state of the region report

STATE OF THE REGIONRegional intelligence report on arts and cultural provision for children and young people in the North West 2012

http://curiousminds.org.uk/

State of the Region 2enablingcreativecollaboration

Contents

Contents

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1. Introduction



Curious Minds is part of a national network of ten bridge organisations funded by Arts Council England to use our experience and expertise to connect children and young people, and schools and communities with art and culture. We, along with the Arts Council, believe that every child and young person should have the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts and culture.

Our approach to delivering the North West Bridge role will be underpinned by a set of five core principles: 1. Collaboration,dialogueandpartnership–actingasa

broker,enablerandfacilitatortodevelopasustainableculturalecologyforchildrenandyoungpeople

2. Coheringandsimplifying–streamliningandsimplifyingthemechanismsthatfacilitatechildrenandyoungpeople’sparticipationinart,cultureandcreativelearning

3. Recognisingtheuniquecontributionofschools–acoherentstrategythatfocusesonhighqualityartsexperienceswithinschools

4. Continuouslystrivingforqualityandexcellence–raisingqualityacrosstheregiontosustainengagement

5. Enablingchildrenandyoungpeople’svoice–supportingchildrenandyoungpeopletodevelopasindependentandinformedconsumers,critics,andcommissionersofartsandculture.

MappingandthegatheringofinformationisakeyelementoftheBridgeinitiative.Inordertobuildacoherentapproachtothedevelopmentofchildrenandyoungpeople’sengagementinartsandculture,bothinandoutofschool,weneedtobeawareofthecurrentoffer,contextanddemand.Thisreportaimstogatheraregionalpictureoftheprovision,needsandbarriersaroundartsandcultureforchildrenandyoungpeople.

Thisreportwillbeusedtoinformouractivityplanforthe2012/13Bridgeprogrammeandensurethatitisrootedinstakeholderneedandreflectiveofthedistinctivecontext,challengesandpotentialoftheNorthWestregionatthismomentintime.ItwillbeusedtounderpinthepartnershipinvestmentdecisionswemakeandhowweprioritiseourtimeandbudgetasaBridgeorganisation.Ourpurposeistomakeadifferencetoasmanychildrenandyoungpeopleaspossibleandourmissionistobuildonwhatworkswellandbeunafraidtoworkinpartnershiptochangethethingsthatcouldbebetter.

ForthepurposesoftheBridgeremit,ourdefinitionofchildrenandyoungpeoplecovers0-19yearolds.



1.1 Context and ApproachChildren and young people are living and learning in a period of great economic and social change, a time in which their emotional and physical wellbeing, the space afforded them to imagine, create and innovate and their ability to find work or access further or higher education are all playing out in a context full of challenge. For many living in some of the most deprived Super Output Areas in the whole of England, this compounds already high levels of disadvantage.

Thisisatimeoftransitioninwhichmanyfundingstreamshavebeenchangingandithasbeenachallengetodevelopacoherentoverviewofaconstantlyevolvingcontext.Ratherthanfocusonwhathasbeenofferedhistoricallywesetouttofocusonprovisionplannedfor2012/13.Thatsaidwenowknowsomeoftheorganisationswehaveconsultedwithaspartofthisresearchwillceasetoexistinafewmonthstime.Othersconsiderthemselvestobe‘atrisk’whilesomearemerging,restructuringorstillworkingthroughthedetailsoftheirofferforthenewfinancialyear.Wearenotoperatinginastaticenvironmentbyanymeansandassuchweofferyouaperspectiveofthecurrentcontextasweareabletointerpretitatthistime.

Thisreportisnotaboutmakingthecaseforartsandcultureforchildrenandyoungpeople;althoughwebelievethereismuchworktodointhisarea,thepurposeofthisreportistobringtogetherinformationaboutprovisionforchildrenandyoungpeopleandanalysewhattheyandthekeypractitioners,deliverersandfundersworkingwithandforthemaretellingusarethemostimportantissues,challengesandopportunitiesfacingthematthistime.Wehaveattemptedtorepresentwhatpeoplehavetoldusinasobjectiveamanneraspossible.

Whatwepresenthereisasummaryofthevastamountofdataandintelligencegatheredoverthelastfourmonths.Thedetailedsummariesofindividualorganisationaloffers,theparticularissuesfacingspecificschoolsandthedifferingdynamicsoflocalauthorityareascannotbepresentedhere,thereissimplytoomuchinformation.Howeverwewillcontinuemakingfulluseofthisdetaileddataasweworkinpartnershipwithotherstoplan,deliverandevaluatetheBridgeprogrammeintheNorthWestofEngland.



OurroleasaBridgeistolistentowhatwehaveheardandworkwithpartnerstodevelopcreativesolutionsthatindividuals,organisationsandcommunitiescanimplement.Weendeavourtoofferasenseofrealisminthepictureweportrayandasolutionsfocusedapproachinourresponse.Someofourideasforrespondingtoidentifiedneedsarefeaturedhere.Otherswillfollowaswedevelopourprogramme.

Meetingandconnectingwithsomanypeopleandorganisationshasbeenjustasimportanttousasgatheringthedata,enablingustoforgenewrelationships,makefreshlinkagesandreconnectwithexistingpartners.

Wehavemadeadeliberatedecisiontoanonymisethoseconsulted.Ourreasonfordoingthiswastoencourageopenandhonestconversationthatwouldbuildarealandrepresentativepictureoftheregionandtoensurewewerenotseentobefavouringanyoneprovider,settingorlocalauthorityoveranyother.Mostofthethemes,needs,barriersandpotentialpresentedtouswerenotspecifictooneart

formareaorgeographicallocationandarangeofcommonthemesemergedaroundwhichthisreportisarranged.Westartwithspecificintelligenceabouteachregion,moveontolookatthespecificcontextfacinglocalauthorities,theculturalsector,schoolsandchildrenandyoungpeople,andthenturnourfocustothemostcommonthemesthatcameupinourconsultation.

Todatewehaveconsultedwithover450peopleandwouldliketotakethisopportunitytothankthemallforsharingtheirtime,expertise,experienceandcreativeideas.Afulllistoftheindividualsandorganisationswehaveconsultedwithcanbefoundinanappendixattheendofthisdocument.Thisisonlythebeginning;weknowtherearemanypeoplewehaveyettoconnectwithacrosstheregionandwelookforwardtodoingthisaswemoveforwardsinournewrole.



Many thanks go also to the individuals and organisations who have supported us in the process of gathering intelligence across the region. Particular thanks go to:AllAboutAudiencesBarnardosActionwithYoungCarersBlessedTrinityHighSchool,BurnleyClaireO’BrienCreativeFuturesCumbriaCYCES-aschoolforyoungpeoplewithemotionalandbehaviouraldifficulties,runbyTheTogetherTrustGayleSutherlandTheHollinsTechnologyCollege,HyndburnJaniceMcNamaraLyceumYouthTheatre

MidPennineArtsNaomiWhitmanNeilWinterburnNorthLakesSchool,PenrithPaulHinePeshkarYoungPeoplesGroupRosieCrookStPatricksCESchool,EndmoorSheniRavji-SmithYoungPeople’sAdvisoryservice(YPAS)ZionYoungPerformers



2. Our Methodology



Representatives from Bridge organisations around the country came together to create an audit tool that would collect statistical data around arts and cultural provision for children and young people, including educational attainment, deprivation and other key indicators that would help us identify areas of particular need.

It was agreed that Bridge organisations would focus on gathering intelligence on ‘needs, barriers and potential’ within the following key areas:– Thestrategicissuesfortheregioninthecontextof

childrenandyoungpeople– KeythreatsandopportunitiesintheBridgecontext– Thespecificdynamicsofindividuallocalauthorities– Fundingandcommissioningagenciesandpotential

partners– Geographicareasof‘need’forchildrenandyoung

peopleand‘opportunity’– Musiceducationlandscape.

Meanwhile,intheNorthWestwespenttimedevisingacomprehensiveprocessthatwouldenableustogatherintelligencefromasmanyyoungpeople,teachers,practitioners,fundersanddeliverersaspossible.

We focused our attention on the following:– Childrenandyoungpeople– Schools– ArtsOrganisations-NationalPortfolioOrganisations

(NPOs)– ArtsOrganisations-NonNPOs– Museums/HeritageandLibrariessector– Thirdsector,communityorganisationsandcharities– LocalAuthorities– Arts,culturalandeducationnetworks



Feedback from these groups were gathered using the following methods:StatisticalevidenceSurveytoallschoolsintheNorthWestandasurveytoall

artsandcultural,museumsandheritageorganisationsintheNorthWest;thiswaspartofajointconsultationdeliveredbyAllAboutAudiencesandCuriousMindsfocusingonartsandculturalprovisionforschools.

FocusGroups-aseriesofgroupsessionswithleadersfromarangeofsectorsandbackgrounds.Theseweretargetedatthefollowing:

I. ArtsmarktrainersII. ArtsAwardadvisersIII. ArtsAwardtrainers/moderatorsIV. NPOsV. MuseumandHeritagesectorVI. PrimarySchoolsinruralsettingsVII. SecondarySchoolsinruralsettingsVIII. PrimarySchoolsinurbansettingsIX. SecondarySchoolsinurbansettingsX. LocalauthorityartsofficersXI. SENschoolsXII. Thirdsectorandcommunityorganisations

Thesub-regionalfocusgroupscontainedrepresentativesfromalloftheabovesettings

XIII. Sub-regionalLancashireXIV. Sub-regionalMerseysideXV. Sub-regionalGreaterManchesterXVI. .Sub-regionalCheshireandWarringtonXVII.Sub-regionalCumbria

One:OneInterviews-weconductedinterviewswithoverahundredleadersfromtheartsandculturalsector,museumsandheritage,libraries,musichubsandschools.

Consultationwithchildrenandyoungpeople–onefacilitatorworkedwithtwodifferentgroupsofchildrenandyoungpeopleineachregion.Theirmainfocuswaslookingatwhatinspireschildrenandyoungpeopletobecomeengagedinartsandculturalactivity.

NetworkAnalysis-weresearchedthekeynetworksintheregionthathaveafocusonartsandculturalworkwithandforchildrenandyoungpeople.

CulturalandChildrenandYoungPeople’sStrategyAnalysis-weconductedananalysisoflocalauthoritystrategiesaroundartsandcultureandchildrenandyoungpeopleintheNorthWest.Thiswastoidentifythekeyprioritiesforchildrenandyoungpeopleacrosstheauthoritiesandtheplanslocalauthoritieshaveinplacetosupportthem.

Researchoncurrentpoliticalandculturalpolicy



In bringing together the transcripts of interviews and focus groups we pulled out the main trends. Some of these were sub region and sector specific while others cut across these boundaries and were relevant to the contributing sectors and region as a whole. The common themes were identified as:– Informationandcommunication– Engagingyoungpeople,theirfamiliesandthehardto

reach– Achievementandprogression– Quality– Money– Advocacy

Thisreportbringstogetherthevoiceofyoungpeople,teachers,artspractitioners,fundersandlocalauthorityleadsasone.Foreachofthesectorspecificandkeythemesectionswesharethekeyintelligencecollatedincludingneeds,barriersandpotential.WealsoshareourcurrentthinkingabouthowtheBridgewilladdresstheissuesraised,duringyearone.



3. Analysis of the Sub Regions Within the North West



3.1 Analysis of the sub-regions Cheshire and Warrington

Cheshire and Warrington is situated in the south and east of the region and includes the following local authorities:– CheshireWestandChester– CheshireEast– HaltonBoroughCouncil– WarringtonBoroughCouncil

Thesub-regionincorporatesthehistoriccityofChester,anumberoflargetownsaswellasalargeruralcommunity.Becauseofthisgeographicalmake-upthereareareasofhighprosperityandareasofhighdeprivation.In2009thedistrictcouncilsinCheshirewerereplacedbytwounitaryauthorities;CheshireWestandChesterandCheshireEast.

TherearefiveNPOs(NationalPortfolioOrganisations)inthesubregionofCheshire.FouroftheseorganisationswerewithintheRFO(RegularlyFundedOrganisations)structure.

The NPO’s are:– ActionTransportTheatre–Artform:Theatre– CheshireandLancashire

TouringPartnership–Artform:Combinedarts– ChesterPerforms–Artform:Combinedarts– ChesterFestivalsLtd–Artform:Combinedarts– CheshireDance–Artform:Dance

Arichculturalofferisalsoprovidedthroughlocalauthority,educationalandcommercialsettingsacrossthesub-region.OurconsultationalsosuggeststhatchildrenandyoungpeoplefromHaltonandWarringtonareoftenmoreconnectedtoculturalexperiencesonofferinthenearbycitiesofLiverpoolandManchester.

Inthesubregionasawholethelevelsofdeprivationarelowbutatamorelocallevel,therearepocketsofseriousdeprivation.AreassuchasEllesmerePorthavesomeofthehighestlevelsofdeprivationandloweststandardsofeducationalattainmentintheUK.Thiscouldeasilybemissedifonthegroundintelligenceandstatisticsarenotgathered.

The statistics for the region support a key issue raised during the consultation process;

There is the perception that Cheshire is affluent so does not need funding



Statistics for Cheshire

1. Population–(0-19)206.7(000’s)(20-24)51.1(000’s)

2. PopulationCYP(0-24)–257.8(28.9%oftotalpopulation)

3. ArtsAward–127successfulawardsApril2011–September2011TotalArtsAward0.08%ofyoungpeople(NorthWestaverage=0.18%/NationalaverageforEngland=0.17%)

4. ArtsMark–87settings=20.2%ofsettings(NorthWestaverage20.6%/NationalaverageforEngland=19.2%)

5. PercentageofCYP(under16’s)livinginpoverty–13.5%(NorthWestAverage=22.8%,NationalAverage=20.9%)

6. UnemployedUnder25–15,750=26.2%oftotalclaimants(NorthWestAverage–29.4%,NationalAverage–26.9%)

7. IndexofMultipleDepravation–16.22(24outof39inEngland)NorthWestAverage=25.61NationalAverage=19.15

8. AreasoflowengagementInartsandculture(Nationalrankingoutof354)–49th–Halton

9. Settinglistedintop50highestNEETSlevels–6thEllesmerePortHigh:Around20%3rdWarringtonVeryHigh:Almost25%

Particulargeographicalareasofneedmentionedinconsultations– EllesmerePort

HaltonWarringtonTarporleyNantwichCreweWilmslowCongletonMacclesfield



3.2 Analysis of the sub-regions: Cumbria

The Cumbrian sub-region is made up of a county council and six district/city councils:– CumbriaCountyCouncil;– AllerdaleBoroughCouncil;– CopelandBoroughCouncil;– BarrowinFurnessBoroughCouncil;– CarlisleCityCouncil;– EdenDistrictCouncil;– SouthLakelandDistrictCouncil.

CumbriaisEngland’ssecondlargestcountyandrankedthirdinrelationtopopulationsparsity.MorethanhalfofCumbria’spopulationof498,000liveinruralcommunitieswithonlyCarlisleandBarrowhavingpopulationsexceeding28,000.Over70%ofthecounty’ssettlementshaveapopulationoflessthan200people.

HometotheLakeDistrict,Cumbriaisanareaofoutstandingnaturalbeauty.Despiteinitialappearances,therearesignificantissueswhichimpactonthelifechancesofchildrenandyoungpeople.Therearesignificantlevelsofdeprivation:twelvewardsinCarlisle,BarrowandWestCumbriafallwithinthe10%mostdeprivednationally.Therearealsosmallerpocketsofsignificantdeprivationandlowincomesinsomeruralcommunities.

Ourconsultationuncoveredtwokeybarrierstoengagementinartsandculture:economicdeprivationinthewestandsouthoftheregion,inareassuchasBarrowinFurnessandWorkington;andruralisolation.Manypeopleraisedconcernsabouttransportandlackofaccessibilitytoartsprovision.Thisisaparticularlypressingissueforchildrenandyoungpeoplewholiveinthemostisolatedareasoftheregion.



There are 14 NPOs in the region. Of which 12 survive from the RFO structure. The NPO’s are: – ArtGene–Artform:Visualarts– TheAshtonGroup–Artform:Theatre– TheBrewery,Kendal–Artform:Combinedarts– CumbriaTheatreTrust–Artform:Theatre– EdenArts–Artform:Combinedarts– GrizedaleArts–Artform:Visualarts– HighlightsRural

TouringNetwork–Artform:Combinedarts– KendalArtsInternational–Artform:Combinedarts– LakelandArtsTrust–Artform:Visualarts– Octopus–Artform:Combinedarts– PrismArts–Artform:Combinedarts– RosehillTheatre–Artform:Combinedarts– WhitewoodandFleming

TheatreandMusic–Artform:Combinedarts– TheWordsworthTrust–Artform:Literature

NPOsandthemuseumandheritagesectorplayakeyroleinthelifeandeducationofthepeopleofCumbria.Thenumberofculturalvenuesintheregionishigherthanthenationalaverage(outsideofLondon).However,venuestendtobesmallandtheirofferislocalityfocused.

WhenaskedduringtheconsultationwhattheywouldliketoseehappeninCumbria,mostpeopleaskedforamorejoinedupofferacrosstheregionandstrategichelpwithtransportpolicyandroutes.



Statistics for Cumbria

1. Population–(0-19)108.5(000’s)(20-24)25.3(000’s)


3. ArtsAward–283successfulawardsApril2011-September2011TotalArtsAward0.35%ofyoungpeople(NorthWestaverage=0.18%/NationalaverageforEngland=0.17%)



6. UnemployedUnder25–7360=29.6%oftotalclaimants(NorthWestAverage–29.4%,NationalAverage–26.9%)


8. Settingsclassedascoldspots(Nationalrankingoutof354)–65th–Allerdale73rd–Barrow

9. Settinglistedintop50highestNEETSlevels–None

Particulargeographicalareasofneedmentionedinconsultations– WestCumbria Barrow Workington Areasofruralisolation Eden SouthLakes Carlisle Copland



3.3 Analysis of the sub-regions: Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county. It is the second largest conurbation in the UK and is made up of ten metropolitan boroughs:– BoltonMetropolitanBoroughCouncil– BuryMetropolitanBoroughCouncil– ManchesterCityCouncil– OldhamMetropolitanBoroughCouncil– RochdaleMetropolitanBoroughCouncil– SalfordCityCouncil– StockportMetropolitanBoroughCouncil– TamesideMetropolitanBoroughCouncil– TraffordMetropolitanBorough– WiganMetropolitanBoroughCouncil

ThetenauthoritiesofGreaterManchesterarethefirstinthecountrytodevelopastatutorycombinedauthoritywhichwillcoordinatekeyeconomicdevelopment,regenerationandtransportfunctions.TheGreaterManchesterCombinedAuthority(GMCA)wasestablishedonthe1April2011.

ThroughthelocalauthorityunionofAGMA(AssociationofGreaterManchesterAuthorities)thesub-regionhasbuiltajoinedupapproachtoartsandcultureinthearea,ensuringprovisionandfundingisspreadacrossthewholeregionwithkeyorganisationsfocusingonspecificneedsandbarriers.However,therearestillbigchallengestobetackled.Thesizeoftheconurbationandwhereandwhentheculturaloffertakesplacestillmakesitdifficultformanychildrenandyoungpeopletoaccessartsandculturalprovision.



ThehuboftheculturalofferexistswithinthemajorcitiesofManchesterandSalfordandisaccessedbyresidentsandyoungpeoplefromacrossthecityregion.WiththemoveoftheBBCtoMediaCityinSalfordthereisasenseofanewleaseoflifeandopportunityforanumberoforganisations.ButitcanalsobeseenasapotentialthreatwithaconcernthatfundingandaudienceswillheadinthedirectionofSalfordQuaysinsteadoftheoutlyingareasaroundandinSalford,whichstatisticsshowhaveveryhighlevelsofdeprivationanddisengagement.

CommunitiesthroughouttheGreaterManchestercityregionfaceacommonsetofissuesassociatedwithex-industriallegacy.Barriersthataffectyoungpeopleincludestreetbystreetgangseparation,lackofidentitywithinthelocalarea,transportdifficultiesbetweenandacrossboroughs,deprivationandyouthunemploymentandthethreatofacitycentrewithaculturaloffermuchricherthanayoungperson’sownneighbourhood.

Themainchallengetoartsandculturalorganisationisreducedfunding,theexpectationtodomorewithlessandthecapacitytoachievethis.Althoughrequestsforextrafundingcamethroughloudandclearthereisanotablepositiveattitudeandwillingnesstodevelopnewandsustainablewaysofworkingtoachievethis.Fundingisnotalwaystheanswer;sharedworkingandprogrammingalignedwiththeprinciplesofopennessandhonestywassuggestedasakeywayforward.



There are 36 NPOs in the region. Of which 30 survive from the RFO structure. The NPO’s are:– 24:7TheatreArtsNetworkLtd–Artform:Theatre– CarcanetPressLtd–Artform:Literature– ChineseArtsCentre–Artform:VisualArts– CommaPress–Artform:Literature– Commonword/Cultureword–Artform:Literature– CommunityArtsNorthWest–Artform:Combinedarts– CompanyChameleon–Artform:Dance– ContactTheatre–Artform:Theatre– Cornerhouse–Artform:VisualArts– DanceInitiativeGreaterManchester–Artform:Dance– FullCircleArts–Artform:All– FutureEverythingCIC–Artform:VisualArts– hAb–Artform:Combinedarts– HalleConcertsSociety–Artform:Music– InnerCityMusicLtd–Artform:Music– M6TheatreCompany–Artform:Theatre– ManchesterCamerata–Artform:Music– ManchesterCraft&DesignLtd–Artform:Visualarts– ManchesterInternationalFestival–Artform:Combinedarts

– ManchesterJazzFestival–Artform:Music– ManchesterLiteratureFestival–Artform:Literature– OctagonTheatreTrustLimited–Artform:Theatre– OldhamColiseumTheatre–Artform:Theatre– PerformingArtsNetwork

&DevelopmentAgency–Artform:Combinedarts– PeshkarProductions–Artform:Theatre– PsapphaContemporaryMusicEnsemble–Artform:Music– Quarantine–Artform:Theatre– RasaProductions–Artform:Theatre– Redeye,thePhotographyNetwork–Artform:VisualArts– RoyalExchangeTheatre–Artform:Theatre– TheLowry–Artform:Combinedarts– TheMet–Artform:Combinedarts– TheWhitworthArtGallery–Artform:VisualArts– TippCentre–Artform:Combinedarts– WalkThePlank–Artform:Theatre– WhalleyRangeAllStars–Artform:Theatre



Statistics for Greater Manchester

1. Population–(0-19)650.2(000’s)(20-24)211.4(000’s)


3. ArtsAward–526successfulawardsApril2011-September2011TotalArtsAward0.18%ofyoungpeople(NorthWestaverage=0.18%/NationalaverageforEngland=0.17%)



6. UnemployedUnder25–73090=30.7%oftotalclaimants(NorthWestAverage-29.4%,NationalAverage–26.9%)

7. IndexofMultipleDeprivation–28.44(4outof39inEngland)NorthWestAverage=25.61,NationalAverage=19.15

8. Settingsclassedascoldspots(Nationalrankingoutof354)–20th–Wigan30th–Salford37th–Rochdale53rd–Bolton61st–Tameside63rd–Oldham

9. Settinglistedintop50highestNEETSlevels–Rochdale&Oldham–VeryHigh:Around20%Bolton–High:Around18%Manchester–Medium:Around15-17%

Particulargeographicalareasofneedmentionedinconsultations– Rochdale

WiganM62corridorTamesideNorthManchesterEastManchester



3.4 Analysis of the sub-regions: Lancashire

The Lancashire sub-region is made up a non-metropolitan county, comprising a two-tier arrangement with a county council, 12 district councils and 2 unitary authorities (Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool):– LancashireCountyCouncil– BlackburnwithDarwenBoroughCouncil– BlackpoolCouncil– BurnleyBoroughCouncil– ChorleyBoroughCouncil– FyldeBoroughCouncil– HyndburnBoroughCouncil– LancasterCityCouncil– PendleBoroughCouncil– PrestonCityCouncil– RibbleValleyBoroughCouncil– RossendaleBoroughCouncil– SouthRibbleBoroughCouncil– WestLancashireBoroughCouncil– WyreBoroughCouncil

Asasub-regionLancashirebreaksdownintothreegeographicalareaswhicheachhavetheirowndistinctcharacteristics,needsandartisticcommunities:BlackpoolandtheFylde,PennineLancashireandLancashireCentral.

Acrossthesub-regiontherearesignificantareasofdeprivation,someurbanandsomerural.Therearemanyexampleswhereareapocketsofdeprivationaremaskedandcompoundedbytheaffluencethatsurroundsthem.Forexample,WestLancashiretendstobeperceivedasanaffluentareaeventhoughthetownofSkelmersdalesuffersfromsignificantlevelsofdeprivationandofferminimalopportunitiesforengagementinthearts.Manypeoplewespoketowereconcernedthatthishasresultedinsomeareasbeingoverlookedforfundingorinvestmentinthepast.Thisisanissueacrossthesub-regionofLancashire.

There are 9 NPOs in the region. Of which 6 survive from the RFO structure. The NPO’s are:– BlackpoolGrandTheatre–Artform:Dance– BurnleyYouthTheatre–Artform:Theatre– CheshireandLancashireTouringPartnership–Artform:

Combinedarts– HorseAndBambooTheatreCompany–Artform:Theatre– LudusDance–Artform:Dance– MoreMusic–Artform:Music– NuffieldTheatreLancasterUniversity–Artform:

Combinedarts– TheDukesPlayhouseLimited–Artform:Theatre– TheGrundyArtGallery–Artform:Visualarts



LancashireasawholehassufferedfromtheNationalPortfolioOrganisationrestructure,leavingalargeareaacrossthecentreofthesub-regionwithoutanyNPOs,includingthecityofPreston.ThishasbeenexacerbatedbythelossoftheCreativePartnershipsprogrammewhichbroughtahugeinvestmenttofreelanceartistsandartsorganisations.

OverrecentyearsLancashireCountyCouncilhasworkedwithlocalpartnerstobringtogetherastrongculturaltourismapproachtotheregionasawhole.ThereisacentralregionalpulltowardsmakingPrestonthecentreofthesub-region;however,somesub-regionalpartnersfearthattheirareaortownmayloseinvestmentandfacesimilarissuestotheGreaterManchesterandMerseysideregionswhosufferfromthepulltowardsthecitycentresofManchesterandLiverpool.

Consultationacrosstheregionshowedthatarangeofissuesareimpactingonartsandcultureforchildrenandyoungpeopleincluding:highlevelsofdeprivationcausingeconomicrestrictionstoaccessingactivity;someareasfeelingtheyarea“poorrelationofthecounty”andoverlooked;thelossofartsandculturalprovisionforchildrenandyoungpeopleatcountyandboroughlevelthroughrestructure;alackofactivitiesandvenuesavailable;badaccesstotransportroutesaroundthecounty;andrurallocalitieshavinggeographicalchallengesinaccessingactivitydespitenotbeingdeprivedareasthemselves.



Statistics for Lancashire

1. Population–(0-19)353.8(000’s)(20-24)97.2(000’s)







8. Settingsclassedascoldspots(Nationalrankingoutof354)–15–BlackburnwithDarwen16–Preston18–Burnley26–Hyndburn50–Blackpool59–Pendle123–Rossendale

9. Settinglistedintop50highestNEETSlevels–Blackpool–VeryHigh:Around20%

Particulargeographicalareasofneedmentionedinconsultations– Rossendale

SkelmersdaleBurnleyHyndburnRawtenstallBlackpool



3.5 Analysis of the sub-regions: Merseyside

The Merseyside sub‐region is made up of 5 local authorities:– KnowsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncil– LiverpoolCityCouncil– SeftonCouncil– StHelensMetropolitanBoroughCouncil– WirralMetropolitanBoroughCouncil

Merseysideisasub-regionhugelyinfluencedbythecentralmagnetofLiverpoolCityCentreandtherichculturalprovisionprovidedthere.Butitisalsoacomplexregionwithhighlevelsofdeprivationanddisengagementinartsandculturalactivities,fordifferentreasonsfromoneareatotheother.IthasmanysimilaritiestotheGreaterManchestersub-regionbuthasitsownindividualityandovertheyearshasbeenseenasacompetitortoitsnearbyneighbourofGreaterManchester.

WhentheCityofLiverpoolwasawardedtheEuropeanCapitalofCulture2008thistriggeredfurthergrowthintheartsandculturalservicesinthecityandfurtherafield.ThecitycentrealreadyhadhistoricalartsandculturalorganisationssuchasNationalMuseumsLiverpool,RoyalLiverpoolPhilharmonicOrchestra,theEverymanandPlayhousetheatresandtheBluecoat,buthasbeenjoinedinrecentyearsbytheTATELiverpool,LiverpoolBiennialandFACT(FoundationforArtandCreativeTechnology).TheCapitalofCultureprofileenabledthe‘BigSeven’,alongwithUnityTheatretojointogetherasonevoiceintheLARC(LiverpoolArtsandRegenerationConsortium)structure.Thisenabledmorefocusedculturalprogrammingandpromotionofculturaltourismacrossthecityandsub-region.SharingservicesandexpertisethroughschemessuchasThrive,thecity’smainartsandculturalorganisationswereabletoreachoutanddevelopdisengagementprogrammeswithcommunitiesinthecityandbeyond.TheFindYourTalentprogrammealsostartedtobuildajointmovementtobringarichartsandculturaloffertochildrenandyoungpeopleacrossthesub-regionuntiltheprogrammewascutshort.



OutlyingareassuchasSouthport,Sefton,SouthLiverpoolandtheWirralcontinuetosufferfromlimitedaccesstoartsandcultureandtheprovisionhassurvivedintheseareasbythehardworkanddeterminationofindividualartists,afewartsorganisationsandthelocalauthorities.Thatisn’ttosaythatallareasthathavehadsignificantinvestmentoverthelast6yearsarenowvibrantandrollinginarichartsandculturaloffer.ThoseareasstillhavesomeofthehighestlevelsofdeprivationeconomicallyinEngland.Whattheydohavethoughisagenerationofchildrenandyoungpeoplewhoweregivenachancetoleadanddeveloptheartsandcultureprovisionaroundthem.Alargenumberofthoseyoungpeoplenowconnectwithartsandcultureonaweeklybasis,asweweretoldduringourconsultations.

ThelocalauthoritystructureacrossMerseysideisparticularlystrong,withrelationshipsbuiltupthroughnetworks.Thishasresultedinallauthoritiesplacingchildrenandyoungpeopleatthecentreofmanyoftheirplans.Duringourconsultations,peoplecitedakeybarrierasthefocusoffundingandprovisiononthecitycentreofLiverpoolwhiletheoutlyingareascanbeforgottenabout.Itwasfeltthereisaneedforamorelocaltownbytownapproach.

There are 21 NPOs in the region. Of which 17 survive from the RFO structure. The NPO’s are: – 20StoriesHigh–Artform:Theatre– AfricaOyeLimited–Artform:Music– BrouhahaInternational–Artform:Combinedarts– CollectiveEncounters–Artform:Theatre– DaDa-Disability&DeafArts–Artform:Combinedarts– FACT(FoundationForArt&CreativeTechnology)–

Artform:VisualArts– FittingsMultimediaArts–Artform:Theatre– GreatGeorgesCommunityCulturalProjectLtd–

Artform:Combinedarts– Homotopia–Artform:Combinedarts– HopeStreetLimited–Artform:Combinedarts– LiverpoolArabicArtsFestival–Artform:Combinedarts– LiverpoolBiennialOfContemporaryArt–

Artform:VisualArts– LiverpoolEveryman&Playhouse–Artform:Theatre– MerseysideDanceInitiative–Artform:Dance– MilapFestivalTrust–Artform:Combinedarts– OpenEyeGallery–Artform:VisualArts– PagodaChineseYouthOrchestra–Artform:Music– RoyalLiverpoolPhilharmonicSociety–Artform:Music– TheBluecoat–Artform:Combinedarts– UnityTheatreCompany–Artform:Theatre– WritingOnTheWall–Artform:Literature



Statistics for Merseyside

1. Population–(0-19)348.3(000’s)(20-24)115.6(000’s)

2. PopulationCYP(0-24)–463.9(32%oftotalpopulation)



5. PercentageofCYP(under16’s)livinginpoverty–27.6%(NorthWestAverage=22.8%NationalAverage=20.9%)



8. Settingsclassedascoldspots(Nationalrankingoutof354)–8–StHelens43–Knowsley

9. Settinglistedintop50highestNEETSlevels–Wirral–VeryHigh:Around20%Liverpool–High:Around18%

Particulargeographicalareasofneedmentionedinconsultations– Sefton–Formby/Southport(feelscutoffandnotconnected)

LiverpoolRiversideKirkbyStHelensWirral



4. Consultation with Local Authorities



4.1 The Bridge visionA growing body of evidence demonstrates that arts, cultural and creative approaches to engaging with local people can have a powerful impact on health, education, community empowerment and crime reduction. The Bridge believes there are many opportunities for the best creative and cultural providers to support local authorities to deliver outcomes in these areas. It is the role of the Bridge to help make this happen.

4.2 What people are telling us

The strategic landscape is uncertain and shiftingOurconsultationhasinvolvedcounty,city,boroughanddistrictcouncilsaswellasunitaryauthoritiesacrosstheNorthWest.Theyviewandprioritiseartandcultureinverydifferentways,withlittleonofferinsomeareasandmuchmoreinothers.

Thesecurityoflocalauthorities’artsofficers’positionsvarieswidely.Whileonecountycouncil’sartsservicehasbeenprotectedforthenextthreeyears,anartsofficerinaneighbouringauthorityhasnosenseofherpositionorwhenitwillbecomeclear.Artsofficersaresaying‘itishardtodeveloporimplementmeaningfullong-termstrategiesaroundartsandculture’;equally,‘havingastrategyisnoguaranteeofcontinuance.’Thereiscurrentlymuchstasiswithinlocalauthoritieswhiletheycontinuetoreviewandrestructuretheirservicesatavariedpace.

Anumberofrepresentativesdescribedhowoftenlocalauthoritiesmoved‘artsandculturalprovision’aroundwithindirectorates.Inoneauthority,CulturalServiceshadsatwithinfourdifferentdepartmentsinthelasteightyearsandwascurrentlylocatedinTechnicalServices.Thepeoplewespoketoareconcernedthatdecisionmakerslackunderstandingabouthowculturalservicescandeliverwidercorporateobjectives,resultinginalackofwidercouncilsupportforartandculture.

TheconsultationalsorevealedthatculturalteamsarenotalwaysworkingorcommunicatingeffectivelywithChildren’sServices.Manydepartmentscouldnotofferanyinsightintotheircolleagues’prioritieswithinotherteams.Somepeopleperceivedthatfundingforsocialservicesdrainswiderresources.



Public sector cuts are having a significant impact on arts and cultural educationLocalAuthoritieshavesignificantlyreducednumbersofstaff.OftenwholeareasofservicesuchasArtsDevelopment,theYouthServiceorChildren’sLibraryServiceshavedisappeared.Remainingofficersareoftencoveringtwoorthreeroles,strainingtofillthegapsandwithoutthecapacitytosustainservicestochildrenandyoungpeople.Buildingclosures,thelossofnationalagenciesforyouthdanceandtheatre,andthelossoflocalauthoritylinkworkersandspecialistofficerswereallfactorsinerodingpointsofaccess,referralandsignpostingforyoungpeople.SomeserviceshavemergedwithChildren’sorCulturalservices,somearebeingoutsourcedandsomearedevelopingatradingarmwhichmayinvolveartseducationandconsultativeservicesforartssubjects.

Insomecases,combiningpostsisstretchingandmaximisingstaffskills.Forexample,insomesubregionsArtsDevelopmentandMuseumLearningOfficersarecombiningtheirdutieswithdepartmentssuchasEvents,Tourism,andLibraries.Awholenewrangeofideas,relationshipsandpossiblepartnershipsareemergingaslibrariansworkinmuseumsandmuseumofficerstakeonartsdevelopmentroles.

LocalAuthorityprioritieshaveshiftedwidelyacrosstheregionandtheeconomicpressuresarecausingtwocontrastingthingstohappentoartsservices:someprovisionisbecomingmoretargetedandalignedwithwidercouncilprioritiesmeaningthatthegeneralpopulationofyoungpeoplemaymissout;inotherareasprovisionisbecomingmoreuniversalandmainstream,offeringsomethingtoasmanypeopleaspossibleinabidtorepresentvalueformoney.

Somefeelthatdisadvantagedareaswithhighindicatorsofdeprivationhavereceivedalotofincominginvestmentwhile‘middleoftheroad’areaswithlimitedphysicalresourcesandpocketsofdeprivationdon’thavethesameinvestment,resultinginthembecomingtrue‘coldspots’.



Local Authority relationships with schools has changed dramaticallyManylocalauthoritiesarenowretainingschoolimprovementteamssolelytodeliverstatutoryfunctionswithandonbehalfofschools,withtheirmainfocusonraisingattainmentinschoolswithspecialmeasures.TheHeadofSchoolImprovementinonelocalauthoritytoldusthatamoretargetedapproachtoculturalandartseducationinschoolswasnotarelevantstrategytosupportthesepriorities.Localauthoritiesrecogniseschoolsarenotlookingtothemlessforsupportandacknowledgetheycouldnotofferthatsupportnoweither.AnumberofauthoritieswouldliketheBridgetooffersupportindeveloping‘artsclusters’ofschoolstosharepractice.OtherswouldliketheBridgetosupportthemincommunicatingtheiroffertoschools.Oneboroughcouncil,forexample,wouldliketheBridgetopromotetheirdanceandanimationsummerschoolprogrammeforthemthisyear.Manylocalauthoritiessaidengagingschoolsacrosstheboardisincreasinglydifficultasittendstobethesameschoolsthatengagewithalltheavailableoffersandthesameschoolsthatdon’tengagewithany.

Collaboration across local authorities is variedWhilesomeauthoritiesappeartobemainlyinwardfocusing,othersarekeentoconnectacrosssub-regionalareas.Theyseethebenefitofmountingajointefforttocreateanevidencecaseforartsandculturalworkthatwillhelpmapandcontextualiselocalgapsanddevelopstrongersub-regionalconnections.

Infactthereisincreasingcollaborationbetweenlocalauthorities.NineofthetenAGMA(AssociationofGreaterManchesterAuthorities)districtsrecentlyprepareda‘mega-hub’MusicEducationPlanbid.CHAOS(CheshireandWarrington),LearnTogetherPartnership(Merseyside,Halton,CheshireandWarrington)andGreaterManchesterLocalAuthorityArtsOfficersareallexamplesofthrivingnetworks.Thisisbeginningtogobeyondsharingpracticetojointdelivery.



Commissioning processes need to be more accessibleManyfeltthattheirownlocalauthoritycommissioningapproacheswereinaccessibleandpaper-based,needingmoredialogueandrelationship-buildingaspartoftheprocess.Onestrategiccommissionersaidshewouldalwaysprefertohearwhatchildrenandyoungpeoplewhohavepreviouslyworkedwithaparticularproviderhadtosaybeforemakingadecision.

Cultural tourism is a key strategy for many local authoritiesSomelocalauthoritiesareworkinghardtopromoteculturaltourismtobringmorevisitorsintothearea,leadingtosomeverysuccessfulprogrammesofcollaborationbetweenheritagevenues.Thereisanongoingdebatearoundtheroleofpublicly-fundedandcommercialactivityandhowthesemixedeconomiescanworktogethertoattractexternalvisitorstoanarea.

Cultural buildingsSomeauthoritiesareworkinghardtomaketheirculturalbuildingsaccessibleandpopular,whilstothersaredisposingofthemorclosingthem.Inoneauthoritytheartsofficerexplainedhowclosingvenueswashavingaknock-oneffectonfamilyengagementasparentsliketoseeend-of-projectperformancesinaprofessionalvenueandusethetypeofvenueastheirownmeasureofquality.



Local authorities’ Children and Young People’s Plans

The most common priorities for the Children and Young People’s Plans (CYPPs) for the five sub‐regions are to:– Promotehealthylifestylesandchoicesand

identifythoseatriskofharmatanearlystage– Improveaccesstoandinfluenceoverservices

andopportunitiesforvulnerablegroups– Promoteenjoyment,positiveplay,recreation,

sportandleisureactivitiesandthetakeupofthese– Improveaccesstocultureandsportboth

inandoutsidethecurriculum– Improveadviceandguidanceaboutcultureandsport– Increasefamilycommitmenttolearning– Improveattainmentofpupilsatearlyyears– Valueandengagechildrenandyoungpeopleas

responsiblemembersoftheircommunities– Raisetheaspirationsofallchildrenand

youngpeopleinallaspectsoftheirlives– Supportchildren,youngpeopleandtheir

familiestoachieveeconomicwell-beingandreducethenumberslivinginpoverty

– Improvetheemotionalwell-beingandresilienceofchildrenandyoungpeople

– Improvesafetyandsafeguarding

ThereisverylittleexplicitdiscussionofartorcultureinmostoftheCYPPs,withthefocustendingtobemoreon‘positive’and‘leisure’activities.

Local authorities strategies for arts and culture

Children and young people are mentioned in these, particularly within priorities relating to schools:– Challengeandsupportschoolsandthewider

communitytodevelopart,cultureandcreativelearninginthecurriculumandbeyond,sochildrencanaccessitinandoutofschool

– Providesupportandtraininginpartnershipwithotherstodevelopacreativecurriculuminschools

– Developthe14-19curriculumpromotingvocationalopportunitiesrelatedtotheculturalfield

– Placeprofessionalcreativepractitionersintoprimaryschoolsandotherlearningenvironments

– IncorporatecultureandsportwithintheBuildingSchoolsfortheFutureprogramme

– Ensurethatcreativityisacorepriorityinlife-longlearning



Other related agendas include:– Developingthecontributionofculture

tothechildrenandyoungpeople’sagenda– Promotingformalandinformallife-longlearning

opportunitiesinarangeofvenuesandsettings– Sharingbestpracticeinartseducation– Providingeducationandtrainingrelevanttothe

needsofbusiness,individualsandthecommunity– Socialregeneration:youth-ledpracticethat

empowersyoungpeopletoidentifytheirinterests– Makingtheenjoymentofandparticipationinculture

andcreativityaccessible,affordable,importantandenrichingforallpeople,especiallytheyoung

– Improvingtheself-esteemandhealthofchildrenandyoungpeople

Other related themes:– Arts,culture,thebuiltenvironmentandsenseofplace– Economiccontribution,regenerationanddevelopment– Increasedparticipationandaccess– Fortheartsandculturetobeanintegral

partofsupportinghealthandwell-being– Engagingwithartandartists– Funding,developmentandpolicymaking– Providingopportunitiesforyoungandoldto

workalongsideprofessionalartistsandcreators– Addressingissuesofsocialinclusion

throughconcessionschemes– Developingopportunitiesforhighqualityarts

activitiestotakeplaceinruralandoutlyinglocations– Increasingaccesstoinformation

aboutfundingopportunitiesforthearts– Workingwithorganisationstosecuresourcesof

fundingandtoencouragethedevelopmentofbids



Youth workYouthworkersareamajorassettoenablingyoungpeopletoaccessartsandculturalprovision.Theyhavelocalknowledgeandcontactsinthemostdeprivedareasandexistingrelationshipswithhardtoreachyoungpeople.Theyalreadyrunarts-basedactivitiesamongstmanyothertypesofactivityandareoftenresponsibleforyoungpeople’sfirstexperiencesinculturalparticipation.

The agencies we spoke to identified the following challenges:– Localauthoritieshavecutopenaccessservices

andshiftedtheservicesthatremain,targetedonyoungpeoplealreadydisengagedwiththeformaleducationenvironment,toschoolsettings

– AlackofconnectionbetweenYouthServicesandotheryoungpeople’sagencies

– ConcernaboutthequalityofYouthServiceprovisionofartandculture

– Difficultyinfindingtherightpersontospeaktoinmanyyouthsectoragenciestoinitiatepartnerships



4.3 The Bridge responseWhenthedustsettlesonrecentcutsTheBridgeanticipatesthatmanylocalauthoritieswilldevelopmodelsforcommissioningexternalpartnerstomeettheiraims.Inmanywaysthemarketismoreopenthaneverbeforeandtherearesignificantopportunitiesforartsandculturalorganisationstooffercompetitiveprovisionthatwouldpreviouslyhavebeendeliveredbythelocalauthority.ItisourroletoworkcloselywithlocalauthoritycommissionerswhowishtodeveloptheirunderstandingofthecontributionartsandculturecanmaketoChildren’sandYoungPeople’splansandbroadersocialagendas.

4.4 Bridge approach– Facilitateconversationsbetweencommissionersand

creativeandculturalproviders,supportingproviderstocommunicateincommissioner-friendlylanguage;e.g.‘XyoungpeopleexperiencedYandthebenefitsareZ’

– AttendlocalauthorityArtsOfficernetworkmeetings,offeringaregionalperspectiveandpromotingopportunitiestojoinupprogrammesandapproaches.Raisetheprofileoflocalauthoritieswhoarechampioningartsandculturalprovisionforchildrenandyoungpeople,promptingotherauthoritiestoreengage



5. Consultation with Schools and the Education Sector



5.1 The Bridge visionOur vision is to support more schools to embed art and culture across the curriculum and beyond so that pupils experience a rich diet of cultural experiences every day and come to expect no less. Schools are uniquely placed to ensure that all their pupils have the opportunity to access the very best art and culture. For children from the most deprived backgrounds, it is particularly important that schools offer them experiences they may never otherwise have access to. The Bridge plans to develop the concept of schools as outward facing cultural hubs in communities. We will work with schools to help them define themselves as cultural spaces which are accessible and relevant to the communities they serve, and which have wide knowledge of local provision grounded in local networks.


Strategic contextManyschoolsofferexcellentartsandculturaleducationandexperiencesbothduringstructuredcurriculumtimeandaspartofextended,extra-curricularprovision.Childrenattendingtheseschoolsaccessadiverserangeofartsandculturalactivitiesasastimulusforlearning,andprogrammesofafter-schoolactivityforchildrenwithpassionsforparticularartforms.Manyschools,particularlyhigh-performingschools,bringincreativepractitionerstoworkalongsideclassroomteachers.Thesecreativepractitionersmaybefreelancespecialists,employeesofartsandculturalorganisationsorprivatesectorcompaniesfromthecreativeandculturalindustries.

Schoolsnowhavemoreautonomyandchoiceabouthowtheyspendbudgetsanditispossiblethatsomeschoolswillsupportartsandculturemorefreely.Wespoketoschoolsthatareusingculturallearningtodemonstratetoparentsthattheyoffernotonlyahighstandardofeducationbutalsodynamicexperiencesthatsupporttheirchildrentobecomebettercommunicatorsandlearners,moreconfidentandultimatelymoreemployable.



The2010SchoolsWhitePaper‘TheImportanceofTeaching’statesthatchildrenshouldexpecttobegivenarichmenuofculturalexperiences.However,themajorityofschoolsintheregionwhovalueartsandcultureareconcernedthattheEnglishBaccalaureatedoesnotgiveschoolsanyincentivetoprioritisetheartsandculturallearning.Instead,theywillconcentratemoneyonareastheywillbejudgedonthemost.ThereisgrowinguneasethatschoolswillbegintodevaluesubjectssuchasArtandMusicandperhapsnotofferthematall.

ManyoftheschoolsmostcommittedtoartseducationhavedemonstratedthisthroughachievingArtsmarkGold,becomingCreativePartnershipsschoolsorachievingspecialistartsstatus.Theseheadteachersnowsaytheirideologyisinconflictwiththerecentdevelopmentsineducationpolicy.Theyarestillpassionateabouttheintrinsicbenefitsofartsandculturebutsaythatasit’snotstatutoryormeasured,therealityisthatamyriadofotherpressuresaretakingpriority.

MoneyHistorically,localauthoritieswouldoftencommissionartsandculturalorganisationstoworkwithclustersofschools.Delegatedbudgetsnowmeanschoolscanjudgethemarketmoreindependentlyandmaketheirowncommissioningdecisions.Inmanywaysthiswillbeapositivestepforschoolsbutitdoesmeantheyarelessabletobenefitfromtheeconomiesofscaleandthesecurityandcoherencethatcamewithblockbookingsandlocalauthorityco-ordinatedprogrammes.

SchoolsthemselvesareconcernedaboutfundingandsaythatwithoutthebudgetstheyusedtohaveoraccesstoCreativePartnership’s-styleinitiatives,externalprovisionofartsandcultureisbecomingincreasinglylimited.



The role of parents and culture in schoolsFormanychildrenandyoungpeople,parentsarethemostinfluentialadultsintheirlives.Themajorityofpeoplewespoketo,includingchildrenandyoungpeople,saidtheywouldlikeschoolstohelpparentsunderstandthatartsandculturalexperiencescansupportlearningandskills.Theywouldlikeschoolstodevelopparents’experiencesofartsandculture,topromoteapositiveattitudeandhelpthemvaluetheartsandcreativeindustriesasaviablefuturecareeroptionfortheirchildren.

Withfallinglocalpopulationsandpupilenrolments,whereparentschoosetosendtheirchildrencanincreasinglymeanthedifferencebetweensurvivalandclosure.Insomeareas,familyandparentalvoiceisbecomingasimportanttoschoolsasleaguetables.Highqualityartsandculturalprovisionandemphasisonexperientiallearningopportunitieswillmakeschoolsmoreappealingtomanyparents,whileotherswillmakeselectionsbasedonpastperformancetablesandOfstedreports.

Time and moneyValueformoneyandcosteffectivenessareincreasinglythemostimportantfactorsinselectingexternalprovision.Manyschoolshavelittleexperienceoforskillsinfundraisingandlacktimetobuildthiscapacity.Whenschoolsreceivelengthyapplicationformswithlittleguaranteeofsuccess,theyareunlikelytocompletethem.Schoolsrecognisethatbuildingalonger-termrelationshipwithanartsorganisationwillbemutuallybeneficialbutcanoftenonlyaffordaone-dayworkshop.

Schoolsdowanttoknowaboutqualityprovisionavailablelocallybutagainlacktimetodotheresearch.Relevantinformationsenttoschooladministratorsdoesn’talwaysgetthroughtoteachers.

SchoolswouldliketheBridgetosignpostthemostrelevantinitiativestothemandsupportthemwithwritingbids.Theywouldalsolikeexamplesofbidsfrompeoplewhohavereceivedfundinginthepast.



The role of the senior leadership teamSchoolswithastrongtrackrecordinartsandculturalprovisionhavebuy-infromstaffatseniormanagementlevel.Thesepeopleunderstandandcanarticulatehowsustainedhighqualityculturalinterventionscontributetoschoolimprovement,improvedlearningoutcomesandraisedachievement.

SchoolswelcomedHenley’sideaofaculturallearningleadineachschoolwhowouldbeamemberoftheseniorleadershipteam,firstpointofcontactandculturalchampionwithintheschool.Thispersonwouldberesponsibleforunderstandingtheculturaloffer,bringingappropriateprovisionintoschoolandsignpostingpupilstoactivityinthewidercommunity.TheywouldalsobeakeycontactfortheBridgewhowouldgivethemasmuchinformationaspossibleandencouragethemtofeedbackonprovision.Theyfeltthatanexistingmemberofstaffwhounderstandstheschoolwouldbethebestpersontotakeonthisrole.Theywouldbeabletonegotiatecomplexitiesfromwithinwhenplanningprogrammesandinitiatives.

However,someschoolsfeltthatwithoutexternalfundingschoolsitwouldbedifficulttoembedthisasexistingstaffsimplydonothavethetimeorcapacitytoprioritiseartsandculturewhenunderpressuretodeliversomanyotheroutcomes.Oneschoolsuggestedaclusterofschoolscouldshareresponsibilityforanindividualwhocouldactasaneffective‘conduit’.Theycouldsignpostlocalprovisionandcoordinateactivitiesbetweenschools.ThemodelcouldbesimilartothatoftheExtendedServicesCo-ordinatorsortheSchoolSportsCoordinatorroles.

Cluster working, networks and advocacyThechangingrelationshipswithlocalauthoritiesmeanthatmanyschoolsarenowkeentodevelopnewclustersorstrengthenexistingclusterswithafocusondevelopingartsandculturalprovision.SchoolsarealsointerestedinlinkingwithotherschoolsacrosstheNorthWest.Withinclusters,andwiththesupportofa‘conduit’,schoolscouldshareexpertiseindifferentartformareas,exploreprinciplesofgoodpartnershipworking,poolfundingresourcesandco-commissionprovision.

ExistingschoolnetworksincludetheNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadership,theTeachingSchoolsNetworkandacademynetworks.Therearealsomanysub-regionalandlocalnetworksofschoolsleadingandadvocatingforarts,cultureandcreativityinthisnewlandscape.



Professional developmentTeacherswillcontinuetoplayaspecificrolethemselvesindeliveringartsandculturaleducation.Manyofthoseconsultedbelievecurrentprofessionaldevelopmenttosupportartsandculturallearningintheclassroomisinadequate.TheelevenTeachingSchoolsintheNorthWestwillhopefullyprovideavaluableresourcehere,supportingNQTstodeliverartseducationinpartnershipwithartsorganisations,developingrelevant,realworldconnectionstotheculturalsector.

Free schools and academiesManypeopleintheregionhopetoseeinterestingmodelsemergefromfreeschoolsandacademiesthatprioritiseculturallearning,integratingitintotheircurriculumplanningandday-to-dayactivities.Theyseeopportunitiesfortheculturalsectortoadvocatecreativeapproachestoheadteachersandgovernorsandforschoolstoemploycreativepartnersasmembersoftheircoreteamtoembedhighqualityartseducation.Theseschools,ratherlikeCreativePartnerships‘SchoolsofCreativity’couldthensupportotherstoembedartsprovisionbysharingpracticewidelyandevidencingtheimpacthighqualityartsandculturalengagementcanhaveonlearningoutcomesandachievement.

Schools as cultural community hubsDespiteallofthecontextualchallenges,manyteachersstillwanttopushforartsandculturetobeattheheartofschoolimprovement,familyengagementandlearningprogrammes.

NewBSFschoolshavetoldusaboutsomepracticalbarriersinrelationtothis.Onereportsbeingunabletoputpupils’workonthewallsthemselves(‘ithastobesenttoacompanythatturnsitintoapeel-abletransparency’)andanotherdescribesobstaclestocommunityuseofschoolspaces(‘youhavetobuythespacebackatextortionatecommercialratesoutofcoreschoolhours’).



A secondary school in the North WestTheschoolhashadaveryunstablefewyearsduetolowstandardsandotherchallenges,relatedtobeinginadeprivedarea.Ithasafallingrollwhichissettocontinue.Thismeanstheyhavealotlessfunding,makingitdifficulttofundnewinitiativeswhentheyaresimultaneouslymakingstaffredundant.Staffarealsostretchedfortime.AwiderangeofsubjectsatKS4makesthetimetabletrickyandnotveryflexible.Recentlytheyhavebeenconcentratingonsettlingthestaffteambuttheheadisnowkeentousecultureandcreativitytoenliventhecurriculum.

Theschoolhasexcellentartteachersandastrongperformingartsdepartment.Schoolproductionsarealwayswellattendedbythelocalcommunityandpupils,andthereisverylittleotherprovisioninthelocalarea.Theheadbelievestheschoolistheheartofthelocalcommunity,andwouldliketogrowtheschoolintoacreativehubforthewholecommunity,notjustpupils.

Theschoolhaslimitedculturalconnectionsbutalotofexperienceofworkingwithotheroutsideagencies,especiallyaroundsport.Thepupilsexperiencesomevisitstoculturalinstitutionsbutwouldbenefitfrommore.Theyuseahandfulofartistsoccasionallytoenhanceclassroomactivity,mostlypeopletheyhaveusedbeforeorthatotherschoolshaverecommended.TheydonotcurrentlyengagewithArtsAwardorArtsmark,butmightconsiderthisonceothermorepressingissuesareaddressed.

Theheadbelievesthatcultureandcreativitycouldmakethecurriculummoreaccessible,aspupilscurrentlystrugglewithacurriculumthatistooacademic.Theyhavelimitedexperienceofthewiderworldandopeningupmoreartsandcultureexperiencescouldraisetheiraspirations.Hebelievesculturallearningencouragesresilience,enthusiasmandcuriosityandthatqualityispersonalisedtohispupils,somethingwhichengagesthemsuccessfully,withalongtermimpactandclearoutcomes.



A Special Educational Needs school in the North WestThisspecialistperformingartscollegerunsitsowntheatrecompanyinpartnershipwithaprofessionaltheatrecompany.ThewholeFEdepartmentgivesafulldayaweektothetheatrecompanyandisinvolvedwitheveryelementofproductionincludingprops,costumeandtechnicalprovision.TheytourtootherschoolsandhaveperformedatadulttrainingeventsforthoseworkingwithSENchildren.Asaspecialistcollege,theyalsoprovideCPDtrainingtoschoolsonKS3dance,drama,musicandart.Thedeputyheadisconcernedthereareveryfewprogressionroutesforpupilsandwantsthetheatrecompanytoadvocatethisapproachtopeopleresponsibleforpost-19SENprovision.

Theywanttocontinuetoactivelysupporttheprofessionaltheatrecompanyworkingwiththemastheyareworriedtheymaysoongooutofbusiness.Thisistheonlycompanythatprovidesartsandculturalprovisionoutofschoolthatisaccessiblefortheirpupilsinthelocalarea.

Teachersareveryenthusiasticandonboardbutsometimestheparentsneedpersuading.Theyrunopensessionstoencourageparentstoseewhattheirchildrenaregettingoutoftheartsandculturalprovision.Manypupilscan’ttravelindependentlyandarereliantonparentsandcarerstoparticipateinoutofschoolactivity,sotheschoolspendsalotoftimeadvocatingthevalueofartsandculturalexperiencestoparents.

Forthisschooltheartsandculturesupportpupilstocommunicateandexpressthemselvesandvaluetheirwork,helpingthemdeveloptheskillstheyneedforlife.

Inselectingpractitionerstheschoolalwaysstartswithpeopletheyknowandtrust.Ittakesalongtimeforpeopletounderstandthecomplexitiesofthepupilsandtheschool.Thedeputywilloccasionallytakeariskonsomeonenewbutprefersnotto.Forthisteacher,aqualitypractitionerissomeonewhoinvestsinplanningandreflectingaspartoftheprocess,givesequalemphasistoprocessandproductandengagesallpupilsinachievingsomethingnew.

Fundingisn’tcurrentlyaproblemastheyhavethisthroughtheirspecialiststatusalthoughthiswillendnextyear.Theyhavepreviouslyhadfundraisingtrainingtohelpstaffsourcemoney.TheschoolwouldliketheBridgetohelpthembepartofanetwork,toshareideasandinformationaboutfundingandhowtoaccessitwithotherteachersandattendartistmarketplaceeventstofindnewpeople.



A primary school in the North WestThis was a Creative Partnerships Change School and in the academic year following the end of Creative Partnerships the school governors committed £20k to arts and culture, to bring in two excellent practitioners for a full year. This funding has now gone and will not be renewed.

Following Ofsted this year the school is under incredible pressure to improve attainment as they are not currently hitting their floor targets. The falling standards are putting enormous pressure on staff. They are worried they will be forced to become an academy and are strongly resistant to this. The head is not particularly involved in arts and culture. The current focus is firmly on quick wins to raise attainment. There is a general perception within the school that using culture as a tool for learning does get results but not quickly enough.

They are still using a lot of the skills learned through Creative Partnerships and have done some interesting projects but less than they want. They have regular dance workshops funded through the school sports partnership but feel this is slightly different because it comes from a sport perspective. The children themselves would really like a choir and their class teacher is trying to make this happen. For most children English is their second language. Singing and voice are a priority for the school to encourage the children to be vocal and to express their opinions. However, the staff don’t feel they have the skills to set up a choir and there is no money to bring anyone in.

Staff believe that widening pupils’ perspectives and experiences of life is essential, as they ‘do very little except go home, have dinner, do homework, go to mosque’. The school has shortened the official day by thirty minutes to ensure they offer the pupils some cultural experiences within school time. This does mean however that the day is very rushed and there is less time to squeeze everything in.



For this teacher, a quality arts and cultural experience is practical, hands on and interactive. It must have a high visual content because of the language barriers and be good value for money. She prefers individual practitioners to big companies as she feels larger companies don’t listen properly to school’s needs and just do what they do. This teacher would choose a practitioner if they had been recommended by another school. They tend to use the same people and places as new things are a gamble and it’s time consuming to find out about them.

This teacher would like the Bridge to supply a directory of opportunities, preferably with reviews from other teachers from a similar type of school. She would like the bridge to work with artists to help them understand schools better and to be able to explain more clearly what areas of the curriculum their work will benefit. Everything has to be linked to learning outcomes and practitioners are not always good at making the links, meaning teachers have to do extra work to make these links explicit.

It would be good to create a forum where schools can meet and talk although getting out of school is costly and problematic, so it must be effective. Schools could cluster together to access companies from further away and share the cost of travel and accommodation. Funding information would be useful but it would have to be quick and easy to access.



5.3 The Bridge responseThere is a clear role for the Bridge to tap into existing school networks of heads through the National College for School Leadership, the Teaching Schools Network and academy networks, for example. Sub regional networks of schools can act as leaders and advocates for arts, culture and creativity in this new landscape. The Bridge will work alongside these networks and other key regional and national educational partners to support the campaign for arts and culture to remain a core part of the curriculum as separate subjects and to ensure all children and young people have regular access to arts and culture within their educational settings.

The Bridge will offer these existing networks and clusters advice and ideas about integrating arts and culture into School Improvement Plans. We will advocate for Artsmark and Arts Award to improve engagement, progression and achievement. We will support arts and cultural organisations and other key partners to engage more schools so that a greater proportion of children and young people have access to these opportunities.

5.4 Bridge approach– Signpost schools to relevant opportunities

and offer bid writing support.– Research forums for accessing schools en masse

and use these opportunities to advocate for arts and culture in education.

– Launch a campaign encouraging every school in the North West to nominate a member of the senior leadership team as a Cultural Education Champion. This person is the first point of contact for the Bridge.

– Work with sub-regional school clusters and develop strategic relationships with teaching schools to offer advice on arts and cultural education and how they can use Artsmark and Arts Award to improve engagement, progression and achievement.

– Invest time in advocating for schools to regularly include arts and cultural activities in the decisions they make and facilitate networks of head teachers committed to cultural education and creative learning.



6. RelationshipsBetweenArtsandCulturalOrganisationsandSchools



6.1 The Bridge VisionA key remit of the Bridge organisation is to help schools identify and access arts and cultural opportunities and help cultural organisations bring the experiences they offer to more children and young people. We want to support effective partnership working between these sectors.


Accessing one anotherThis section gathers a range of perspectives on the issues, challenges and benefits of partnership working between schools and cultural organisations that result in effective learning outcomes for children and young people.

Many people identified that one of the biggest challenges is the different terminologies, concepts and pressures on these two sectors. They felt that developing a shared language would enable meaningful collaboration to follow. Good practice requires a two way flow of listening and dialogue.

Supporting arts and cultural organisations to find and access one another is only the beginning. But it is one of the biggest challenges. Cultural organisations often find schools difficult to make contact with. Although many teachers now have email it can still be hard to access the right email address and ensure information reaches its destination and is not lost at the reception desk. The majority of arts and cultural organisations we spoke to would like access to schools simplified and opened up.

Schools say they know there are brilliant people out there but they don’t have enough time to research available options. They want communication to be clear and comprehensive but as brief as possible. Teachers often live outside the immediate area and may not know about cultural opportunities in the local community.



Selecting provisionSchools said they valued a wide range of art forms with music, theatre, dance and visual arts the most popular. Their perception is that provision is not easily affordable or accessible. The most common criteria affecting selection of external provision are value for money, prior positive experiences or recommendations from similar schools, expertise of a particular art form and capacity to link work to the curriculum. They say quality varies greatly and if you don’t know the person or provision

One arts network said that some schools favour price over quality, have an unsatisfactory experience and then abandon arts and culture altogether. Many cultural organisations made reference to the learning and value of the Creative Partnerships brokerage process, which diagnosed needs and provided a bespoke response. Some thought that this kind of programme was the most effective way to engage schools. However, others struggled to see how this kind of approach would be possible with increasingly limited resources and capacity.

Some arts and cultural organisations felt that schools may be more confident in approaching new providers if there is evidence that they have attained certain standards. Henley suggests that cultural practitioners quality checks should align with how Ofsted assesses whether learning is of a high standard and believes this would help heads be more confident in trusting they are spending money wisely. Some teachers applauded this idea. Others said they would always want recommendations from a school or another head they knew locally.

It’s a lottery as to what you’ll get. People market themselves so well but

often it doesn’t mean anything, it’s just words.



MoneyOf the 33 schools surveyed by All About Audiences, all had spent something on external arts provision in the past year but 56% spent less than £1000 and 41% said they would spend less money next year. Only two schools said they would spend more.

Two thirds of schools surveyed by All About Audiences had engaged with an arts or cultural organisation in the last two years. For 92% of schools the most common way of connecting was through a one-off workshop in school or a visit to a show, exhibition or event. Two thirds of schools had worked with freelance arts practitioners and a third had employed freelance practitioners for a month or more. This is by no means a representative sample of the North West but it does highlight a particular challenge for arts organisations. It appears that the schools most open to engaging with external arts and cultural provision are much more likely to employ a freelance practitioner for an extended period than engage with an arts or cultural organisation for the same length of time.

Relevance to the curriculum and learning outcomesSchools want to work with arts and cultural organisations that can provide a clear offer tied to pupil learning outcomes. They also want organisations to be flexible about tailoring their approach to school needs and want to work with practitioners who are keen to develop dialogue with teachers and are open to joint planning approaches.

Schools want cultural organisations to ensure their activities support classroom activities and learning outcomes and make explicit links to the curriculum. They want organisations to understand the market and keep up to speed with any changes in curriculum focus. They also want organisations to understand the pressures they face to improve literacy, numeracy and wellbeing.

Museums and Galleries want the Bridge to help them promote the breadth of their collections, staff resources and buildings, so that schools and the wider cultural sector can see the links to the curriculum. They also hope that their relationship with the Bridge will help them connect with Arts Council England and its aims and priorities.

If arts and cultural organisations can liaise effectively with schools who are clear about what they would like to buy, perhaps up to a year ahead if necessary, these organisations can have time to develop a high quality package that other schools are also likely to be interested in.

Some primary schools said that young ‘role models’ from secondary schools or arts or cultural organisations could deliver activity, providing a positive way to enthuse younger children through peer connection.



Practical challengesSome schools look to national institutions such as the RSC rather than local providers because they believe they are more geared up for sending a touring company into schools.

Some teachers say provision has to come to school. Reasons for this are: cost of transport; the time it takes to organise this and associated risk assessments and paperwork; and the difficulty of taking pupils off timetable.

Many cultural venues and sites say that taking provision into schools reinforces the negative perceptions many children form from a first experience of culture: ‘the visit to school.’ They want young people to encounter imaginative experiences early on, forming positive memories of the arts and culture in incredible settings outside the classroom.

Many organisations offered solutions to some of these challenges, including downloadable risk assessments, model documents on websites, pre-visit activity sessions and ideas for INSETS. They suggested that schools could justify the cost of a coach if cultural organisations have collaborated to present high quality, full day experiences that link with specific curriculum topics.

Networking with teachersOne gallery has set up a popular bi-monthly primary school art teacher’s network, while a city-based theatre company organises regular gatherings of secondary drama teachers. At this network, one teacher suggested performances at 4pm to enable them to bring pupils to the theatre straight from school. This prevents pupils having to go home then back again and allows everyone to be home mid-evening. Coupled with performances programmed at the right times in the school calendar in response to teacher feedback, this has led to a large increase in ticket sales from schools.

Despite the challenges of working with schools, many cultural organisations believe they can have more impact in schools rather than informal settings because the young people are a ‘captive audience.’ It can be difficult to find out-of-school groups with the stability to develop work over an extended period of time.



Partnership working in actionA rural secondary school in Lancashire has a strong partnership with a local performing arts venue. The venue facilitates a forum of young people (in school hours), supported by four local high schools. Through this forum young people influence what the venue delivers, so that the programmes genuinely represent young people’s ideas and curriculum needs. It gives the venue a short-term guarantee that young people will buy tickets for current shows and a long-term audience development strategy based on customer loyalty. It gives schools genuine ownership of a local cultural offer and a working connection to a professional theatre.

Ideas from the cultural sector focus groups for engaging schools – Coordinate our offer, decide on our organisation’s

specialism and do less but better. Agree with each other who and where to target so we’re not all hitting the same schools.

– Drip-feed schools with information, promoting through lots of partners.

– Bring schools together for creative events and build relationships from these shared experiences.

– Work with the highest quality artists to develop shared programmes of training for schools.

– Get schools and arts organisations to work together more strategically as peers sharing skills. Encourage skills exchange and mutual support.

– Involve schools from the start so they have ownership. Find out from heads where they see arts and culture fitting into their school working day. Start with school needs rather than what we think fits.

– Phone teachers and build personal relationships. Make sure they have the right information to hand, make them feel they are part of something bigger that they can contribute to.

– Have a network of heads and teachers but look for ways to keep information flowing to the wider staff network.

– Use Arts Award as a vehicle to access schools; heads like accreditation opportunities.

– Offer short twilight sessions in inspirational cultural venues or informal sessions around a theme, rather like a book club.



6.3 The Bridge responseThe Bridge needs to support arts organisations and schools to work more closely together on long-term not short-term interventions that sustain impact on both schools and cultural organisations. The Bridge also needs to support schools to take responsibility for articulating their needs clearly, and to be explicit about required learning outcomes. We must help arts and cultural organisations to position themselves as an invaluable resource to schools, targeting and designing programmes that respond to schools’ and teachers’ needs, link to the curriculum, are shaped with teachers and pupils and align with the school calendar. We need to share existing models of excellent partnership practice widely.

A key role for the Bridge going forward is to bring arts or cultural organisations together with schools to develop meaningful, long-term bonds. We need to make time and space to build these cross-sector relationships, based upon open and honest dialogue, allowing a reciprocal exchange of ideas and understanding.

Benefits for arts and cultural organisations would include: gaining a deeper understanding of school needs, the language of learning outcomes and the pressures schools face; valuable feedback on recent initiatives; a space for artist residencies or research and development; tips for ‘selling’ packages to other schools; and an opportunity for audience development by engaging directly with more parents and families.

Benefits for schools would include: a deeper understanding of the role of art and culture in developing curriculum innovation; access to the use of a venue for performances; access to new practitioners and CPD opportunities; and real world opportunities for pupils to connect with a professional cultural organisation.

As a result, relationships and understanding of needs will deepen, resulting in higher quality programmes and increased business.



6.4 Bridge approachCreate a comprehensive information and brokerage service to schools and youth settings, working closely with a wide range of arts and cultural providers and existing networks to cohere and signpost provision and make it easier to access.

– Raise awareness within schools and youth settings of what local cultural organisations can offer. Enable schools and youth settings to make better use of what is geographically close to them.

– Support arts and cultural providers to tailor their offer to the particular needs and priorities of schools and youth settings through providing regular updates on changes to educational policy, creating more opportunities for staff from both sectors to work collaboratively and highlighting excellent practice.

– Support schools to be effective commissioners of cultural education with a more sophisticated understanding of quality and value for money.

– Support best practice through signposting resources on our website such as forums, case studies, ‘top tips’ and ‘how to’ guides.

– Support existing arts and culture networks for teachers and extend, encourage or introduce new networks where these are lacking.



7. ConsultationwithTheCreativeandCulturalSector



7.1 The Bridge visionThe Bridge will provide the arts and cultural sector with a regional overview to support strategic programming. We will employ constructive challenge to improve quality and bring more young people and arts organisations together in meaningful ways.


Strategic landscapeIn this context the creative and cultural sector encompasses individual freelance practitioners, small to medium enterprises and larger cultural institutions. It includes arts organisations, museums and libraries, and organisations specialising in heritage and film.

The Government’s positive response to the Henley Review of Cultural Education has provided a recent boost to the arts and cultural sector. Budget cuts have severely affected many organisations, some of whom may cease working with children and young people, whilst others will have more money this year. The recession continues to have an impact on organisations dependent on ticket revenue and/or commissions. The most anxious arts organisations are those who were unsuccessful in their bid to become an NPO. Arts and cultural organisations are asking for varying levels of support, from engaging more effectively with schools, families and wider communities to creating new relationships with venues and helping schools raise money.

National Portfolio Organisations (NPO’s)For many NPOs, their work with children and young people was a key element of their successful funding application and so this provision will either remain stable or increase. For some of these NPOs, provision for children and young people is the primary purpose of the organisation and they will use ACE funding along with other confirmed funding streams to support this work. Other NPOs will be focusing on children and young people as a significant strand of their work for the first time.

Some organisations feel that becoming an NPO will create a perception they have plenty of funding and will make it harder for them to bring in additional resources. NPOs are no longer able to bid into Grants for the Arts. This is causing concern for some NPOs, particularly where this had accounted for up to 50% of their funding in the past.

Others are worried about their own lack of skills, time, budget and resources to find and apply for funding, with some citing lack of marketing expertise and support.



Impact of local authority cuts The decreased capacity of local authority officers, arts development teams, neighbourhood and renewal managers and youth support is not only impacting directly on the targeted services they deliver but also on the capacity of cultural and community organisations to reach out to wider audiences. Without local authority support, these organisations are finding it harder to attract match funding for grant applications and partnership projects. Organisations who have historically been commissioned by local authorities to deliver services for children and young people are finding it difficult to plan ahead.

The high turnover of staff due to cuts and restructuring is making it difficult to sustain continuity between schools, arts organisations and local authorities. Relationships are between people, not organisations, so when a particular champion leaves it can feel as if the partnership has ended.

Arts and cultural organisations widely recognise that local authorities are no longer a direct conduit to schools. They are finding it more and more challenging and time intensive to contact and gain access to schools. They have lost the LEA advisers, school clusters and economies of scale that made block bookings and en masse communication possible.

In some instances arts and cultural organisations are competing for school commissions with newly-independent, ex-local authority school improvement providers. However, as the local authority is no longer providing school improvement services to educational settings, there are opportunities for cultural organisations to fill this gap themselves, becoming training and support providers.

Arts organisations, museums and libraries are following many of the traditional engagement paths, focusing on young people from BME communities or affected by economic deprivation, disability, offending behaviour (including imprisonment), addiction and substance abuse or simple lack of engagement. Meanwhile, local authorities are either pursuing an ‘everything for everybody’ model or targeting services on such specific needs that there is no room for development. Some said that arts and cultural organisations need to get better at accessing funding from Children’s and Health Services, developing a more rigorous approach to planning, delivering and measuring outcomes and impact, with a greater emphasis on professional standards and quality assurance.



Partnerships with schoolsArts organisations say there is a big slump in bookings from schools, who are being careful with money while they wait to hear about future funding and the full extent of the long-term cuts. They recognise that schools have less money to spend on external partners and it’s harder to work with them because they’re ‘so burdened with targets.’

The end of Creative Partnerships funding has reduced the income of some organisations. There are fewer requests for support with after-school provision. Some cultural organisations say it is often impossible to persuade schools to accept even a fully-subsidised, free offer.

Cultural organisations fear the pressure of having to decide whether to engage as many schools and young people as possible or to offer more meaningful relationships in fewer settings. Their decision depends on how the market emerges, which at this time is difficult to predict.

The impact of reduced funding on direct work with children and young peopleNearly all arts and cultural organisations have a specific strategic objective around access and inclusion. However, reduced funding and staff has particularly affected special outreach work delivering long-term, sustained work with and for children and young people. These are being replaced with partnerships for imaginative projects within the museum, gallery or theatre itself.

The creative and cultural sector perceives that most funding streams open to them are now very project-focused. Individually-funded projects often provide irregular bursts of activity, making it more difficult to offer sustained activity for children and young people over extended periods. The sector feels that outreach work cannot be funded effectively through short-term project funding. There is more about this in the Engagement section of this report.

Many funders appear to be pushing for numbers over quality. Because some arts organisations are managing a large number of funding streams, they are delivering numerous projects with a variety of goals and audiences. They feel that this dilutes any overall offer for children and young people. Smaller organisations with small staff teams are finding it most difficult to fundraise.



Those working within the constraints of a commercially-operated venue are finding it difficult to prioritise children and young people. One organisation commented;

Some organisations express concern that they are in competition with a large number of private providers who ‘market themselves all over the place’, offering drama, dance and music provision of varying degrees and quality. This type of provision can be quite expensive making it difficult for many families to access.

Some locally-based arts organisations are now being asked by funders to deliver their offer across a much larger geographical area to widen their reach and are worried that capacity challenges will mean this outreach offer is in reality spread very thinly.

Arts organisations are concerned that the necessity of becoming more funding-led is compromising their vision, objectives and integrity. Some are finding it difficult to shift gear to a pragmatic approach to fundraising. A considerable number of people working within arts and cultural organisations said the sector needs to be less precious and get on with the real business of making a meaningful difference to lives by addressing the needs of their participants. This may require prioritising a social or community vision over an artistic vision in order to access public funds. One individual described it as

Without ongoing provision such as a youth theatre or orchestra and with irregular events

aimed specifically at young people it is hard to find meaningful ways to engage them other than as an external audience. It is hard to interest them through social media and it is particularly hard to connect with young people whose parents are not existing users of the venue.

connecting authentically, creatively and passionately with the people who have the

most to gain from the amazing opportunities culture offers.



Engaging with young people Many organisations cite a significant increase in participation when they go into local communities and meet young people in their own environments. There are many successful models demonstrating how important it is to engage audiences by meeting them on their own terms. For example, the Rural Touring Network, which has a thorough understanding of the profile of rural communities, has been successful at increasing audiences by visiting secondary schools, building relationships with the head of performing arts and offering taster workshops in advance of performances. Last year only 27% of their work was specific to children and young people but 95% of it was suitable for children and young people. Teenagers often want to engage with work created for an adult audience rather than with something designed specifically for them.

Some cultural organisations could make much better use of digital and social networking communication with schools and young people, which is cheaper and more young-person-friendly than print and flyer distribution.

Some arts organisations recognise they could extend and develop the skills and confidence of their staff in engaging with young people and making them feel welcome. Venues, particularly museums, need to encourage visitors’ feeling of ownership of a local resource; several said visitors had demanded that displays they remember from childhood should stay the same.

Some people in arts and cultural organisations see work for, with and by children and young people as inferior. Two theatre companies downplayed the involvement of young people in their marketing in order to sell tickets.

Young people are sometimes seen as ‘a desirable demographic to work with for funding streams.’ Others said there is no point trying to be all things to all people: ‘Do we always have to chase everybody? It dilutes the offer.’ Another commented:

Make sure your door isn’t closed, but don’t worry if they don’t go. The sector would be

better off seeing themselves as a menu that audiences go to as and when suits them and their time of life!



The freelance workforceSome people are concerned that the emphasis on NPOs by Arts Council England, and potentially by the Bridge, may destabilise the freelance market. This coupled with the end of Creative Partnerships, which relied mainly on freelance practitioners to deliver creative learning programmes, means less work for practitioners. They are concerned about inadequate investment in the ongoing skills development of creative professionals and in young people wanting to gain professional experience, causing them to lose particular expertise and specialisms. Some arts organisations are saying it is harder to retain good freelance practitioners as there is less work to offer them and they are either leaving the area or the sector for good.

Breaking down cultural barriersThere continue to be class barriers in the arts, creative and cultural sectors. Elitist attitudes pervade the sector and many families believe culture is ‘not for them.’ Many perceive community arts as a poor relation to traditional arts institutions. A significant percentage of the largest grants are still directed to arts organisations whose principal client base is drawn from the educated middle classes. Within the sector there was a sense that some of the larger arts and cultural organisations contribute to the perceptions of elitism in the way they showcase themselves as institutions.

Safeguarding proceduresMany organisations feel that the CRB process could be radically simplified and overhauled. Some suggested a ‘passport’ system to prevent each school, arts organisation and Local Authority from having to continually check practitioners anew, which is costly, time-consuming and overly complex.



Learning for arts and cultural organisationsArts and cultural organisations recognise that in the current climate there is very little space for short-term ad-hoc initiatives based on what they want to do. They acknowledge that their publicly-funded function must be led by the needs of the individuals and communities they serve. They identify that sometimes they sacrifice this in the interests of self-preservation. They also recognise that staff from education and programming departments within large arts organisations need to build stronger links. Working closely together, they can align programmes relevant to children and young people with the school calendar and build in opportunities to extend the reach of the work. This isn’t always easy to achieve as organisations have to prove their worth, especially to funders, by serving wide audiences.

Some arts and cultural organisations identified a lack of coherence, cross-marketing and signposting between them. A more united approach to communications, with a clear set of shared principles, could make a clearer case for arts and culture and have more influence.

People within the arts and cultural sector remain resilient and highly motivated. Right now, some cultural organisations are designing programmes that go beyond the traditional curriculum and focus on, for example, health and emotional well being outcomes. They are also considering opportunities for organisational development; for example, reconstituting as a not-for-profit organisation to access a wider set of prospects.

Some existing arts organisations are branching innovatively into new art form areas. For example, one theatre company is branching into digital animation and has invested in a good quality camera and mobile studio. They believe this will offer more opportunities for outreach work and they would like the Bridge to help them by promoting taster sessions.



Museums and heritage settings

FundingThe loss of Renaissance funding means that museums and heritage settings have to massively reduce provision for children and young people. For example, the Learning team in one museum has fallen from three people to a single person. Other Education and Learning teams are worried about the loss of training and networking between museums and galleries that Renaissance provided.

The cuts are putting pressure on these teams to generate income. The people we consulted are concerned about the varied quality of programmes, duplication and competitiveness across and between museums in the same area. While some schools will always choose to work with a museum on their doorstep that they can walk to, most schools will need to use transport to access even a relatively local museum. Some schools feel the current offer is confusing and would prefer a more streamlined offer that would help them understand the distinct specialism that each museum offers.



CurriculumMuseums are concerned that the Arts Council’s focus on the arts will cause schools to neglect the wider offer related to cross-curricular learning and teaching. Many of these organisations offer very specific curriculum focused work. One museum supporting the teaching of Science, for example, would want to promote science-based accreditation for young people rather than Arts Award.

They are also concerned that diminishing staff and funding will reduce opportunities for Research and Development and staff will revert to safe experiences and basic programmes (e.g. tours and object handling) rather than living history or sessions led by artists.

Schools say that whilst they value the quality of collections, Education Officers can underestimate how much teachers benefit from working directly alongside them, with direct access to their expertise.

Museums provide unique opportunities for children and young people to visit places of specific interest, but with the ever-increasing cost of transport and other logistical challenges, schools are bringing pupils out of school less often. Some museum staff believe many parents think of museums as a school activity and not something they would do at weekends.



Engaging with young people and communitiesMany settings feel that limited marketing budgets make it hard to access young people to tell them about what’s available. They are struggling to combat the age-old perception amongst young people and their parents, that museums are places with ‘old dusty objects’.

Many organisations have ‘priority audiences’ in addition to children and young people; this can result in conflicting priorities for resources.



LibrariesLibraries see themselves as a key resource to support schools to improve standards of literacy. Many acknowledge that digital technology is forcing fast-paced change and they sometimes need support in keeping up.

Library staff may have limited experience of working with young people and it can be difficult for them to engage young people on a sustained basis. Get It Loud In Libraries has been a particularly successful initiative in Lancashire. By hosting bands, libraries attract more people through the door and dispel the perception that libraries are outdated and have too many rules. Evaluation suggests that 60-80% of the people who came to the gigs, mainly young people, had never been in a library before and 27,000 people have become new library users. Young people have been involved in all kinds of ways beyond being audience members such as shadowing technicians, coordinating publicity, media and design, and running refreshment bars. Get It Loud In Libraries has not been cheap to run and the reality of getting local libraries on board has been challenging but it provides a brilliant example of how cultural spaces can be used in innovative ways.

Historically there is no particular remit for librarians to use arts as a vehicle for engaging children and young people but many do as they have found it so successful. Sleepovers in libraries have also been successful, using games and activities to encourage children to use library resources, honing their library skills in an effort to win a themed scavenger hunt. The evening creates a special bond between children and the library and leaves a strong impression because children see the library from a different perspective.

Another example is a film and animation project with schools funded by the BBC. This produced films for local libraries, showing young people how libraries have changed. The films promote two under-used digital media spaces in local libraries that were developed three years ago.

Some libraries in the North West have embedded Arts Award into their programming for children and young people, others have started but most don’t yet offer this. Examples include Arts Award being embedded via a dedicated youth worker post, funded by the local authority.

Other exciting initiatives include a library currently being refurbished that will include two spaces for artist residencies. Libraries have potential for becoming cultural community hubs offering family learning opportunities.



Music HubsMany music services face average cuts of around 60% over the next three years.

Some music services are adept at offering provision in line with young people’s preferences; one music service described how X-factor and Rock School type competitions take place alongside brass bands, choirs, orchestras and ensembles.

Most music services are confident that every child on their patch currently has the opportunity to experience high quality music making and performing during their primary career, with plenty of well-signposted progression routes and buy-back from every school in the borough. Many music services also run excellent outreach and out-of-school provision in community venues. All are conscious of the significance of the outcome of the pending music hubs application process.

The establishment of Music Hubs will represent a seismic shift in how arts and culture is provided to schools and children and young people in general. It appears some local authority music services do not fully grasp the implications of the Music Education Plan and the market-led context they are now working in. Others realise this is an opportunity to develop a business market and are taking steps now to build a high-quality, cost-effective service that will be schools’ number one choice three years from now and able to pay its own way. The most business-minded music services are inviting schools to view Music Services sessions so they can gauge quality just as they would through observing a lesson by a peer. This is an excellent example of a way to engage with schools on their own terms.



During the last six months the Bridge has connected with most of the Music Hub networks as they developed their sub-regional music bids for Arts Council England. Where we have seen good practice and great models of sustainability we have endorsed these networks and consortia fully. Some Music Services have partnered up to offer a joint service (which could potentially offer robust competition in a few years time) and others have bid independently in the hope of preserving their existing service.

These consortia have agreed with The Bridge how important it is to gather intelligence on the needs, interests and perceptions of children, young people and schools around arts and cultural opportunities. All potential Hubs have agreed to establish an information-sharing agreement with us and to align our information-gathering activities with theirs, thus minimising duplication and extending reach. Once knowledge has been processed we will work together to agree a coordinated response to what stakeholders in sub-regions and region-wide are seeking. We have also asked successful Hubs to present their new models and approaches to us in the hope these models may prove transferable to the improvement of arts and cultural provision across the North West more generally. We have also agreed to work together to broker connections between Hubs and the wider arts and cultural sector across the North West.



7.3 The Bridge responseIf the creative and cultural sector harbours a genuine desire to develop ‘family capital’ we need to support positive attitudes and look closely and honestly at both how the sector presents itself and how it is perceived. There is a collective responsibility for arts and cultural organisations to continue investing in the development of existing and emerging practitioners as they often depend heavily on freelancers to deliver their programmes. We will ensure that continuing professional development and networking opportunities are opened up to freelance practitioners as well as arts and cultural organisations wherever possible.

The Bridge will support education and programme departments within large arts organisations to build stronger relationships with one another. We will also support Local Authorities to consider commissioning arts and cultural organisations to deliver universal and targeted services for children, young people and families.

We will encourage l Music Hubs to embed Arts Award within their practice and models of engagement. Arts Award will increase the scope of the Music Hubs to offer accredited outcomes for the children and young people who take part in their provision and this should help increase engagement.

Similarly the Bridge will advise Music Hubs on how their offer complements the Artsmark kite mark for schools. We believe this could increase engagement with Artsmark and support schools to communicate to parents, Ofsted and the wider community that their work is of the highest standard.

We want to ensure that children and young people, especially the most disengaged, have sincere and meaningful opportunities to exercise their voice and leadership across Music Hub programmes of work. Empowering children and young people as decision-makers is a core principle for the Bridge. We will advise Hubs on this and signpost them to best practice.



7.4 Bridge approach– Develop the sector’s capacity to work closely with other civil

society partners to achieve increased levels of investment; for example, through local authority commissioning and consortium bids and to respond to partnership investment and business development opportunities, brokering partnerships that bring new money into the region.

– Offer regular updates to arts and cultural organisations on changes to education policy and flag up their potential relevance.

– Support arts and cultural organisations to get information to the right places and use social media as a marketing tool.

– Support organisations with advocacy, raising awareness of organisations’ skills and expertise, demonstrating that the work has meaningful presence and is making a measurable difference to their audience and/or local communities.

– Encourage and support cultural organisations to widen access to and accelerate the growth of offer to children and young people and families.

– Support the expansion of Arts Award across the sector. – Create opportunities for libraries to be community

culture hubs for children and young people and help them to connect meaningfully with other arts and cultural organisations and providers of children’s services in the local area.

– Provide opportunities for arts and cultural organisations to come together to develop their workforce and share knowledge. Support them to pool resources and offer training around functions such as governance, pedagogy, evaluation and safeguarding.



8. CollaborationandPartnershipWorking



8.1 The Bridge visionCollaboration, done well, has much to offer, not least because of the economies of scale, added value, diversity of practice and higher professional standards that emerge from effective collaboration. There is a real complexity involved in ensuring successful partnership development and collaboration and a need for a deep and practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved.

There is sometimes tension between commissioners, funders, deliverers and artists. The bridge organisation has a role to play in providing that conduit between national policy, funders and regional providers right through to educational settings and grassroots organisations.


Collaboration in 2012 Collaboration in 2012 requires collective will. It requires a clear picture of what each partner brings to the table, honesty and trust, a willingness to acknowledge where the gaps and duplication are and a fundamental desire to put the needs of children and young people first.

Streamlining and minimising duplication of resources means more money can be spent on working directly with children and young people. For young people, good collaboration between providers means increased progression routes, a more diverse offer, access to more resources and more opportunities for showcasing work.

These are challenging times but there are also real opportunities to evolve our own practice and work together collaboratively to achieve strategic objectives. Communicating and co-ordinating the offers of different partners collectively, offering complementary programmes in the same geographical areas, and signposting from one offer to the next are all examples of innovative collaborative practice.

Collaboration is not only more important but also more under threat than ever. There are instances of insincere and unequal partnership working with some organisations’ specialist expertise being exploited by others to attract funding. Many organisations feel like they are competing with colleagues for funding as they struggle to cover core costs. Some felt there was very little genuine information sharing between organisations at this time. The competitive climate means we must work hard to break down silos and barriers and build up trust.



Pooling resourcesMany cultural organisations are pooling and sharing physical resources and venue spaces and working together to prepare joint funding bids while some are in the process of full mergers. Two organisations in Manchester are merging within a single new building which will enable the interplay between youth theatre and youth filmmaking to be explored. People are talking collectively about focusing on ‘less but better’; agreeing what’s working well and really focusing on it. There was also talk of a ‘franchising’ model where organisations with particular specialisms work with others around the region, sharing their expertise to develop programmes of appropriate quality. This could be particularly relevant to working with looked after children, children with disabilities or children in the youth justice system, for example.

The larger supporting the smallerLarger organisations can offer office space, administrative support and resources to smaller peers, collectives or freelancers along with mentoring support to ensure the cultural ecology continues to thrive and remain diverse. There are also working models in the region where a properly constituted larger organisation agrees to vouch for and take legal and financial reporting responsibility for an unconstituted smaller community organisation.

There are worries that small arts organisations will find it increasingly difficult to exist in isolation and that the Bridge could play a role in developing a series of consortia to work together who can find a way to thrive through collaboration rather than competition.



Partnership workingUltimately getting better at partnership working is about ensuring the best possible deal for children and young people as the real strength of partnership working is in accumulated knowledge.. A successful partnership pools resources to develop expertise and produce something new. A successful partnership must have mutual benefits and desired outcomes for all partners including children and young people. This may be shared aims and objectives or an exchange of expertise. It requires clarity of roles, objectives grounded in action, enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and a commitment of time.

Many organisations are now using partnership links to develop their offer across the sub region or region. Similarly, cultural organisations are working together to share skills between providers.

There are some good examples within the region of independent cultural organisations located in close geographical proximity with very different specialisms offering a joined up vision for children and young people’s provision. Another model involves a series of city centre based arts organisations collaborating to offer Arts Award between them. There is an ongoing role for the Bridge in showcasing good examples of partnership working and collaborative programming.

While it’s important for organisations to have their own purpose and individual offer there is much to be said for a more joined up approach, working individually but as a collective to connect the dots by providing individual services to bridge the gap of need. There are key conversations to be had around ways in which more organisations and venues can work together to provide opportunities that will engage and appeal to the interests of the young and how we can increase the participation of children and young people who do not normally engage in cultural activities. The Bridge can carry out scoping studies that draw together great practice in the region and share this at seminars.



According to many, the sector as a whole should look to work together to provide a complementary offer with a wide variety of experiences available, working in parallel with those offering individual cultural art forms. Young people should have access to a broad range of connecting opportunities that build upon each other and stretch them, constantly redefining their sense of what’s possible and continually raising their aspirations. There should be a ‘continuity of care’ across providers so that each experience for a child or young person builds on the last, in response to their own interests. Organisations should be willing to pass participants and projects on to the most appropriate provider and accept some will be better than them at certain things.

That said, not all offers between arts and cultural organisations are necessarily compatible. Rather than being critical or looking down on another organisations’ work it is important to acknowledge the breadth of provision within the sector that makes for a varied offer. Consortia should be developed because the offers complement, not just because two organisations are sited on the same geographical patch.

Sharing informationThere is an identified need for the cultural sector and local authorities to communicate more effectively, improving the interface between the sector and the many commissioning arms of the local authority. There were a number of examples highlighted where arts and heritage activity was being offered by the local authority and similar activities were being offered by larger cultural organisations, leading to possible duplication and lack of clarity.



New partnerships and cross-sectoral collaborationThere is real appetite for new introductions to form fresh partnerships that inspire, provoke and challenge and are based on collaboration rather than competition. It was also suggested the sector could get better at building partnerships in readiness for opportunities to come up, rather than trying to build them into a two to three week commissioning window.

The strongest message coming through from cultural organisations was the desire to develop new relationships and collaborations beyond the sector, particularly with voluntary and community providers and agencies. Opportunities to open new conversations and develop cross sectoral networks will be greatly welcomed.

Much of this is due to the increasing emphasis on devolving commissioning and decision making to a local level. The voluntary and community sector as a whole will engage much more with the delivery of local education, children’s and cultural services and new partnership agreements between voluntary, public and private providers will be needed to make this work.

Some felt that arts organisations have little to teach each other and that the emphasis should instead be on learning from schools because it is schools that commission them, and from voluntary organisations who have different approaches to engaging young people and accessing funding. It was suggested that mentoring opportunities between cultural organisations and schools and between cultural and voluntary organisations could be very beneficial.

There are arts organisations currently working with voluntary, community and faith sector organisations both to upskill them and to benefit from their specialist expertise. Cultural organisations recognise that voluntary and community organisations are experts at bringing communities together and engaging them meaningfully. In time, working together more collaboratively could mean the voluntary and youth sectors playing a much bigger role in enabling more young people to access cultural engagement through referral and signposting to appropriate providers.

The mixed economyWe should continue to value the mixed economy in which we work – sole traders, cultural organisations, public sector bodies and national agencies all have skills and expertise. In this environment it is ever more important to remember everyone has something to bring to the table.



8.3 The Bridge responseIt is clear that the Bridge has a role to play in facilitating collaborative working across a variety of art forms and sectors. We aim to exemplify, strengthen and showcase good examples of partnership working.

8.4 Bridge approach– Act as a broker, enabler and facilitator to develop a

sustainable cultural ecology for children and young people and offer appropriate challenge, bringing together to network and forge new partnerships in the role of honest and transparent broker. So that the cultural sector can connect more effectively with faith groups, the police, NHS, primary care trusts, youth services, clubs, etc.

– Cohere opportunities for strategic and thematic joint delivery across local and regional areas. Showcase work in different settings and explore the commonalities across the region.



MyplaceMyplace is a Big Lottery programme to create world class youth centres. There will be ten centres in the North West, largely in deprived areas, which have either opened recently or will open soon. All are making some kind of arts and culture offer to the young people largely in the form of workshops, alongside a range of sport and support services. Many have high quality creative facilities such as recording studios, media suites, performance and rehearsal spaces. All have a commitment to engaging hard to reach young people and may in practice be a first point of contact with arts and culture for many young people.

The centres will be in:– Blackburn – Bradley, Nelson – Halton – Carlisle– Harpurhey – Knowsley (Huyton) – Blackpool – Toxteth– Trafford



9. NetworksandNetworking



9.1 The Bridge visionIn the Free Dictionary, networks are defined as ‘extended groups of people with similar interests or concerns who interact and remain in informal contact for mutual assistance or support.’ Networks can be anything from a formally constituted body that meets monthly to a one off networking event.

There is real appetite for active, value-adding regional and sub-regional networks and networking opportunities that enable new relationships and partnerships to be forged, practice to be shared and challenged, advice and support to be accessed and learning to be disseminated. These networks are also vehicles for driving up quality and excellence and minimising duplication of activity. Our main purpose in supporting networks will be to develop a connected and coherent cultural ecology across the North West that directly benefits children and young people.

Our first priority will be to map existing forums and their rationale and communicate clearly with existing network coordinators to be sure we don’t duplicate a well established offer that is relevant and fit for purpose. We want to develop a cross regional networked response and support the current infrastructure by drawing on existing networks, communication mechanisms and delivery partnerships.

From here we will look at how local partnerships and networks could be improved and how new partnerships can be created to connect young people, schools & communities with arts and culture. Having identified what is working well and where the gaps are we will also make connections with other structures and networks. For example, if there is a sub- regional local authority led forum with a focus on children and young people, we may seek to propose a sub group with a specific focus on arts and culture for children and young people.




Sub regional and pan regional networksSub regional networks are most useful for providing opportunities to link current projects and activities and coordinate and cohere local organisations’ offer. As one representative put it, ‘it’s an opportunity to get the house in order’ before inviting the wider world in. There are interesting models to explore where local networks of schools, support agencies, museums, galleries, libraries, arts organisations and the local authority come together within a particular locality to coordinate and share responsibility for promoting a local offer with one clear voice.

Pan regional networks are most useful for bringing in a regional dimension and harnessing different perspectives and experiences. They provide opportunities for meaningful debate around current themes of importance and opportunities for sharing good practice within the region, nationally and internationally. These do not have to be formal networks with traditional Terms of Reference; instead they can be a series of open seminars, each with a clear purpose and focus. While face to face networking is still seen as important by many, technology should be used

to good effect to enable more people to connect digitally through video and podcasts so that current debates within the sector are captured and can be shared more widely.

The Culture & Achievement North West forum described how creating a platform for discussion and information exchange had led to increased responsibility of and ownership from the membership to drive the network, shifting the relationship with Curious Minds from leader to facilitator.

Some in the North West feel there is plenty to connect with professionally already, others are asking for networks to reduce isolation, to provide independent advice on better signposting around young people and to be a critical friend. They would like motivational meetings and exciting seminars and a dialogue around quality. A few organisations did express frustration that they spend a large amount of time networking and trying to generate attention and interest but seem to get little back from their efforts.



Cross sectoral networksThere is a need to make room for both sectoral and cross sectoral conversation. Cross sectoral networks are less common and there is much interest from the cultural sector in networking with non arts based voluntary sector providers in areas such as health and social care and with successors to SureStart. There are also clear opportunities to support the third sector in developing their offer through intelligent networking.

Networks as business development support for smaller organisationsOne larger network spoke of how it could support business development for smaller arts organisations by brokering direct relationships with schools and head teacher forums; this would allow the smaller organisations to concentrate resources on delivery rather than generating and nurturing contacts. This is something to explore. However, we also heard that when networks are driven by larger institutions this can sometimes lead to certain approaches and outcomes which may not ultimately be a reflection of need from the young person’s perspective.



What do individuals want from a network and networking? Ideas from the Culture & Achievement North West forum

An approach– A joined up and more coordinated offer for children and

young people, in this context around progression routes– Collective leadership and advocacy for arts,

culture and creativity in the new landscape– Constructive challenge– A regional approach – ‘looking over the parapet’– Inspiration

Information & knowledge– Opportunities to link current projects and activities and

minimise risk of duplication in the same area– Exchange ideas for best practice & co-production,

such as discovering what other organisations are doing to develop young audiences in terms of progression

– Learning from case studies – Exchange & dissemination of practice, policy and

strategic developments – an opportunity to keep up to date with new developments in the sector and share ideas for how we respond to them. Networks can offer a summary and contextualise changes within the region or a particular sector

– Forum for gathering evidence of need on a wide scale and being able to position an individual offer against the wider sector to address gaps

– Use networks to ensure the learning from Find Your Talent is embedded within the sector

People– Focus on children and young people rather

than institutions, politics or jobs– Networking for potential collaborations– Meeting others with different levels

and breadth of experience– An opportunity to put faces to names and

connect with like minded colleagues

Reflection– Space away from the day job, space for

thoughtful reflection and sharing



9.3 The Bridge responseWhere it will be useful, thematic working groups can be established with a commitment to take something specific forward for an agreed length of time. There is no need for the Bridge to necessarily lead these groups, they could be led by a range of organisations from across the region but there is a role for the Bridge to play in cohering and bringing such groups together.

We hope to seek out examples of best practice from both the near and distant past and disseminate this learning as widely as possible. We want to ensure maximum return on investment from the resources already invested in the regional arts and cultural offer for children and young people. Some felt that while case studies are useful we need to focus on ‘making it work on our patch in our own context and celebrate this for ourselves.’ Case studies should be designed to inspire rather than encourage replication.

We want to ensure all networks are as open access and inclusive as possible. Individuals and organisations should be able to come and go fluidly within and across these networks. Our focus will be on working to develop a cultural ecology of equality where as many voices as possible can be heard, including those of children and young people. Most importantly there should be an ongoing honest assessment of the benefit these networks or groups are bringing to children and young people.

9.4 Bridge approach– Offer clarity around purpose of distinctive local,

sub regional and regional networks– Promote relevant networks and look at establishing

new forums or hosting events where there are gaps– Provide access to other sectors and other children

and young people’s networks– Involve young people meaningfully in network events– Facilitate opportunities for

international working and exchange



10.InformationandCommunication



10.1 The Bridge visionOur research has highlighted how difficult it can be for children and young people, schools, families and other organisations to quickly access information about the arts and cultural opportunities available in their locality and in the region as a whole.

A significant part of the Bridge role will be to develop a more joined up approach, streamlining and targeting the information available and championing innovative methods of communication.

10.2 What people are telling usYoung people are asking for more information about arts and cultural opportunities, schools are asking for easy ways to access information in one place about what is available in their area and arts and cultural organisations are keen to increase the reach and visibility of their offer to schools and young people.

Young people in Merseyside said;

Children and young people from all areas, both urban and rural, described the difficulty

of ‘not knowing what is available.’ Arts and culture should be advertised more, ‘at schools, on the internet sites that young people go to, on buses.

There could be loads of good stuff on, but if we don’t know about it, it’s not worth anything.

The best way to let us know about things is online, through Facebook and sites like that.

It would be good to have one place to look to find out what we can do, not to have to

look on all these different web sites.

And;

There was consensus that the internet would be their preferred method of accessing information about art and culture. A young person from Merseyside said;



YouTube was a big influence for many young people in exploring potential art and cultural experiences. Many of the young people had turned to YouTube for ideas and tasters of what they could take part in. Another young person in Lancashire said;

The feasibility of the Bridge being able to promote up-to-date information on the cultural offer was raised by a large cultural organisation that offers 200 free-to-book workshops to schools with a designated call centre managing demand. Instead of the Bridge attempting to upload a fully up to date programme of every activity taking place across the North West it was suggested it should support organisations through effective signposting and promotion, providing a brief example of the offer on a portal linking through to organisations’ websites or contact details. This way a network of quality information and advice could be developed creating a centre point for information sources from other organisations, linking, signposting and directing rather than aiming to catalogue everything.

This level of information would not only provide an invaluable resource for children, families and schools but arts and cultural providers could make use of the information to build a more thorough overview of the activities available and possibly to recruit artists for projects. The emphasis would be on supporting and encouraging greater coordination between providers to ensure a more effective offer.

With some things you have to search and search on the internet, go through links and

web pages and loads of different things to find a website just to go to a gymnastic club or something... if they handed leaflets out and then you could just use a web address or something... well you’re straight there, it’s so much easier to find. And you feel more... well it kind of appeals because you haven’t tired yourself out like trying to find it.’

A need for centralised information on key venues and providersA need was expressed for a central service or resource for schools, teachers, parents and young people to enable them to more easily gain access to the wide range of services offered by organisations in their area. Ideally information should be searchable by art form, distance from a particular postcode and age group appropriateness. This resource could act as a first point of contact for the North West in relation to the arts, culture and young people.



Signposting young people and families to opportunities If school websites were to link through to the portal described above this could encourage young people, parents and teachers to access information more readily. Parents are often the key gatekeepers to the cultural offer and may not know where to look to find out what’s available. Similarly, if arts organisations engaging young people were to direct them towards the portal, young people could look for ‘more like this...’

A need was also expressed for online resources offering information and guidance to young people on funding, courses, accreditation options and career routes within the arts, cultural and creative industries along with information on initiatives such as somewhere_to. Schools, young people and Arts Award advisers are also asking for relevant resources such as ‘Get into live music’, ‘Get into theatre’ and Creative Choices to be signposted.

Quality assuranceOne 15 year old boy in Merseyside said he wanted to do break dancing but feels he has not found a group he would want to go to yet. He cares a lot about the quality of the provision and places a lot of importance on seeing ‘good reviews’ before he tries anything new. This was echoed by young people from some of the other areas. ‘I’d rather not waste my money on something I don’t like,’ said a 15-year-old boy about one potential dance group.

This is a key question to address. If service users access the provision and have a poor quality experience then trust in the portal will begin to erode. It was suggested that the Bridge begins by featuring organisations funded by Arts Council England as NPOs, Major Partner Museums or through Grants for the Arts, along with museums and heritage organisations funded directly by the DCMS. The Bridge could then start including programmes and organisations that are receiving strong peer reviews from young people, schools and the public alike.



Setting up a regional database of quality assured artists and freelancers One teacher said to us;

Another school suggested that something akin to an online arts notice board would help schools access the breadth of the cultural offer.

Concern about duplicating existing models such as Artists In Schools and ‘theartsroom’ database in Greater Manchester which are well used and trusted was expressed, but the Bridge could also play a role in establishing a resource for schools and working hard to promote it. The resource could link to trusted practitioner networks online and offer the Bridge portal as a cross signposting and referral point to what already exists. Rather than duplicating networks and databases the resource could bring them all together in one place. The Bridge role would be to ensure that schools can visit one portal and be signposted to everything available in their area within just a few clicks.

It would be brilliant if there was a national database. You need something like a Michelin

Star process.

There are so many ‘one-stop shops’ already. Why are teachers not using these?

What do we know about these? How can the Bridge offer be different?

Schools said they would need the directories that the Bridge signposts them to, would need to meet certain standards. A provider would be expected to describe what they can offer in specific terms and plain language, be Enhanced CRB certificated, have an adequate level of public liability insurance and come with reviews and recommendations from other schools.

One cultural provider challenged;

This is something the Bridge needs to explore through further teacher consultations. Perhaps teachers don’t know about these websites and need regular prompts, through e-bulletins for example, encouraging them to make good use of the resources available.



Digital DevelopmentsThere is a real opportunity to make best use of the exciting developments in new technology and work directly with young people, schools and families to shape the arts and cultural offer in our region. Young people suggested they would like to be able to shape and contribute to digital developments through an online rating facility wherein providers can be reviewed by young people and their families. This online ‘rate your provider’ facility could be similar to eBay’s feedback rating system where visits to cultural institutions and events can be scored. This information could be used by providers to improve their offer.

The concept of ‘Timebanking’ was discussed; a means of exchange where time is the principal currency. In this context young people could receive free tickets in exchange for providing constructive reviews or attending focus groups. Providers could use the young people’s time to help them develop their offer and in return young people have free access to provision, growing the cultural consumers of the future along the way.

The Bridge needs to work with young people and key digital organisations in the region to make sure any portals developed are accessible and built to fit for young people. As somebody said during our consultations;

we need to fish where the fishes are.

In other words, we need to provide a tool that sits within the digital spheres that young people actually interact with. If young people are influenced primarily through social networking and peer referral and are unlikely to visit a ‘new website for young people’ then this needs to be taken into account. There also needs to be a clear promotion strategy in place.



E-bulletinsThe Bridge could promote available provision through monthly e-newsletters linking to the best of what’s on and showcasing different arts organisations and practitioners. This would raise awareness and profile of the work that is taking place and the opportunities young people, schools, families and other arts and cultural organisations can access and learn from. One suggested feature is a guest blog where arts and cultural organisations, school leaders, young people and community organisations can discuss their work and the current landscape that exists in the North West and beyond.

We know that Arts Award advisers and other freelance practitioners working with children and young people would also appreciate regular updates via e-bulletins. A number of Arts Award Advisers say they currently use tourism or local What’s On websites to try and keep abreast of local performances, exhibitions and events. They would appreciate a joined up resource that would help them plan arts and cultural visits for young people conducting their Arts Award qualification.

Promoting provision outside the digital sphereWhen connecting to the cultural offer families, particularly parents, still access much of what is available through local papers, mail shots and local radio and television promotion. Many young people described how much parents, both their own and their friends’ parents, impacted on their exposure and attitudes towards art and culture. The young people said they would like information on what, where and how much along with the benefits of taking part to be better promoted to their parents to encourage more positive attitudes.



10.3 The Bridge responseThe Bridge clearly has a role to play as a coordinating body providing coherence to the creative and cultural offer by positioning itself as a first point of contact for young people, schools and families. For this to be possible, the Bridge will focus on signposting and supporting rather than duplicating what is on offer.

10.4 Bridge approach– Keep people abreast of flagship projects and

programmes as they emerge. Examples of these include the Cultural Olympiad, Preston Guild, and the Gang Crime Agenda

– Profile key networks in regular e-bulletins– Develop an online portal that links to

other relevant websites and information– Involve young people who have grown up

using the internet to help us work out how to position our digital offer

– Conduct further research into the best ways of communicating with schools and teachers



Key priority areas from the young person’s consultation around information and advocacy– Embedding art and cultural experiences into the everyday

contexts that young people find themselves in, so they can have more impact on and relevance to their lives.

– Being inspired by young people’s everyday lives and interests when designing art and culture: for example the world of MMO computer games, the Mighty Boosh, Harry Potter, school, other teenagers and their specific local area.

– Better and clearer marketing and promotion of services through the Internet, which seems to be a young person’s preferred mode of receiving information.

– Using YouTube, Google and Facebook to promote art and culture, and developing facilities for online reviews to help young people decide what to take part in.

– Better and wider marketing and promotion of services and the benefits of art and culture to parents and carers - on buses, radio, TV; days to share information about jobs in art and culture.

– Enabling children and young people to share information about art and culture with each other, rather than only receiving it from adults. How could schools play a role in helping children share information about art and culture with pupils from other schools, to widen their awareness of what is on offer?

– How we communicate with young people: is it important to ask them to separate what they think from what they feel when they experience art and culture? Is it right to ask young people to deconstruct their experiences, rather than just allowing them to ‘soak them up’?

– Exploring methods for measuring, tracking and keeping an up-to-date understanding of young people’s feelings as they engage with art and culture, prioritising their needs rather than the needs of adults and organizations.



11.EngagingYoungPeople



11.1 The Bridge visionAll children and young people have the right to receive the highest quality arts and cultural education both in and out of schools, in formal and informal settings. Our primary purpose as a Bridge is to enable more young people to see and experience great work that enriches their lives, and increase access to experiences they would otherwise not have had. Our role is to increase access and parity and ensure young people can access cultural experiences regardless of geography or financial circumstances. Participation in creative and cultural experiences is for many young people a key factor in ‘turning the corner’ in difficult circumstances. Participation builds skills, resilience, emotional well being, friendship networks and social capital; all essential components of a successful life.

11.2 What people are telling usThere are economical, logistical and psychological barriers to engagement. Despite much fantastic work taking place across the region there are still many young people and their families who do not feel the arts or culture are for them. There is real concern that in the current environment, the most disconnected and disengaged will become even more so. The inclusion agenda is more relevant than ever, yet outreach of this sort takes intensive and patient effort and this is vulnerable in an era when arts and cultural institutions are struggling with funding cuts and stretched capacity.

In the last ten years there has been an increase in the supply of cultural opportunities for children and young people but evidence suggests this has not changed the proportion of children and young people engaging; the same young people are simply engaging in more activities. Young people already participating in arts and cultural activities are more likely to learn about what else is happening and therefore accumulate cultural experiences quickly. This means the same young people access multiple opportunities while others remain disengaged.



There are huge inequities in cultural participation and this serves to reinforce broader social inequities. If choosing not to engage is a positive choice this is perfectly acceptable but we must be clear that choosing not to engage does not stem from difficulty of access or lack of awareness of the possibilities.

Children and young people now are living and learning in a period of economic instability and social change. Young people tell us they are worried about poverty and unemployment and have little faith in politics and related structures. The ‘recession’, or the notion of the recession, has an impact on young people’s perception of what is available to them. There are real fears that only the most tenacious children and young people will be able to engage, access and progress through a range of cultural opportunities. However evidence suggests that the biggest obstacle to young people engaging with art and culture, particularly those with emotional and behavioural difficulties or mental health problems, is lack of self confidence or lack of awareness and appropriate support.

PerceptionsYoung people’s perceptions of art and culture are as diverse as our own. The terms ‘arts’ and ‘culture’ are seen as elitist by many. The language of aspiration and improved outcomes is not the language young people use. Perhaps we need to start by developing with young people a shared understanding of what is meant by arts and culture and challenge our own received ideas about these terms.

The most common ways young people described their engagement with culture on a regular basis was through dance, particularly street, ballet and tap, going to the cinema and individual music tuition. For others, it involved watching television and sport and playing music with friends.

The cinema has significant cultural importance for many young people. The cinema is often the first venue a young person will visit ‘under their own steam’. One young person said there should be more small local cinemas and they could be hubs for young people to engage with other art and cultural forms. This may be particularly pertinent in rural areas.



Ensuring relevanceThere is a real shift taking place across the cultural sphere from the idea of the audience as the consumer of culture. It’s now much more about ‘the art of with, rather than to or for’ and in this context we can see young people are interested in participating in and collaborating with others to make culture. The digital age is enabling consumers to access and manipulate products in different ways. Music, films, newspaper, broadcasting, playlists, peer reviews, comparison websites and social networking sites are personalized to our needs and encourage us to offer feedback as we go. The arts and cultural world need to embrace these ways of thinking more readily, both in terms of their digital offer and more widely in terms of the ways in which they seek to engage audiences face to face.

Young people sometimes say they can’t see their own lives or views represented in the provision they are offered. Stories are not always told in a meaningful relevant way, there is often a perception that ‘it’s not for us.’

The word ‘boring’ came up a lot in our discussions with young people. ‘I don’t do it, because it’s boring’, ‘I stopped doing it, because it’s boring’ and ‘I wouldn’t go there, because it is boring’. However, young people also expressed a strong desire to get more involved in art and culture in their local areas. They discussed the idea of taking responsibility for making sure art and culture didn’t become ‘boring’. They understood that it was a two way relationship between the provider and themselves and understood the need for patience in the process of creating something new. A young Merseyside man described how he became very bored and frustrated when filming a scene over and over again to create a film, but he understood that he needed to do this to achieve his goal.

There are also specific issues around the low expectations or aspirations of young people amongst parents and teachers, coupled with a lack of ambition and understanding of what’s possible in many cases.



AccessibilityMany young people said they don’t know what’s available other than at school. Others said they don’t like going to a place they don’t know or feel unsafe going into a community they don’t know or trust. Young people in Oldham said they were nervous of going into Manchester as it was ‘unfamiliar’ and they encountered ‘aggressive behaviour’. It emerged that this was fear that people were not going to be like them, that diversity would not be welcomed and that there would be racism or discrimination. Young people in Hulme shared the fear of ‘not fitting in and feeling uncomfortable’ and worried about ‘appearance issues, struggling with self-esteem’ and bullying.

A young Kurdish man from Merseyside said the biggest barrier for him accessing art and culture was the fear, ‘what if I fail?’ This fear of failure and possible embarrassment was echoed by young people from all sub-regions and lack of confidence was a key recurring issue.

Young people don’t always understand how to behave or what to do in certain environments if they haven’t been exposed to these experiences from a young age. They are afraid of being told off and have often inherited an anxiety or ‘don’t touch’ mentality from their parents.

Provision is often not available when young people are free to access it; for example, one music service acknowledged there was no provision at all in the evenings or at weekends. Another music service does have after school provision but some young Muslims are unable to access it because they have to go to mosque straight after school.

One young person said more activities should be available on Friday and Saturday nights when young people are most in need of something to do and most at risk. Some young people living in rural Cumbria said there were never enough other young people interested in what they wanted to do and so it wasn’t offered.

Many young people said the pressure of homework gave them little time for art and culture. Time is a particular issue for young carers, Muslim children who attend mosque and for children working weekends or evenings on their parents farm, for example. Some young people said that parental permission was a barrier and that organisations needed to build a stronger relationship with their parents so there was a level of trust.



What are arts organisations main ways of engaging with children and young people outside of the school environment? – Through youth groups and youth service– Focused marketing campaigns and advertising– Peer referral through existing youth groups – Outreach programmes– Family orientated days and activities– Social networking including Facebook & Twitter– Through health and social care settings and their

programmes– PRUs



Money and geographyWe need to work collectively to do what we can in the current climate to make art and culture affordable or free to young people; one young person suggested some kind of pass that could not be forged or copied that would allow them to access art and culture for free or at a reduced price.

Although many art and cultural venues are free of charge, travel costs in particular can make visits difficult or impossible for young people, especially those from disadvantaged families in rural parts of Cheshire, Cumbria and Lancashire or those living in urban areas far from the cultural hubs of city centres.

Many young people told us there should be more cheap public transport. Others described the availability of transport as an issue, both in rural and urban areas, particularly if they don’t feel safe travelling at night or if the bus times are irregular or the journeys are too long. Pendle has found a way around lack of buses and trains by staging events on a Saturday afternoon so they finish around 4pm before public transport finishes. Even in the city sub regions there are real barriers around mobility; for example, getting across the Manchester boroughs and the associated costs of this.

Young people from rural Cheshire felt they lived a long way from any art or cultural venues of interest. Because of this distance, money and lack of time was a substantial

contributing factor in young people not visiting as many venues as they would like to. Some young people are very aware that where they live limits their art and cultural opportunities. Young people from Burnley said they have visited and accessed art and culture in big cities and know what they are missing;

Other young people are not aware of what they are missing, particularly children living in quite isolated, rural areas. For young people in Cumbria, transport and distance from large cultural hubs is a huge barrier to their engagement with art and culture, many are unaware of what they might be missing.

Many young people said ticket costs were a major barrier, particularly if their siblings want to go or join a group too. Some arts organisations offer free tickets to young people and also fundraise to cover the costs of young people’s travel to events. The costs involved can be small but make a significant difference to the young person. On the other hand some youth theatres have had to introduce a charge to young people to keep them going and this is having an impact on the attendance of young people from low income families.

Burnley’s limited to certain things, whereas Manchester’s like whoa! And I haven’t even

visited the whole of Manchester.



Specific issues facing rural areas according to the focus groups– Finance, access and transport are

major issues in rural areas.– Poor transport links to towns and communities.

A struggle to take activities out into rural areas.– Due to lack of funding work is often based in

central locations, therefore not reaching the more rural communities. People are expected to come to town centres to access provision.

– Rural communities are audiences that arts organisations wish to re-engage with. Currently they don’t feel in touch with the rural community.

– A perception that rural areas often lack ‘quality’ work or resources.

– Young people who will become future creative leaders tend to migrate away from the region once they become adults.



SpaceLack of access to venues for activity in local communities is a big problem; schools will not always engage or cannot afford to. One BSF school acknowledged that their state of the art facilities were rarely used because ‘it’s not done in house any more, you have to liaise and book the space and it’s very time consuming.’ Community venues can also be problematic; ‘they are managed by community associations who can often be perceived to have a negative view of young people.’

Organisations could take more work into settings where children and young people already spend time and are comfortable, such as youth clubs, shopping centres, football grounds. People felt libraries and museums could open their doors more freely and more generally that programmes of activities could be more coordinated to run across voluntary, community, education, cultural and public spaces. Social clubs, youth clubs and disused shops are all non traditional spaces that could be used more for activities and performances. Some local authorities are actively continuing the practice of converting disused retail spaces into cultural spaces. Outdoor events were seen as a good alternative; here ‘people can attend on their own terms rather than a theatre’s terms.’

somewhereto_ is an excellent example of a programme working to match make young people with underused, disused and empty spaces and get people thinking more creatively about their communities.

One local authority expressed frustration that so many of their own buildings are closed at weekends. For example, Saturday mornings are often a good time to engage young Muslims who are at mosque in the week after school but they can’t find a space. They say parents will bring their children if there is somewhere they can have a coffee nearby or the sessions are long enough for them to go home and come back later to pick their children up.

Young people in Cheshire said there was no venue in Chester city and very few creative facilities across the county. There are plans to establish a new cultural venue in Chester by 2015 and build an associated youth theatre community around it before then. Other areas lacking venues are working to attract capital investment to put something sustainable in place.



Some theatres are starting to host more touring productions for children and young people which could see them becoming more of a hub for arts and culture within their communities. Some have floated the possibility of cultural venues entrepreneurially stepping into the gap left by the closure of many Sure Start centres.

It was suggested we could focus on encouraging place based activity across sub regions to link more explicitly with provision in large city based organisations; in essence we should take the cities out to isolated areas. Others suggested the arts and cultural sector could be less ‘venue centric’ and focus more on meeting neighbourhood objectives where activity takes place more in community based centres of learning and culture and where sports and leisure centres, schools and City Learning Centres play a significant role as cultural spaces to interact and engage young people through.

Co-constructionYoung people want to be respected as curators, critical consumers and creators of cultural learning, they want to input into the services and structures surrounding them and they want opportunities to lead and advocate for what they do.

There are excellent examples of programmes being delivered with, for and by young people and their communities. The best quality arts and cultural services proactively involve young people as co-constructors of the experience, engaging them in design, delivery and evaluation and thus ensuring that what is offered is relevant and valued. If young people play a bigger role in shaping programmes for them then it follows they will be more tailored to the needs of children and young people. We also know that attendance at events is greatest when they have been planned by young people themselves.

Organisations need to be brave enough to let young people genuinely take a lead in setting the agenda rather than approaching them with a pre-planned offer and only allowing them to shape the details. Organisations need to continually challenge themselves and be open to challenge by young people to consistently produce high quality experiences.



Children and young people should continually be encouraged to be decision makers and producers of culture in their own right and to understand the value of this so they can play a role in advocating and campaigning for this approach more widely. We have to build demand from children and young people for high quality opportunities otherwise it will often be the sector doing work for young people rather than with young people. Young people can help providers understand what availability, inclusivity and relevance means to them so that programmes really can be personalised to the demands of young people and their needs, aspirations and ideas. Young people should be able to expect and demand no less.

Young people feel their work is not always respected; ‘young artists’ engaged with one cultural organisation in Manchester spoke eloquently about not being seen as artists in their own right; they felt that the term ‘young’ designated them as an outreach outcome rather than as an artist on a par with any other and this felt to them like a devaluing of their work.

Ultimately we want to make sure that young people’s voice is brought into every debate to give it credibility and authenticity. Young people really want ‘a relationship’ with an organisation, not a series of one off interventions. One suggestion was that the Bridge retain a small `risk fund’ to get trusted organisations to carry out utterly collaborative `risky’ projects with young people to explore models of genuine co-construction in action.

Organisations also spoke about ensuring mechanisms are set up to systematically listen to young people through focus groups and creative consultation events and to use existing young people groups such as Youth Parliament.

Cultural organisations reminded us that the arts are an excellent vehicle for engaging around all sorts of issues. Agencies such as the NHS, Youth Services, Fostering Agencies, Social Services, and the Police are often seeking young people’s opinions. There could be a role for the Bridge in matchmaking between these services and arts organisations who successfully elicit the opinions of young people, but are struggling to bring them to those who can actually make the decisions which will improve their lives. There are ways in which the work could be woven together to ensure that young people have a genuine platform and a reason to create.



Digital technologyThe constantly evolving digital landscape offers significant opportunities for children and young people to access culture in new and exciting ways and to communicate with their peers informally through a range of platforms. Although not available to everyone, with reports of particularly poor service in rural areas, many young people do have access to high speed broadband and smart phones.

Sometimes it seems that young people use technology to access art and culture because it’s the cheapest, easiest and most accessible thing to do. Or if they are nervous, shy or have had negative social experiences, it saves them from the risk of having to mix with other people socially: ‘…that’s what you do – in your free time you go on face book!’ ‘And I listen to music on You Tube.’ ‘I don’t do very much. I got bullied so now I just do it on Just Dance.’

The cultural sector as a whole is at risk of alienating themselves from younger generations by not keeping up with digital advances. Cultural providers should work more closely with the young people who have these communication tools at their fingertips to help them understand how these can be deployed to best effect to disseminate information about opportunities and events.

Digital technology also makes it easier for young people to make a direct contribution to culture – they can engage with, create and critique events, activities and products. People talk about everything and anything online; ‘let’s get young people talking about culture more.’

Although technology opens up many opportunities, some young people feel it can close off the opportunity to be part of a real community: ‘…it’s like culture changes with the time. Like before, when they didn’t have computers it was a closer community but now that you’ve got all the technology it’s kind of changed the culture completely.’ Some rural schools say that digital technologies are sometimes seen as a substitute for face to face cultural interaction with their young people. They were worried that digital advances could be used as an excuse not to bring provision out to rural areas and they wanted to make the point that a lot of young people don’t have access to the internet.



Profiling young people’s workYoung people and children are immersed in a world full of high quality media, advertising, film, fashion, design, music and performances. They want to show parents, friends, family, peers and the wider public what they have achieved and offer something to the world of their own. Technology can offer a great platform for children and young people to profile their artistic work. Online cultural portfolios offer a safe space in which children can document and exhibit their work, curate the work of others and solicit comment from their peers. It can also help ensure access to great arts and culture for young people in rural communities who would otherwise remain disconnected from the offer.

In addition to virtual platforms we need to find more physical platforms for young people to perform, exhibit and celebrate their art, particularly the harder to reach or those living in rural areas. Young people want opportunities to be seen and to feel like professional artists; they want to perform in a professional venue or public space and exhibit alongside other local professional artists. Much of this work happens in small pockets and we need to find ways to ensure young people have opportunities to perform in prestigious places too.

Engaging the ‘middle ground’Many described the challenges associated with engaging the ‘middle ground teenagers’, those who would not currently be classed as hard to reach but who are possibly at a ‘turning point’. Typically they are feeling disenchanted with school and are interested in participation but don’t have any specific support or encouragement because they are neither ‘gifted and talented’ or ‘offending’. It was felt that the cuts in youth services have made it harder for these young people to access provision and they could be easily swayed in either direction. Concern was expressed that this cohort of young people are experiencing a lack of attention and are the hardest to get funding to work with. Similarly, the most culturally active young people need to be challenged, stretched and celebrated.

It was suggested that the arts and cultural sector might learn from the models being used by the sports sector. Sports Leader Awards and the Sports Community Leadership scheme offer models that enable young people to train as leaders, gain qualifications and respective employment, which also encourages other young people to participate.



Targeted provisionThere is a need to direct targeted and intensive partnership investment towards strategic work focusing on groups of young people in particular danger of remaining disengaged in addition to children and young people from low income families.

These groups include disabled children and young people, children and young people from black and minority ethnic communities, looked after children, young carers, young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and young people within the criminal justice system.

We recognise there are specific challenges in accessing cultural education for these young people and others outside mainstream education and training. There are arts and cultural organisations and agencies within the North West who have national expertise in working with each of these groups. We will work with these organisations to develop improved coordination of services and closer collaborative working.



Supporting young people with additional needsMany young disabled people feel isolated both geographically and socially and find it very hard to access activity unless in a very supportive environment. Personal budgets for disabled young people does mean some can access a support worker to get out and about but for many, the local arts activities are so limited that the cinema is the only option. Young people with limited disabilities have now lost access to this funding too.

Cultural organisations should continue working together to share ideas for developing a positive, welcoming and inclusive environment with clear policies about how to tackle racism and other forms of prejudice. We should look at supporting arts and cultural providers, many of whom are volunteers or low-paid workers, to develop more inclusive policies and provide staff training about how to accommodate young people with additional needs. For example we spoke to some young people with additional needs who have all had negative experiences of youth provision. They receive a high level of support in the school environment but if they were to join a local drama group they would be unlikely to receive additional support and class sizes would be four or five times bigger than that at school. It is important to provide support that does not alienate the young person or dictate to service providers.

Many organisations don’t have the resources for ensuring their programmes are accessible. An organisation can’t advertise something as accessible if they can’t provide sign language and signers cost £30 an hour in addition to travel time. With tight budgets access is available for ‘most’ performances and activities but not all. As one director put it; “in my opinion, that’s not good enough.” The Bridge could play a role in supporting organisations to offer access such as Braille and signing, perhaps even having a pool of people that the sector could dip into so that access is always available.

Many creative and cultural organisations would benefit from developing a deeper understanding of how to engage young people with additional needs. One organisation specialising in disability awareness spoke of the low aspirations and expectations that parents of disabled children can have.



11.3 The Bridge responseWe recognise there are a myriad of reasons why young people do not engage with arts and culture. We want to work with a variety of stakeholders to open up opportunities for children and young people and make information about those opportunities readily available.

Young people can find it difficult to understand what is really on offer, even a taster or ‘inspirer session’ does not always get this across. Our role is to help children and young people ‘find their thing’ and investigate what really motivates young people to get involved and the benefits as they see them of getting involved.

11.4 Bridge approach– Facilitate an ongoing programme of research through

focused discussions with young people on their needs and interests to support more effective outreach and audience development

– Work with schools, arts and cultural organisations and local authorities to open up opportunities for children and young people to influence programmes, policy, strategy and operational practice in a meaningful way

– Provide opportunities for arts and youth organisations to share models for offering targeted provision for specific groups of children and young people

– Explore ways to track the impact of young people’s engagement in arts and culture



12.EngagingFamilies



12.1 The Bridge visionWe know that engaging parents and families is one of the most important factors in engaging children and young people and we believe that arts and culture make a significant contribution to strengthening family capital, raising aspirations and breaking cycles of deprivation.

For many, the support of their parents equates very simply to the difference between participating and not participating. Parents and carers perceptions and their own engagement in and support of arts and culture are widely seen to be a significant predictor of the likelihood of a child’s participation.

12.2 What people are telling usParents and grandparents who have no prior experience of engagement with arts and culture find it difficult to demand or guide opportunities for their children. Parents also affect how a child participates - one example was given of an aspiring young musician having to exchange her trombone for a cornet as the latter would ‘clutter up the house less.’

The ‘significant relationships’ in children’s and young people’s lives have a big impact on their engagement. One young person in Merseyside described happy memories of her father teaching her a couple of Beatles songs on guitar which have led to her learning to play the electric guitar. Another young woman in Manchester described how her Mum had helped her set up her own radio show and get funding to write her own play.

Young people also told us how significant their friends’ parents were in enabling them to experience new arts and cultural experiences. Independently, children from all backgrounds cited various interactions with arts and culture in the context of the privacy of their own bedrooms. Many play instruments, draw, listen to music and watch films. Young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to cite creative experiences in relation to encounters with high art or cultural institutions, but still recognised a lot of their self-directed activity as being cultural.



Economic barriersOne of the most frequently cited barriers was economic. This is seen to be worsening as family budgets get tighter. It was pointed out that for some, £3.50 spent on a music club would have to be weighed up against the cost of lunch or a breakfast club for their children.

A young person from a relatively affluent family describes the problem of money;

This person is lucky to have parents who can afford to pay for some art and cultural activities and values the activity enough to find the money somehow; this highlights how difficult it must be for children and young people from low income families or with parents who have never engaged with or valued art and culture themselves.

A museum representative said they found it easy to motivate children to attend activities and shows but ‘it’s parents that actually decide’. Even free activities involve the cost of transport and refreshments. One organisation said that even free activities are mostly attended by children from middle-class families whose parents can and will drive them to and from sessions. One local authority representative suggested that making activities free can sometimes be

I didn’t want to stop dance classes but I had to discuss it with my parents and I said, if it’s

costing too much I can lose a couple of them and they said no, we’ll find a way to do it so... But it does still come into your mind when you think about it, not obviously when you’re dancing but when you look at how much it’s costing you with shoes and leotards and skirts and costumes and things like that. Then you really think, well this is mounting up to hundreds and hundreds of pounds.

A double bind: if sessions are free they’re not valued and people don’t turn up;

if they are charged for, people can’t afford it and don’t come.



Perceptions and influencesSome of the barriers described were largely perceptual. Parents who see themselves as having little engagement in ‘the arts’ may consider ‘it’s not for them’, which reduces their likelihood of being supportive and can influence their children’s attitudes too. Organisations felt some parents might want to engage but lack confidence in taking their children to new places, fearing they might not be welcomed. An example was given of parents being concerned about young children being noisy in a gallery. Others might have historical associations of buildings or areas; an example was given of Salford Quays still being perceived as ‘a working area for men, not a place for families or for leisure.’

Other parents wish to protect their children from possible negative influences; for example, Muslim families may not allow children to participate unless they are confident the activity is appropriate and respectful of their beliefs. According to teachers at the SEN focus group, parents of disabled children sometimes have low aspirations and expectations of their children, which may prevent them from participating.

Engaging more familiesSome suggested that low income families and those from rural areas should be offered support towards travel expenses to help them visit venues that are of interest to their children. In Canada this has been addressed with incentives such as tax credits for those engaging in arts activities.

It was noted that cultural venues offer competitive prices when compared to typical leisure offers such as the cinema and bowling which families might be more likely to engage in. It was felt that this could be a route to growing family audiences through better marketing campaigns.

Many said that high quality provision has great power to retain participants once they have persuaded people to walk through the door. Familiarity is a useful hook; for example, one organisation used the familiarity of Red Riding Hood as a key to get audiences in, but the piece was still challenging and unusual, and able to broaden the horizons of the audience.

It was felt that arts organisations should offer more ‘family friendly’ events which are specifically designed to welcome all members of a family. Joint family activities which offer quality experiences can contribute enormously to building family capital and the Family Learning Agenda. Schools could also extend their cultural visits to invite the families of their pupils. Intergenerational work involving grandparents was seen to be an area warranting further exploration as grandparents often care for their grandchildren during the day.



12.3 The Bridge responseOur role is to work in partnership with local authorities, schools and a wide range of arts and cultural organisations to develop strategic initiatives that directly address the economic and perceptual barriers that make it difficult for some families to engage regularly with arts and culture. The Bridge also has a vital role to play in promoting family friendly arts and cultural opportunities to reach a wider audience.

12.4 Bridge approach– Work with local authorities and the CVSE

(community, voluntary and social enterprise) sector to enhance and add value to current initiatives designed to engage families more widely in the community

– Work in partnership with schools and family centres to improve the quality and amount of information going to parents and carers about arts and cultural opportunities available locally

– Work in partnership with cultural venues to develop effective strategies for engaging with and welcoming in families who are reluctant, nervous or think culture isn’t for them.



13.OutreachandEngagement



13.1 The Bridge visionWe believe that targeting provision at low income families and children and those unable to access arts and culture independently should be a shared priority for the sector. We feel that despite much funding being targeted at engaging the hardest to reach, provision is simply still not getting to the core. We know that increasing supply of the current cultural offer could simply mean the same people accessing more and we recognise we need to think differently to do this successfully.


Engaging the hardest to reachSome organisations acknowledged that when resources are inadequate or timescales short they will get the ‘usual suspects’ involved in order to ensure the success of a project. Genuine engagement of the hardest to reach is of course very difficult.

There are invisible boundaries that exist which organisations may not perceive but communities do. The hardest to reach communities form very tight-knit groups. This can prevent communities crossing geographical boundaries and organisations often find it very difficult to take their work out to these peer groups and break down the preconceptions that exist in some of these communities. Some organisations hold locality specific tasters before starting a more central programme.

The most successful organisations working directly in communities are ‘working where the young people themselves are at,’ valuing their existing experiences, identifying what they want to do through youth participation models and building customised programmes which feed their interests, meet their needs and build aspirations. Positive experiences lead to more demand. Starting with community interests can be useful; for example, engaging young men with the museums sector through football was one unusual approach which had worked well.

Others felt that whilst barriers often exist initially, once relationships have been formed with communities these barriers usually break down quickly. It is then essential to ensure there is ongoing provision which is continuous and progressive and which is difficult for any single organisation to sustain. Some felt it would be useful for the Bridge to broker partnerships with more organisations with established working relationships with the hardest to reach groups, such as the Probation Service.

It was also felt strongly that a targeted offer must be careful not to stigmatise those that participate. The ultimate aim must be for all people to feel welcome and able to access all provision, not just that which is specifically ‘for them’.



The challenges for arts and cultural organisationsArts and cultural organisations can successfully engage young people where schools struggle, by meeting young people on their own terms and being able to offer a more personalised and targeted approach. However, only 40% of those surveyed said that working with children and young people was a significant focus for their work; others had lesser involvement. This suggests that the number and profile of children and young people focused cultural organisations is in the minority and the possibilities for genuine co-construction are accordingly limited. Only four organisations described themselves as geared up to co-deliver and create with young people.

Creating a supply led rather than demand led approach is a challenge for many organisations. There is a risk that cultural programmes for young people will focus on perceived high cultural forms at the expense of popular cultural forms which may be closer to young people’s experience. This is not about ‘dumming down,’ as one organisation put it, but ensuring the starting point is the actual lived experience of young people rather than the traditional cultural forms of the organisations involved.

The majority of arts and cultural organisations fully understand the value of involving young people in shaping programmes over a sustained stable period. There is no point in raising then dashing expectations and many feel tasters and short term courses should not be staged unless long term follow up is in place. They know that longer term offers are more likely to offer consistent and sustained engagement than frequent short term initiatives. However, funding uncertainties mean that some organisations may have problems with programme continuity and worry that young people currently engaged have expectations that the same will be available next year. It can also be difficult for cultural organisations working with agencies that engage young people out of school hours as many of these agencies are understaffed and rely on volunteers. The consistency and resources to broker genuine partnership work and support young people are sometimes hard to maintain.

Arts organisations say it can be difficult to get enough continued commitment from young people to sustain project activity. They cite academic and parental pressures, part time jobs and spending time with friends as competing priorities. In rural areas it is difficult to get enough children together in one place. They may not turn up regularly and there is a real lack of paid youth workers to coordinate activities on behalf of small local groups. Some participants expressed strongly that the relationship with the young person must come first and is key to successful engagement.



13.3 The Bridge responseThe cost per head of outreach and the capacity and resources required is causing a strain for many organisations in the current landscape. We will work with arts and cultural organisations to support them to find cost-effective ways to develop outreach programmes and to continue engaging the audience of the future.

13.4 Bridge approach– Identify organisations working particularly successfully

with the hardest to reach young people and work with these organisations to share the detail more widely of what’s making them successful.

– Identify networks that already exist amongst those working with the hardest to reach outside the cultural sector and look at how we can access them to and create a flow of information between and across sectors..



Early yearsEarly years engagement can engender a lifelong interest in the arts. We believe that the majority of under five provision should focus on cultural and creative activities as a means to progress a child’s social, emotional and intellectual development as well as the intrinsic benefits these activities bring. The early years of life are the most significant period for brain development and it is during a child’s early years that they begin to recognise who they are and build a sense of security in their own identity.

The dramatic shifts in subsidised early years provision are likely to have a big impact on the early years workforce. We are told that many people working in the early sector have little access themselves to quality cultural experiences and that the campaign to embed creativity and culture into the basic training of the early years workforce should be stepped up. That said we also recognise that many early years professionals do engage children in creative and

cultural activities and offer plentiful opportunity for children to explore their own creativity on a daily basis. Perhaps the emphasis is on increasing professionals ability to articulate and advocate for what works and why. There are many examples of fantastic collaborations between creative practitioners and early years professionals which we should seek to promote more widely.

The transition between Early Years and Key Stage One deserves more focus as this is often the time when children’s access to creative and cultural activities is reduced quite significantly and this can result in levels of disengagement at a crucial time of development. 0-2s and under 5s are a significant new focus for many museums and galleries and we look forward to working with Earlyarts and other partners to bring together cultural professionals to share practice and ideas.



14.AchievementandProgression



14.1 The Bridge visionYoung people today are faced with a shifting landscape that is complex to navigate. For some, the arts and culture form part of a well rounded education. For others, it’s a path to a professional career. However, navigating this path can be complex and many are dissuaded along the way. The education and cultural sectors need to work more closely together to raise aspiration, support innovation and nurture talent. We must take collective responsibility for ensuring that young people have the necessary tools, support and training to develop the entrepreneurial and professional skills required to thrive within the creative and cultural industries.

There is a sense of urgency to inspire, motivate and retain creative talent within the region, so as to grow the next generation of cultural leaders and North West artists. At the end of 2011, the Department of Work & Pensions employment statistics showed that 20.09% of 16-24 year olds in the North West are unemployed. However, in Sept 2011 the CBI report on skills for the creative industries highlighted considerable potential for growth within the sector and its contribution to the UK economy. However, funding for talent development is seen to be in decline and a stronger support infrastructure is required for those looking to work within the creative and cultural industries.




Impact of the recessionThere are real concerns within the cultural sector that young people entering today’s workforce will struggle to establish and sustain a freelance or portfolio career. Apprenticeships, work placements and internships have always played a key role in pathways to employment within the creative and cultural sectors and are widely seen as an essential entry point. The prevalence of low or unpaid work is a long standing barrier for many, compounded by the recession as fewer families are able to support their children whilst they seek to establish themselves. Those hoping to work as freelancers face similar challenges, often limiting this opportunity to those from middle class backgrounds.

The removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance and increased university tuition fees are likely to have a significant impact on the uptake of arts and cultural courses within further and higher education.

Government funding cuts and consequent redundancies or displacement have created a surplus of skilled and experienced individuals looking for work. At the same time, more organisations are cutting costs through wider use of volunteers and interns. Overall there is more competition for fewer roles making it much harder for those entering the labour market to get their first break. Many are worried that cultural organisations who do offer placements and work experience to students may no longer have the resources or capacity to do so. As such, the barriers to accessing an already highly competitive sector are growing and it is becoming harder for children and young people to see working in the creative and cultural industries as a viable option.



Progression and talent pathwaysProgression routes within the creative and cultural industries can be complex, often traversing a range of art forms, providers and sectors. It is vital that young people have access to relevant and high quality information, advice and guidance so as to understand the range of opportunities and routes available. A more coherent, meaningful and connected approach to accreditation and progression across the North West is required, ensuring that young people have access to the same opportunities wherever they live.

Some cultural professionals feel that young people expect to become experts within their field too quickly and do not fully appreciate the time, hard work and discipline required to achieve genuine recognition and success. Many are concerned about the current ‘cliff edge’ approach to vulnerable young people who receive very little funding or support upon leaving the Government ‘system’ at 19-21 years old. University graduates often struggle with the transition from academic study to employment, finding it difficult to continue developing their practice or to establish a freelance career.

Many feel that existing progression routes fail precisely because they don’t address the journey a young person needs to make from developing an interest or gaining accreditation through to developing the required degree of skill that will enable them to generate an income. Without money from parents or connections in the relevant industry, many young people cannot make this transition. Young people are requesting support with scholarships for theatre school and art academies and a fund that young people could apply for to pay for some exams.



Cultural employersMany arts and cultural organisations already provide meaningful progression and development routes for young people. However, these opportunities tend to relate to a specific organisation or the art form/sector it represents.

We need to create a more joined up offer that supports young people’s cultural and social mobility and is more genuinely responsive to their interests and needs. Developing partnerships with national agencies such as the National Skills Academy (NSA) for Creative & Cultural will help to champion and make visible the vocational options and entry points within the cultural sector.

Many feel that work based and vocational learning offers need to better emulate and support real life experience so as to provide genuine insight, manage expectations and develop skills for employability. The cultural sector should provide more opportunities for work related learning outside of formal education through Creative Apprenticeships and work placements, traineeships, internships, master classes and other ‘hands on’ learning programmes.

Creative and cultural employers across all sectors should be encouraged to share models of supporting young people’s progression with a particular focus on access and inclusion. There are some good examples of structured job creation for young people within the region, including the Manchester City Council funded ‘Creative Stars’ project through which a consortium of cultural organisations are supporting 19 young people to develop and showcase their talents over the course of a year. However, funding for these types of programmes is increasingly scarce. It has been suggested that cultural employers could work with Job Centre Plus to run ‘creative job clubs’.



Support and inspiration for young people

There are a range of excellent models supporting emerging artists within the North West, many of which prioritise the development of business skills alongside creative practice:– Merseyside’s Creative Apprenticeships pilot was held up

as an example of what’s possible – the first graduates of the programme all went straight into employment in the arts and cultural sector.

– PANDA Youth offers networking, coaching and training opportunities for young people with an interest in performing arts.

– NOISE offers online portfolios, networking opportunities and access to industry professionals that connect progression opportunities with employment opportunities in the cultural industries.

– The ‘Stride’ project run by Company Chameleon and DIGM supports young male dancers to develop their own choreographic skills as creative apprentices.

A cultural careers champion programme was suggested to encourage inspiring figures from the North West who have enjoyed a high-level of success in the arts to act as role models.



Accreditation and qualificationsWithin formal education, the value of many arts based courses has been undermined with the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). Although the Creative and Media Diploma is still available, the main modules used by schools will not count towards the EBacc, making it less likely that schools and colleges will support them. Most creative digital and ICT courses will count however, providing some potential for embedding creativity within EBacc delivery.

Following the Wolf Review of Vocational Education, the Department of Education has reduced the number of non GCSE qualifications recognised in school and college performance tables for 14-16 year olds from three thousand to seventy. This overhaul aims to reaffirm the status of courses providing young people with high level skills for employability. Within the remaining seventy, there are a number of creative and cultural based qualifications, such as BTECs, which it is hoped that schools will feel more confident in using following the Department of Education’s endorsement. Arts Award will no longer be recognised within school league tables, although the Gold award

continues to carry 35 UCAS points and is increasingly recognised by FE and HE as a strong indicator of project management and leadership skills. Although changes will only be implemented in league tables from 2015 many expect to see a significant shift in courses offered from September this year.

The ongoing Government review of Apprenticeships and the new Youth Contract provide a range of opportunities. Liverpool Community College and Salford College lead on the delivery of Creative Apprenticeships within the North West and we are awaiting further information on the introduction of regional National Skills Academy hubs.

Links with Higher EducationThere is a clearly articulated desire to build stronger partnerships, research labs and action research projects with Higher Education – something the Bridge could facilitate with its strategic links. More graduate placement schemes and the possibility of graduate apprentice posts have also been discussed.



Careers information and guidanceAlthough a number of resources have been developed nationally to support careers advice for the creative and cultural industries, public awareness and use of these resources is generally low. All young people within the North West should have access to high quality information, advice and guidance about creative and cultural career opportunities and support in finding relevant work experience, where appropriate. Many feel that more needs to be done in raising awareness of existing opportunities to reach a broader audience and increase uptake, particularly amongst the most hard to reach young people. Parents, schools and careers advisory services were all cited as needing better access to information. However, many are concerned about raising expectation amongst young people without having a clear sense of what opportunities the creative and cultural landscape may hold within the next 5 years.

Online portfoliosWe are exploring opportunities for online showcasing of young people’s creative work, potentially linking with current research and promotion of web based portfolios for Arts Award and other cultural programmes. It was thought to be important that we support young people in taking their work to a broader audience, sharing their achievements with friends and family and presenting evidence of skills and experience for college or university interviews or to potential employers.

Work experience and volunteeringCultural organisations would like schools to be more flexible and innovative in their approach to work experience, specifically requesting a move away from concentrating all placements within a single week. As a solution to this particular problem one theatre recently took on twenty children for a week long ‘Behind the Scenes’ programme . Students worked 9-4pm each day, developing their knowledge of theatre production, management and administration and having the opportunity to spend a full day with a department of their choice. The theatre and the school are keen to develop this relationship further and students have already been given access to a range of volunteering opportunities.

Many youth clubs, theatres, museums, galleries, and heritage settings offer opportunities for dedicated volunteers. It is vital that young people are welcomed by these organisations and given access to such opportunities. More cultural organisations should be able to articulate how they are developing young people’s skills through their volunteering offer.



14.3 The Bridge responseThe Bridge will continue to encourage and promote opportunities for young people to gain recognition and accreditation through their engagement with arts and cultural activities. We will also work to ensure better integration of vocational learning schemes such as Arts Award, the Creative & Media Diploma and Creative Apprenticeships across the region so that as many young people can access them as possible.

14.4 Bridge priorities for year one– Develop relationships with the National Skills Academy

(NSA) for Creative & Cultural and work together to champion and make visible the vocational options and entry points within the cultural sector and to provide a more coherent, meaningful and connected approach to accreditation and progression across the North West

– Continue to advocate for Arts Award and other forms of accreditation supporting young people to develop a career in the arts and cultural sector.



15.ArtsAward



15.1 The Bridge visionThe Bridge will work to encourage and promote opportunities for young people to gain recognition and accreditation through their engagement with arts and cultural activities. We have a specific role to play in promoting Arts Award and ensuring the qualification is fully integrated with other forms of vocational and work-related learning.


Areas of low engagementParticipation reports provide a breakdown of moderations by local authority twice a year in October and April. Although regional uptake within 2011 has more than doubled the Trinity target, moderation numbers are still so low as to be disproportionately affected by one centre taking a large group through; e.g. in Warrington in 2010-11 101 Bronze awards were achieved; however 100 of these were achieved by one high school. Figures for Cumbria and Lancashire are countywide. As such, these statistics cannot stand alone in providing an accurate overview of engagement within a specific borough.

A basic ranking of local authorities using 2009-10 and 2010-11 moderation statistics shows Manchester and Liverpool achieving the highest number of awards, with lowest uptake in:– Cheshire West– Cheshire East– Halton– Rochdale– Tameside– Blackburn– St Helens

The following details some of the key strengths and challenges of Arts Award as highlighted by those consulted in recent months.



Strengths of Arts Award– Arts Award offers progression routes outside formal

education and connects young people to arts and culture in their local area.

– The flexibility of the award means that it can be delivered in a wide variety of settings, formally or informally depending on the needs of specific groups.

– Bronze and Silver levels of the award have proven to be particularly successful as tool for engaging young people in custody and providing a genuine opportunity for progression.

– Arts Award provides a measurable outcome that can be used by cultural organisations to evidence participation and achievement (to funders etc)

– Many have found the flexible framework easy to integrate within existing programmes of work, stressing the importance of embedding delivery rather than creating add on activity.

– Arts Award (including Arts Award Welcome) provides cultural organisations with the opportunity to promote their offer for children and young people through a regional network of centres and to develop futures audiences.

– The relationship between a young person and their adviser can sometimes provide a rare opportunity for that young person to have 1:1 support from an adult.

– There are great examples of Arts Award being used to support young people with specific challenges, particularly helping to develop confidence and communication skills. The flexible approach to gathering evidence & documentation gives participants space to reflect, as well as ownership and autonomy over their own journeys - an almost unique experience while gaining a recognised qualification.

– Arts Award can be a valuable tool for cultural organisations to assess quality and review provision for children and young peoples. As participants develop their role as cultural commentators, they provide a rich seam of feedback unusual for arts and cultural organisations to receive.



Challenges of Arts Award– Someartsorganisationsinterestedindelivering

theawardarefindingithardtorecruitparticipants(particularlyinareaswherelotsofschoolsarealreadyregisteredcentres)andthereisaneedforfurthersupportinarticulatingthevalueofArtsAwarddirectlytoyoungpeople.

– SomeareconcernedaboutthestatusofArtsAwardoutsideoftheculturalsectorandtheextenttowhichitisgenuinelyrecognisedbyuniversitiesandemployers.

– Schoolsandartsorganisationscanoftenfindtheoverallcostsofdeliveringtheawardtobeanissue.Schoolsinparticularcitetheaccumulativeexpenseofreleasingstafftoattendtraining,trainingandmoderationfeesandvisitstoculturalvenues.

– Therearealargenumberoftrainedadvisersacrossthecountrywhohaveneverdelivered.

– ThediscontinuationofschoolperformancepointsforArtsAwardfrom2015couldhaveasignificantimpactonuptake,particularlywithregardstosustainedandongoingdelivery.

– AlthoughpersonalisationisalsocitedasastrengthoftheArtsAwardframework,advisersoftenfinditchallengingtoensurethateachindividual’sexperienceisstructuredtosupporttheirownneedsandinterests.



15.3 The Bridge responseIncreasinguptakeofArtsAwardacrosstheregionisakeyroleforthebridgeandissomethingoursuccessasaBridgeOrganisationwillbemeasuredon.However,ourdesiretochampiontheaccreditationandseemorechildrenandyoungpeopleachievingtheaccreditationcomesfromaverygenuinebeliefthatArtsAwardisabrilliantvehicleforincreasingengagementinthearts.Weknowfromexperiencethatitalsoprovidesausefulframeworkforculturalorganisations,schoolsandyouthgroupswhowanttoembedaqualityapproachtodeliveringculturalprogrammesandembeddingyoungpeople’sleadership.

15.4 Bridge approach– TheBridgewillcontinuetoprovidesupportandadvice

toArtsAwardtrainers,providersandmoderators,advocatingforandencouragingincreasedtake-upacrosstheNorthWest.WewillworkinpartnershipwithTrinityandwithArtsAwardtrainers,schoolsandculturalorganisationstoaddressthechallengeshighlightedduringourconsultation.

– WewillprovidedirectsupporttoorganisationsinterestedinembeddingArtsAwardwithintheirprogrammesandactivities,helpingthemtodevelopaclearandflexibleapproachtoengagingtargetedgroupsofyoungpeopleinartsandculture.

– We’llworkinpartnershipwithNPOsandMajorPartnerMuseumstodevelopatieredapproachtoArtsAwarddelivery;identifyingopportunitiesforlocalpartnershipsandpromotingtheiroffertoschoolsandyoungpeopleacrosstheregion.

– We’lldevelopajoinedupapproachtoadvocacyandcommunicationforArtsAwardandArtsmark,enablingasingleculturalconversationwhenwemeetwithschools.



16.QualityandExcellence



16.1 The Bridge VisionArts Council England is committed to raising the standard of work being produced by, with and for children and young people. It has identified the need to develop a shared approach for arts and cultural organisations to understand and compare the quality of this work. The Bridge, in partnership with the region’s key stakeholders, will contribute to the development of this shared approach. Alongside this, we will work with our consultative networks in the region to identify, promote and share best practice.


DefinitionsWegatheredarangeofperspectivesonthequalityofartsandculturalprovisionacrosstheregionfromchildrenandyoungpeople,schoolsandculturalorganisations.Theytalkedaboutprovisionthatwasfantastic,mediocreandpoor.

Somesee‘quality’asanabstractconceptunlessitisdefinedinrelationtoaspecificpieceofworkorexperience.Thesectorrepresentsadiverserangeofpracticeusingdifferentapproaches,languageandassumptions.Manyfeltthatthesectorshouldalwaysusetheworkitselftostimulatediscussionabouthowwedefinequality,ratherthanlettingthedebateaboutwhatqualitymeansdominateourtime.



Quality frameworks Somepeoplewelcomethecalltodefinequalityandagreeestablished,nationalstandards.Theysaythataframeworkwouldbea‘usefulstartingpointtostimulatedialogue.Theybelievethatcontinuousandsustainablequalityneedssupportiveorganisationalstructuresandattentiontopolicy,principles,valuesandskillsdevelopment.Manyapproveofaframeworkthatencouragespeer-to-peersupport.

Otherssaythat‘frameworkscloudtheartisticquality’andweshouldconcentrateonpractice.Forthem,raisingthebarinasystematicwaymayintroduceanadditionallayerofbureaucracyorbedauntingtobusystaff.Theyareconcernedabouttheimpactofthisonthosewhoare‘alreadyunderfundedandoverstretched’.Somesayweshouldtrustpeoplewhoarealreadydoinggreatworkandnotreinventthewheel.Qualityartisticpracticeisimportantbutweshoulddirectourenergiestowardsenablingmoreyoungpeopletoseeandaccessgreatworkandconnectwithhighlyskilledprofessionalartists.

Somemadeacaseforaligningqualityassuranceofculturaleducationtothesystemsandstrategiesusedbyschools.Thiscouldresultinbothimprovedartisticpracticeandthegrowthofbusinessthroughincreasedcommissions.

Raising the profile of excellenceManysayweshouldfocusourattentiononraisingtheprofileofartandculturebycelebratinggreatworkandflaggingupexcellentpractice.TheywouldliketheBridgetoshineaspotlightongreatpracticeacrossthewholeregion,notjustthecities,givingpeopleopportunitiestocometogethertoshareandexperiencethegreatworktakingplaceacrosstheNorthWest.Theywouldalsolikeplatformsforexemplaryindividualsandorganisationstotalkpersuasivelytotheirpeersaboutachievingexcellence.

Peoplesuggestedthatrepresentativesfromthesectorcometogetherwithacross-sectionofyoungpeopletoshareexamplesofhighqualityprogrammesorprojects,resultinginabankofexampleswecouldusetoanalysewhatmakesa‘qualityexperience.’

Learning from young people

Young people say they want to experience performances that are:1. Professional2. Sociallyfun3. Offerrefreshments4. Areinclusive



Young people say they want the chance to create art and culture through activities that are:1. Well-facilitatedbyadultswhotreatthemwithrespect,

seethemasequals,andknowhowtohelpthemfeelcomfortableandconfident

2. Fun,handsonandstimulating,withactive,equalinvolvement

3. Relevanttotheirinterests,andchosenbytheyoungpeoplethemselves,althoughtheywouldalsoliketotrylotsofdifferentandvariedartformsandculturalexperiences,tofindoutwhattheyenjoy

4. Challenging,stimulatingtheirowncreativity:thislevelofchallengeshouldbeflexible,dependingontheyoungpeople’sneeds.Youngpeoplewanttolearnnewthingsbutnotbegivenimpossibletasks.Facilitatorsshouldpaceactivitiestokeepyoungpeopleinterested,makingthemnottoodifficultatfirst.

5. Tailoredanddesignedtotheirneedsandappropriatefordifferentagesandabilities

6. Wellresourced–childrenwanttousestateofthearttechnologyandqualitymaterials,andbeabletohavefoodanddrinkwhentheyneedit

7. Respectfulofhowcreativeyoungpeopleareabletobeduringartsandculturalexperiences.Youngpeopleenjoydoing,insteadofjustlookingandlisteningaloneandwouldliketospendtimewithartistswhoareinterestedintheirneeds

8. Designedtoenablethemtoshareworkwithanaudiencealongsidehighprofileartists

AlltheyoungpeoplewemetinCheshirehadvisitedEureka!TheNationalChildren’sMuseumandspokeofitpositively.Theysaidthatothervenues,individualsandorganisationsshouldvisitEureka!andothervenuesandorganisationsrecommendedbyyoungpeopletoexperiencedirectlywhatmadeitsospecialforthem.



Process and productManyfeelthereisstillaperceptionoftheartsasaproductratherthanaprocess.Therewasageneralconsensusthatartsandculturalproductionareboththeprocessandtheproductandthetwohaveequalvalue.Aqualityproductwillusuallyemergefromaqualityprocess.Othersfeelweshouldgiveequalattentiontoprocess,productandengagement,usingtheproducttocelebratesuccessfulengagementwiththeartisticprocess.Manysaidthat‘greatart‘for’everyone’shouldberephrasedas‘greatart‘by’everyone.’

Defining a quality arts and cultural ‘experience’Somesuggestedthattheterm‘artsexperience’combinedprocessandproductandthataqualityartsexperienceshouldbecreative,challenging,empowering,inclusive,responsivetoneedsandabletoprovideopportunitiesforfurtherprogression.

Oneorganisationsaidtous:

Look at the numbers of young people coming through our doors and decide for yourselves

if we offer a quality experience, no funding application form can capture the life changing impact of our work better than that.

ProgressionPeoplesaidthatgreatexperiencesensuredthatchildrenandyoungpeoplecouldprogressthroughtheirparticipationinartsandculture.Theydescribedmanyactivitiescurrentlyonofferaslimitedandrepetitious,offeringthesameentry-levelexperiencesoverandoveragain.Qualityprogrammeshavetangiblelearningoutcomesyoungpeoplecanbuildon.



Workforce developmentManyartsandculturalorganisationsstressedtheimportanceoffindingfundingtosupportastructuredworkforcedevelopmentprogramme.Thiswouldenablestafftodevelopprofessionalskillsandcompetenciesthatwouldimprovethequalityofworkwithcommunitiesandschools.

Manyofthoseweconsultedwereconcernedaboutthequalityofsomecommunityartspracticeandfeltthattheprocesscansometimesbeattheexpenseofartisticexcellence.TheywerealsoconcernedthatindividualpractitionersnolongerhaveasmanyopportunitiestoparticipateinaffordableprofessionaldevelopmentnowthatCreativePartnershipshasended.CreativePartnershipswasalucrativeincomestreamformanypractitionersbutrequiredthemtoparticipateinCPDandcommittoevaluation,self-reflectionandtheongoingdevelopmentoftheirownpractice.

ItwasfelttheBridgeshouldplaceparticularemphasisonsupportingthirdsectororganisationstoimprovethequalityofartsandculturalactivitiestheyofferthroughlinkstoqualityartsworkersandorganisations.Thiswouldbeofparticularvaluetocommunitiesthatdonothaveavenueorartsorganisationontheirdoorstep.Perhapswecouldinviteschoolstoobservequalityartsandculturalsessionsastheyareusedtodoingwithteaching,adoptinga‘school-friendly’model.Weshouldalsoinvolveparentsinassessingandengagingwithquality.

Onelocalauthoritysaidthatsomecommunityartspractitionerswerethreatenedbytheconceptofdevelopingtheirpractice.Peerreviewwascitedbyanumberofpeopleasagoodmechanismforimprovingquality,sharingexcellentpracticeandregionalmodelsacrossthesectorandartforms.



Poor quality provisionManyworrythatpoorqualityprovisionisworsethannoneatall.Theysaythatcheaporfreeoffersfromindividuals,artsorganisationsandprivateenterprises,thatundercutotherproviders,arenowemergingandmanyareofapoorquality.Ifayoungpersonhasanegativeexperienceitmayclosethatyoungperson’smindtofurtherengagementforgood.Thesectorhasadutytoofferallchildrenandyoungpeoplethebestpossibleexperienceeverytime,whettingtheirappetiteforcontinuedengagement.

SchoolsItisveryimportantthatschoolsunderstandquality;teachersareexpertsatmeasuringimpactandqualityoflearningexperiencesbutsomepeopleareconcernedthatinthecurrentclimate,schoolsincreasinglycommissionservicesbasedonpricenotexcellence.Theygaveanexampleofschoolscommissioninganeighbouringauthority’sservicebecausethepricewaslowerthantheirownauthority.

Measuring impactOrganisationsareaskingforsupporttomeasureandcapturethesocialimpactoftheirwork.Theartsandculturalsectorneedtocapturethoselight-bulbandlife-changingmomentswhichwehearaboutanecdotallyallthetime.Manyarticulatedacollectiveneedtotellaricherstoryaboutthevalueoftheartstothesocietythatfundsit.Theyrecognisethisinturncostsmoneyandtakestime.Weneedtounderstandandfindeffectivemechanismstoarticulatewhythesemomentsmakeadifferenceandthelongertermimpacttheyhave.Manythinkthatinsteadofsubmittingdryevaluationreportstofundersthesectorshouldfindengagingwaystoarticulateevidenceofimpactandvaluetothewiderworldaspartoftheirfundingagreement,learningfromeachotheralongtheway.

Itwasagreedthatitisabigchallengetomeasurehowmanyyoungpeoplehave‘reasonableaccess’toculturalexperiences,whethertheyaretakingupthisofferandwhethertheengagementissustained.Perhapsinstead,itwassuggested,weshouldconcentrateontrackingtheimpactofyoungpeople’sengagementinartsandcultureoveranumberofyearsandexploreresearchprogrammesthatcouldhelpusdothis.



What do young people think a quality experience offers?Childrenandyoungpeople,likeadults,havesubjectiveperceptionsofwhatqualityandexcellencemeans.Itdependsonpersonality,identityandtaste.Whatmattersisfindinganexperiencethatchallenges,motivates,inspiresandconfirmsyourunderstandingoflife,andhelpsyoutocopewithyourfeelingsandemotions.

Feelings, emotions and identity–One15-year-oldboyfromMerseysidewholovespainting(althoughhehasexperiencedmanybarrierstobroaderartandculturebecauseofhisfamilycircumstances)recognisesthatarthelpshimunderstandandmanagehisfeelings:

Interactive and interpersonal experiences–Youngpeopleinallthegroupssaidthatthequalityoftheirexperiencewasaffectedbythelevelofinteractiontheywereallowedorabletohaveandthemoremulti-sensoryitwasthebetter:

Art can help you find ways to represent your emotions and if you can represent your

emotions then you can start to control them.

It felt like I was who I was, I made something that I wanted to make.

If it’s something different like a concert or something, you don’t want to just be sat there

watching them, you want to be like involved with it.

...There’s one in Rochdale and downstairs it’s like really interactive, like history. And then

upstairs it’s like modern art, you know like those things where you put your pen in and it’s a spiral and it makes those circles? There’s a person that’s done one, that’s like the size of this wall. And you get to do one yourself and you can stick it around it. And it’s really fun and me and my friend spent lots of time in there when we got to Rochdale.

Anotherdescribedhowaqualityculturalexperiencegaveyoungpeoplethechancetoexploreandexpresstheirindividualityandcelebratewhotheyare:

Anotheryoungpersondescribedadesiretobeactive:



Respect, equality and ownership–Thequalityofayoungperson’sexperienceishighlydependentontheattitudeoftheadultsinvolvedandtheirabilitytofosterapositive,inclusiveenvironment:

Challenge and learning–Whatevertypeofartorcultureyoungpeopleareinterestedin,theneedforchallengeisarecurringfactorinenablingthemtoenjoyit.One14-year-oldboywhodescribedhimselfas‘alternative’,saidthattheartandculturehe’dbeeninvolvedinhadbeen‘toosamey’.Hesaid,‘itwasjustgames’,‘therewasnochallengetoit’and‘itwasnotseriousenough.’HehasvisitedmanyhistoricalvenuesinandaroundStockportonhisown,because

you can learn a lot about the future from the past, and if you know about the future, then

you’re on to a winner.

Yeah, he spoke to us like adults. He spoke to us like we were people so we could make our own

choices and we would be sensible about it.

Yeah but it wasn’t just standard stuff that would be like rehearsed, you know when it’s

just like, you do this, you do this, you do this, and this is how you do this.

It was kind of like right OK, well what do you want to do about it? And we were just like right,

OK then!

Thequalityofoneyoungperson’sexperienceofaworkshopwasmarredbyanadulttalkingtoomuch.Hesaidhe‘wouldhavelearnedmoreinadigitalphotographyworkshopandenjoyeditmore,ifthephotographerhadstoppedtalkingandallowedthemtodomore.’

Progressionandachievementisimportantforyoungpeople.Theywantmorethanthebasics;theywantin-depthlearningusingproperequipmentandresources,andadequatetime.Theywanttheirfacilitatorstobeprofessional,tomanagetimeproperly,givethemchoicesandcommunicateclearly.



16.3 The Bridge responseWebelieveasetofsharedqualitystandardsacrosstheartsandculturalsectorwouldsupportorganisationstoprovidequalityandexcellencetochildrenandyoungpeople.Aneffectivequalityassurancesystemshouldsupportcontinuousimprovementatalllevels,offeringchallengeandinspirationtothosewhosepracticeisalreadystrongandguidancetothoseatanearlystageofdevelopment.Wealsobelieveit’simportantthatanyqualityassuranceframeworkisregularlyreviewedtotakeaccountofnewdevelopments,improvementsinpracticeorshiftsinmethodology.

Artsmarkwillbeasignificanttoolforsupportingschoolsandothersettingstoachievequality,throughinnovativecollaborationwiththebestartistsandpractitionersworkingacrosstheNorthWest.

16.4 Bridge approach– Championandcelebrategreatworkaroundtheregion

acrossasmanyforumsandusingasmanyplatformsaspossible.

– Supportgrass-rootsandfledglingorganisationstoimprovethequalityofartsandculturalactivitiestheyofferthroughlinkstowellestablishedartsworkersandartsorganisations.

– Facilitatepeer-to-peerqualityimprovementpartnershipsacrosstheeducationandculturalsectors.

– Ensurechildrenandyoungpeoplehaveplentifulopportunitiestocontributemeaningfullytothequalitydebate.



17.Artsmark



17.1 The Bridge visionThe Bridge will use Artsmark to celebrate best practice in the North West and how this has impacted on children’s and young people’s academic attainment and other achievements. We will connect Artsmark schools to each other and other schools through events and networks to share practice, build capacity and learn from each other. We will explore opportunities across the North West to widen interest in and applications to Artsmark, and to develop a more intricate network of relationships with arts and cultural organisations that will encourage schools to continually innovate and children and young people to deepen their understanding and experience of art and culture, stretching their imaginations and potential.


Strengths of Artsmark– SchoolsseeArtsmarkasanexcellenttoolthatgivesthem

theconfidencetoenablechildrenandyoungpeopletoconsume,createandcelebrateallformsofartandculture.

– SchoolswantArtsmarktogivechildrenandyoungpeopleaccesstoadiverserangeofartistsandexperiencesofhighquality.

– SchoolsrecognisetheycouldusetheprofileofArtsmarkandArtsAwardmorestrategicallytoenhancetheircompetitiveedge,provingtoparentsandothersthattheirartsandculturalofferisofthehigheststandard.



Challenges of Artsmark– Reducedschoolbudgetsmaymakeitmoredifficultfor

someschoolstofulfiltherequirementsofArtsmark,particularlyinrelationtodevelopingpartnershipswithprofessionalartistsandprovidingcontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentalforstaff.Schoolswillbelookingforcheaperorfreepartnersandthiscouldleadtoareductioninqualityandexcellence

– Moreacademiesandsecondaryschoolsappeartobeturning‘lukewarm’towardsArtsmarkasthepressuretodeliveragainstotherprioritiesintensifies.

– ManyschoolsseetheArtsmarkapplicationprocessasbeingtootimeconsumingandcomplex.Thistimeround,Artsmarktrainerswereunabletoreallymeettheneedsofschoolsinthetimeavailable.Howeverthereisarealappetitefromschoolsforfollowonsupport.

– Artsmarktrainershaveraisedtheconcernthatsomeapplicantsseethe‘requirement’toofferArtsAwardasahiddencostoftheArtsmarkapplication.

– Thisyearthe‘peerassessor’rolehasoftenbeenhandedfromheadteachersandseniormanagerstolessexperiencedandsometimesreluctantstaff.Whoarenotconfidentorskilledenoughtoplayastrongroleinassessingotherschools.

– AsTrinitytakesontheroleofdeliveringArtsmarkaswellasArtsAwardforArtsCouncilEngland,thecross-promotionofbothprogrammeswillcreatebothopportunitiesandchallenges.



17.3 The Bridge responseWewillworkwithschoolswhoareinterestedinArtsmarkbutwhohaveeithernotyetachievedthekitemarkornotyetdecidedifitisforthem.Wewilllistentoschools’challengesandhowtheyhaveovercomethem.Wewillfundmeetings,eventsandnetworksthatenableschoolsandothersettingstolearnfromeachotherandbuildcapacityofstafftoworkwiththeartsandculturalsector.WewillworkwithpeoplewhohaveatrackrecordinsupportingsuccessfulArtsmarkapplicationsandwillcontinuallyseekandcreateopportunitiestopromoteandadvocateforArtsmark.

17.4 Bridge approach– Establishapan-regionalArtsmarkworking

groupfortheNorthWestArtsmarkworkforce.– Supportschoolstoidentifyandcollaboratewithartists

andorganisationswhoofferahighqualityservice.– WorkwithArtsmarktrainersandotherstoensure

schoolsreceivesufficientsupportduringtheArtsmarkapplicationprocess.

– AdvocateArtsmarktoallschoolsandyoungpeople’ssettingsacrosstheNorthWest.TheBridgewillbuildonrelationshipsalreadyestablishedthroughCreativePartnerships,workcloselywithArtsmarkGoldschoolstopromoteandsharebestpractice,andmakenewlinks.Wewillgiveparticularprioritytoareaswithlowtake-upofArtsmarkoratriskofbecomingso.

– OfferrecommendationstoTrinitybasedonfeedbackfromschools,Artsmarkassessorsandtrainerstomaketheapplicationprocessassimpleaspossiblewithoutcompromisingquality.



18.Funding



18.1 The Bridge visionDuring our consultation for this report, cuts in funding and the potential effect of this on the provision of arts and cultural opportunities for children and young people was a recurring theme. We know that realising the ambitions of the Bridge is dependent on a well resourced cultural sector and making the case for more money being spent on work with children and young people.

18.2 What people are telling usThefocusgroupsconductedthroughouttheregionlookedatexistingandpotentialfundingstreamsforartsandculturalactivityandtheboxbelowgivesacomprehensivelistofthesourcesidentified.

Therewasconsensusthatthoseprovidingculturaleducationneedtolookmorecloselyatmixedeconomymodelsandpublic/privatepartnerships.Therolesocialenterprisecanplayinbuildingsustainablebusinessesinthecurrenteconomicclimatewasacknowledgedwhichcouldoffergreaterindependence,sustainabilityandflexibility.



Ideas for the support the Bridge could give in accessing funding streams were:– Helpandexpertiseinbidwriting.Capacitybuildingso

thatkeypeoplebecomeexpertinwritingsuccessfulbidsandaremoreentrepreneurialintheirwork.

– Helparts&culturalorganisationsidentifyinvestmentopportunitiesthroughraisingawarenessofwhatisavailablethroughe-bulletincommunication.

– Starttobringtogetherconsortiafromacrossallsectors–artsorganisationtoyouthcentretolocalauthority–sothesegroupscanbidforfundsasawholeentity.Buildthefoundationofactivityandthenfindfundsforit,nottheotherwayaround.

– Buildawarenessacrossallsectorssoeachsectorknowsmoreabouteachother’sneeds,barriersandvisionsare.

– Matchmakebetweenorganisationsandgroups.Providetheopportunityforartsandculturalorganisationstopairupandbuildrelationships–layingthefoundationsforfuturefundingbidstogether.Developmutualsupportandadvicebetweenthem.

– BeanadvocateforworkwithchildrenandyoungpeopleintheNorthWestandpromotethiswithmajorfunders.Givethemthesenseof“Wewanttobepartofthismovement”.

– Actasmorethanjusttheconduittorelationshipbuildingbetweensectorsbutactivelyplayarolethroughouttheprocess,advisingonnextandnewdirectionsandbeanaccesspointforsupportasabidissubmittedbygroups/consortia.

– GeneratebusinessfundingthroughCSR.Thisisaverynewareaforalotoforganisations.Howdoesaprivatefunderdecidewheretomaketheirinvestment?Theyneedabroker.TheBridgecouldspeaktobigcompanieswhowilllisten.Theycouldacceptalargedonationandtricklethatdowntolotsofsmallerprojects.



18.3 The Bridge responseThereisaclearrolefortheBridgetoadvocateforworkwithchildrenandyoungpeopletomajorfunders,promotecommissionreadiness,offertrainingandsupportaroundfundraisingandlookatopportunitiesforthesectortodiversifyitsfunding.Wewillsupportartsandculturalorganisations,schoolsandotherkeypartnerstoaccessthemoneyneededtogivechildrenandyoungpeopletheartsandculturalprovisiontheydeserve.

18.4 Bridge approachCommunicatewithlargefunderstomakethemawareoftheBridge’sroleintheNorthWest.Identifyanddeveloppartnershipsandconsortiathatcouldfacilitateco-ordinatedbidsforfundingorsponsorship.Capacitybuildthesectorthroughhelpwithbidwritinganddevelopmentoffundraisingstrategies,especiallywith‘grassroots’organisations.



What funding streams are available in the region? Ideas gathered from focus groups– Philanthropy-Roleofphilanthropistsisbecoming

increasinglyassignificant,thegovernmentisattemptingtoencouragemorephilanthropicgiving.Projectsinvolvingchildrenandyoungpeopleareveryattractivetobusinesseswantingtobephilanthropic.

– Sponsorshipfromindustry&corporatesocialresponsibility.Projectsinvolvingchildrenandyoungpeoplearepopularwithbusinesslookingatwaystoconnectwithacorporatesocialresponsibilityagenda.

– Charitabletrusts-couldtheBridgehavestrategicleveldiscussionswithbigfunderslikeChildreninNeedandComicReliefaboutstrategicprojectsandmultipartnercrossregiondelivery?

– Consortia:Matchmakingandleadingconsortiatobidforlargerprogrammes

– Healthsectorpartners–BycontributingtoHealthandWellbeingagendas

– Privatesector–eg.Housing– LAcommissioningarmslengthservices– LAfunding– LotteryFunding–

AwardsforAll/Heritage/Reachingcommunities– ACE–GrantsfortheArts/CapitalFunding/

strategictouring/Catalyst– Venueandtraderfees– Revenuefromadmissions/ticketsales– Membershipsand/orsubscriptions– Sellingserviceskillsofthesector

e.g.expertiseintechnologyorsocialmedia,showproduction,fireworkdisplays,equipmenthire

– CommunityFoundations– Politicalmemberscanhaveverysmalldiscretionary

amountstogive-£3Keachforexample



19.ThreatsfortheBridge



This section is designed to acknowledge the potential threats the Bridge faces in delivering its remit successfully across the North West. Here we have reproduced the potential threats identified in the regional focus groups. These are being considered alongside our activity planning so we can mitigate against them as much as possible. We will work to manage expectations and provide clarity around what the Bridge is and isn’t here to do. The responses have been grouped under four main headings - geography, communication and attitudes, capacity and funding and are summarised below.

Geography– IstheNorthWestregiontoogeographicallylargeforthis

work–willtheofferbedilutedandthereforenotbringaboutanyrealchange?

– Sizeanddiversityoftheregionthreatenslocalknowledge–isthereaneedforsubregionalofficers?

– Willthenumberofartsorganisationsintheregionmakeitdifficulttoco-ordinateastrategy?

– Arethedifferentsubregionalagendastoodiverse?Isthereanassumptiononesizefitsall?

– Complexgeography

– Urbandeprivationandruralisolation– Localism–youngpeoplethemselvesverylocally

focusedandnotinterestedinthebiggerworld– Somemuseumsareverybuilding/collectionsfocused

whichcanmeanalackofopportunitiestocollaborate–canbeparochialinfocus

– Diversepopulation-deprivationbothruralandurban– Focusingontheregionsratherthanjustthecities



Communication and attitudes– Istheconceptofabridgetokenistic?–Withoutmuch

projectmoneyhowcanyoudoandnotjusttalk?– Managingexpectations– Artsorganisations–initiativeoverloadandcynicism– SinglesitemuseumsandnonRenaissance

localauthorityservicesknowlittleofCuriousMindsandArtsCouncil

– Manyorganisationsclosing,thereisaperceptionthatyou’reokandnotreallydoinganything

– Knowledgebase–paintingwrongpicture–reinventingthewheelratherthanbuildingthecar!

– Defaulttoformerwaysofworking/existingpartnerships

– Lackof“buyin”fromorganisations– Fearfactorofsmallorganisations– Confusingchildrenandyoungpeople–

twodifferentaudiences– Highhopes,-fornewfundingstreams– School/nonschoolbalanceandapproach– Focustoomuchonlocalauthoritiesat

expenseofwidenetworkoforganisations– Lackofknowledge–otheragencieshave

alackofknowledgeabouthowtheartscouldbeusedbythemandhowweworktogether



Capacity– Doartsorganisationsandschoolshavethe

capacitytomakethisworkwithoutfunding?– Doestheartssectorhavebuyintothisagenda?– Howcananyoneofferanholisticofferforall

0-19yearolds?Theneedsofthisagegroupcouldn’tbemorediverse.

– Isthereaconflictbetweenthecommitmenttocollaborationandtheveryrealcompetitivenessforfundingandaudiencescurrentlyfacingartsandculturalorganisations?

– Thelackoflongtermcommitmentfromthegovernmentthreatensbuyinasthreeyearswon’tsolvethelongtermissues

– Stretchedtoofar,isittoobig?– Notfullyunderstandingthatequalitydoesn’tmeanequal

(dangerofbeingspreadtoothinandonlythemostvocalheardandeveryonewantingapieceofpie)

– Timescale–Longevityofprogramme–capacityofprogramme

– Fewerorganisationstoofferservices

Funding– Thereisanexpectationtobuildontheoutcomes

ofFindYourTalent–itwasonlyin2areasandwehaven’tgotthemoneytheyhad!

– Theartsinfrastructureisfadingawayandkeypartnersaredisappearing

– Artsandculturearealreadyfallingoffschoolsagendas– Fundingclimatedevolved,localisedandpotent

fragmented–soorgshavetodemonstratetheyofferandprioritiseneedsofaudienceandparticipation,andplananddevelopprojectsinpartnership

– Climateforartsorganisationsduetofundingcutsor/andcutsinstaffingresultsinreducedlevelsofoutreach.

– Everyonehaslessmoney,youngpeople,families,schools,artsorgsandlocalauthorities–isitanemptyoffer?Howcanwemagicprovisionwherethereisnone?Can’treplaceanorganisationlikePrescap

– Familybudgetconstraints– Beingseenasasupportagencytocultural

organisationsfullstop,notjustforworkaroundchildrenandyoungpeople

– Managingexpectations



20.Advocacy



20.1 The Bridge vision 20.2 What people are telling usDuringourconsultationsthemainsuggestionsforfocusweretobuildaheadofpoliticalsteamandcampaignforthebenefitsofcreativeeducation.

Education ItwasstronglysuggestedthatthereisasignificantrolefortheBridgetoplayinengagingtheactivesupportoftheeducationsectorandlobbyingforeducationalinvestmentinartsandcultureforchildrenandyoungpeople.Theevidenceandexpertiseishereintheregionandthereisabeliefthatarts,cultureandcreativitycansurvivewithinthenewOfstedframework.AsanadvocatetheBridgecanencourageschoolstocontinuetoembracecreativityineducation.Thereisaneedforstrongcasestudiesand‘casestories’todemonstrateevidenceofimpactandtheBridge,alongwithmanyotherprovidersintheregion,havethesealready.Theseshouldbeusedtogetthemessageouttherethatitcanbedone,itshouldbedoneandtheBridgeistheretohelpmakeithappen.TheBridgewantstodevelopacoordinatedcampaignwithArtsCouncilandotherBridgeorganisationslobbyingpoliticalleaderstoensuretheimportanceofartsandcultureandeducationisrecognisedandcelebrated.

We don’t share enough about what we do or what it is possible for us to do.

Right across the North West we have seen, heard and ourselves provided fantastic examples of rich arts and cultural provision for children and young people. Many young people are benefiting from a rich and sustainable creative education and amazing work for, with and by children and young people is taking place. It is the Bridge’s role to ensure that this work is profiled, promoted and embraced right across the North West and beyond. The ambition of the Bridge is that by April 2015 the North West is known as ‘the home for the best arts and culture for and by children and young people’. Where creative education takes place in our schools it is with the highest quality artists and arts organisations and our children and young people are surrounded by and celebrating great art for everyone.



Advocates and patronsStrongadvocatesarealwaysneededtoensureamovementhasrealconnectiontothegeneralpublicandfunders.TheBridgecanplayacentralroleingatheringactiveandengagingadvocatesforartsandculture.

Theseadvocatesshouldn’tjustbecelebritiesoractors,theyshouldbetheeverymanandwomanaswell.Thegreatheadteacher,theyoungpersongoingplaces,thecommunityhubmanagersmakingadifferencetotheircommunityallofferapersonalstory.Thisisoneapproachtoengagingpeople,showingthatartsandculturereallycanmakeasignificantdifferencetopeopleandtheircommunities.

Championing the Arts and Cultural EducationAreportontheriotsinEnglandinsummer2011highlightedtheneedfortheBridgeandthoseworkingwithchildrenandyoungpeopletoworkwiththemediatosharepositivenewsstoriesaboutthegreatthingsyoungpeoplearedoingintheartsthroughartsorganisations,schoolsandcommunities.ItalsosuggestedthatorganisationsliketheBridgeshouldtakealeadinusingTwitter,socialnetworksande-bulletinstosharesuchstories.Positivepublicityandadvocacyaboutyoungpeopleandtheirachievementshelpscombatnegativityinpresscoverage.

Thepresscoverageoftheriotsrevealedmuchnegativestereotypingofyoungpeoplebythemedia,andmissingfromallmediareportsduringandintheimmediateaftermathoftheriotswasthevoiceofyoungpeoplewhodidnotagreewiththeactionsoftherioters.Onlythroughpressurefromartsandculturalorganisationsandcertainmediaprofessionalsdidthenationalandregionalpressstarttopublishpositiveyoungpeoplestories.



Culturecanmakeaveryrealcontributiontoimprovingoutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeopleandcontributingtowideragendasaroundcommunitycohesion,economicprosperity,andhealthandwellbeing.ItisimportantfortheBridgetoexplorewaystoprovethisimpactandworkwithotherstoevaluateprogrammeseffectivelyandrigorously.Manyemphasisedtheimportanceofcapturinganddisseminatingpersuasiveevidenceofthevalueandimpactofculture.Makingthecaseforfurtherlongterminvestmentinartsandculturaleducationthroughimprovingevidencebasedpracticeneedstobeacollectiveeffort.SupportingartsandculturalorganisationstodothiswellandthendisseminatinggoodexamplesisakeyrolefortheBridge.

Asaregionweneedtospotlightexcellentpracticeandinterestingpartnershipswhichsuccessfullyengageandconsultthehardesttoreachgroupsintheregion.Weneedtohighlighttangibleexampleswhereyoungpeople’svoicehasactuallymadechangeswhichhaveresultedinincreasedaccessforotheryoungpeople.

Itisalsoimportanttopromotecampaignsinvolvingandledbyyoungpeople,harnessingsocialnetworkingmediasoyoungpeoplecanadvocatetotheirpeers,theirownstoriesofthedifferencearts,cultureandcreativityhasmadetotheirlives.



20.3 The Bridge responseAkeyrolefortheBridgeistochampiontheroleartsandculturecanplayonimprovingeducationalandwellbeingoutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeopleanddemonstratingtheimpacthighqualityprogrammeshaveonotherkeyagendas.Thatsaid,wearen’talobbyinggroup;ouradvocacyroleisnotpoliticalbutisaboutchangingtheheartsofmindsofthosepeoplethatdon’tyetseeorunderstandthetransformationalpowerofculturaleducationandparticipatoryarts.Weknowfrompastexperienceofdeliveringcollaborativeprogrammesacrosstheregionthatseeingisbelievingandwiththisinmindwewanttocaptureevidenceaswecantoshareitwidelywithkeydecisionmakersatnational,regional,localandhome(family)levels.AlthoughtheBridgeisnew,whatwearechampioningisnot;weacknowledgethatavastamountofevidenceandexpertiseexistsfromboththenearanddistantpastandwewanttodrawonthisforlearningaswellasfromtheprogrammesthatarebeingdeliverednow.

20.4 Bridge priorities for year one:– WewillchampiontheNorthWestasaregionwhich

strivestoensurethatallchildrenandyoungpeoplehavetheopportunitytoexperiencetherichnessofartsandculture.

– TheBridgewillevidenceandprofileexamplesofexcellentprogrammes,includingfromthepast,toinformplanningandattractadditionalinvestment.

– Wewillworkwithotherstoevaluateandcelebratetheimpactartsandculturalprogrammeshaveonchildren,youngpeople,theirfamilies,thecommunitiestheyliveinandthecreativeandculturalindustries.



Thanks



We would like to thank the following people from across the North West who took part in this consultation.(People listed took part in consultations from July 2011 - March 2012 and job titles are correct at point of consultation.)

Name Position / Organisation

Adam Holloway BusinessDirector,CheshireDanceAdrian Sumner CreativeEconomyOfficer,

CheshireWestandChesterCouncilAlison Corten MusicServiceLeader,

CheshireWestAllison Kirk NortonPrioryMuseum&GardensAmber Knipe ProgrammeManager,

ChesterPerformsAnne Sheman CheshireEastCouncilCaroline Backhouse CheshireWestandChesterCouncilChristine Turner DewaRomanExperience,ChesterClaire Bigley ArtsDevelopmentTeamLeader,

HaltonBoroughCouncilDebbie Cottam OperationsManagerandHeadof

PerformingandVisualArts,ConwayCentre

Emily Brogden GeneralManager,ChesterFestivalsLtd

Helen Evans NationalWaterwaysMuseum

Cheshire


Janey Moran SeniorArtsOfficer,WarringtonBoroughCouncil

Jen Henry CheshireRuralTouringNetworkJocelyn McMillan SeniorArtsOfficer,

CheshireEastCouncilJodie Gibson AxisArtsCentreKaren Parry GeneralManager,

ActionTransportTheatreKate Dobson NantwichMuseumKate Harland CheshireWestandChesterLearning

DevelopmentOfficer,GrosvenorMuseum,Chester

Laura Orchard ArtsDevelopmentOfficer(Lead:Children&YoungPeople)CheshireWestCouncil

Louise Hesketh VisualArtsOfficer,HaltonBoroughCouncil

Louise Mor PublicArtOfficer,WarringtonBoroughCouncil




Martin Cox MusicOfficer,HaltonMBCNicola Preston ChesterCathedralSarah Clover Director,ActionTransportTheatreSchools DorinParkSchool,

ASpecialistSENCollegeCrontonC.E.PrimarySchoolMidCheshireCollegeStMartin’sCatholicPrimaryOrmiston&BolingbrokeAcademyPalacefieldsAcademy

Sian Rourke ArtsOfficer(ChildrenandYoungPeople),CheshireEastCouncil

Steph Brocken ArtisticDirector,MinervaArtsYouthTheatre

Steve Nyakatawa DirectorofLearning,HaltonBoroughCouncil

Young Peoples Consultation

LyceumYouthTheatre

CYCES,aschoolforyoungpeoplewithEBD,runbyTheTogetherTrust

Cumbria


Alex Jakob-Whitworth ArtsAwardAdvisorAli McCaw LeadArtist,PrismArtsAnn Singleton CumbriaCountyCouncil,Library

ServicesforSchoolsManagerAnne Wilson Whitewood&FlemingBeverly Morgan PartnershipDevelopmentand

ParticipationTeamManager,CumbriaCountyCouncil

Catherine Coulthard Director,PrismArtsCherrie Trelogan PolicyOfficer,CumbriaCountyCouncilDeb Holden SeniorLibrarianandYPlead,

CumbriaCountyCouncilDebby Akam ArtistDenise Alexander Director,CreativeFuturesCumbriaFliss Pocock TheOldLaundryTheatreGill Sharp JohnRuskinSchoolGordon Watson ChiefExecutive,LakelandArtsTrustHayley Skipper ForestryCommissionEnglandHelen Hepworth ArmathwaitePrimarySchoolHelen Moffitt BreweryArtsCentreJan Shorrock KendalArtsInternationalJeff Cowton Curator,TheWordsworthTrustJill Shorrocks KendalArtsInternationalJohn Hall OctopusJudith Whittaker StCuthbertsPrimary,WindermereJules Wooding TullieHouseMuseum




Julie O’Connor DowdalesSchoolJulie Tait KendalArtsInternational(LakesAlive)Karen Thompson CarnegieTheatre&ArtsCentreKath Pigdon WilliamHowardSchoolLaura Ferguson LakelandArtsTrustLinda Dean CambridgePrimary/TrusteeLinda Smith BlackfordCEPrimarySchoolMike Conefrey 6-19+Planning&Commissioning

Manager,CumbriaCountyCouncilMike Pincombe NorthLakesPrimarySchoolNancy Lees MilburnPrimarySchoolNichola Jackson Inspira(Connexions)Pat Cuthbertson SamuelKing’sSchoolPeter Hooper QueenElizabethSchoolRobert Leach PromArt,GrangeoverSandsSamantha Bell ApplebyGrammarSchoolSarah Allison SoundwaveCumbriaSchool SolwayCommunity

TechnologyCollegeTim Fleming ArtisticDirector,

Whitewood&FlemingTrisha Gordon TheBrewery,KendalVega Brennan QueenElizabethGrammarSchoolViv West CreativeFutures,CumbriaYoung Peoples Consultation

StPatricksC.E.School,Endmoor

NorthLakesSchool

Lancashire


Andy White BlackpoolMusicServiceBen Hunt ChiefExecutive,PrescapBeverley Chapelhow FreelanceartistBuzz Bury FreelancerandArtsAwardTrainerCeline Wyatt GrandTheatreBlackpoolCerys Smye-Rumsby DistrictChildren’sTrust,

WestLancashireChris Wyatt ArtsandEventsOfficer,

WyreBoroughCouncilChristopher Bryan AstleyHallandArtsOfficer,

ChorleyBoroughCouncilDavid Brookhouse LancashireMuseumsServiceDavid Smith EducationDirector,Mid-PennineArtsDawn Beedell ArtPadDawn Worthington EducationOfficer,

HarrisMuseum&ArtGalleryDi Cumming LudusDanceDr Steph Hawke ProgrammeManagerfor

CreativeLearning,MidPennineArtsFiona Sinclair LancashireSinfoniettaGail Bailey LancashireMuseumsServiceGail Knight HyndburnBoroughCouncilGlenn Mascord BlackpoolcouncilGraham Whalley YoungLancashireGuy Christiansen CreativeLearningDirector,

DukesTheatre




Hannah Robertshaw LudusDanceHeather Pitman SeniorChildren&YP’sDevelopment

Manager,CulturalServices,LancashireCountyCouncil

Helen Jackson Horse+BambooTheatreHelen Jones BurnleyBoroughCouncilIain Mackie INTACTIngolandTanterton

CommunityTrustJacqueline Mutch GroundworkLancashireWest

andWiganJacqueline Simm TowneleyHallArtGallery&MuseumsJames Furnell EngineRooms/

ForwardMotionArtsCICJenni Ashcroft OutreachandEducationofficer,

ChapelGallery,LancashireBoroughCouncil

John Angus StoreyGalleryJune Gibbons RoseTheatreKatherine Rogers ArtsDevelopmentOfficer,

RibbleValleyBoroughCouncilKeith Parkinson FreelanceartistKerry Hunt EducationOfficer,

GrundyArtGallery,BlackpoolKirsty Rose ArtsDevelopmentManager,

TheACECentreLiz Beaumont AdvisoryHeadteacheratBlackburn

withDarwenBoroughCouncilLouise Jacobsson HelmshoreMillsTextileMuseum


Lucy Carlton Walker AssistantLearningOfficer,HarrisMuseum

Mandy Greenwood BradleyPrimarySchoolMandy Precious BurnleyYouthTheatreMichelle Graham TheArtsPartnershipNick Hunt CreativeDirector,Mid-PennineArtsPaul Hartley Blaze/InsituPeter Moser MoreMusicPippa Pixley FreelanceartistRebecca Johnson ArtsServiceManager,

BlackburnBC,CreativityWorksRob Carder BusinessDirector,Mid-PennineArtsRob Howell Culturepedia/Somewhereto_Sara Domville BlazeSchools TorViewCommunitySpecialSchool

EducationalDiversityMorecambeRoadWestLancashireCollege,SkelmersdaleCastercliffCommunityPrimarySchoolPillingStJohn’sC.E.SchoolStJohn’sPrimarySchoolCedarsInfantschoolPalatineSportsCollegeKEQMSDevonshirePrimarySchoolDarwenValeHighSchoolHighfieldHumanitiesCollege




Stephen Blackburn TheGrandatClitheroeStephen Irwin BlackburnMuseumandArtGalleryStuart Parsons LancashireLibrariesServiceSue Flowers GreenCloseSue Latimer ProgrammesManager,

HarrisMuseum&ArtGallery,PrestonTeresa East ArtsAwardtrainer,PrescapYoung Peoples Consultation

BlessedTrinityHighSchool,BurnleyTheHollinsTechnologyCollege,HyndburnBurnleyYouthTheatreRhyddingsBusinessandEnterpriseSchool

GreaterManchester


Amanda Dalton AssociateDirector,Education,RoyalExchangeTheatre

Amy Whitehead SalfordHeritageServices,SalfordMuseum&ArtGalleryandOrdsallHall

Andrea Bushell PrincipalArtsOfficer,SalfordCityCouncil

Andrew Vaughan WhitworthArtGalleryAnna Sims GalleryOldhamAnne-Marie Nugnes TheMartinHarrisCentre

forMusicandDrama,TheUniversityofManchester

Annie O’Neill ArtsManager,OldhamMBCAnthony Missen ArtisticDirectors,

CompanyChameleonBen Read SpearfishBob Bonner GreaterManchester

FireServiceMuseumBob Riley ChiefExecutive,

ManchesterCamerataBryony Bell TheBridgewaterHallCamilla Southall VisitorProgrammesManager,

ImperialWarMuseumCatherine O’Donnell People’sHistoryMuseumCathy Bolton Director,

ManchesterLiteratureFestival




Ceri Horrocks HeritageDevelopmentManager,Learning,SalfordMuseumandArtGallery

Charlotte Smith ImperialWarMuseumNorthChris Wright RoyalExchangeTheatreClaire GreaterManchester

PoliceMuseum&ArchivesClaire Platt PeshkarProductionsDaniel Jessop TheFusilierMuseumDanny Fahey ContactTheatreDavid Agnew Director,TheMetDenise Lambert NationalFootballMuseumDirector WFA,MediaandCultureCentreEd Cox ContactTheatreEdward Taylor WhalleyRangeAllStarsElaine Bates EarlyYearsCoordinator,

ManchesterMuseumsElizabeth Wewiora ChineseArtsCentreElmi Ali Youngwriterandmember

ofYoungIdentity,CommonwordEmma Melling CartwheelArtsEsme Ward HeadofLearning&Interpretation,

WhitworthArtGalleryFay Lamb CEO,TheCitadelFiona Gasper ExecutiveDirector,

RoyalExchangeTheatreFiona Stuart RNCMGemma Morris BoltonCouncil


Gerard Booth DirectorofMusic,OldhamMBCGillian Sherwood CommunityDevelopmentManager,

TheLowryHelen Jones OctagonTheatreTrustLimitedHolly Marland RNCMIan Morley HeadofInterpretation

andLearning,MuseumofScienceandIndustry,Manchester

Jackie Malcolm FutureEverythingCICJane Da Silva PerformingArtsManager,

TheLowryJennifer Cleary ManchesterInternationalFestivalJeremy Michelson ManchesterJewishMuseumJill Hughes MADtheatrecompanyJim Johnson Director&CEO,PeshkarJo Ward CultureandInnovationManager,

StockportCouncilJoanne Davies ManchesterArtGalleryJonathan Poole CATManager,Centrefor

AdvancedTraining,TheLowryJoy Thorpe GalleryOldhamKaren Vine Link4LifeArts&HeritageService,

TouchstonesRochdaleKatie Donlon TheJohnRylandsLibraryKaty Archer Director,People’sHistoryMuseum,

ManchesterKevin Edward Turner ArtisticDirectors,

CompanyChameleon




Kevin Moore Director,NationalFootballMuseumLiam McCormick EducationOfficer,

RoyalExchangeTheatreLisa Gillen LearningOfficer,

People’sHistoryMuseumLisa O’Neill HeadofActiv8,BoltonOctagonLiz O’Neill ChiefExecutive,ZionArtsCentreLiz Pugh Producer,WalkThePlankLouise Bienkowski LearningTeamManager,

BoltonMuseumLouise Sutherland LearningDevelopmentManager,

ManchesterCityGalleries(Renaissance)

Lynsey Merrick ParticipationandLearningManager,TheLowry

Marisa Draper Producer(BroadcastProject&YoungPeople’sProgramme)Cornerhouse

Martin De Mello NewWritingCoordinator,Commonword

Martin Green WiganBoroughCouncil,LeisureandCultureTrust

Martin Green WiganPierTheatreCompany,WiganLeisure&CultureTrust

Martin Maris BBCPhilharmonicMartyn Lucas TurnpikeGalleryMenaka Munro TheManchesterMuseum


Michael Simpson HeadofVisualArts&Engagement,TheLowry

Mindee Hutchinson ArtsDevelopmentOfficer,BoltonCouncil

Natalie Davies YouthDance,TheLowryNick Ponsillo ManchesterCamerataNick Thompson StrategicDevelopmentTeam,

CultureandLeisure,SalfordCityCouncil

Nicole May YoungwriterandfoundermemberofYoungIdentity,Commonword

Pete Gascoigne ExecutiveDirector,Culture,WiganLeisureandCultureTrust

Peter Ashworth HeadofCulture,TourismandVenues,StockportCouncil

Peter Fox SaddleworthMuseum&ArtGalleryPeter Kalu ArtisticDirector,CommonwordRachel Wood ArtsDevelopmentOfficer,

OldhamMBCRebecca Leese MOSI

(MuseumofScienceandIndustry)Richard Gregory ArtisticDirector,QuarantineRichard Hall OldhamColiseumTheatreRichard Shaw ArtsAwardAdvisor,ManchesterRob Lees MaDtheatreCompanyRobina Sheikh Arts&CulturalDevelopmentOfficer,

TraffordCouncil




Ronan Brindley PrincipalManager,Learning,ManchesterArtGallery

Rosarie Walsh ArtsAwardAdvisor,ManchesterRosie Stuart LibraryTheatreCompany,

CornerhouseSally Dicken DeputyHeadofService,

TamesideYouthOffendingTeamSarah Evans ArtsBusinessOfficer,

BuryArtGalleryandMuseumSarah Kerrison BuryTransportMuseumSarah McLoughlin NewMediaOutreachCoordinator,

Let’sGoGlobal,TraffordCouncilSarah Perks Programmeand

EngagementDirector,CornerhouseSchools Lancasterianschool

NewBridgeSchoolLadywoodSpecialSchoolChatsworthHighSchool&CommunityCollegeWalmsleyC.E.PrimarySchoolStClement’sC.E.PrimarySchoolMauldethRdPrimarySchoolGreenbankPreparatoryTheAlbionHighSchoolSaddlesworthSchoolKingDavidPrimarySchoolStPaul’sCatholicHighSchool


Schools LoretoCollegeTheManchesterCollegeChorltonhighschool

Sheni Ravji-Smith FreelanceconsultantShirley May DirectorofYoungIdentity,

CommonwordSimon Rudding TIPPStephen Threlfall DirectorofMusic,Chetham’s

SchoolofMusic,ManchesterSteve Pickett EducationDirector,TheHalleSue Caudle DIYTheatreCompanyTim Chatterton InnerCityMusicLtd(Bandon

theWall)AndBrighterSoundsTina Redford LearningandDevelopmentDirector,

BrighterSoundTracy Webster TamesideMuseums

andGalleriesServiceVicky Clarke ZionArtsCentreVictoria Fletcher WiganLeisure&CultureTrustVictoria Robinson BuryMetropolitanArtsAssociationYoung Peoples Consultation

Peshkar,YPGroup

ZionYoungPerformersYvonne Heywood LadywoodSpecialSchoolZoe Higgens CulturalStrategy,TeamLeader

forRegeneration,ManchesterCityCouncil

Consortium ManchesterLibraries




Dr Jeremy Sleith HeadofMusicServices,StHelensMBC

Elaine Caldwell ProjectManager,Liverpool&ManchesterDesignInitiative

Emma Bush CreateTheChangeEmma Lloyd SeftonCouncilFrancesca George PartnershipCo-ordinator,Liverpool

BiennialOfContemporaryArtGary Begusch ArchbishopBeckSchool,LiverpoolGary Everett FestivalDirector,HomotopiaGraham Whitfield AspireTrustHelen Robinson HeadofCommunities,

NationalMuseumsLiverpoolJackson Kavanagh AsCreativesJo McGuire EngagementManager,Wirral

MetropolitanBoroughCouncilJo Stokes AsCreativesJonathan Dickson HeadofService,Liverpool

MusicSupportServiceJulia Samuels Co-ArtisticDirector,20StoriesHighKirsty Hall VictoriaGalleryandMuseumLouise Flooks ParticipationCoordinator,

UnityTheatreCompanyLouise Latter YoungPeople’sCoordinator,FACTMadeline Heneghan FestivalDirector,WritingOnTheWallMandy Redvers-Rowe CollectiveEncounters

Merseyside


Alicia Smith Arts&ParticipationManager,LiverpoolCityCouncil

Alistair Armit FloralPavilionAnn Spiers AssistantHeadTeacher,

UptonHallSchool,WirralAnna Jones CollectiveEncountersAnna kronenburg FACT(FoundationforArt

andCreativeTechology)Barbara Price WilliamsonTunnelsBec Fearon TheBluecoatCarol Ramsey LiverpoolBiennialOfContemporaryArtCarol Rogers ExecutiveDirector,Education,

Communities&Visitors,NationalMuseumsLiverpool

Caron Drucker WirralYouthTheatre/YouthArts,UniversalYouthSupportServices,WirralMBC

Cath Shea ArtsDevelopmentManager,StHelensMBC

Chris Catterall TheReaderOrganisationClarinda Fidler PortSunlightMuseum&

GardenVillageDanny Kilbride ThinkingFilmLtdDave Ward TheWindowsProjectDeborah Riding ProgrammeManager:Children&

YoungPeople,TateLiverpool




Mark Parkinson ActingDeputyDirector,Children’sServices,WirralMBC

Michael Quirke FuseTheatreMick Daley LeadEducationalTransformational

Officer,LiverpoolCityCouncilPaul Duhaney AfricaOyeLimitedPeter Garden ExecutiveDirector,Learning,Royal

LiverpoolPhilharmonicSocietyPeter Ward HopeStreetLimitedPhil Windever SeniorYouthWorker,

IntegratedYouth&PlayBusinessUnit,LiverpoolCityCouncil

Polly Moseley ConsultantinpartnershipswiththeCulturalSector,LiverpoolPrimaryCareTrust

Prashant Nayak MilapFestivalTrustRuth Gould CEO,DaDaDisabilityandDeafArtsSally Morris TheBlack-eSam Wade YoungPeopleCoordinator,

DaDaDisabilityandDeafArtsSamantha Shipman TheReaderOrganisationSarah Lovell EverymanandPlayhouseTheatres


Sarah O’Donoghue LiverpoolCathedralSchool HuytonArtsandSportsCollege

OldershawSchoolOrmistonBollingbrokeAcademyDeLaSalleSchoolWestKirbyResidentialSchoolChildwallC.E.PrimarySchoolWadeDeaconHighSchoolHopeSchoolWallaseySchool

Tanya Bryan DevelopmentDirector,Liverpool&ManchesterDesignInitiative

Young Peoples Consultation

BarnardosActionwithYoungCarersYPAS(Youngpeople’sAdvisoryservice)YoungTateHollyLodgeSecondarySchoolMuchWooltonPrimarySchool

Zi Lan Liao PagodaYouthOrchestra,ArtsandProjectsDevelopmentOfficer

Zoe Fagg KnowsleyArtsService



Pan-Regional


Anne-Marie Crowther PANDABarbara Slack HighlightsRuralTouringSchemeCaz Brader UFAandArtsAwardTrainerChloe Whitehead Director,

ProperJobTheatrecompanyChris Spriggs YouthMusicChrissy Hammond FullCircleArtsCilla Baynes CommunityArtsNorthWestClaire Barlow-Orton Arts&BusinessClive Parkinson Director,ArtsforHealthDennis Davis ImpactEnglandElizabeth Harding CEO,NorthWestRegionalYouth

WorkUnit(NWRYWU)Gill Middleton RegionalDevelopmentManagerNW,

ChildrenEngland


Ginny Scholey ArtsAwardModeratorHeather Walker ImpactEnglandJeremy Glover OnSideNorthWestLou Llewellyn freelanceArtsAwardTrainerNaomi Whitman DevelopmentWorker,CPALPaul Herrmann Director,Redeye,

ThePhotographyNetworkRob Jackson Chair,ChildrenEnglandNW&

AssistantDirector,TheChildren’sSociety

Rosie Marcus ProgrammeDirector,CAPEUKRuth Churchill-Dower EarlyArtsShila Fletcher NationalTrustViv Tyler Manager,BusinessintheArts:

NorthWest


state of the region report

Documents

young people

arts council england

young person

north west bridge role

bridge organisations

cultural provision

period of great economic

social change