News

Initial Teacher Training (ITT) bursaries in Art & Design, Design & Technology and Music removed for 2021

Currently students taking a PGCE in Design & Technology receive a bursary of £15,000, and in Art & Design or Music a bursary of £9,000. On 13 October the Department for Education announced that for the 2021-22 academic year these bursaries are being removed and a much smaller set of subjects will be eligible. 

Given the historic under-recruitment according to the Department for Education Teacher Supply Model, the withdrawal of bursaries seems short sighted. The National Society of Education in Arts & Design (NSEAD) notes that in 2019-2020 only 69% of the teacher supply target for Art & Design trainees were recruited. 

Pupils taught by a subject specialist have better learning outcomes and the quality of teaching and curriculum planning is higher (See DfE and EPI research on this). We are concerned that the removal of bursaries will have a negative impact on the supply of qualified subject specialists in arts subjects, and therefore the quality of arts teaching in schools, and call on the Department for Education to address this.

Centre for Cultural Value: festival conference What Value Culture? 2-13 November

The new Centre for Cultural Value is running ten days of free online events  2-13 November probing and questioning the value of culture through a series of discussions, debates and hands-on workshops.

The festival is for anyone working in and around the arts, cultural, heritage and screen sector –  practitioners, researchers and policymakers. It will introduce the work of the Centre, and invite people to join a movement to better understand and articulate the difference culture makes to people’s lives and to our society. The CLA is very pleased to be a Centre partner.

Place2Be’s programme offers wellbeing resources and support for NHS working parents, carers and their families during COVID-19

Place2Be, who partnered with the CLA on our Arts, Health and Wellbeing Briefing Paper, is offering an online wellbeing programme of expert support and resources to keyworkers, including all NHS colleagues. These resources are available free of charge until 31 December 2020, and have been made possible through charitable donations coordinated by a group of NHS doctors.

The programme consists of three webinars and an Art Room resource pack for children and parents and carers to craft and create together. The webinars cover: wellbeing and self-care; holding supportive conversations; and understanding and managing anxiety in uncertain times. The Art Room pack includes stories, instructions and activities exploring the ways in which parents and children can stay connected even when they’re spending more time apart. Find out more and register for the webinars and access the Art Room Keyworkers resource pack.

More evidence on the value of studying music

Researchers in Chile have found that studying a musical instrument helps children focus for longer and remember more than their peers. See reports from The Times (paywall) and the Daily Mail. This builds on the existing evidence base around the value of studying music and arts subjects. See our Key Research Findings and King’s College London CultureCase for more details.

Remote CPD and Learning: evidence on the impact of approaches from the EEF

The Education Endowment Foundation has published a range of materials to support schools cope with closures and disruption as a result of Covid-19, the findings of which are also useful for those delivering blended arts education.  

On 10 September they published the results of their rapid evidence review of remote professional development, and on 11 September they released five key findings and implications from the review:

1. Professional development can be supported effectively remotely
2. Remote coaching, mentoring and expert support can be effective alone or as part of broader PD programmes
3. The use of video can enhance remote PD
4. Interactive content and opportunities for collaboration hold promise for remote professional development
5. Remote professional development requires supportive school conditions (support from leaders, protected time, tech-specific training, platform ease of access)

This follows on from their April publication on remote learning for pupils which also usefully has five key findings and implications:

1. Teaching quality is more important than how lessons are delivered
2. Ensuring access to technology is key, particularly for disadvantaged pupils
3. Peer interactions can provide motivation and improve learning outcomes
4. Supporting pupils to work independently can improve learning outcomes
5. Different approaches to remote learning suit different tasks and types of content

Apply to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund aims to enable teachers and school leaders to develop their skills, knowledge and experience to embed learning through the arts in the primary curriculum.

This year, in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic, the fund will have a particular focus on exploring how blended approaches, combining digital and face-to-face delivery, can enhance teacher continuing professional development and learning in arts-based learning.

Their webinar on Thursday 22 October, 4-5pm, will walk you through what they’re looking for in applications. Register for the webinar and apply here.

Emergency Funding from the Culture Recovery Fund and the Clore Duffield Foundation

On 12 October Arts Council England (ACE) announced grants totalling £257 million to 1,385 arts organisations from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund. The fund is being administered by ACE on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). This allocation is the biggest tranche of funding distributed to date from the Culture Recovery Fund, bringing the total amount of grant funding awarded so far to £360 million. 

On 30 September the Clore Duffield Foundation announced a rescue package of £2.5 million to safeguard cultural learning. Grants were awarded to 66 cultural organisations across the UK – all with Clore Learning Spaces – to support the continued adaption and delivery of their learning and community work during the pandemic. The recipients are museums and galleries, theatres, music, dance, arts and heritage organisations in all four UK nations.

The Foundation wanted to commend the learning teams who had worked to support schools, families and communities through lockdown, and to support the ways in which they had adapted to their new circumstances: from finding new ways of working with schools and families online; to delivering art packs to families via foodbanks; to finding new ways to work with vulnerable groups. Read more on the Foundation website.

Creative Generation Young & Emerging Leaders Forum

On 27 October 2020, the inaugural Young & Emerging Leaders Forum will be held virtually to provide a space for young scholars, emerging leaders, and new colleagues to the field of arts education to share their work, network, and develop a community of learning in order to expand opportunities and broaden the leadership pipeline in the global field of arts and cultural education. 

The event is free of charge and is intended for those working in the arts and cultural education field within the first five years of their careers. Speakers from South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the United States, will showcase new research – on leadership in the field of arts and cultural education, mentorship, leadership development programmes with youth and adults, and more.