45 teachers attended the sessions from 13 Wakefield schools. Feedback was very positive across the board, with sessions described as “inspiring”, “entertaining” and “engaging”. Teachers who attended told us they had gained new ideas for the classroom, been inspired to explore creative, place-based curricula further, and engage more with Wakefield’s cultural organisations.

“Great CPD for staff – presenters were knowledgeable and engaging; great ideas to use in school” (Teacher feedback)

The sessions were hosted by Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield Libraries, Wakefield Museums and The Art House. It was a great opportunity for teachers to find out more about the schools’ programmes on offer and for staff to chat to teachers about their needs.

Resources from the four sessions can be downloaded from the links below. 

Session One: “People and Place: Making Learning Matter,” by Hywel Roberts, 28th March. Hywel used examples to show how place-based narratives and context can make learning engaging and relevant. Resources from this session can be found here (resource 1)

Session Two: “Cultural Capital: From the Doorstep to Your Classroom” by Professor Abigail Harrison Moore and artist Anne-Louise Quinton, 26th April. Abigail and Anne-Louise gave theory and practical examples to show how teachers can embed cultural capital in their practice, making it relevant, valuable and inclusive for pupils. Resources from this session can be found here (resource 2)

Session Three: “Teaching Herstory: Bringing forgotten stories of Wakefield women to life in your primary curriculum.” by Sarah Cobham on 27th September. Sarah gave resources and ideas to show how local female historical figures might be used to support the teaching of key historical concepts. Resources from this session are available on the Forgotten Women of Wakefield blog here (link to Forgotten Women of Wakefield blog SPARK Culture on Your Doorstep 2023 The Forgotten Women of Wakefield – Spark Wakefield)

Session Four: “Creative Collaborations: The benefits of working with artists for children, teachers and your school.” By Sarah Osborne on 10th October. SPARK’s own Creative Voice coordinator and drama practitioner explored the possibilities and practicalities of working with Wakefield artists on a range of scales and budgets. Templates for planning sessions with artists in school are available here.(resources 3 & 4)

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SPARK is the Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP) for Wakefield and is made up of a group of individuals and organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors, working to ensure that children and young people across the borough can enjoy, benefit from and progress in arts and culture. The partnership was formally established, with support from IVE, Yorkshire and Humber’s Arts Council England (ACE) Bridge organisation, in March 2016.

In September 2022, SPARK received funding from ACE’s Partnership Investment (PI) and Cultural Development Fund (CDF) grant, provided by Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and managed by ACE, to enable the LCEP to create capacity and undertake research, planning, development and evaluation. SPARK successfully recruited two key roles to develop two core strands of the LCEP over the past year.

Creative Voice Coordinator explored barriers faced by young people in engaging with arts and culture and potential solutions to overcome these barriers. She focused on creating pathways for young people to actively participate in shaping Wakefield’s artistic and cultural landscape through the Youth Arts Ambassador programme and LitFest 2023.

Culture on Your Doorstep Coordinator designed and delivered a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programme for teachers. She supported teachers in developing a place-based curriculum relevant to young people in the Wakefield district, and also conducted a pilot project with four schools, bringing together teachers, freelance artists, and cultural organisations.

Over the past year Earthen Lamp has been working with SPARK to support data collection at delivery level, as well as conducting a structured organisational review to support the sustainable development of the LCEP going forward. This report summarises the learning points gained from these programmes and makes suggestions for changes and next steps to be taken by SPARK.

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