For a printable version of this case study in Word format, please click the icon on the right.

What was planned?

The programme stems from a successful pilot DfES funded scheme in 5 schools within Dudley and Walsall LEA during summer 2000 using £20,000 of funding from the DfES 'Partners in Study Support' programme.  Over 70 children from Dudley and Walsall primary schools came together at the New Art Gallery Walsall to do a week-long programme of creative activities. The overall aim was to affect children’s learning at the end of Year 5, in preparation for their final and vital year in Primary School. Disaffected and vulnerable pupils were targeted for inclusion in each project.  Creativity is seen as the key to unlocking individual potential.  The objectives were threefold:

• Attainment-by treating the children as 'experts' with continually high expectations the outcomes will reflect that and have an impact on future work in school.
• Attitudes-the extended time with adults on such a concentrated project will affect their approach to relationships and their perception of themselves as individuals.
• Attendance-a positive experience will lead to higher attendance rates for full time schooling.

Other secondary objectives were:

• The professional development for teachers by working with a professional artist.
• The development of partnership working across a sub-region.

What was done and when?

Each summer school had a resident professional artist, teacher, volunteers and classroom assistant, with 24 children. The

artists organised activities including making an original piece of sculpture to be installed permanently in the grounds of a

school.  The children also took part in visits.  The summer school lasted for five days.  Each group works as a ‘team of experts’ to produce a unique permanent piece of art work/installation in the school.  The impact of both the experience (process) and the longer term effect of the installation (product) are seen as significant for the individual and the group.

An initial presentation to the school from the project team explains the philosophy and operation of the scheme. The schools are provided with the artist, specimen invitation letters, and consent forms on disk, a clear outline of roles and responsibilities, an evaluation methodology and further back-up as required. A joint half day’s preparatory training is provided for the artists, teachers and assistants a month before the summer school.  A key element is the way in which a live website is used during the project to explain and display the work of each school.

What has the impact been?

As part of the evaluation parents, pupils, artists and teachers were interviewed at the summer school and followed up six months later.  During the evaluator’s return visit she was impressed at how much the children remembered about the project and how they had apparently blossomed over the previous months. Staff reported how individual children had made significant progress beyond their peers and how the summer school sculpture, now installed in the school grounds had somehow become an icon for their achievement and success. "It appeared that the children had become 'experts' in the eyes of the other children and had grown in confidence and self esteem", said the evaluator.

What was learnt and what were the next steps?

The project is being rolled out across all 14 LEAs in the West Midlands over a four-year period using £570,000 of NOF funding.  It started in Summer 2002 with 10 schools in Dudley and Walsall and is increasing to 47 for 2003 and 30/40 for the next 2 years across all 14 LEAs.  Over the lifetime of the project 120 Primary schools and 3000 children will participate, and it is the largest summer school of its kind in the country. The scheme is being led by Dudley LEA under the umbrella of the West Midlands Extended Schools Partnership (a consortium of 14 LEAs) in partnership with the Black Country School Improvement Partnership (BCSIP), Crayola (Binney and Smith) Europe, Trilby Multimedia, Education Extra, The Experience Corps, The University of Wolverhampton and the Arts Council West Midlands.  Other primary and special schools across the region will be able to apply on-line from September 2003 for the summers of 2004/5.

Schools will not be eligible to have a second summer school but each will be supported in applying for an ‘Awards for all’ grant to continue provision.  An evaluation of the 2002 scheme by NfER noted that the expansion of the scheme would raise considerable challenges for the project team in recruiting high quality professional artists. The project team are delighted that 47 artists have been recruited for July 2003 including a support programme for artists who have not worked in education before. The preparatory training session with the artist, teachers and assistants was clearly important and valued by the staff and was a key part of the planning and preparation of the scheme. This has been increased to two days, giving greater opportunity for the artist to discuss with the staff his/ her aspirations and also more time for the artist to be aware of the context in which he/she is working.

The four-year project is being documented on a special website created by educational internet specialists Trilby Multimedia in Birmingham. The site has created a regional virtual sculpture trail and all year round online resource for children and teachers across the region and beyond. The site is open at www.impactmag.net and contains thousands of pictures of the children’s art work. For more information about the project please contact Lindsay Newton Head of Development at Dudley MBC.

See also case studies on Christ Church School Walsall and Beauty Bank School Stourbridge for more detailed case studies on individual schools taking part.

Lindsay Newton, Head of Development, Saltwells EDC, Bowling Green Road, Netherton Dudley, DY2 9LY.  Tel: 01384 813716

Email: Lindsay.Newton@dudley.gov.uk

Reproduced by permission of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council