Welcome to the Second Summer edition of the newsletter from the Isle of Wight Cultural Education Partnership (IWCEP)
What a year it has been… I think we’re all feeling it. 2020 and 2021 have been tough on all of us, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and as I write more and more people are having their vaccinations, and on 19 July Covid rules are likely to finally be relaxed.
As a parent, my children are being invited to parties, seeing family and friends we haven’t seen for some time and we’re looking forward to Ventnor Fringe Festival, Quay Arts Open exhibition, New Carnival Company’s Children’s Festival, and the Summer Reading Challenge, as well as getting out and enjoying our beaches and so many other things!
As teachers I know many of you have begun to make visits and have visitors back into your classrooms, and we now have more opportunities to connect online, nothing beats an in-person visit from a ‘real’ artist, a historian or a musician. Children’s learning is greatly enriched when we give them these ‘wow’ moments and exciting experiences – try to recall the Conference we ran in October 2019 where Professor Mick Waters reminded us about those moments of discovery that children have.
So below, we have a number of exciting opportunities for you as teachers to introduce to your pupils or to pass on to your admin team for inclusion in your own school newsletters.
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER! You’ve earned it….
IWCEP – A quick question
The Partnership would like to plan another creative curriculum focused teacher conference along the lines of our highly successful ‘Building Cultural Capital’ conference in October 2019. Professor Mick Waters was an inspirational speaker and kept us all engaged and enthused. Times have radically changed, but we know how much you Island teachers value ‘the arts and heritage’, so my question is “Who would you love to hear from as an inspirational keynote speaker on the theme of creativity in schools?”
Please get in contact with Sarah Girling, IWCEP Coordinator, sarahgirling77@gmail.com, join our Facebook page, IWCEP Lift the Lid – Teachers or follow us on Twitter @IW_CEP .
The Isle of Wight Museums and Schools Programme UPDATE
We are a network of seven Island museums who along with the Cultural Education Partnership have been working together for the last 3 years to enhance links between schools and museums. This year our focus has been on developing digital and remote resources – although between lockdowns we have still managed to engage with over 1200 students.
The Museum and Schools programme have been working with creative practitioners to celebrate and enhance our collections and sites. These can be used to work towards an Arts Award qualification or assist with supporting the wider curriculum.
To accompany a museum visit or a workshop we can offer a range of support activities which we hope will bring our sites and collections to life. These include:
- A guide to oral history for pupils and teachers
- Online collections – explore our collections at The Earth Museum (see below)
- Ideas to inspire storytelling – professional storyteller Sue Bailey provides collection based activities.
- Inspirational videos by local artists Ian Whitmore and Hannah George.
Links to examples of the videos are given below. We also have artist videos on; origami boats, making your own silhouette shadow pictures and ‘Dazzle’ the art of camouflage. Please get in touch if you would like to find out more about our resources and what workshops and visits we can offer.
In this video local Artist Hannah George demonstrates how to make a paper mosaic. Find out more about the art of mosaics and how they were used in Roman times. Create your own design inspired by the mosaics at Newport and Brading Roman Villas.
Painting with Straight Lines – The Hammerhead Crane
This video has been created by artist Ian Whitmore. Using simple tools learn how to build up a painting of a local landmark.
Find out more
To find out more about the Museums and Schools Programme, our workshops and resources please visit here or email corina.westwood@iow.gov.uk . We will be circulating our September workshops very soon.
Isle of Wight Museums and Schools Programme is supported by Arts Council England through the Department of Education.
More from The Earth Museum…
Museums on the Isle of Wight are an amazing resource for learning. The Arts Council England and DfE funded Museums and Schools programme on the Island is delighted to share a new blended learning programme being developed with The Earth Museum to support primary and secondary teaching across history, geography, STEM and citizen subjects.
Follow this link to discover the exciting range of museum field trips and digital explorer maps for use in the classroom – reconnecting artefacts and their stories to people and places on the Island and across the world. Take a look at the resources we have developed around 4 key themes relevant to the KS2 and KS3 curriculum: Before 1066; Beyond 1066; Science Innovation Island; and Global Island.
We are also offering free training sessions, provided by The Earth Museum, to assist teachers in maximising the new learning opportunities provided by our programme; and are also keen to connect with schools interested in advising on and supporting the continued development of the programme to best support their curriculum needs. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please contact The Earth Museum at enquiries@theearthmuseum.co.uk
The Summer Reading Challenge is back in libraries this summer, inspiring children to keep reading for pleasure over the summer. This year’s challenge is called Wild World Heroes, and as children progress through the challenge, they will get lots of tips of ways to help the environment, as well as a range of exciting rewards, including a medal and certificate.
Children can join for free in their local library from Monday 19 July.
For more information, contact elspeth.jackson@iow.gov.uk, phone 823824 or contact your local library.
Teachers can join an online reading challenge too: teachersreadingchallenge.org.uk
Brave Island is a new platform providing opportunities for 14-25 year olds, living on the Isle of Wight, interested in the creative industries. Young people can sign up to the site, joining over 150 other users, and be able to apply to any opportunities that interest them. Young people are invited to join Brave Island’s ideas panel to meet new people and have your say in what future opportunities are on offer.
IOW Music Hub has lots of projects this Summer Term to get involved with alongside our usual free CPD programme for teachers. Contact Nia Collins, Music Hub Relationship Manager, call 02380 833633 or 07790022559 or via email: nia.collins@iowmusichub.org
Welsh National Opera: Transition Songs EYFS, KS1 DIGITAL CONTENT
WNO are creating three brand new transition songs for you to use as part of your school routines from the summer term onwards! Each song will come with a bespoke backing track and video you can use in the classroom, as well as a teaching video to learn the melody and the Makaton signs that go with it. We hope that you can make use of these to help ease transitions during the school day and embed them into your day to day activities throughout the school year.
5 Minute Rhythm & Rhyme (EYFS, KS1, SEND DIGITAL CONTENT)
This new Hub created resource features weekly 5 minute music-making sessions based around original songs. A series of inclusive music and sensory activities created for SEND pupils in both mainstream and specialist settings for Early years and KS1, featuring action songs, rhythms, rhymes and of course Makaton signs!
Big 10 Minute Sign & Sing (EYFS – KS3 & SEND)
Learn Makaton signs to your favourite pop songs, new content every Monday.
An Audience With… (KS3, KS4 & KS5)
Short videos from Music Industry professionals talking about their roles and pose your own questions which will be answered via our YouTube channel. Latest episode: DJ Shadowchild.
‘Spark Catchers’ Songwriting Project (KS2 & KS3 DIGITAL CONTENT)
Write your own protest song using this series of 5 short cross curricular videos created by Southampton based organisation the Matchgirls Memorial as part of their project ‘Spark Catchers’. Suitable for English, History, PSHE and Music lessons or as a standalone digital resource.
“This Is Our Carnival” (KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, SEND)
Learn the new anthem for this year’s National Children’s Carnival Week as part of this project led by The New Carnival Company with resources and a Makaton signing version if you are not yet singing en masse. Watch out – it’s very catchy!
Welsh National Opera : Opera Stories KS2 DIGITAL CONTENT
Join singers from WNO who will bring the stories of opera alive through some fun, short videos. Opera singers Emily and Dalma will retell condensed stories of four different operas, introducing the main characters and performing a musical excerpt from each one! This resource is designed to make opera accessible to all through engaging video content you can use anytime in the classroom either offline or via our website. You can access this resource when you sign up to the IWMH mailing list.
Secondary Arts Opportunity: National competition for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Emblem launches
A national competition to design the official emblem for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 launched on 21 June 2021.
The competition – run by the V&A, in conjunction with Buckingham Palace – is open to young people between 13 and 25 from all over the United Kingdom. Aspiring artists and designers will have the opportunity to submit an original design for an emblem to signify Her Majesty’s historic, seventy-year reign, and capture the spirit of the national festivities.
Read the press release here.
Carnivals up and down the country are working together to bring a celebration full of camaraderie, vibrancy and exuberance, to every child and young person this summer. The new National Children’s Carnival Week, 12 – 18 July 2021, is the brainchild of the UK Centre for Carnival Arts based in Luton, and aims to get schoolteachers, children and their families everywhere involved in a remarkable upbeat finale to what has been such a challenging academic year.
Read more about this exciting project and how you can be involved here. Contact Frankie Goldspink at The New Carnival Company, frankie@thenewcarnivalcompany.com
Training from our local Bridge Organisation
If you haven’t already booked… Artswork’s 3rd Free CPDL Webinar for teachers:
‘Arts Rich Schools – What They Look Like and How to Become One’ Wednesday 30 June 2021, 3.00 – 5.00pm
With Sam Cairns Co-Director of the Cultural Learning Alliance, (who led the RSA research into Arts Rich Schools published in January 2020), and a range of successful schools sharing their practice.
Eventbrite Booking opening soon on our website https://artswork.org.uk/training-events/
If you have any queries please email lorrainecheshire@artswork.org.uk.
Summer activities for your parent newsletters
English Heritage are hosting Changeling Theatre company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Osborne House on 6 & 7 August 2021. Book here. Please feel free to download the press release for your parents/carers to access.
Picture Play is an early years creative project running every Saturday morning (10-11:30am) in our creative hub (48/49 High Street, Newport). The project is aimed at families of primary aged children, and more specifically those who may especially benefit from a creative approach.
The project aids early years development, fosters confidence in both parents and children and aims to support and encourage creative engagement in the arts. Spaces are limited and the project is currently fully but new slots will be available in the autumn. Please do contact Independent Arts for more information or to enquire about a family joining
School Ties – Intergenerational primary schools and care home project Our fabulous schools and homes engagement project is now drawing to a close. We are so proud of the relationships that have been built between Island primary schools and care homes. In particular through the pandemic. Our participating schools and homes supported one another with an incredible flow of paintings poetry and letters, and we have created a special award for our wonderful primary aged Island children who have shown such care and consideration for others.
Artsmark – We are excited to announce that Independent Arts is now an official Artsmark partner. We are able to support and guide schools through their artsmark journey in a number of ways. Please do contact us for further details.
Tel: 01983 822437 – Website http://www.independentarts.org.uk
Some last minute news… Summer Holiday Food and Activity Schemes
It is fantastic to hear that Theatre Educational (TEd) has been successful in applying for funding to run holiday schemes this summer.
There is information on all of the schemes running on the Isle of Wight Council site and TEd’s activities can be found on their website. A Google Form can be accessed here for parents wishing to sign children up to the TEd activity weeks. There are free places for those who qualify for Free School Meals, and there are places for £15 per day.
