Learning creativity helps Nottingham primary school excel against the odds
Staff and pupils at Welbeck Primary School in Nottingham are celebrating after the school was praised by Ofsted in its report 'Twenty outstanding primary schools - Excelling Against the Odds'. Welbeck was singled out as one of twenty schools across England that are flourishing despite being located in disadvantaged communities.
The school, which is located in The Meadows, has been part of the region's Creative Partnerships programme since 2006. Teachers and pupils have worked alongside creative practitioners such as visual and multimedia artists to develop new and engaging ways of learning which help young people succeed.
Carol Norman, headteacher at Welbeck Primary, said "We are all immensely proud of this Ofsted recognition of our achievements at Welbeck. Part of our school's success is because of our commitment to looking at ways into learning in order to help all children develop their skills and talents. Working closely with a variety of artists on our Creative Partnership programme has enabled us to develop this further using creative and innovative teaching and learning styles to engage and motivate the children. It has proved very successful in fostering enjoyment and raising standards across the school."
Ofsted’s report aims to help all primary schools become excellent by revealing the principles and practice of schools which are not only consistently outstanding but which also serve some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country. Ofsted remarks that Creative Partnerships has played a role at Welbeck as it has “given the teachers confidence in using art very much more creatively in their lessons [and] most teachers have responded imaginatively to the freedom to use space in different ways and to develop the curriculum.”
Creative Partnerships is delivered in Nottingham by The Mighty Creatives, a new charity which works to give all children and young people in the East Midlands opportunities to raise their aspirations and develop new skills through creativity.
Richard Clark, Chief Executive of The Mighty Creatives, said, "We were delighted but not at all surprised to hear that Welbeck Primary had been singled out for such praise as we know it is an excellent school. We work with eighty schools across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, supporting their development of creative approaches to teaching and learning that help young people succeed. Partnerships between school staff, creative practitioners and young people themselves are key to the success of this work and have been highlighted in Ofsted’s report about Welbeck. We look forward to continuing to work with Welbeck and helping many other schools in the East Midlands use creativity to meet their challenges."
Creative Partnerships has worked with nearly 5,000 schools across England, from Key Stage 1 to 4. The programme fosters innovative long-term partnerships between schools and creative professionals, including artists, performers, architects, multimedia developers and scientists. These partnerships inspire young people, teachers and creative professionals to challenge how they work and experiment with new ideas.
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