cultural education – Curious Minds

May 8, 2025

Remembering Jude Bird

We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our much-loved former colleague and friend, Jude Bird. The professional legacy of Jude's time at Curious Minds remains woven through much of our current work. She was a dedicated mentor, a trusted advisor, a fierce advocate and her impact will be felt for a long time to come.

May 7, 2025

May 7, 2025

Social Return on Investment

Demonstrating the impact of arts and cultural work is an essential part of delivering high-quality practice. It's important for understanding whether their activities are achieving the intended outcomes, providing external validation, and supporting advocacy by clearly articulating value to other sectors. Social Return on Investment is a framework for measuring and accounting for a broader concept of value. It measures change in ways that are relevant to the people or organisations that experience it.

April 29, 2025

A close-up of some very colourful paint brushes with dried and wet paint still on the bristles.

April 29, 2025

Repositioning Arts Education

Dr Steph Hawke, Head of Learning and Impact at Curious Minds, frames the value of artist educators – or Teaching Artists – within the context of the fundamental purposes of schooling and the needs of young people and their future employers.

April 2, 2025

Who Gets to Be Creative?

Reflections on the Cultural Learning Alliance’s 2025 Report Card by Emma Bush, Director of Education and Leadership, Curious Minds. The findings confirm, with evidence, that the arts are disappearing from the lives of young people. Emma discusses the impact on young people and what this means for education.

April 1, 2025

Two people are chatting animatedly at a Curious Minds event.

April 1, 2025

Join our Board as Treasurer

We're currently seeking to fill the role of Treasurer on our Board Of Trustees. Find out more about this important role and how to apply.

March 20, 2025

Image shows a Teaching Artist in a primary school classroom. The artist is in full flow, with arms outstretched, and a happy smile. The school pupils are engaged and enjoying their art lesson.

March 20, 2025

Rebalancing the Curriculum

Derri Burdon outlines our response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report, highlighting the urgent need to place creativity at the heart of education. She argues that turning ambition into action needs more than vision - it demands leadership, infrastructure and courage.

February 21, 2025

Responding to the Arts Everywhere Fund

The Curriculum and Assessment Review has been commissioned to make recommendations on potential improvements to the current national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England. This is our opportunity to make sure a renewed focus on the arts and creative experiences, as a key component of a broad and rich curriculum, is backed up with the training, funding and support infrastructure we know the workforce needs to make change effective.

February 7, 2025

Harnessing the Power of Poetry

Poetry has a unique ability to resonate with individuals on a deep emotional level. As we mark Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, Director of Education & Learning, Emma Bush, shares an update on this Curious Minds project designed to support the mental well-being of young people in school.

January 31, 2025

A group of people are sitting around a table, deep in discussion. There are glasses and leaflets scattered across the table.

January 31, 2025

Work for us: Programme Manager (Inclusion)

We're looking for a dynamic change-maker who wants to amplify underrepresented voices, diversify the cultural education workforce, and help shape a more inclusive creative future for children and young people.

December 4, 2024

Celebrating 4 Years of Let’s Craft

We're incredibly proud to have been involved in this excellent project over the last 4 years, through our local partnerships in Ellesmere Port, as well as elsewhere in Northern England. Let's Craft has been instrumental in dismantling barriers to creativity for children and young people through the hardest of times.

November 10, 2024

Responding to the Curriculum & Assessment Review

The Curriculum and Assessment Review has been commissioned to make recommendations on potential improvements to the current national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England. This is our opportunity to make sure a renewed focus on the arts and creative experiences, as a key component of a broad and rich curriculum, is backed up with the training, funding and support infrastructure we know the workforce needs to make change effective.

October 10, 2024

A young school pupil enjoys an interaction with her teacher whilst painting.

October 10, 2024

Cultivating Mental Health and Creative Wellbeing

Creative wellbeing is a theme that runs through many of our projects, with very good reason! In this blog for World Mental Health Day, Emma Bush - Director of Education and Leadership, and Wellbeing Lead at Curious Minds - shares some insight into the transformative power of creativity.

October 3, 2024

Young people in school uniform are doing a drama workshop. Two of them are using the comedy and tragedy muses masks.

October 3, 2024

Apply now for Leading the Arts In Your School

We’re thrilled to announce that applications are now open for the 2024-25 cohort of our popular CPD programme, Leading The Arts In Your School. This opportunity is for teachers within any education setting or phase, who are based in the North of England.