Education and Skills Committee
4 June 2007
New Inquiry into Creative Partnerships and the Curriculum
The Education and Skills Committee has agreed to undertake an inquiry into Creative Partnerships and the Curriculum. Written submissions are invited for the inquiry. The Committee will begin taking oral evidence in the summer.
Context
Partnerships with creative practitioners can be used to develop creative approaches to teaching and learning, as well as young people's creativity, across the entire curriculum. The Ofsted evaluation of the DCMS/DfES Creative Partnerships programme, in which creative practitioners worked with schools, found that the young people involved successfully developed skills associated with creativity but were not always sure how to apply these skills in situations not explicitly related to the creative arts.
Purpose
There is an increasing acceptance that creativity within the curriculum can be beneficial. However, how to assess the value of creativity, its definition and how it should be used is not always clear. Traditionally, creativity within schools has been taken to mean activities involving creative arts (dance, drama, music, art etc). Recently the idea of creative thought being present throughout the curriculum has gained support.
This inquiry focuses on the application of Creative Partnerships and related issues. The inquiry is likely to examine the following areas:
How should we define creativity in the context of education and child care?
What effect have existing creative initiatives had on teachers' skills and ability to work with creative professional in the classroom?
What are the implications of a curriculum shift in favour of creativity for the training of heads, teachers and cultural animators?
How might parents and education and care providers be persuaded to encourage creativity in the home?
What special contribution do the arts have to make to creative education?
To what degree should creative education be structured to accommodate the needs of creative industries?
What evidence is there that a creative curriculum assists achievement in other areas?
What is the impact of a creative curriculum on
a) pupil confidence, motivation, behavior and team work, and
b) literacy, numeracy, ICT and communication skills?How can creative achievement among young people be acknowledged and assessed?
How can creativity be embedded across the curriculum and within the philosophy of schools?
How can creativity in schools best be linked to the real work of work and leisure?
Submissions should arrive no later than noon on Monday 16 July 2007. A guide for written submissions to the Committee may be found on the parliamentary website at: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/witnessguide.pdf
A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail to edskillscom@parliament.uk with an additional paper copy to:
Education and Skills Select Committee
House of Commons
7 Millbank
London SW1P 3JA
All Committee publications and press releases are available on our website: http://www.parliament.uk/edskills/
Information about the Education and Skills Committee
The Education and Skills Committee is one of the House's Select Committees related to government departments: its terms of reference are to examine "the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Education and Skills and its associated public bodies". The Committee chooses its own subjects of inquiry, within the overall terms of reference. It invites written evidence from interested parties and holds public evidence sessions, usually in committee rooms at the House of Commons, although it does have the power to meet away from Westminster. At the end of each inquiry, the Committee will normally agree a Report based on the evidence received. Such Reports are published and made available on the Internet. Copies are sent free to those who give oral evidence. Reports usually contain recommendations to the Government and other bodies. The Government by convention responds to reports within about two months of publication. These responses are also published.
