the partnership was frequently mentioned in the case studies.

2. Listen and include

Throughout the case studies, the value of working with young people as partners, rather than simply learners, is highlighted. Projects that explicitly explore co-creation and pupil voice conclude that involving young people as collaborators and leaders has a deeper impact on their learning and development and better outcomes for the setting.

Moreover, co-creation and increasing opportunities for children and young people to develop their ‘voice’ is a vital move in inclusion and equality: listening to the needs, interests and experiences of young people and allowing them to lead. These case studies also state that the arts are ideally placed to explore cultures, communicate lived experiences and celebrate difference. Arts and creativity can be an important vehicle for listening and keeping children central to the planning. The case studies remind us that children are entitled to not only access but be at the heart of arts and culture, as well as actively take part in the creation of arts, culture and their communities.

Effective cultural leaders and school leaders will invest in projects as a willing listener and convener, trusting the judgement of young people and helping to build inclusive and equitable opportunities and practices in their settings. Arts and cultural partners can demonstrate tools for listening but equally must listen and observe the busy school context they are working within.

3. Embed and share

Many case studies reflect on the positive outcomes of arts programmes and consider how to embed this into school practices to ensure these outcomes are embedded and sustained. Some case studies detail teacher CPD and training with artists as a vital way of investing in staff, embedding and strengthening their creative practices and demonstrating that the journey teachers are going on is valued.

Some recommend maximising peer-to-peer learning within schools to increase the potential impact across curriculum areas, and to communicate teachers’ learning across networks more widely. Some also recommend celebration and sharing events that recognise the achievements of both staff and students that result from the arts activity. Children sharing their learning is a developmental opportunity in and of itself: increasing confidence, creativity, and engagement.

Who these celebrations are for varies in scale: for most case studies, sharing events should involve families and for some, sharing learning and achievements should be an opportunity to impact on the development of communities. One case study also states that school leaders who advocate for the arts should be prepared to “stretch the skills, knowledge and understanding of those working in similar contexts, nationally.”

Leaders who recognise the impact of the arts on the development of children and young people need to consider the best ways to sustain this work in their schools. One case study recommends that leaders should “always ask what's next? how can we build on this year after year?” In the long term, another case study claims, planning for sustainability builds independence and resilience into schools’ practices and avoids dependency on one-off projects.

Children know when they are being invested in. The creative journeys detailed within the suite of case studies, advocate for investing in the powerful ingredient of the arts for the development of children, young people and indeed their school settings and beyond.

“Arts and culture can have a far wider role in schools than is often permitted. The value that a schools’ leadership attributes to this work is ultimately what governs whole school engagement.” (Curious Minds, author of British Values - Beyond Box Ticking)

The Arts in Schools: Inspiring Learning: 24 Case Studies highlighting the value of arts in schools and beyond was commissioned by A New Direction as a companion piece alongside research by Pauline Tambling and Sally Bacon to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) report The Arts in Schools (1982).

We will be sharing a new The arts in schools: foundations for the future report Spring 2023. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date, and get involved in the conversation on social media using the #ArtsInSchools hashtag.