Welcome to our online area for Surrey schools. We hope you have arrived on this page because you are passionate about enabling the children and young people you work with to engage with the creative arts.
How to get involved
If your school is interested in developing its cultural education offer here are some ideas:-
Look at the case studies on this site for some examples of how other Surrey schools are working with cultural organisations to deliver fantastic creative and performing arts opportunities.
Consider registering for Artsmark accreditation for your school (see below). This training will enable you to develop a long-term strategic plan for the development of cultural learning in your school.
Where can you find expert practitioners across visual and performing arts? Go to the Resources area on this site for signposting to cultural providers who have experience working in Surrey schools. Many local authorities in Surrey have dedicated officers for arts and culture who may be able to signpost you to local artists and organisations. Arts Partnerships Surrey is a strategic alliance of 9 local authorities working together to deliver an offering of arts for Surrey that addresses social, economic, learning and health needs. Get in touch with them and see if your Local Authority has an arts officer who can support you in your planning.
If you already have an idea for an arts programme in your school, clarify your aims and success criteria. For example, do you want your children/young people to engage with cultural learning because of its powerful intrinsic value? Or do you want to address particular broader issues such as mental health, low aspiration, and anti-bullying? Or do you want to try and improve attainment in a core curriculum area like numeracy or literacy? Having clarified your aims, consider what outcomes you want. What will success look like and how will you measure it?
Are there other schools with whom you could collaborate on a joint programme? It could be neighbouring or feeder schools, or schools that share your context, such as higher numbers of Pupil or Service Premium pupils, rural isolation, SEND, etc.
Think about how you might fund a programme. You will almost certainly need to draw in external funding. Are there local philanthropic trusts who may be approachable? Culture Box Surrey has successfully drawn in funding from Arts Council England (ACE) and other sources for programmes in our schools, but match funding is almost always required and most funding of this type is directed at collaborative school clusters, not individual schools. It’s also worth noting that Artsmark registration is usually a requirement for ACE funding for schools. Visit the Surrey Culture website to see more funding sources.
Artsmark
A condition of our involvement in any project is that the school has signed up for Artsmark. This quality standard embeds the arts and cultural practice within the school culture and ensures that projects have a legacy, which is why it is important to us.
Arts Award
Arts Award is a unique set of qualifications designed to support children and young people to develop their skills and interests in the arts, building their knowledge as they progress through the levels. Arts Award’s flexible framework means young people can work across a wide range of arts, cultural and heritage activities and projects, including creative and technical roles.