Arts Award & Beyond... Developing Creative Opportunities for Young People across Waltham Forest Report of current provision with Project Action Plan By Laura Elliott, Project Consultant and Coordinator November 2013 – March 2014 CONTENTS Acknowledgements i Explanation of key organisations and terms ii Executive summary iv Project Action Plan vii 1. Introduction 1 1.1 About the report 1 1.2 Research methodology 1 1.3 Report aims and objectives 2 2. Key findings and recommendations 3 2.1 Identify existing arts provision for young people aged 14-25 3 2.2 Identify main structures of communication for arts providers 7 2.3 Provide an overview of the organisation of work experience, apprenticeships and volunteering 9 2.4 Identify the main benefits of Arts Award to education providers 10 2.5 Identify the main incentives and barriers to participation 12 2.6 Identify and encourage new partner organisations able to engage young people not currently participating in the arts 15 2.7 Summary of the full recommendations with action points 16 3. Project Action Plan up to March 2014 17 3.1 Project milestones 18 4 Conclusion 19 Sources 20 Appendices 21 Appendix i: Table of Arts Award and Artsmark activity in schools 21 Appendix ii: List of Waltham Forest education, youth and arts organisations working with young people aged 16-25 22 Appendix iii: Waltham Forest schools networks 26 a) Table of Waltham Forest Area Partnerships 25 b) List of Waltham Forest Schools Networks 26 c) Case Studies of information networks used by two WFAEN member schools 28 Appendix iv: Survey and consultation results 29 Appendix v: Sample of questionnaire 30 Appendix vi: Consultation exercise and notes 33 a) Barriers and benefits 33 b) Next steps: Communication 35 c) Next steps: Work experience 36 Cover illustration: Students from Chingford Foundation School displaying relief prints completed during a workshop at the William Morris Gallery attended as part of their Bronze Arts Award. (photo: Anna Alcock) Arts Award & Beyond... Project Report with Action Plan 1. Introduction Arts Award and Beyond is an action research project that aims to explore how partnership working can support and sustain increased participation in the arts in Waltham Forest by young people aged 14-25. The primary focus in this first phase of research is on Arts Award as a framework for joining arts education providers from different sectors together to improve and increase access and participation for all young people in the borough. However, work experience, apprenticeships and pathways to employment in the creative industries are also explored. Capacity building and joined up working are at the heart of the project and are considered essential to building on networks and partnerships with arts providers, schools and organisations that can develop, connect up and increase youth arts participation in the borough. The project is funded by the Arts Council England through A New Direction (AND), the cultural bridge organisation for London. 1.1 About the report This report has been commissioned as part of the project’s first phase to consult and map current youth arts provision linked to Arts Award and identify models of good practice in the borough. A main outcome included in the report is the Project Action Plan for achievable deliverables within the timeframe of the project up to 31 March 2014, leading to the development of a ‘Way Forward’ plan for longer-term sustainability. The initial focus of the report is on Arts Award as a framework for joined up working and delivery but it also considers work experience and progression routes into the creative industries. 1.2 Research methodology In the initial mapping phase of the research (Sep-Oct 2013), information about arts services in Waltham Forest was taken from the Waltham Forest Borough Council’s website and listings in addition to a broad web search of various organisations. Arts Coordinator Yolanda Guns of Chingford Academies Trust [CAT] provided a table of Arts Award and Artsmark activity in state-maintained schools in Waltham Forest (see appendix i), while Arts Coordinator Chantelle Michaux of Waltham Forest Arts in Education network [WFAEN] provided lists of Waltham Forest education, youth and arts organisations working with 1 Arts Award & Beyond... Project Report with Action Plan young people aged 16-25 (see appendix ii) and Arts Networks of Secondary Schools (see appendix iii). This information was then used to target 27 state-maintained secondary schools and 30 post-16 providers with a questionnaire (see appendix iv) producing a sample of 18 responses which was then evaluated (see appendix v). Further detailed consultations were carried out with staff and young people, including those who attended the first network event at the William Morris Gallery on 18 October 2013, which was collated by WFAEN (see appendix vi). After producing the first draft, further consultations took place with Trinity College, AND, Chingford Academies Trust, Waltham Forest Arts in Education Network (WFAEN), Apex Arts and AND’s Creative Employment Programme, which has further links with Job Centre Plus. Information about levels of participation by schools and organisations in Waltham Forest was provided by Trinity College and AND. The draft report was circulated for comments from all stakeholders and these have been incorporated in this final published report. This report provides an overview of arts provision, networks and work experience in the creative industries in Waltham Forest. In doing so, it also provides insights into the different levels of knowledge and perceptions of the benefits of Arts Award, incentives and barriers to participation, as well as enabling structures for its planning and delivery. 1.3 Research aims and objectives The aims of this research are: To understand current levels (Sep-Oct 2013) of cultural participation by mapping activity in Arts Award in secondary schools and the post-16 sector. To identify main barriers to participation and routes of progression for young people, schools and post-16 education organisations. To assess current and future opportunities to increase capacity and create a more joined up organisation of the different providers involved. Provide an overall analysis of Arts Award and routes to work, identifying shared issues and challenges, and produce a Project Action Plan to increase participation by March 2014 and ‘Way forward’ plan for sustainable development beyond. More specifically, the research objectives are to: Identify existing arts provision linked to Arts Award in Waltham Forest for young people aged 14-25. 2 Arts Award & Beyond... Project Report with Action Plan Identify main structures of communication for arts providers working with young people. Provide an overview of the organisation of work experience, apprenticeships, and volunteering. Identify the main benefits of Arts Award to education providers. Identify incentives and barriers to participation. Identify new partner organisations able to engage young people not currently participating in the arts. 2. Key findings and recommendations This section presents analysis of the key findings with full recommendations under each research objective. There are two types of recommendations: a) those actionable within the time frame and resources of the project b) broader advisory recommendations for the consideration of stakeholders for the future, which will be included in the ‘Way Forward’ sustainability plan due to be published in May 2014. 2.1 Identify existing arts provision linked to Arts Award in Waltham Forest for young people aged 14-25 This report chiefly focuses on activity in the Arts represented by the two schemes: Arts Award and Artsmark. Data from Trinity College on Arts Award moderations in London is not listed by borough but by postcode, where there are overlaps between different authorities. Furthermore, there are potential ‘big gaps’ around young people resident in Waltham Forest but achieving their Arts Awards through centres in other boroughs. Data for October 2012 - March 2013 and April - September 2013 shows there were 25 Arts Award Centres in Waltham Forest, which is above the average for a London borough of 21. A total of 381 Arts Awards were awarded to primary and secondary schools in Waltham Forest, well above the average of 139 (www.artsaward.org.uk/stats). The table over the page lists those Arts Award centres targeted at 14 - 25s currently registered in Waltham Forest. The six green at the top were active in delivering Arts Award in 2012/13. 3 Arts Award & Beyond... Project Report with Action Plan Table 1. Arts Award Centres registered in Waltham Forest targeted at 14-25s Centre name Sector Type of Centre Town Postcode Region Brookfield House Woodford School Formal Education Secondary school Green IG8 9PY London Chingford Foundation School Formal Education Secondary school Chingford E4 7LT London Connaught school Formal Education Secondary school Leytonstone E11 4AB London Community org or The Mill Youth/Informal Ed project London E17 7HA London Virgo Fidelis Cineclub Formal Education Summer school London E10 6NX London Walthamstow Academy Formal Education Secondary school Walthamstow E17 5DP London DV8 TRAINING Formal Education Post-16 education Walthamstow E17 8AH London George Mitchell Secondary school - School Formal Education other Leyton E10 5DN London Arts or media Groundswell Arts Arts and Cultural organisation Walthamstow E17 6NU London Heathcote School and Science Secondary school - College Formal Education