Change Schools

There were 855 schools whose development was supported by Creative Partnerships for three years to bring about significant changes in their ethos, ambition and achievement.

Over three years the Change School programme worked across the whole school to achieve a sustained impact for young people through developing schools as creative learning environments.

Change Schools worked with artists and other creative professionals across the school on a range of projects that involved exploring the creative potential of the pupils, professional development for staff – both teaching and non-teaching – in the school as well as involvement of the wider community including parents and families.

Change School projects were driven by what the school needed; a school applied to be a Change School because it had a real commitment to putting creativity at the heart of its teaching practice. Change Schools supported change across the whole school rather than the focused approach taken by Enquiry Schools. Like an Enquiry School, a Change School had a focus, but this could be explored in a deeper and more meaningful way.

There was an expectation that Change Schools would embed creative learning beyond the three year period.

Impact and benefits

We’ve got great evidence that shows us in Change Schools pupils results improved, behaviour improved, young people and teachers developed their skill sets, for example, in risk taking, teamwork and questioning. We know teaching improved and that teachers became more engaged with what they do.

Practicalities

Over the three years the school received up to £15,000 each year and up to 20 days support from a creative professional, trained to enable schools to improve and act as a ‘critical friend’.

Each school had to be committed to working with CCE so schools were asked to put in up to £5,000 of their own money to support the programme and nominate a co-ordinator who could work with us and could be released for up to 20 days each year to support the programme.

The programme also gave the school access to a network of other schools working on similar projects and access to wider opportunities for professional development.

Change Schools work when creativity becomes an integral part of how the school runs. Each school evaluated its progress working with the pupils and creative professionals, learning from what it had done, and through this led to sustainable change in the way the school operated.