These new 'Schools of Creativity' have been selected from among the hundreds of schools working with Creative Partnerships, the Government's flagship creative learning programme managed by Arts Council England, and include three schools from Nottingham.
The schools are:
- Dunkirk Primary and Nursery School, Dunkirk, Nottingham
- Rufford Infant School, Bulwell, Nottingham
- The Rosehill School, St Ann's, Nottingham
The schools will now embark on a £2m, three-year project to raise educational standards and develop in students the skills that employers say they need. They will use cutting edge teaching techniques in partnership with a range of professional artists, designers and creative professionals to develop students who are:
- confident communicators
- effective problem solvers
- good teamworkers
School Standards Minister Andrew Adonis will visit Islington Arts and Media school in London today, where he will endorse the initiative.
Lord Adonis said:
"These schools have shown what can be achieved with a creative approach to learning. Every one of these 30 schools has seen improvements because of their willingness to take risks and be bold in the way they engage their student's aspirations. Embracing 'pupil voice' and 'peer learning' has been fundamental in their successes."
Margaret Hodge, Culture Minister, said:
"Creative Partnerships is a real success story. All of the evaluations of the programme tell us the same thing - that bringing artists and other creative professionals into schools to work on long term projects has real benefits for all concerned. These schools are a shining testament to what can be achieved when these different worlds come together and I'm delighted that they will be sharing their experiences and practice with other schools in their area."
Paul Collard, National Director of Creative Partnerships, said:
"These schools are the ones we believe we can place at the centre of local school networks. They will share their unique creative approach so that other schools can learn form their experience. Our panel of experts were inspired by what these schools have achieved over the past 5 years."
Hugh James, Director of Creative Partnerships Nottingham, said:
"I am delighted that three Nottingham schools have been selected to join this prestigious national group. Nearly 100 Nottingham schools have been involved with the Creative Partnerships programme since it began in 2002, and these three schools are leading the way in demonstrating how creative teaching and learning can make a real difference to young people's achievement."
