Do you have an idea that you need shaping into a project?
Do you need experienced, creative, proactive and organised project managers to drive forward your work?
Do you want to be engaged in new and exciting action research programmes or need experienced developers or evaluators for your work?
Shape North are adept at designing, creating and running exciting creative projects with a whole range of partners – education providers at all levels, arts organisations, communities and businesses.
Weaving Together a Story of Place
Shape North are taking the lead in the design and delivery of a two-year action research project, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund.
Drawing upon Kirklees’ strong history of textiles and contemporary innovations in the field, the project aims to take this heritage as inspiration and use it as a rich springboard to develop arts-based practice and creative approaches to learning across the curriculum.
In many schools, the arts have been squashed in time and breadth and the pandemic only amplified this, with a focus on regaining ground in the core skills being key. However, can bringing in a more creative approach to teaching and learning, using the arts and in this project textiles practice in particular, support children’s children’s wider learning and growth and therefore, positively influence learning in all subject areas? And what do teachers need to make this happen?
Shape North, in a unique partnership with Hatch Projects (curators of the Woven Festival), the University of Huddersfield, five Kirklees infant and primary schools and a bank of talented local and internationally renowned artists, are working together to explore this question in depth. The pilot has trialled a model of two teachers from each school working together, the art subject lead and any other subject lead of the school’s choice, the theory being that this would aid the transfer of learning across the subjects; not just within the art curriculum.
Learning has been immense; the impact of this work on the children in their schools has been so evident that it has hugely influenced and developed teacher’s creative pedagogies. In response to this, whole staff teams have reflected on their curriculum models, opened up discussions about creative delivery in all subjects and developed teaching activities and themes that reflect their local context.
Culture on the Doorstep
Shape North educational consultants and central to the design and delivery of a new action research pilot being delivered in Dewsbury schools. Funded by IVE, work will focus around the concept of CULTURE ON THE DOORSTEP, exploring the opportunities for delivering a place-based curriculum, which encapsulates and celebrates the culture that everyone is a part of, whilst offering new experiences to broaden children’s view of the world .
Manasamitra and CHOL Theatre, inspirational and experienced arts partners will work with Shape North and in partnership with schools, to explore creative ways of exploring the local area, and developing resources and curriculum opportunities that speak to the children whom live there.
We know that Ofsted now requires schools to demonstrate how they develop the cultural capital of every child and that schools have agency to define the cultural capital that their children need and the approaches to embedding this within their curriculum. However, there are mixed and incomplete understandings of ‘cultural capital’ amongst teachers, artists and cultural education providers. This pilot seeks to encompass the opportunities that lie within an area itself and/or the people within
This project also brings together four Local Cultural Education Partnerships (LCEPs): Kirklees, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield. Although each LCEP will form their own plans and work in ways that fit their local context, the study is very much focused on Yorkshire and is the first time in which the LCEPs have been invited to work together on a shared theme and towards a common goal. The aim is to share learning and resources across the four areas, thereby ending up with a bank of tried and tested suggestions and learning materials, that can be shared amongst schools and artist practitioners. The hope is also to influence regional and national thinking.
Creative Health Pilot
The creative impulse is fundamental to being human, so it is no surprise that creativity is increasingly being spoken about in relation to health. A growing body of research states that arts and cultural activities can have positive effects on mental health and emotional well-being.
Shape North have worked as lead creative educational design and specialist arts delivery partners, on a co-produced research pilot, with a range of partners linked to Evoke, the Kirklees’ local cultural education partnership (LCEP) – the local council, schools, health providers, arts and cultural providers, the university; a range of organisations, who do not necessarily have a history of working together, but all with the shared aim of supporting children’s emotional well-being.
Supported by the work and thinking of Elaine Burke, a programme of creative activities were created and delivered in a range of primary and secondary schools, focussing in this pilot on transition, although the work would transfer easily to other aspects of well-being, as the central theme revolved around inner resilience, positive self belief and building strategies of coping with change and uncertainty.
Underpinned by a strong philosophy and understanding of children’s thinking and development Shape North devised and delivered successful creative health family sessions as part of the pilot. With an inherent belief in partnership working and parents as crucial to their child’s emotional journey, sessions were crafted around sharing key insights into children’s feelings and behaviours and ways to offer support, whilst providing creative opportunities to reflect and celebrate on their own child’s unique qualities.
Coronation Banners Project
Shape North are taking the lead in the design and delivery of a two-year action research project, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund.
Drawing upon Kirklees’ strong history of textiles and contemporary innovations in the field, the project aims to take this heritage as inspiration and use it as a rich springboard to develop arts-based practice and creative approaches to learning across the curriculum.
Taking King Charles’ official coronation emblem as inspiration, noting the overriding theme of nature to reflect King Charles’ love for the natural world, children are asked to listen to ‘Happy’ by Pharell Williams and consider what brings them joy. Using this as inspiration they are charged with designing their own crown emblem.
Designs from eight schools will be selected to have the further opportunity of working with renowned creative practitioner, Trafford Parsons, to explore the images and create them into huge, bold printed banners to be displayed for three months in St George’s Square, Huddersfield as part of the Kirklees’ council’s coronation celebration.
