Finding possible partners
Possible partners for the arts in school include:
As an arts team, try to think creatively about how you might be able to work with different institutions, organisations, businesses and individuals. For advice on how to find out what's on offer in your area, see Finding advice and practical support.
Other schools
Many schools find it helpful to work together to enhance their arts provision. They:
- pool their resources to buy in artists or other expertise more economically;
- provide out-of-hours and holiday arts activities together, perhaps led by a teacher with specialist expertise or an arts practitioner.
Many primary and secondary schools work together to address issues such as transition from key stage 2 to 3. For example, some secondary schools invite year 6 pupils to take part in or watch a performance led by year 7. Some specialist arts colleges work with their feeder primary schools to develop staff expertise and to strengthen gaps in provision. Advanced skills teachers in the arts spend one day a week working with other schools to develop their arts education.
Links between primary and secondary schools are particularly beneficial in artforms such as music and dance, where primary teachers often have limited expertise.
Local education authorities
Most local authorities run school music services. These offer:
- a culturally diverse range of music;
- individual and small group instrumental tuition;
- ensembles and orchestras for more advanced pupils;
- INSET.
Some peripatetic teachers offer performances in school, which provide many children with their first experience of hearing high-quality live music.
Contact your local education authority to find out what it offers.
Individual artists
Many individual artists supplement their income as creative practitioners by working in schools. Partnerships with schools offer artists an important vehicle for sharing and developing creative ideas with other people. A visit from an artist can vary from a single session to a residency lasting a week, or even a year.
Some practitioners develop long-term relationships with schools, tailoring their skills and ideas to meet the needs of pupils and staff, and making an important contribution to curriculum development. In some cases, schools provide a spare classroom or other space for an artist who needs a studio. In exchange, the artist offers workshop sessions and keeps an 'open door' so that pupils and staff can watch them at work and develop an understanding of the creative process.
Before embarking on a project with artists, it is important to check their quality. You could do this by:
- interviewing them;
- seeing or experiencing their work;
- asking for references, especially from other teachers;
- asking if they earn at least part of their living by working as an artist;
- reading their CV and asking about their training;
- asking if they have teaching qualifications or have been trained on leading workshops or working with young people;
- discussing approaches to safety, including child protection issues.
Arts organisations
Partnerships with schools are at the core of most arts organisations' work. Many theatres, drama groups, arts centres, galleries and cinemas offer partnership opportunities for schools. You may be able to visit an organisation's specialist venue and take part in 'off the peg' workshops. Or you may be able to arrange for an organisation to visit your school and provide more bespoke activities.
Someone from your arts team may be able to join an advisory group, so you can influence the programmes on offer.
Creative businesses
Creative businesses receive no subsidy and are profit-making concerns. As a result, they are often less open than arts organisations to partnership work with schools.
Try contacting your local Education Business Partnerships, which will probably already have links with creative industries. Some businesses may be interested in hosting work placements for secondary school pupils.
New initiatives such as Creative Partnerships (funded through Arts Council England) are developing more sustained links with the creative industries.
The Prince of Wales Arts and Kids Foundation also sets up links between businesses and the arts that benefit young people. Schools can find out more by visiting the website www.aandb.org.uk/artsandkids.
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