The Lead Creative Schools Scheme is part of the Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales joint funded programme Creative learning through the arts – an action plan for Wales 2015-2020.

The programme, which is expected to form part of the 2020 new school curriculum, is designed to:

•  Increase and improve arts experiences and opportunities in schools
•  Improve attainment through creativity
•  Support teachers and arts practitioners in developing their skills

Creative agents and practitioners are working with schools across Wales, using music, art, spoken word and other creative formats to help improve literacy, numeracy and other curriculum subjects, as well as help improve life skills and general confidence and well-being amongst young people.

Below is an overview of where the scheme is so far:

Wales is leading the way with a ground-breaking creative learning scheme, which puts art and creativity at the heart of education and is transforming teaching methods across the curriculum.

So far, more than 40,000 pupils from 548 schools in Wales have benefited from the innovative Lead Creative Schools Scheme, part of the Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales joint funded £20 million programme Creative learning through the arts – an action plan for Wales 2015-2020.

The programme, which is expected to form part of the 2020 new school curriculum, is designed to use creative techniques to improve attainment, develop the skills of teachers and reduce the impact of deprivation in Wales’ primary, secondary and special schools.

To celebrate, 32 of the participating schools have been selected to take part in Tate Exchange at Tate Modern in London from 24 – 29 April, 2018. Tate Exchange is an ambitious ‘open experiment’ which allows organisations and members of the public to participate in Tate’s creative process, running events and projects on site and using art as a way of addressing wider issues in the world around us. The international foundation Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE), a Tate Exchange Associate, will be working in partnership on the delivery of the activity throughout the week.

The event will bring to life the positive impact this scheme has had on schools, teachers, pupils and the artists involved. Visitors will be taken on a journey through the ‘Five Creative Habits of Mind’ – the bespoke teaching pedagogy that underpins this bold and ambitious programme.

Cabinet Secretary for Education, Kirsty Williams, said:

“Reducing the attainment gap between pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers is at the heart of our national mission to raise standards and is also one of the driving principles behind this programme.

 “There’s no better showcase for the programme’s excellent work than the Tate Modern. This is testament to how well schools, teachers and learners have embraced these learning methods and I want to congratulate everyone involved.

 “We are already starting to see the results of our investment, which is changing how we view the arts and creativity in relation to the school curriculum while also improving academic achievement, broadening experience and developing crucial life skills”.

The Lead Creative Schools Scheme has involved matching schools with creative professionals who use teaching and learning techniques that are specifically designed to be practical and relevant to real-life curriculum demands, and provide new ways for young people to engage with subjects, developing increased motivation for learning.

Phil George, Chair, Arts Council of Wales, said:

“This bespoke creative learning scheme isn’t just about improving access to the arts in schools, but harnessing the arts and using creative techniques to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the whole curriculum, particularly in literacy and numeracy.

 “Within just three years we have already started to see that by nurturing and developing the creativity of pupils, they’re taking steps to achieve their academic potential and grow as well-rounded individuals, closing the gap between the best and least well performing pupils.

 “We’re delighted that the Lead Creative Schools Scheme has been selected as a Tate Exchange Associate to showcase some of the great creative work taking place here in Wales as part of Tate Exchange at Tate Modern in London.”

As well as the Lead Creative Schools Scheme, pupils in Wales can benefit from a number of other initiatives, also funded by the Creative learning through the arts programme. The All-Wales Arts and Education Offer, which includes Experiencing the arts fund and Regional arts and education networks, is designed to build on and enhance existing arts activity in Wales’ schools and to support arts organisations to broker and strengthen their relationships with education by making the arts more accessible.

For more information visit www.arts.wales. To find out more about Tate Exchange please visit tate.org.uk/tateexchange. For press information about Tate please email pressoffice@tate.org.uk or call 0207 887 8730. For high-resolution images visit tate.org.uk/press.