Local Cultural Education Partnerships

Fusion is chaired by Sue Thiedeman, Head of Culture and Visitor Economy at Barnsley Council. Fusion’s strategy group has strong and balanced membership from education, culture and the local authority. Sitting underneath the strategy group is a very proactive Programming and Resources group that has delivered a wide range of opportunities for schools and arts and cultural organisations including cross sector Teachmeets and an Arts Award programme which has seen over 260 pupils from six schools gain their Arts Award Explore, with a range of support offers from local arts and cultural organisations.

Fusion is currently working on a Children’s Arts Festival to develop stronger connections with the education sector and develop a strong online presence.

For more information please contact Sara Mair (saramair@barnsley.gov.uk)

Currently Bradford LCEP is devising a new action plan in alignment with Bradford’s bid for City of Culture 2025 and the eight ambitions driving the district’s new 10 year cultural strategy Culture is Our Plan (2020 – 2030).

2020 saw the partnership deliver IVE’s Bags of Creativity scheme working with the social care team, 18 local creative practitioners and organisations to deliver 1000 bags containing creative activities and resources to households known to have little or no internet provision.  The LCEP has also supported Aspire i-Gen to make a successful bid to secure European funds to work with six other European cities (Bradford as the lead) to develop a handbook on best practices in cultural activity engagement across Europe, a cultural offer digital platform and a repository for place based curriculums.

This year the LCEP will focus on advocacy, skills development and a Bradford curriculum.  The partnership is chaired by Nathan Kelly, Head of Department of Arts, Education, Digital and Allied Health Professions at Bradford College

For more information or to join one of the groups then please contact Madeleine Irwin (madeleine@weareive.org).

Calderdale LCEP launched as a consortium, managed by The Creative Learning Guild, in October 2018 following a consultation and visioning exercise with the sector. Due to the winding up of the Creative Learning Guild and in the light of the impact of COVID-19, Calderdale LCEP is regrouping. IVE is currently working with the Governance Group to recruit an LCEP Associate who will lead on governance, strategy and planning in line with the outcomes previously agreed by members.

For further information or to join the mailing list, please contact Sarah Beckett (sarahb@weareive.org)

The DCEP has developed an active and broad membership since 2016 and is embedded into local authority structures. It reports to the Doncaster Growing Together Arts & Culture Programme Board, which is helping to achieve Doncaster’s borough strategy. The work of the DCEP is responding Doncaster’s Culture Strategy to connect all people in Doncaster with great arts and culture.

The partnership is in receipt of partnership investment funds and employs a part-time cultural education manager. They are driving its plans to analyse and identify creative education cold spots to create parity of services across the borough. They aim to identify and develop teachers or school leaders to become arts champions and instigate activities that promote and raise awareness of cultural careers. Additionally, they strive to build pathways for young people to develop and progress their creativity and career aspirations.

For more information, please Website: doncastercep.org.uk

To get in touch, please contact Susan Kerrigan (susan@castindoncaster.com)

Following a recent Audience Agency led review of arts & cultural provision in East Riding this partnership is now revising plans to improve the creative and cultural offer in the region and to  develop strong communication and signposting to improve access for children and young people.

To get involved in the East Riding LCEP, please contact Nicola Dixon (Nicola.Dixon@goole-tc.gov.uk).

The partnership has recently evolved to become Generation Hull. Generation Hull was the legacy vision from City of Culture to engage children and young people with culture in the city. The Generation Hull Steering Group has now merged with the LCEP to create a broader strategic group. The partnership is currently in the process of recruiting for an independent Chair. It’s also working to tie together priorities and strategic aims from various groups in order to create a more efficient cross-city approach.

During the summer of 2020, Generation Hull worked with IVE to distribute Bags of Creativity, raising funds to issue an additional 1000 bags across the region to support creativity in children and young people. Their priority now is to formulate a strong Action Plan for the future direction of the LCEP.

To join the Hull LCEP, please contact please contact Beth Goddard (beth@weareive.org).

Evoke has improved visibility of and participation in the arts and cultural offer for young people through collaborative work on Our Brilliant Roadshow, Our Biennale Festival, YARN and Woven Festival.

Evoke now has a physical footprint in central Huddersfield thanks to the Children’s Art School’s pop-up Maker World in the Piazza. Evoke successfully applied for Partnership Investment (PI) funding in 2019 and appointed its first Network Manager in early 2020. This post is funded by the PI to build capacity and enable Evoke to expand its scope. This includes developing Evoke’s Creative Health and Creative Careers strands alongside its wider cultural offer.

Website: evokekirklees.org 

Twitter: @CulturalEvoke

To join Evoke, please contact Greg Bond, Network Manager (greg@evokekirklees.org)

Established in September 2017, LeedsCEP brings together a diverse and growing membership of more than 50 organisations from the arts, cultural and education sectors which cover all geographical areas of Leeds, providing a collective voice within the city to ensure every child and young person in Leeds has access to high-quality arts and cultural education.

LeedsCEP has delivered a range of activity across its strategic priorities including conferences, marketplaces and CPD. During the summer of 2020 LeedsCEP and partners across the city delivered 1300 Bags of Creativity to children and young people aged 2-16. In 2020 LeedsCEP and Leeds 2023 formed a partnership to ensure that children and young people are at the heart of the city’s landmark year of culture.  LeedsCEP was awarded partnership investment in 2020, which funds a full-time Children and Young People’s Partnership Manager, who joined Leeds 2023 in January 2021. This role takes a strategic lead on developing LeedsCEP alongside growing Leeds 2023’s partnerships with schools and other organisations working with children and young people in Leeds.

To join the mailing list, e-mail: sarahb@weareive.org

Website: artformsleeds.co.uk/networks/leeds-cultural-education-partnership/

Twitter: @LeedsCEP

For further information about LeedsCEP, please contact Kathryn Welford, Children and Young People’s Partnership Manager at Leeds 2023 (kathrynwelford@leeds2023.co.uk)

North East Lincolnshire has a highly engaged group of people – ready to move the partnership into its next phase. Over the last couple of years, one to one work with partners has been taking place to build a picture of the landscape and to ensure the partnership forms a sustainable model and structure. In parallel, many wider positive developments in North East Lincs have created a new energy and strengthened relationships.

The Cultural Development Fund award to the area, the exciting Kasbah redevelopment, and North East Lincolnshire’s new arts strategy role will strengthen the cultural scene, and offer an even wider base and foundation on which to build a partnership.

To find out more or to get involved, please contact Beth Goddard (beth@weareive.org).

The North Lincolnshire partnership is at an early stage in its development but has made some exciting progress recently.

The local authority have been championing the development of the LCEP for the past few years and recently, working with local artists and schools, the decision has been made to create a local festival for young people. The aim is to get more local artists working with schools and strengthen those partnerships going forward so there is more connectivity for future collaboration.

For more information, please contact Beth Goddard (beth@weareive.org).

Imagine Rotherham has a vibrant cross sector board with representatives from education, arts and culture, voluntary and community and the local authority. Schools are at the heart of the ambitions of Imagine Rotherham, who aim to create an LCEP that is truly child-led and young people arts-friendly. In partnership with Rotherham School Improvement Service (RoSIS) and IVE, over 40 Rotherham schools are going through their Artsmark journey together. Teachers from the schools regularly attend an IVE led peer learning network and CPD sessions are on offer for teachers.

The LCEP is also part of Rotherham’s plan to become the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture in 2025.

For more information, please contact Dave Herbert (dave@weareive.org).

COAST are now working to ensure that children and young people’s access to high quality arts and culture is embedded in the new Scarborough Cultural Strategy so that all working with children and young people understand and know how to access this provision.   This will then develop into strategy and action plans for work to ensure children and young people’s access to arts and culture is improved.

To join the Scarborough LCEP, please contact Helen Lee (helenl@create.uk.net).

In 2019 the partnership became Create Sheffield, a company limited by guarantee, and in May 2020 was awarded charitable status. Create Sheffield was awarded partnership investment in 2019. Through that investment it employs a Programme Manager and an Administrator who both work 3 days a week.

The partnership action plan has enabled it to develop its website, gather city-wide data from schools in Sheffield, develop a membership offer for arts & cultural partners and a Special Schools creativity network. With additional support from IVE, 31 Sheffield schools have signed up to Artsmark and plan to go through their journey together over the next two years. Two of its key ambitions are to establish Sheffield Adventures, a series of activities for young people to explore the city, and City of Young Makers will allow Create Sheffield to identify limited provision across the city, and to assist with filling these gaps.

For updates, sign up to the monthly newsletter on the bottom of the website homepage: createsheffield.co.uk

Twitter: @CreateSheff

Facebook: @CreateSheffieldAdventures

Instagram: @createsheffield

For further info about Create Sheffield, please contact Programme Manager Sophie Hunter (sophie@createsheffield.co.uk).

Wakefield Local Cultural Education Partnership (WLCEP) is supported by a steering group made up of representatives from; The Hepworth Wakefield, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield Museums and Libraries, The Theatre Royal Wakefield, Wakefield Music Education Hub, The National Coal Mining Museum, Long Division Festival, Wakefield College, Yew Tree Youth Theatre.

In 2020 WLCEP secured seed funding to develop its brand and scope its web presence in order to increase its visibility in the light of COVID-19. In 2020 WLCEP successfully fundraised for and delivered the youth-led literature festival, Wakefield Lit Fest, which included a paid social media internship for a young person. Learning from this co-produced event has been shared widely with other LCEPs and youth-focused organisations.

WLCEP are currently developing a careers working group, which is undertaking research and consultation to understand the needs of schools and the creative industries. The wider membership has previously met quarterly for open space networking events at which the membership can learn about each other’s work, bring an idea to the table to be tested with others, explore challenges or just meet other people in Wakefield dedicated to offering children and young people cultural and creative opportunities. These sessions are currently on pause due to Covid-19 restrictions.

To join the mailing list, e-mail sarahb@weareive.org

For more information, please contact Nat Walton (nat@weareive.org)

Last year, REACH appointed a new Chair, Chris Edwards, who is taking the partnership to its next stage of development.

The partnership has created a strategic plan and activity plan. There are three key areas for development in York, which are creativity, skills and health and well-being. There are plans to develop a partnership investment bid and REACH has been working with York City Council who endorse the strategic and activity plans and the pilot projects within them.

Working closely with the Council on the content of the plans will enable the partnership to start to develop a sustainable strategic infrastructure and some sustainable projects going forward.

For more information and to join York LCEP, please contact Christ Edwards (chrisedwards51@hotmail.com).