How our work with teachers impacts schools
Our direct work with teachers and school leaders influences the opportunities and experiences available to young people in schools, through improved curriculum and whole school offer.
Supported teachers return to their schools more able to bring about change. In many cases they also work with other schools, which in turn benefit from their changed skills, knowledge, attitude and motivation.As a result of our work, schools have adopted a changed attitude towards art and culture - increasing focus and commitment across both teaching staff and management. Schools have reported increased knowledge and understanding of the benefits of the arts and cultural capital for young people and have developed stronger policies to support this work.
Researching our impact on schools
By surveying and interviewing teachers and school leaders, Social Value Lab (SVL), our independent reviewer, was able to identify that when Curious Minds works with teachers schools benefit from:
Improved service offering
Changes in the attitudes of management towards art and culture
Increased understanding of the benefits of art and culture by management
Arts and culture becoming embedded into the policies and strategies of the school
What teachers and school leaders told us
We have a mulititude of new contacts and have embedded ones already made.
91% of schools
reported improved cultural education delivery in their school
Management have seen first-hand the benefits of arts and culture with our pupils and staff. For some pupils the impact has been life changing.
75% of schools
said that cultural education is more embedded in strategy and policy
We have redesigned our curriculum to put creativity and improving our students’ cultural capital at the heart of our aims.
79% of schools
said that arts and culture play a greater role in their curriculum
Examples of impact in practice
Case Study: SLiCE® Fellow
Ripples of Change
Working in the lead school of a Teaching School Alliance in an area of significant social deprivation, this individual was already a skilled Senior Leadership Team member, who further developed her experience and knowledge over 2 years as a SLiCE® Fellow. She was subsequently promoted to Director of another Teaching School Alliance and has taken her newly acquired practices and contacts into this role.
In her first year on the Fellowship, she focused on introducing pupils and teachers across the Alliance to a range of local cultural providers. This was a powerful experience for the teachers, who were unfamiliar with what was on offer. They were subsequently able to make informed decisions about the organisations they wished to work with, leading to the development of new collaborative partnerships that contributed to meeting school improvement targets.
Working with a theatre through the second year of her Fellowship provided appropriate context for literacy based CPD, and the expertise to support Alliance teachers to develop their own curriculum planning and improve their pupils’ literacy. In one notable case, this was the catalyst for a struggling teacher, enabling them to revolutionise their pedagogy to one of ‘outstanding practice’, particularly in raising the attainment of reluctant boys.
In her first year on the Fellowship, she focused on introducing pupils and teachers across the Alliance to a range of local cultural providers. This was a powerful experience for the teachers, who were unfamiliar with what was on offer. They were subsequently able to make informed decisions about the organisations they wished to work with, leading to the development of new collaborative partnerships that contributed to meeting school improvement targets.
Working with a theatre through the second year of her Fellowship provided appropriate context for literacy based CPD, and the expertise to support Alliance teachers to develop their own curriculum planning and improve their pupils’ literacy. In one notable case, this was the catalyst for a struggling teacher, enabling them to revolutionise their pedagogy to one of ‘outstanding practice’, particularly in raising the attainment of reluctant boys.
"I would never have thought of working with a theatre as a partner before SLiCE. We tended to work with institutions such as art galleries, so the SLiCE programme helped to push us out of our comfort zone.”
Curious Minds is a catalyst for cultural education
Changing policy and practice...
one teacher,
one cultural practitioner,
