Creativity develops the capacity to imagine the world differently. We all need an ability not just to cope with change, but also to positively thrive on it and engineer it for ourselves.  Therefore, young people need the tools to conceptualise how the world could be different and the inner confidence and motivation to make it happen.  They need to be able to take risks and fail confidently. To do this young people need to enjoy learning, know how to seek out relevant information, apply knowledge and skills in new and imaginative ways and try out ideas in real world situations where they can observe real outcomes and receive generative critical feedback.

It is a process developed, in the Creative Partnerships programme, through young people, teachers and creative professionals collaborating toward flexible outcomes.

We understand that creativity is not simply about doing the arts - it is about questioning, making connections, inventing and reinventing, about flexing the imaginative muscles. We do believe, however, that working with creative professionals from many different art forms and disciplines helps develop creative thinking, as these processes are central to the work of such practitioners.

'It is skilling up our staff. It is a way of developing their own creativity by working alongside artists and gaining confidence in their own ability as creative people. I'm finding now with planning that the staff are not sitting back and allowing the artists to take the lead, but working together with them or taking the lead themselves.  It has been a very natural organic process.'
Primary Head Teacher, Nottingham

'Many teachers use lively teaching methods to capture pupils' interest and attention. For example, the school has adopted the 'Creative Partnership' approach to teach art and design, design and technology, geography and history. The teachers’ enthusiastic approach has inspired the pupils who all talk enthusiastically about how much they enjoy learning the subjects in this way... The expectation is for pupils to become actively involved in their learning, through exploration, creative and practical activities. This fresh approach further benefits pupils with special educational need who find writing difficult.'
Ofsted report, Montem Junior School, Slough, 2003

'The children are more able to make connections and see relationships - they are becoming more confident and able to choose different materials and ways of working.  The children have more sustained learning, and are more able to transfer learning across different contexts, and to think more critically. They are also much more willing to explore and create new ideas. This project has given [teachers] the freedom and the confidence to teach in much more creative and innovative ways.

'This project has been an important aspect of our school development plan, as we have placed ‘Creativity’ as one of the two central foci for our school development Since embarking on this project we have significantly increased resources for cultural and creative activity from our own budget. In previous years, this allocation was between £100 and £200, this year we have put in £6000.'
Helen MacFarlane, Head of Ludgvan School, Cornwall