The educational impact of culture and cultural learning
Culture has a powerful role to play in delivering effective educational outcomes. Local authorities, schools and partners can use culture to offer young people, families and the wider community personalised and universal experiences across the curriculum and extended services.
Working in partnership with cultural organisations can develop the workforce and expand the expertise that an integrated children's service can draw on. BSF provides opportunities for schools and local authorities to forge new partnerships with cultural organisations or strengthen existing ones. Cultural practitioners such as artists, musicians, archivists and librarians can make a valuable contribution to the learning workforce.
Young people need the skills and experiences to drive forward our creative industries and contribute to our economy. Local authorities and schools can provide them with learning experiences and facilities which create these opportunities.
There is a great deal of evidence that partners can use which clearly shows the impact of culture. Links and signposting to this evidence can be found in the resources section.
If local authorities and schools are to achieve the desired educational outcomes from their BSF programme, it is crucial that arts and cultural organisations are given a voice when strategies are written and plans are drawn up. From 2009 onwards each local authority is required to set up and work through a Cultural Stakeholder Group (CSG) which can facilitate this process. Detailed guidance for this is included on this site and in the guidance document. This Cultural Stakeholder Group can be tasked to undertake many of the activities and roles suggested on these webpages. There are certain things that the Cultural Stakeholder Group must deliver as part of the BSF process and a list of these requirements can be found in the guidance.
Example:
Creative Partnerships
Creative Partnerships (CP) is a national project which works to partner schools and learners with artists, creative and cultural professionals. The project empowers schools to transform learning through innovative curriculum delivery and new ways of working.
The programme has been running for five years and has engaged with over 12,800 schools and 915,000 young people. It is delivered by a diverse range of partnership organisations across the country.
The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) completed a study of 13,000 young people who had participated in Creative Partnerships activities. NFER found that:
‘Young people known to have attended Creative
Partnerships activities out-performed those in the same
schools…at all three key stages. This was evident in
average scores in English, Mathematics and Science, in
Key Stages 2 and 3 and in total points scores, best 8
points scores and Science at Key Stage 4.’
(NFER conclusions, 2006, p22 para 5.3)
Despite coming from economically and socially challenged communities, young people who have participated in Creative Partnerships activities out-perform the national average at Key Stage 3 and match the national average at Key Stages 2 and 4.
For more information on Creative Partnerships visit:
http://www.creative-partnerships.com/
