The SLICE® Fellowship
Specialist Leaders in Cultural Education
What is SLiCE®?
Curious Minds s reimagining its flagship leadership fellowship, ensuring it continues to inspire and influence leaders across today’s education and cultural landscape. For the first time, school and cultural organisation leaders will learn together, forging powerful partnerships, gaining the insight needed to create genuine change in cultural education. Applications open January 2026.
The Specialist Leaders in Cultural Education (SLICE®) fellowship is a one-year professional development programme for school senior leaders and cultural organisation leaders. It is designed to equip influential professionals with the requisite skills, knowledge and connections to become powerful advocates and expert commissioners for cultural education within their own setting, whether it’s a school or an arts venue, museum or library.
Born from a belief in the transformative power of arts and culture in schools, the SLiCE® Fellowship champions equity, leadership, and impact.
On completion of the fellowship programme, SLiCE® designates are deployed to support curriculum development and improve commissioning practice across the education and cultural sectors, including playing an influential role within place-based partnerships such as LCEPs.
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In response to an education landscape marked by growing inequality, narrowing curricula, and a widening “arts entitlement gap”- alongside the opportunities presented by the Curriculum and Assessment Review- the new SLiCE® Fellowship launches as a renewed call to action.
Emma Bush, Director of Education & Leadership at Curious Minds
What’s the history of SLiCE®?
The SLiCE® Fellowship has a proud and respected history. Since 2013, it has empowered over 70 school-based leaders to champion cultural education across a wide range of settings: early years, primary, secondary, special education, and sixth-form colleges.
Previously, we also ran the Culture and Arts Schools Experts (CASE) Fellowship, a leadership programme for cultural specialists working in the North West’s arts organisations, museums, heritage settings, and libraries.
What's new this year?
In 2026, we are introducing a more collaborative model- bringing together the SLiCE® Fellowship and its sister programme, CASE, so that school and cultural leaders can embark on their leadership journey together. We have already seen the transformative impact of this approach through our Rhyme and Reason programme.
This fully subsidised pilot programme (value £2,800 per person) runs from May 2026 to October 2027 and offers:
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Cross-sector collaboration:
Schools and cultural organisations working side by side –leading to richer, more equitable partnerships and genuinely co-created activity. -
Strategic skill development:
Policy literacy, equity frameworks, advocacy & influence, funding mechanisms, measuring & communicating Impact -
Hybrid learning:
Place-based residencies, online modules, placements and coaching
“At a time when schools and cultural organisations face unprecedented pressures, this Fellowship cultivates a new generation of changemakers equipped to reimagine education through cultural learning, ensuring every child, regardless of background, has access to the life-changing power of the arts.”
Emma Bush, Director of Education & Leadership at Curious Minds
Who should apply?
- Experienced school leaders from any phase of education committed to arts-rich education and system influence. You could be a member of your school’s senior leadership team, or if you are in a secondary school have additional responsibilities such as “Head or Director of Department”.
- Senior cultural organisation leaders ready to embed with schools and lead change
The Fellowship intentionally centres equity, supporting leaders who are working-class and/or from underrepresented groups (Black and Brown, neurodiverse, disabled, LGBTQIA+). Inclusion is embedded in how content is created, delivered, and how Fellows are recruited, supported, and sustained.
Applications open January 2026
With only 12 Fellow places available (6 from schools and 6 from cultural organisations), early expression of interest is encouraged.
Register now to be first in line when applications open in January 2026 by emailing Hanna Lambert, our Programme Manager for Schools (hanna.lambert@Curiousminds.org.uk)