Using London Borough of Culture 2019 as a catalyst, the Waltham Forest Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP) set out to create a model of high-quality and innovative arts provision at the heart of young people’s learning – bringing together education and arts organisations in a new sustainable partnership.
The partnership aims to increase opportunities for young people across Waltham Forest to access high-quality arts and culture. Where previously there has been fragmentation, the LCEP aims to harness the power of collaboration – empowering teachers, senior leaders and arts organisations to work together to deliver arts projects which address identified learning needs and support the development of young people’s life chances.
The programme started by mapping existing provision and identifying strengths and gaps. This was used to plan a year-long programme of networking and CPD covering topics including learning from good practice elsewhere, the planning and delivery of arts projects, how key curriculum areas can be supported through the arts, how to advocate and evaluate impact, training for smaller arts providers on how to work with school, fundraising, and shared funding bids to maximize effectiveness. The partnership also offers support for Arts Award and Artsmark as quality benchmarks for participation.
The programme steering group includes members of Waltham Forest’s Schools Strategic Learning Partnership, Waltham Forest Music Education Hub and The William Morris Gallery & Vestry House Museum, along with representatives of key arts organisations within the borough.
Challenge London investment from A New Direction: £75,000 over three years
Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture website
Waltham Forest Music Service Website
Waltham Forest CEP Challenge London blog
