Category Archives: Partnerships

Scotland leads the way with its vision for creativity across learning

We were delighted to learn that Paul Collard was impressed by the work we are doing in Scotland following his recent conversation with key players in our drive for a more creative Scotland.

Paul, who is Chief Executive of Creativity, Culture and Education visited Stirling on 17 April at the invitation of Forth Valley Creative Learning and the National Creative Learning Network (NCLN) to share findings from his international work on creativity in learning.

Together with Sheila Page, HMI, he provided inspiring input which stimulated constructive conversations about how we can better support the development of creativity in learners across Scotland.

Paul was particularly impressed by our approach to systemic change and the fact that we have a shared vision across national bodies and local authorities.

“I came away very inspired by what is happening in Scotland. I think you are a long way ahead of almost anywhere I am visiting at the moment. I think that the agenda you are addressing is of fundamental importance to the future of young people in Scotland (and hence the future of Scotland)”.

Discussion focussed on how we can best support creativity in schools – specifically how we can develop supportive approaches which will help teachers plan challenging learning environments that develop creativity skills in learners.

Attendees included members of the National Creative Learning Network; partners involved in developing Scotland’s Creative Learning Plan, led by Creative Scotland, and Education Scotland’s Creativity Review team.

The event was organised in partnership with Forth Valley Creative Learning, who held a twilight session led by Paul Collard: ‘How do we capture and measure creativity?

For more information on the work of Creativity, Culture and Education, visit their website: http://www.creativitycultureeducation.org/

Employer Engagement Conference

Lessons to be Learnt from Successful Partnerships with Employers

Tuesday 21 May 2013 (09:30 – 15:30)

College Development Network has posted news of a forthcoming conference which will bring together college staff, employers and key stakeholders in an event which focuses on the importance of partnership working to ensure the best outcomes for students and employers.

For some time colleges have identified the need to engage more closely with industry, and employer engagement is now recognised as a key element of curriculum design, development and delivery.

This conference offers a rich mix of keynote speakers, strategists, successful partnerships, curriculum leaders and willing and engaged employers. The event itself will be interactive, varied and informative, and will give delegates an opportunity to reflect on their employer engagement strategy and how they can learn from the content of the conference.

View Programme and Book Online

Co-Create Project films available on Creative Scotland website

Co-Create – A demonstration project in which 10 arts organisations worked together with schools to explore Glow’s potential to support innovative approaches to learning and teaching through the arts.

Co-Create (2009-11) was a pioneering initiative to bring arts education resources online for schools across Scotland through Glow. The project was set up by Creative Scotland in partnership with Education Scotland (then Learning and Teaching Scotland) to explore Glow’s potential to support innovative approaches to learning and teaching through the arts.

Co-Create enabled artists, performers, writers and Scotland’s schools to work and learn together in new ways, developing practice and demonstrating the key role the arts and creativity play in supporting Curriculum for Excellence.

A series of short case study films is now available on the Creative Scotland website:

http://www.creativescotland.com/explore/education/co-create

Dumfries House Hosts Inaugural Ayrshire Artist Gathering

Stephen Kay, Education Officer for The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House said

“I was delighted to host the first Ayrshire Artist Networking Event at Dumfries House, organised by Helen Duncan and Jenny Hunter, Cultural Co-ordinators for East and South Ayrshire respectively, providing a venue for over fifty local artists and creative practitioners of various mediums and professionalisms to meet and highlight their individual areas of interest and expertise.”

After a short tour of the House by Charlotte Rostek, Curator of Dumfries House, a keynote speech was delivered by Mark Chester, Executive Director of The Princes Drawing School in London in support of art & culture locally and nationally, and whose foundation has recently opened artist studios on the Dumfries House estate.  This fantastic new facility will support art education throughout Ayrshire and beyond as part of the educational vision for Dumfries House through the support and involvement of “The Prince’s Drawing School”, “The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts”, “The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts” and as a major part of His Royal Highness, The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay’s Heritage Regeneration programme.

Helen Duncan, Cultural Co-ordinator

“I was overwhelmed with the response – not only are these Ayrshire artists and makers producing their own work, but working with children and young people delivering high quality creative learning opportunities for schools.  This is essentially a business network for artists to connect, collaborate, share and support.”

Tom Wilson, local Visual Artist and runs Wild and West

“I know I’m not alone in thinking that the splendour of the house and the warmth of the welcome aside, this was an exciting and inspirational event at Dumfries House. The enthusiasm of the speakers for its development as a centre for cultural education and learning made me feel very lucky to have it on my doorstep.  It is a very healthy, holistic, imaginative vision, enabling art, culture and heritage to make a strong contribution to the regeneration and development of this area as a whole.  At a personal level I came away knowing that Dumfries House is genuinely keen to offer opportunities to local artists.”

The Sundancer, Ayrshire Singer/Songwriter

“The opportunity to deliver songwriting workshops at Dumfries House is fantastic – particularly as I was lucky to purchase my first guitar through a grant from The Princes’ Trust when I first started playing nearly 20 years ago.  I look forward to working with local young people at Dumfries House, sharing my knowledge and experience to give them support which I have received.”

Ruth Carslaw, Film-Maker

“As the event unfolded you could genuinely feel a shared sense of purpose and momentum – propelled by the great speakers, fellow artists and the building itself!   I left feeling that Dumfries House will become a creative hub for all – artists and communities alike.”

For further details or to be kept informed of future events, please contact helen.duncan@east-ayrshire.gov.uk or jenny.hunter@south-ayrshire.gov.uk

Outdoor Learning: Orphan Land – ‘Your Space’, 22 Nov

This webinar focuses on engaging young learners and adults with mental health issues in outdoor learning, by  transforming a piece of unused and neglected land into a usable space for the local community.

It will be of interest to anyone who would like to find out more about using the outdoors as a learning approach, and the ways in which this can be achieved by partnership working.

http://events.scotlandscolleges.ac.uk/events/show/4552

Thursday 22 November 2012 (13:00 – 13:45) (Register online by 21 November)

Connecting Classrooms: International Partnerships

The British Council’s ‘Connecting Classrooms‘ programme supports schools to develop creative learning relationships with international partners. The programme is designed to help young people learn about global issues and become responsible global citizens, supporting the development of skills which they will need to live and work in an increasingly global economy.

Connecting Classrooms offers support for international school partnerships, professional development courses for teachers, accreditation through the British Council ‘International School Award’, and the chance to share practice with international counterparts. Schools can apply for travel grants of £1500 per school to facilitate visits to and from partner schools, assisting the growth of the partnership and collaborative work.

For further information visit the British Council website: Connecting Classrooms

Mining history for great ideas

East Lothian has used some of its Creative Learning Networks funding to support a number of  Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. One of these KTPs has inspired a partnership project between local primary schools and Prestongrange mining museum. Pupils from two schools designed new products to solve some of the dangerous problems miners face and presented their ideas to each other in a Dragon’s Den style Glow Meet. To find out more, read Douglas Blane’s article in TESS.

Click here to find out more about East Lothian’s Creative Learning Network

New community music project inspired by St Abb’s Head

Local communities across the Scottish Borders will join forces at Eyemouth Primary School on 14 November as part of a new community project celebrating nature, heritage and music in the area.

The St Abb’s Head Music Project is a collaboration between the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO), the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and Scottish Borders Council Youth Music Initiative. Over the past five months, school pupils and local residents have been working with composer Howard Moody and SCO musicians to write music inspired by the land and seascape around the popular St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve and St Abb’s Head Voluntary Marine Reserve.

45 pupils from Eyemouth and Coldingham Primary Schools and members of both the Eyemouth Fishermen’s Choir and Mission Crew have created songs based on the NTS site.

The project is part of a wider programme in which Howard Moody has been commissioned to write a new piece for the SCO that celebrates the significance of St Abb’s Head. His as-yet-untitled work will be informed by the creative work of both the children and the choirs from in and around Eyemouth.

The commission will be premiered as part of the SCO’s annual summer tour to the South of Scotland in May 2012, with performances in Duns (24 May) and Galashiels (25 May).

Work began in May with the pupils visiting the site to record sounds of the area: from these recordings they created ‘Sonic Postcards’, with contemporary music organisation Sound and Music. These postcards combine recorded sounds with words to create a ‘sound postcard’ of the area. Using the Sonic Postcards as a starting point, the pupils and Howard Moody have written songs together inspired by the site.
The Fishermen’s Choir and Mission Crew have also been hard at work rehearsing a new song written especially for them by Howard Moody. The song, Waimie Carr, is based on the rock of the same name in St Abb’s Bay and was created following a discussion Howard had with keen local historian Rennie Weatherhead about the area.

The new works will be performed at an informal gathering of parents and members of the community at Eyemouth Primary School on 14 November, accompanied by an ensemble of SCO musicians.

SCO Connect Project Officer Kirsten Hunter said: “Being part of the process of bringing together the two ends of the age spectrum in this intergenerational project has been an inspiration for SCO Connect. It has been wonderful project to be involved in, and the pupils and choirs have created some fantastic music. This is the first time we have worked with the National Trust for Scotland and it has been a real collaboration and sharing of ideas between the two national organisations. The support the project has received from Scottish Borders Arts Development Team has been tremendous and greatly appreciated.”

Sandra Morrison, Learning Manager NTS added, “Working together on the St Abbs project, it is clear that the SCO and NTS have developed a first-rate partnership.  Add to that the support of a forward-thinking local authority, Scottish Borders Council, and the collaboration blossoms into something very special. For the NTS we have found a new and creative way to raise awareness of the uniqueness of St Abbs, with its coastal and marine nature reserves.  Using music as a means to share our knowledge of this wonderful place and to encourage others to enjoy it and support our work has been invigorating.  Watching the different generations coming together to share their experiences has been incredibly rewarding and I am really looking forward to hearing Howard Moody’s composition next year, when we again have another opportunity to talk about St Abbs and all it has to offer us as humans, as well as the birds and wildlife”.

Councillor Graham Garvie, Executive Member for Culture, Sport and Community Learning at Scottish Borders Council, said: “We are very grateful to Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative for funding which has enabled local pupils to be involved in this unique project.  It is very exciting that they are working with renowned composer Howard Moody and the SCO musicians to produce a piece of music that SCO will take on tour with them.”