Gareth Gay, Teaching and Learning Lead & Music Teacher - Glenthorne High School, Sutton
Local networking for collective change
Gareth leads an award-winning secondary music department, with a high student uptake. However, outreach to other schools - a key part of maintaining the music programme’s excellence - had become increasingly challenging due to budget cuts. Noticing that the outreach was largely one-way, Gareth created a steering group comprised of local school music leaders that sought to share ideas, opportunities and activities. A monthly bulletin about funding opportunities was particularly useful, and future plans are to fold in other arts, including visual art and drama, and to create an annual networking event. Gareth described his effort as being about ‘small but significant changes’ requiring persistence, patience and good communication within and beyond his school.
Esther Caplin, School Governor - Edith Neville Primary School, Camden
Inspiring whole-community arts engagement
Using her extensive networks built as a primary school governor and professional artist in and around the Somers Town area of Camden, Esther helped bring together more than 100 people from schools, cultural and arts organisations, and businesses to develop fresh approaches to engaging the local community as Somers Town undergoes a radical period of development. At the heart of Esther’s work was creating partnerships that lead to action, and that benefit the entire community and particularly schools, the disadvantaged and the isolated. She also helped secure seed funding from the Wellcome Trust and other organisations and has connected the borough council into the effort. Robust documentation of meetings, activities and outcomes will help ensure both legacy and that plans continue to be translated into action.
Benjamin May, Leader of Creative Arts, The Compass School, Southwark
Collaborating with professional arts organisations
Working in a school of high socioeconomic disadvantage, Ben conceived a project called Play On, which he envisions as a cost free, accessible and interactive digital resource that enables English and Drama teachers to engage and enthuse young people across Key Stage 3 (KS3) to Key Stage 5 (KS5) with the work of William Shakespeare. The methodology involved was developed by acclaimed theatre organisation Cheek by Jowl, which is partnering with Ben on the project; together, they have developed a case for the project and funding proposal and have already secured some pilot support, in advance of hopefully rolling the programme out more widely in 2019. Ben said that working with Cheek by Jowl has helped build his own skills in fundraising, particularly proposal writing and how to source appropriate potential funders.