CAMERA: Creative and Media Education Research Alliance

Littlehampton Community School and The Angmering School at Littlehampton Beach, researching and testing ¬ kitesurfing boards

CAMERA brought together creative industry professionals with teachers and students to explore and document new models of work related learning. The project set the following aims:

to explore possibilities of partnership between schools and creative sector partners in the delivery of the Diploma in Creative and Media Studies and work related learning
to develop capacity of creative and cultural sector to engage with delivery of the new diploma
to build status, profile and awareness of creative industries as a credible career path amongst pupils, teachers and parents

Creative Partnerships secured significant funding from DCSF and other regional partners in the South East to extend its work into new areas. CAMERA is part of a wider regional project – South East 14-19 Creativity and Enterprise Regional Learning Programme – involving activity in each of the four sub regions of the south east. With CAMERA, Creative Partnerships moved into West Sussex for the first time. A consortium of five schools and colleges in Worthing worked together to develop new partnerships with creative industry organisations to inform their delivery plans for the new diploma.

They began with workplace exchanges early in 2008, then planned a project in partnership with a creative practitioner which was delivered by May 2008. Inspired by the potential offered by the Creative and Media Diploma, these schools and colleges selected from a wide variety of creative industry practitioners, many of whom had not worked with schools before. These ranged from animators, a music production company, designers, public art practitioners.

The result was a number of partnerships where students enjoyed a different way of learning and produced a diverse range of high quality creative media including films, blogs, kite surfing boards, soundtracks, sketch books etc - which have subsequently been showcased at different events across the South East.

The project has been closely evaluated and has produced case studies that will appear on the Skillset and Specialist Schools and Academies Trust websites, as well as a toolkit -due out in the autumn of 2008 - to support other teachers and creative professionals in the collaborative process.

Partners

West Sussex County Council
Sussex LSC and a wide range of creative industry partners: Laura Seymour and Sam McCarthy, Open Book Partnership LLP (Independent film and media producers), Jason Higgins, fingkyinc Kite Surfing School Mark Charlton, Bluestar Animation (Independent animation and film company)
Lewis Crathern, British Kite Surfing World Champion
Lance Nunn, Shop manager for new Kite surfing shop
Jon Potter, Company Paradiso (participatory drama and mixed media projects that challenge and excite)
Gerry Thompson, Positive Comedy Learning (personal and professional development through comedy and improvisation)
Matthew Chapman, Box Projects and Soundlocker Studio (a sound and music production studio)
Anna Twinam-Cauchi, Sculptor
Steve Speller, Independent photographer