‘It's a real journey – a life changing experience.’ A comparison case study of Creative Partnership and other primary schools

Abstract

Within the school curriculum, the emphasis placed on creativity and creative learning has shifted back and forth over the decades and this has influenced classroom practice. One of the more recent initiatives, that of Creative Partnerships (CPs), has sought to put creativity back at the centre of pupils’ learning. In this article, the impact of artists on primary teachers’ thinking and classroom practice is investigated. Differences between teachers who have taken part in sustained CP interventions and practitioners in schools where fewer opportunities are available for art's activities will be explored to suggest that extended interventions by artists in schools can have profound influence despite the backwash effects of the current culture of accountability and performativity.