Ofsted today published a report on the Creative Partnerships programme and made a number of recommendations for boosting partnerships between schools and creative practitioners.
Welcoming the report Culture Minister David Lammy said:

"When we set up Creative Partnerships in 2002 it was because we believed that the creative and cultural sectors have an essential role to play in exciting minds and enriching educational experiences. I’m delighted that the report published today supports this and that Ofsted found such good evidence that the programme was contributing to each of the Every Child Matters Outcomes.

“I’m grateful to Ofsted for their recommendations on how to make such partnerships even more effective in the future.''

Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said:

“It is important that young people develop creative skills that can help them with their studies. Creative activities can also help to boost young people' s self-confidence and motivation. I am pleased to see that the Creative Partnerships programme is encouraging pupils to enjoy learning and helping schools to improve pupils' achievement in literacy, numeracy and ICT."

Paul Collard, National Director of Creative Partnerships, added:

“The Ofsted report demonstrates that there is no conflict between a rich and creative curriculum and raising standards. The report describes the overwhelmingly positive impact that Creative Partnerships has had on teachers, young people and creative practitioners. We welcome Ofsted's recommendations and will work with stakeholders to ensure that they are implemented so that the programme grows in effectiveness and reach.”

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Commissioned by Culture Minister David Lammy, the Ofsted survey looked at a sample of Phase 1 schools. Ofsted found good evidence that:

• Most Creative Partnerships programmes were effective in developing in pupils some attributes of creative people: an ability to improvise, take risks, show resilience, and collaborate with others. However, pupils were often unclear about how they could apply these attributes independently to develop original ideas and outcomes.
• Good personal and social skills were developed by most pupils involved in Creative Partnerships programmes; these included effective collaboration between pupils and maturity in their relationships with adults.
• For a small but significant number of pupils a Creative Partnerships programme represented a fresh start. In particular, opportunities to work directly in the creative industries motivated pupils and inspired high aspirations for the future.
• Schools offered evidence of improvement in achievement in areas such as literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) which they associated with pupils’ enjoyment in learning through Creative Partnerships programmes and their aim to develop thinking skills.
• Creative practitioners were very well trained and well matched to school priorities and needs. Most teachers gained an understanding about teaching that promoted pupils’ creativity and creative teaching by learning alongside pupils.
• Programmes promoted good collaborative planning between subject areas in the majority of primary and secondary schools. However, in planning the programmes, pupils’ starting points were insufficiently identified and sometimes in arts subjects creativity was assumed when it was not necessarily evident.
• Reasons for the selection of particular schools and individual pupils were unclear. This contributed to inadequate tracking of pupils’ progress, particularly regarding their creative development or ability to transfer the skills learned in Creative Partnerships programmes to other aspects of their work.
  

Notes to editors

1. Ofsted’s report can be accessed via the following URL: www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications
   
2. Creative Partnerships, launched in 2002, is the Government’s flagship programme in the cultural education field.  The idea is to give school children aged 5-18 and their teachers the opportunity to explore their creativity by working on sustained projects with creative organisations and individuals. Creative Partnerships operates in 36 areas of the country and is primarily concentrated in areas of economic and cultural deprivation and areas which suffer from rural isolation. 
   
3. The latest figures show (July 2006) that Creative Partnerships has so far:
   
   • Started over 5,000 projects;
     
   • Worked with over 300,000 young people
     
   • Worked with 3,500 creative organisations and indivduals; and
   • Worked in over 1,600 schools (with a further 841 receiving CPD).
     
     
4. Following a letter from David Lammy to the then Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, Ofsted agreed to carry out an inspection in the second half of the summer term in 2006 of a sample of schools in six Creative Partnership areas (Kent, East London, Nottingham, Tees Valley, Merseyside, Slough) established in 2002.
   
   
5. More information on Creative Partnerships can be found at www.creative-partnerships.com