Enquiry Schools

In the Enquiry Schools programme, schools worked with Creative Partnerships for a year to explore how creative teaching and learning could enhance their practice.

Enquiry schools decided on a specific focus for their programme in relation to the broader needs of the school.

The key characteristic of Enquiry Schools was collaboration between the school, creative professionals and young people, helping to bring the curriculum to life, providing new ways for learners to engage with subjects and develop increased motivation for learning. All Creative Partnerships programmes allowed time for in-depth planning, co-delivery and reflection.

Enquiry Schools were given a grant of £3000 and contributed £1000 themselves.

The role of creative professionals

A distinctive feature of the Creative Partnerships programme was the creative agent: an experienced creative professional highly skilled in working in educational settings. Enquiry schools were entitled to six days of Creative Agent time.

Successful projects involved a broad range of creative professionals from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines including: artists, musicians, dancers, scientists, architects, cooks and gardeners. This mix of professionals meant that projects could be designed to appeal to a broad range of interests and learning styles.

Creative Agents drew on their practical experience of creativity and acted as a catalyst to help schools identify creative practitioners, advise on programme development and project management.