Blog

Following years of squeezed school budgets and the narrowing of the curriculum, arts activities at primary schools are in severe decline. The last “Taking Part” Survey published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport found participation in the arts among primary-age children down by a third.

Grace (Giggle) has been an Artis Specialist for over 7 years and is also an Artis Mentor, providing support and guidance to Artis Specialists working in schools across London. Grace tells us her story about how she became a professional performing artist with a portfolio career as an actor, arts […]

“In order to help their pupils succeed; schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy” Department of Education, 2014 It is reported that 1 in 10 children aged 5 to 16 years old experience issues with mental health, with up to half of […]

Stuart (Chime) has been an Artis Specialist for over 12 years. He was in our second ever cohort of Specialists, and has since been a Mentor and a Mentor Leader. We asked Stuart about his time with Artis, and his career as an artist and an arts educator.

Amy (Chuckle) has been an Artis Specialist for over 4 years and works in one of our partner schools in Manchester.  We asked Amy about her time with Artis and her life as a performing artist.

Let me preface this blog by telling you that we are going to be discussing the collection and analysis of data to assess the impact of creativity in the curriculum… but STOP, WAIT, stick with us for moment before you return to the Best 100 Funny Cat videos! We’ve tried to make this as easy to digest as possible, and it should give you some guidance for monitoring creative provision in your own classroom.

We’ve all seen those mysterious unmarked doors in the corner of the school hall. The door refuses to open (the key was said to be lost in 1975), there’s a strange smell and a growling noise emanating from within; it’s almost certainly haunted in there. In fact, it’s the instrument cupboard. But fear not, brave traveller, for the instrument cupboard is a treasure trove, bursting with creative potential waiting to be unleashed…

Making science come to life with a real bang can sometimes leave you worried about what chemical reaction you might have on your hands. Talk too much and the session might fizzle out. Go too practical and you run the risk of creating a catalyst of events which is super fun but has no content. So why, I hear you ask, would you even attempt to introduce the performing arts into the mixture?

Prominently displayed on the tote bags and notebooks distributed to participants during Artis’ recent five-day teacher training in South Korea, no truer statement could be made about our work together. Developed in partnership with the Chung Mong-Koo Foundation, The Creative Arts Programme for Teachers brought together 50 teachers and school social workers from across South Korea.

What is a TeachMeet? For those of us not in the know, a TeachMeet is a grassroots “conference” which offers free, informal CPD organised by, and for, teachers and educationalists. Ideas are shared in the form of presentations and activities, and the events tend to be short and snappy.