We believe that creativity can have a real impact on children and young people’s wellbeing and want to explore this further. We are looking for a creative practitioner to work with us and 3 Artsmark primary schools as part of our Artsmark Wellbeing and Creative Learning Action Research Project.

background:

Mental Health and wellbeing has been a growing priority for schools for several years but the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many more children and young people being impacted; Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield’s annual report 2021 concluded that post Covid, 1 in 6 children were living with a mental health issue, rising to 1 in 4 in some areas.

There has been growing recognition for the positive impact arts and cultural projects can have on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people over several years, including in the classroom. The Mighty Creatives commissioned a report, written by Jo Stockdale, Well Within Reach, earlier this year entitled “Wellbeing, Creativity and Young People: A Guide for Education Professionals”, to explore the relationship between learning and wellbeing and consider the positive impact of creativity on children and young people’s ‘learning brains’.

We are keen to explore this further in the classroom, working with some schools to look at the impact that creativity can have on young people’s wellbeing and also how you measure this.

project aims:

• To examine more closely the impact of creativity on the wellbeing of children and young people in primary schools; testing out and putting into practice the TMC report “Wellbeing, Creativity and Young People: A Guide for Education Professionals”.
• To develop and test an evaluation framework to support schools and partners to measure more easily the impact of creative teaching and learning on wellbeing in a classroom environment.

brief:

We are looking for a creative practitioner to work with up to 3 primary schools over the autumn and spring term (6 x half day sessions, or equivalent, in each school). We will be working with one class in each school and different age groups/year groups will be targeted at each school.

You will work with the schools to explore young people’s sense of self, sense of power and sense of belonging through stories and narrative. We are open to the artform and creative approach to the brief e.g. dance/movement, visual storytelling, drama/theatre, music etc.

We are looking for someone who has experience of working in primary schools, particularly with vulnerable children and young people, and who has an understanding of the positive impact that creative education can have on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

As part of the project training will be provided by our lead evaluator, Jo Stockdale, exploring what we mean by wellbeing and how it can support learning. Jo will also be developing an evaluation framework and will be supporting reflection and project development.

We have received interest from schools across the region. Please indicate in your application where you are willing to work.

criteria

TMC is seeking to work with an individual or organisation that has:

• At least 2 years experience in working with primary schools
• Experience of working with vulnerable children and young people
• Knowledge and understanding of the positive impact of arts and culture on mental health and wellbeing
• Has experience of using storytelling and narratives in their work with children and young people.

fees

The fee available for this work is £3575.00 (calculated at £275 per day). There is also project budget of £450 available for materials.

timescale