Curious Minds

The aim of the project was to develop creativity and the thinking behind it, focusing on progressing the Year 7 curriculum.  Areas of priority included:

• enhancing ICT within the curriculum
• developing thematic-based learning
• embedding creative skills

ICT was chosen as the vehicle, with the aim of combining the school's priorities of:

• developing creativity
• building on pupils' learning
• disseminating learning across the Key Stage 
• embedding pupil ownership and pupil voice into the curriculum  

Three Year 7 classes worked on different topics and themes - for example, the Romans and the novel 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas'. External partners collaborated with pupils and teachers to develop and deliver a creative learning programme via multi-media technology, including animated comic strips, podcasts and Powerpoint presentations using video clips and video. 

Nine lead subject teachers and support staff worked with the creative practitioners.  Mark Jones and Chris Millard delivered workshops and produced handouts for staff on the creative use of ICT. Mathilda Joubert delivered INSET to the whole school, developing ideas and supporting thinking around teaching and learning for creativity.

Mathilda also facilitated pupils and teachers in the planning and preparation of a new Year 8 ‘Logical Thinking’ Curriculum, for introduction in September 2009. This involved several training sessions with staff, supporting them through the change process and pooling their combined skills and expertise in order to prepare them to deliver the new curriculum with confidence. A new cross-curricular scheme of work is now in place for Year 8, encompassing Science, ICT, Maths, Design Technology and Geography.  

Pupils played an active part in interviewing and selecting the external partners.  They have fully engaged in planning activities and have reported positive experiences during feedback sessions.

• Staff agreed that young people's creative skills were developed through working with external partners. Examples of pupils' work, including evidence of podcasts, animations, films and comics, has been produced on CD.  Pupils responded positively to the concept of creative learning and worked effectively in pairs and small groups  
• The majority of teachers were active in developing their skills, willing to get involved and embrace new concepts. The School Co-ordinator for Creative Partnerships observed that many teachers have been modelling creative teaching and learning in subsequent planning and delivery techniques 
• The programme has built on the school's already effective delivery of the traditional creative subjects such as art, music and design technology, and there is a clear intention to use the techniques developed so far with other classes and to involve a wider cohort of staff during the second year of the programme.  Teaching staff are, as a whole, far more aware of creativity as a concept

• Further development of staff skills through CPD
• Continual dialogue between practitioners and teachers, to enable more active engagement in the process and engender a willingness to participate and develop skills  
• As a direct result of this project, the school has invested in technology and software.  Available to all staff, this is already being used across the whole school with, for example, pupils creating comics in other areas of the curriculum such as Spanish
• The school's recent Ofsted inspection noted the positive effect that creativity was having in the classroom, stating: ‘The school has an innovative approach to the overall curriculum in Key Stage 3. The aim is to make lessons interesting, relevant and different. So far, the experiment has resulted in active, engaged learners who enjoy their work. Attainment overall us rising and attendance is improving’.