The pilots will take place in Durham, Bournemouth/Poole and Telford from September. Specialist colleges and other schools in these areas will come together with local cultural organisations jointly to plan and deliver a comprehensive programme of arts and other cultural activities for children and young people. These might involve drama, music, the visual arts, museums, libraries or archives education.
Each hub will hold a shared budget made up of up to £0.5m of Arts Council England funding, with additional contributions from each of the schools involved.
Launching the hubs, Estelle Morris, Minister for the Arts said:
"I am very excited by the hubs proposals, which draw on my experience in both the education and cultural sectors. I'm convinced they will offer a new and innovative way of delivering high quality activities that will fire young people's interest and enthusiasm.
"Most headteachers need little convincing of the value of such activities in their schools. Through the hubs proposal we want to test their willingness to make a financial contribution to this. But we also want to explore how schools and cultural organisations can work more closely together in developing and delivering a comprehensive cultural 'offer'."
The three cultural hubs pilots will initially run for three years from September 2005.
Notes to Editors
1. The purpose of the hubs pilots is to:
- increase the number and variety of cultural experiences for pupils in participating schools;
- explore joint planning between cultural organisations and schools;
- increase the number of arts and cultural CPD opportunities for participating teachers;
- explore the perceived impact of participation on learning outcomes; and
- learn more about the practicality of delivering a coherent cultural offer to all children and young people.
2. The three hubs will benefit from £1.5m of Arts Council funding per year, plus an increasing contribution from each school involved. The hubs will be managed locally by a Steering Group involving Arts Council England, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the relevant Local Education Authority and the Specialist Schools Trust.
3. Hub funding will support a programme including:
- first access to the arts and culture;
- contribution to the wider curriculum;
- continuing professional development for teachers;
- opportunities for Gifted and Talented young people; and
- extended schools provision.
4. Each hub will consist of:
- 3-4 arts organisations and 2-3 museums, libraries and archives, each chosen because of current high quality activity and willingness to participate in the pilot; and
- 6-20 local schools. Initially these will be selected specialist schools and their partner primary and secondary schools, although the decision may be made by partners involve other schools as appropriate.
5. The organisations signed up to the cultural hubs so far are:
Durham cultural hub will include: Seven Stories; BALTIC; Dance City; Beamish Museum; Durham library service and archives.
Telford cultural hub will include: CBSO; Birmingham Rep; Dance Xchange; Ironbridge Gorge Museum; Telford Library Services; Shropshire Archive.
Bournemouth/Poole cultural hub will include: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Lighthouse; Dance South West; Russell-Cotes Arts Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth; Bournemouth Libraries.
