Merseyside MPs witness Creativity...

MERSEYSIDE MPs are visiting schools in their constituency areas to witness at first hand the positive effects of creative teaching and learning. Pupils, teachers and the wider community, have benefited from Creative Partnerships Merseyside's involvement in these schools.

Creative Partnerships is the Government's flagship creativity project for schools and young people, funded by DfCMS and DfES and managed by the Arts Council of England.  Set up in 2002, it is now working directly with and influencing teaching practice across some 2500 schools in all areas of England with investment focused on approximately 1100 core schools in 36 selected areas.

· Estelle Morris wrote to the Arts Council in March 2005, encouraging them to budget the 2nd and 3rd waves of Creative Partnership area offices to 2010.

· Creative Partnerships hopes that MPs who have witnessed the effect of Creative Partnerships' work in their constituencies, will endeavour to seek assurance from Tessa Jowell that through CSR (the Cabinet Spending Review), the 2nd and 3rd waves of Creative Partnerships will (as a minimum) be able to complete their intended work with the schools and communities with which they started. Few things would be as destructive to the ambitions of some of these schools and the raised aspirations of their young people than to have this programme prematurely terminated.

· Substantial evidence has now been collected on the impact of Creative Partnerships to date, which confirms how capable the programme is of delivering real benefits to schools, young people and creative practitioners. The real challenge now is to explore how the programme may be made more widely available.

Having been briefed on Creative Partnerships, both from a national and regional perspective and on how it is impacting on their constituencies, Creative Partnerships Merseyside hopes that MPs will feel prompted to write to Tessa Jowell, outlining some or all of the above points.

Schedule of visits:-

Fri 10 Nov, 10.00am - Stephen Hesford MP - Wirral West - will be visiting West Kirby Grammar School in West Kirby, Wirral

Fri 24 Nov, 1.00pm - Frank Field MP - Birkenhead - will be visiting Bidston Avenue School in Claughton, Wirral

Fri 24 Nov, 2.00pm - Shaun Woodward MP - St Helens South - will be visiting Allanson Street Primary School in St Helens

CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS: OFSTED INSPECTION - JUNE 2006

According to OFSTED - it's official - creativity works!

The recent Ofsted report on Creative Partnerships in schools gave a resounding yes to a national venture that has grown into a £140m programme. But there is a question mark over whether its funding will continue. This is the reason for inviting MPs to witness the positive effects of Creative Partnerships initiatives in schools, in the hope that they will lobby parliament for continued funding in a letter to Tessa Jowell.

Creative Partnerships is celebrating four years with a positive endorsement from Ofsted of the programme's effectiveness in schools. The recent report states that the experience of working alongside creative practitioners helped pupils develop personal and social skills, encouraged them to be more risk-taking and had a beneficial effect on their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. It called on the DfES and DCMS to work with Arts Council England to give more pupils the opportunity to work in this way.

Ofsted sampled 36 schools from Creative Partnerships' first phase (6 of which were based on Merseyside). Inspectors found "good creative approaches and positive attitudes" by school leaders, teachers and creative practitioners, including writers, environmental designers, entrepreneurs, artists and performers. Most pupils involved in the projects "displayed some of the attributes of creativity" through initiatives that developed improvisation, risk-taking and resilience. Inspectors also judged Creative Partnerships (CP) to have made a significant contribution to the government's Every Child Matters agenda.

Paul Collard, the programme's national director said:- "Most people would acknowledge that when we started four years ago, our core purpose was not adequately defined," he says. "There is much greater clarity now. The Ofsted report has validated our fundamental processes."

In the programme's early days, teachers welcomed the notion of more "creativity" in the curriculum, but they wanted to know exactly what CP meant by the term.

Would giving pupils some good "creative" experiences mean hours, and days, off timetable and might this not lead to a slip in precious test results?

Now Creative Partnerships is coming of age. From modest beginnings, the £140m programme has snowballed, with creative work spreading into every subject area and leading, in some cases, to a rewriting of the curriculum. At least 545,000 young people, 50,000 teachers and 2,500 schools have benefited, CP claims, and more than 4,500 creative practitioners have helped to deliver over 5,000 projects.

The report from Ofsted is the latest of four new pieces of independent research which give Creative Partnerships an "evidence base", says Collard, from which to argue its case as its bids for government funding beyond 2008. Reports concur that in schools where CP works, not only does it work well - but standards go up.

Standards, it appears, do to go up when children are engaged and motivated. Ofsted's findings in this respect are corroborated by a survey of CP headteachers, carried out earlier this year by the British Market Research Bureau, in which 79% of heads felt that their schools' involvement with Creative Partnerships had led to an increase in attainment. Asked about the worst aspects of Creative Partnerships, 17% said too much paperwork and form-filling and 12% said financial constraints.

A study by the National Foundation for Educational Research in February 2006, of 13,000 young people involved in CP, also found evidence of raised achievement. Young people who had taken part in CP activities were shown to outperform those in their schools who had not.

In terms of the creative practitioners involved, a report by the Burns Owen Partnership, published in July, concluded that CP "can be seen as an innovative economic intervention, developing local creative economies as well as contributing to educational outcomes".

On the funding issue, Creative Partnerships waits with baited breath for the results of next year's government spending review. More schools could be asked to part-fund their CP work in future, but Paul Collard also believes that continued central funding of the "creative agents" - who act as brokers between schools and practitioners - is vital to CP's success.

"We've produced an evidence base and can show we are having a significant impact. The issue now is for the government: will they continue to back us?"

Children's services are 'good'

THE CARE and education that Liverpool city council provides for children has been rated as 'good' in a new independent report.  The annual performance assessment by OFSTED and the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) has given children's services a score of '3'.  It says the service is making a "major contribution" to improving the achievement and well-being of children and young people in the city.

Councillor Paul Clein, executive member for children's services, said:- "This is a solid achievement and good news for the children of Liverpool.  We are now giving them a better education and a better chance in life. I am pleased by this endorsement of the work of children's services.  It is satisfying that OFSTED and the CSCI have recognised our improvement."

The report says children get a good start to their education, with most schools providing "effective education, care and services". It also singles out the improvement in attainment standards at GCSE, where the number of youngsters getting 5 A*-C grades at GCSE has increased from 36.3% to 50% since 2000 - a faster pace than nationally.

The work to tackle health issues including childhood obesity through initiatives such as Sportslinx, the healthy schools bus and free leisure centre access for youngsters is described as "proactive, innovative and inclusive".  There is praise for the work to reduce teenage pregnancies and smoking. Anti-bullying work in schools is described as "effective", and the inspectors say that it appears that young people's attitudes and behaviour are "mostly good or better".

The inspectors say the reduction in the number of permanently excluded pupils - down from 101 to 36 in three years - is the result of "well targeted preventative work". It says the free access to leisure centres is tackling anti-social behaviour and reducing nuisance behaviour in neighbourhoods.

Stuart Smith, executive director of children's services, said:- "Our priority is to make sure children are healthy and safe and help them to enjoy, achieve and make a positive contribution, whatever challenges they may face.  This report demonstrates that we are making tremendous progress in giving the children of the city the very best start in life.  We've made major steps forward in the past few years and the important thing now is to accelerate those improvements with higher quality, more seamless support."

The report adds that the management of services is "strong" with "effective senior leadership".

The inspectors recommend that areas for focus include reducing unauthorised absences at secondary schools and among looked-after children, as well as action to prevent offending and re-offending behaviour.

Africa at the Pictures comes to Liverpool

STUDENTS at Liverpool Community College will receive tips and advice from some of Africa’s top film producers and directors as part of Africa at the Pictures.  Between 9 Nov to 15 November 2006, Greenland Street, Liverpool’s major new venue for contemporary art, will host Africa at the Pictures, an initiative which promotes African film in the UK and Europe.

Africa at the Pictures will screen 30 films, offering a vibrant insight into the culture and politics of Africa. Amongst them is Moolaadé directed by Ousmane Sembene (Senegal), widely recognised as the father of African cinema and Rage, directed by Newton Aduaka, which was the first independent film by a black film-maker to gain a national release in Britain.  6 of Africa’s leading film makers will visit Liverpool to screen their movies at Greenland Street and share their knowledge and skills with young people in the city. Screenings are free and open to all.

Over 100 Media Studies students, all studying cinema as part of their course at Liverpool Community College, will take part in a series of film workshops developed in partnership with arts venue Greenland Street. The students are studying at Liverpool Community College’s Arts Centre and Toxteth TV, the city’s film and media education facility.

During the sessions, film makers from South Africa, Nigeria and Senegal will discuss funding opportunities available to young movie makers, how to take an idea to the screen and the best way to pitch a film idea. Budding directors and producers will also develop their digital camera skills, scriptwriting talents and ability to tell non fiction stories through cinema.

Workshops will be run by Lovinsa Kavuma, a Ugandan-born female filmmaker; Newton Aduaka – one of Africa’s most talented independent film makers, originally from Nigeria; writer and filmmaker Ben Diogaye Beye - a pioneer of Senegalese cinema; female Director Taghred Elsanhouri who captures the conflicts of Sudan - her country of birth - in her films, and director Khalo Matabane who addresses a range of South African issues through his work.

For full details of films and screening times visit www.africaatthepictures.co.uk.

High Sheriff takes up new role

THE High Sheriff of Merseyside has joined the Community Foundation¹s board of trustees.  Rosemary Hawley, also chair of Knowsley Primary Care Trust, will take up the role in November and assist the Community Foundation as it continues to work with donors and local businesses to provide funding and support to local communities throughout the area.

A high profile figure throughout Merseyside, Rosemary is Chairman of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Governor of Liverpool John Moores University, and a Magistrate on Knowsley Bench. She has lived in Kirkby for 18 years.

Rosemary explains:- "I'm delighted to join the Community Foundation team. The organisation is making a huge and positive impact on the lives of thousands of people in Merseyside.  It's also attracting both support and investment from a growing number of donors and local businesses keen to invest in their communities but in need of the expert advice and CSR knowledge that the Foundation can and does provide.  I'm looking forward to helping attract more support from industry and helping improve the lives of thousands more local people."

Rosemary has been joined on the board by Andy Wallis.  Director of Planning and Economic Regeneration for Sefton Borough Council, Andy brings a wealth of experience to the board.

Community Foundation Executive Director Dave Roberts said:- "We're delighted to have 2 well qualified and high profile additions to our board of trustees. We rely on the knowledge and expertise of the trustee team and I am sure both Rosemary and Andy will prove invaluable as we continue to evolve as a leading Community Foundation."

The Community Foundation connects donors with local causes that make a real difference in Merseyside. Providing grants and support to local communities, helping them focus on building a better, stronger Merseyside for future generations.   Working with and advising donors who are passionate and care about their communities, the Community Foundation aims to establish endowment funds that will make a lasting impact on local lives.

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