SPARK’s Creative Learning strand is about inspiring and supporting educators, children and young people through place-based learning, to engage with the rich cultural and artistic landscape within the Wakefield district.
We are an advocate for place-based creative learning and encourage the use of local context, resources and knowledge to frame learning both within and outside the classroom. We support a learning pedagogy that is created in collaboration with local people to meet the needs of local children and young people.
Current Project – The Wakefield Curriculum
The Wakefield Curriculum is a place-based creative curriculum resource for Early Years and Primary teachers that was created by SPARK during Our Year. Our Year was a celebration of creativity, culture, heritage, movement and community that took place across Wakefield district in 2024, and was funded by West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Arts Council England and led by Wakefield Council and partners.
The resources have been created, in collaboration with local schools, using the collections and expertise of our district’s cultural organisations, and include stories of local events, people and places. They aim to connect pupils with ideas that have shaped where they live and give them greater agency to make a positive difference to their district’s future. This place-based learning approach will help develop children’s enquiry skills, ignite their creativity and increase their knowledge and understanding of the Wakefield area’s diverse culture and heritage.
The resources centre around three themes, chosen in consultation with teachers, that celebrate and reflect upon some of the key ideas that have shaped what Wakefield is today.
These themes are:
Coal Mining
The Local Environment
Sculpture
Using the resources
The resources can be adapted by teachers to fit with your school’s existing curricula. Documents are provided in an editable format so that you can adapt them to suit your pupils and use them in a way that works for you. There are videos, audio files, photographs and historical documents from collections held on behalf of the people of Wakefield district. They are supported by contextual information and creative activity suggestions to bring them to life in the classroom or outside in your local area. Details are also provided to encourage you to explore these topics further through visits to the district’s cultural and environmental organisations.
All material may be used for educational purposes only.
FIND OUT MORE
Download the resources for FREE at www.educationservices.wakefield.gov.uk/wakefieldcurriculum
For further information about the Creative Learning programme and how you or your school can be involved in future projects email us at katefraser.spark@gmail.com
Find Out More
Sign up to attend one of our teacher sessions on our Wakefield Traded Services page.
Details of upcoming events can also be found on our social media
For further information about the Creative Learning programme and how you or your school can be involved email us at katefraser.spark@gmail.com