Earlyarts E-Bulletin No 5 - Summer 2004
Welcome to the fifth e-bulletin from the earlyarts network in the North West of England. Please feel free to circulate to any interested colleagues. Feel free to use this e-bulletin to promote your work and request artists / advice / support from other readers across the region.
All email addresses are hidden to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act, however, members are free to reveal their email addresses to the group within the body of their information if they wish to do so.
The Autumn e-bulletin is due in October, please forward any activities, events, or news articles about your wok to the email above by 30th September .
Earlyarts network update:
- The earlyarts Web Site has details of as many regional, national and international arts and early years organisations or projects that we know about, which might be useful for you to link with. Is your organisation or project represented here? www.earlyarts.co.uk/networks/?sec=7. Have a look and if not, or the current details are wrong, please email us to get it right.
- Artist and Setting of the Month is Rainford Village Playgroup in St. Helens doing an Indian Dance project with Bisakha Sarker. Click here for details: www.earlyarts.co.uk/practice/?sec=13 . Submit your own projects for publication on the site here: www.earlyarts.co.uk/submit/?sec=38
- Are you looking for artists or arts companies (performing, visual, literature, and so on) and can't find what you want in the Artists Database section? Please feel free to submit any advertisements for arts work within your area / settings / projects so that artists can contact you directly: www.earlyarts.co.uk/practice/?sec=11
Emerging Issues and national events:
§ The government announces its five year education plan. For details of Charles Clarke's speech and the Five Year plan download, click here: www.labour.org.uk/education5yrplan. In Summary - for early years:
- all parents will be able to get one-stop support through Children's Centres providing a combination of childcare, education, health and advice services
- a flexible system of ‘educare', joining up education and childcare to provide twelve and a half hours free support a week for 3 and 4 year-olds (before they start school), with more choice for parents about when they use it
- Local Authorities playing a major new role through Children's Trusts in joining up all local services for families and children
§ For primary schools:
- we will continue to drive up standards in reading, writing, numeracy and science, but also
- enrich the school curriculum and give every child the chance to learn a foreign language and take part in music and competitive sport
- develop more dawn-to-dusk schools offering childcare and after school activities to help children and busy parents. These extended schools will combine with early years and family learning providers to provide a genuine educational centre to every local community
§ Curriculum Network is an initiative that would change the way learning is organised in schools in order to make it more relevant to the demands placed on it by life in the 21st century. The RSA has been busy building on the recommendations from its Opening Minds report into a framework of competences that aims to meet the individual's needs in the personal, social and employment worlds and proposing a new national curriculum - ‘the RSA curriculum is for life, not just for work'. The Opening Minds report identified that an information-driven national curriculum is unlikely to be able to equip young people adequately for adult life in the new century. It struggles to cope with the competing demands of subjects and the struggle gets harder as the volume of information increases. Meanwhile it neglects the development of the competences and skills that young people will need to survive and succeed in their future world (competences for learning, for managing information, for relating to people, for managing situations and for citizenship). Curriculum Network presents an opportunity to take different approaches to the organisation of teaching and learning. Click here for details, to engage with the online forum, or to contract the RSA education staff for more support in these areas: www.thersa.org.uk/projects/curriculum_network.asp
§ QCA has produced a pack of printed materials to accompany their Creativity: find it, promote it! web site (www.qca.org.uk/creativity). The pack includes a booklet with information and guidance based on the web site, and a selection of fourteen examples to show how a range of schools, including special schools, set about promoting pupils' own creative practice. The examples have been redesigned and re-worked to show more clearly the role of the teacher in recognizing and harnessing creativity, and to make the information more visually appealing. QCA are also currently filming schools using creative teaching and learning approaches in foundation Stages 1 and 2, and will be publishing this to accompany the pack in the autumn. Schools will receive a 50% discount off the quoted price of £20 per pack. Contact QCA Publications on 01787 884444, or visit www.qcashop.org.uk , using reference number QCA/04/1292.
§ ArtsPlay: Highlands and Islands Arts Limited (HI-Arts) have developed an Arts in Childcare project, as part of an annual programme of arts development and promotion. ArtsPlay concentrated on promoting creativity in children by placing artists in childcare organisations in order to share their skills with the childcare workers. Based on a 1997 pilot, Stimulating Creativity, it ran from spring 2002 until March 2004. The artists and childcarers worked together, learning new skills, gaining new experiences, confidence and a fuller understanding of the range of possibilities for advancing 'real' creative opportunities - as opposed to routine and structured activities. More details and a CD of the resources: www.ltscotland.org.uk/earlyyearsmatters/issue5/artsplay.asp or www.hi-arts.co.uk/artsplayhtm
§ Music is back on the timetable for primary school pupils - All primary school children are to be offered free or cut-price tuition on a musical instrument under plans to expand cultural education. The pledge is contained in a music manifesto that will be published next week by ministers and 70 organisations involved in music, education and the record industry. The document, a precursor to the Government's "five-year plan" for education to be announced on Thursday, is an admission that while the focus on numeracy and literacy in primary schools has been necessary to raise standards, it is too narrow. A series of studies, including one by Ofsted last summer, have highlighted the correlation between music education and levels of intellectual stimulation. Education Minister, David Miliband, wants to see more professional musicians involved in schools and intends to seize the opportunity presented by the workload agreement with unions that allows experts to take classes as instructors, thus freeing teachers. More details here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/03/nmusic03.xml.
§ MEDIATE - A Multisensory Environment Design for an Interface between Autistic and Typical Expressiveness - Recently shown at the Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth is Mediate, a play space for children with autism. It results form EU-funded research led by the School of Art, Design & Media at the University of Portsmouth, with teams from Universities in Barcelona and Hilversum. Mediate is a multi-sensory responsive environment designed to stimulate interaction and expression in children with autism through infra-red cameras which trigger projections, pressure sensors and microphones with integrated sound. Each child's personal signature of activity gives them control over effects of light, sound, and vibration allowing exploration and creation of sensations that they enjoy. It allows them to have fun while offering psychologists new insights into the ways these children experience the world. For more details, contact Chris Creed, University of Portsmouth, T: 023 9284 5710. E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For a video of the play space in action, click here: http://web.port.ac.uk/mediate/projstatus.htm
§ Sector Skills Councils 1 - the governments latest answer to employer representation in training and development, and taking over from the old system of National Training organisations - so who is representing the arts and early years sectors? Well, there are three main SSC's (or potential SSC's) covering our large and complex sectors. First of all, there is SkillsActive - www.skillsactiveuk.com - the Sector Skills Council for Active leisure and Learning. It covers all training and professional development across the areas of Sport, Recreation, Health and Fitness, Playwork, Outdoor Education and Training and the Caravan Industries. So basically it covers anyone working with kids outside. For indoor work, see the recently established but long-awaited Sector Skills Council for those working in early years and childcare as well as children's social care. Paul Ennals, chief executive of the National Children's Bureau, will be interim chairman of the SSC's Children, Young People and Families Workforce Council. No web site as yet (although some detail as to what areas of work they will be covering here: www.adss.org.uk/committee/human/children.shtml ), but will probably take over part of the original remit of the early years national training organisation: www.early-years-nto.org.uk .
§ Sector Skills Councils 2 - Finally, the even longer-awaited but as yet not established officially SSC for the creative and cultural industries: www.cciskills.org.uk - the Cultural and Creative Industries SSC will cover Archives, libraries and information services, the Arts in all their forms, Crafts, Cultural heritage and Design. It has been officially accepted into the Development Stage so is currently developing a full business proposition to show how its priorities and targets will satisfy the requirements for a 5-year licence. This will take (yet another) six months. Watch this space.
§ National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS) has revealed evidence of the impact of local Sure Start programmes through a dramatic increase in childcare and early years services across the country since 1997. Early findings from an evaluation of Sure Start demonstrate clearly that it is helping parents improve their relationships with their children. Its findings are supported by local evaluations of individual programmes. More details here: www.surestart.gov.uk/news/index.cfm?news=67 or the full evaluation here: www.ness.bbk.ac.uk
§ Update on the Key Stage 1 trial - Schools Minister Stephen Twigg has outlined the details of the Key Stage 1 assessment trial in a speech as part of the next round of primary-heads conferences taking place between now and December. The Minister announced that around a quarter of LEAs would be asked to take part in the Key Stage 1 trial in the year beginning September 2003, covering approximately 4,250 schools. The new assessment is more flexible, combining teacher evaluation with national tests. The Minister stressed that tests, targets and tables have not been abandoned; they underpin the vision set out in the strategy 'Excellence and Enjoyment' and ensure that every child receives the chances and opportunities he or she deserves. However, the Government has listened to the head teachers who said that a single snapshot of performance does not necessarily reflect children's abilities at this age. As part of the new, more flexible approach national tests, administered annually, will underpin teachers' assessment and a single level will be reported nationally. For Stephen Twigg's full speech and access to 'Excellence and Enjoyment' and other documents click here: www.teachernet.gov.uk/primaryconf. Information about the trial can be found here: www.qca.org.uk/ages3-14/tests_tasks/122.html
§ 4Children, formerly known as Kids' Clubs Network, has been launched with a new report, Creating Opportunities, Building Futures, citing a radical agenda for children and families in every community. 4Children is the national charity dedicated to creating opportunities and building futures for children. Aims are to: Develop and shape policy to ensure that all children and families are able to fulfil their potential; Develop innovative programmes to tackle issues such as social exclusion and crime; Provide advice and consultancy for local authorities, schools, employers and Government; Improve the quality and sustainability of children's services through training and support; Give advice to parents on a range of children's issues; and Represent the voice of children at every level. More details here: www.4children.org.uk
§ National Artsmark awards - On 01 June 2004, Arts Council England announced that 1,114 schools have been awarded Artsmark in the fourth round of the national arts award for schools. This brings the total number of Artsmark schools to 2,836, including 71 primaries and 7 special schools. To mark this achievement the Arts Council held a celebration event at the National Film Theatre on Thursday June 17th. The event was hosted by the poet John Hegley and featured fantastic performances by live artist Mem Morrison, Beal High School, Stoke Newington School, Ilderton Primary School and speeches from The Right Hon. Estelle Morris, Minister for Arts and Sarah Wier, Regional Executive Director of Arts Council London. The Artsmark award recognises schools that have made a strong commitment to the arts and that have developed a nationally recognised range of arts provision for their pupils. The aim of Artsmark is to encourage schools to increase arts provision for pupils and to raise the profile of arts education across the country. The development of the award was led by a partnership between Arts Council England, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Education and Skills, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, Ofsted and Sport England. Artsmark tel 0800 0560 196. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Click here for more details: www.artscouncil.org.uk/artsmark/round4.htm
§ Artsmark for Early Years - Artsmark has been running for four years in schools and is now welcomed relatively widely with a great deal of success, and has led to the piloting of the Artsmark for Early Years - a stamp that recognises provision, as opposed to quality of provision. For the pilot, cluster groups were identified around the country (through the regional arts councils and existing arts and early years networks) to look at the design and terminology of the Artsmark process and how the system already in place for the primary sector could be redesigned for use in early years settings. Pilot settings have been actively using and changing the primary application form to raise the quality of their own practice, including staff development, and their responses fed into a series of focus group meetings. The response from the pilot has been positive in the main, with a number of issues needing to be addressed. The decision by the Arts Council, England whether or not the Artsmark would be feasible as an early years scheme should be made this summer with a view to rolling it out from September. More in later e-bulletins.
§ Foundation Stage Profile Assessments - Figures published by the DfES on June 24 2004 showed the results of the first set of teacher assessments of four and five year olds' first two years at school - the Foundation Stage Profile. Teachers are required to assess children on the six Early learning goals - personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; maths; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development; and creative development. Thirteen assessment scales, each with its own nine-point scale, cover the six areas. The results for 2003 show that girls are ahead of boys in all thirteen assessment areas, although the DfES webpage carries a rider that the statistics are published as 'Experimental statistics' and do not display the National Statistics Logo, as they are still being evaluated and remain subject to further testing in terms of their volatility and ability to meet customer needs. The results should be treated with caution as this is the first year for which such data have been collected. As improvements are made to the training, moderation and data collection, the data will be judged to establish whether the statistics meet the quality standards to be published as National Statistics in future years. HOWEVER, the report shows that, in all subjects except for Physical Development, Creative Development has the highest percentage of children achieving points on the 13 assessment scales. Download the stats here: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000476/SFR25-2004.pdf. The Assessments have not been without controversy; the teaching unions say that releasing the data amounts to an extension of the Government's regime of testing and league tables. But the DfES insists that an overall national picture of five-year-olds' abilities is an important benchmark. Ofsted has condemned foundation-stage profiling, and Pauline Trudell, spokeswoman for Early Education, said that the results should be taken with "a pinch of salt". She said, "The Foundation Stage Profile was never meant to be used in this way. This is an uneasy compromise between early educationalists' desire to have a system of formative assessment throughout the Foundation Stage, and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which wanted a numerical score for children based on a scales booklet. The result of this compromise is fairly meaningless data. The Foundation Stage Profile is meant to be a cumulative record starting in the nursery and continuing through the reception year. Because children come from a range of settings into reception class, there will be a variability of what information the reception class teacher will inherit. There is also the fact that reception class teachers have not had sufficient training in observation and the analysis of observation, and how to manage it with short staffing. So under all these circumstances, the evidence on which to base an assessment is bound to be unsound." Financial Times, 7 June 2004 & Nurseryworld 2.7.04.
§ Play Talks, a new early years communication pack, was launched by Scope, the disability organisation, on 8 June 2004. Play Talks spearheads Scope's drive to encourage professionals and parents to help pre-school children with communication difficulties and to have fun at the same time. The pack has been developed by Scope's Early Years unit and contains practical ideas to promote communication skills through play. It has been designed to be used by parents/carers and hands-on early years professionals, and contains tips on how to adapt toys and make them accessible. Play Talks will be available as colour-coded factsheets that can be used together or separately alongside a CD-ROM. For further details visit www.scope.org.uk/cgi-bin/np/viewnews.cgi?id=1082973891
§ Listening to Children - On 28 June 2004 the Early Childhood Unit of the NCB launched a set of five leaflets on the theme of Listening as a way of life. The series provides information that will help practitioners design creative and individual ways of listening to children and to each other. The SureStart-funded project aims to support current DfES guidance on participation by children and young people. The five 8-page A4 leaflets are:
- Why and how we listen to young children, by Alison Clark
- Are equalities an issue? Finding out what young children think, by Nicky Road
- Listening to young disabled children, by Mary Dickins
- Supporting parents and carers to listen - a guide for practitioners, by Julie McLarnon
- Listening to babies, by Diane Rich
The series was edited by Ann-Marie McAuliffe of the ECU. The set of leaflets will shortly be downloadable from the Consultation section of www.earlychildhood.org.uk. To obtain one printed set free contact NCB Book Sales Dept, 020 7843 6029 or email Michael Welsh at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
§ Introduction to Reggio's Approach and Encounters with UK educator/arts-enabler collaborative projects - A three day inclusive residential seminar, for 100 participants, presented by educators from the Reggio preschools and the UK, Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th October 2004. The weekend is intended for those who have an initial curiosity and interest in the approach and work of the Reggio preschools, and are committed to developing thinking and practice in supporting young children's learning. It will be a unique opportunity to hear about and discuss the Reggio approach with staff from the preschools, plus presentations and exchanges with some of the recent collaborative ‘learning community' projects that have been recently developed in the UK involving arts-enablers and educators working together alongside children. Areas to be covered will include children as enquiring, competent learners; the context and development of the preschools; education as a pedagogy of listening; the role of the educator and the atelierista (artist-enabler); understanding the tool of documentation; the social context of learning; the co-constructed curriculum; understanding the enabling environment; encounters with recent UK artist-educator collaborative projects. Booking: A. Contact Debbie Knowles on 01539 797005, Mon-Fri from 9am to 5pm,at Castle Green Hotel to book your place on the conference and accommodation requirements. B. Once you have booked your place via Castle Green Hotel, Sightlines Initiative will be informed and your confirmation slip and invoice will be issued. Cost £595 per person, inclusive of elegant residential accommodation, dinner and evening meals, set in acreages of landscaped grounds, in the Castle Green Hotel (www.castlegreen.co.uk) this cost is based on two people sharing a room, residing on Friday and Saturday night. More details here: www.sightlines-initiative.com
§ Sheffield Children's Festival - 19 June to 24 July. Now in its twelfth year, this year's theme is "Out of Africa". Carnival and street art - Kids' imagination will be running riot as colourful carnival characters take to the streets. Plus children's art and performance in the Heart of the City. Stage and live performance - Children, teenagers, stage and dance companies are bringing classics, and new performances to stages across Sheffield. Visual arts and crafts - From galleries to parks, there's an explosion of arts to see and crafts to try your hand at across Sheffield. Media and Film - BBC Radio Sheffield will be hearing about life from a kid's point of view. And there's fun to be had with film at the Showroom. Out and About in South Yorkshire - Take inspiration from South Yorkshire's industrial heritage, fire your child's imagination with books and find music in some unusual places.... Official Festival Website: www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/childrensfestival.
§ ICT in Practice Awards 2005 for Early Years - Becta welcomes entries from early years practitioners who are using ICT effectively in teaching and learning, before the closing date of Friday 23 July 2004. Each award winner will receive a total of £5,000 of which £2,500 will go to their nursery or school, while each runner-up receives a total of £1,000 with £500 going to their nursery or school. There are 15 awards categories in total; the most relevant for early years practitioners being Teaching (Foundation stage), Learning Assistance (Foundation stage and Primary) and Leadership (Foundation stage and Primary). Information and Nominations here: www.becta.org.uk/practiceawards, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone Becta on 024 7641 6994. All nominators will be entered into a free prize draw and could win a personal digital assistant (PDA)!
§ How to Catch a Moonbeam and Pin It Down conference - Early Bird booking date has been extended to the 10th September. This national conference on the arts and creativity in the early years, organized in partnership with Birmingham City Council, Youth Music Action Zones, Birmingham EYDCP and the Arts Council of England, runs on Friday 19th November 2004, at International Convention centre, Birmingham. Cost: £130 early bird or £175 per delegate. Contact Janet Robinson, Administrator Early Years, St Thomas Coram Centre of Excellence, Bell Barn Road, Attwood Green, Birmingham, B15 2AF. El: 0121 464 0002 or Barbara Chapman - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
§ Art of the Garden Gallery goes online! - The winning artworks in the Art of the Garden competition are starting to be created in school grounds all over the UK. In order to share these wonderful works of art with as many people as possible, we have created a special online gallery where you can see what fun the children, volunteers and artists had on the day. Click the following link to see if your school has been featured: www.ltl.org.uk/nationalschoolgroundsweek/art_garden_gallery/gallery.asp
§ Early Years Outdoors Launched - The Early Years Outdoors scheme will help early years practitioners working in nursery schools, nurseries and pre-school playgroups get to grips with developing outside spaces to make the most of their potential for play and learning. In partnership with the National Day Nurseries Association, EYO have produced a bespoke set of resources and materials specifically tailored to the requirements of those working with children from birth to five years old. Whether it's just being prepared by stocking up with feathers, seeds and windmills for a windy day outdoor play session or creating caterpillar tunnels or a sensory tree sculpture - Early Years Outdoors will be there every step of the way. Leading through Learning's experienced Early Years team, working in partnership with the National Day Nurseries Association, has produced a range of support services and practical ideas to enable children to get the best from their outdoor spaces. In consultation with over 20 leading Early Years organisations and consultants, LTL has also developed a shared Vision and Values statement to help the sector develop an understanding of what can be achieved through outdoor play: www.ltl.org.uk/about/newsarticle.asp?NW_ID=51
§ Digital Generations: Children, Young People and New Media - A major international conference organised by the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media, Institute of Education, University of London on 26-29 July 2004, London, England. Computer games, the internet and other new communications media are often seen to pose threats and dangers to young people; but they also provide new opportunities for creativity and self-determination. This international conference will present the most exciting and challenging new research on children, young people and new digital media. We will bring together researchers from a range of academic disciplines - including media and cultural studies, anthropology, sociology, psychology and education - and promote dialogue within and across research traditions. We will also develop dialogue between researchers, practitioners in digital media, and educators. The last day of the conference will be an education day featuring new research and strategies for teachers, as well as workshops led by practitioners, such as games and web designers. Details & Booking: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Events/main.html. Conference themes include:
- Digital divides: social differences in children's uses of new media
- Globalisation and intercultural communication
- Changing youth and childhood identities
- New media, schools and informal learning
- Regulation: censorship or consumer empowerment?
- Play, games and interactivity
- Children and young people as media producers
§ Generation is a 2-year regional programme to train musicians to work on community music projects managed by Sound It out Community Music in partnership with West Midlands Youth Music Action Zones - Sound Futures, New Roots and Make Some Noise. Courses in Youth Offending, Early Years and World Music will be running in the autumn of 2004. Cost = £100, location = central Birmingham. They are also looking for experienced community musicians who could learn to train others for this community based work. Contact T: 01384 396696, E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
§ Every Childhood Matters - 8th September 2004, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre London. This high level national policy conference will be a unique opportunity to discuss and debate the nation's commitment to children and young people and our understanding of childhood in the 21st century. Every Childhood Matters will draw on this crucial moment of change and political momentum to assess the challenges facing today's children and their families. Cost: £185.00 Full rate, £140.00 / £70 Reduced rate. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , T: 020 7522 6961
Regional Partners Bulletin Board:
§ The next meeting for the North West Early Arts Champions Group is on Thursday 23rd September at 11am in Manchester. Membership is being opened up now to all interested parties to share their practice and gain an insight into the work of other regional organisations. Presentations on the Sure Start review, the Arts Mark for Early Years scheme and regional case studies of creative practice in early years settings will take place.
§ The St Helens EY Conference is to be held on 12 November and is entitled: 'The Child, A Creative Being' and key speakers include Prof Iram Siraj-Blatchford and Penny Vines. The conference will be held at Haydock Park Racecourse Conference Centre between 9.00 am and 4.00 pm and will cost £90. In addition to the key speakers there will be workshops conducted by Giles Barrow, Laura Chapman, Sue Pearson, Viv Roberts and Becky Wood around the child as a creative being in every sense. Contact Marie Charlton for further details: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
§ Oily Cart are back once again with an intoxicating new show. Conference of the Birds is a highly interactive, multi-sensory performance for young people aged 3 - 19 with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, their families and carers, and this year features an additional strand specifically for those with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, the first time a production has been produced for this audience. Inspired by the 12th century Persian poem and the movement, habits and sounds of birds, the show takes place within an enchanted, nest-like environment. Conference of the Birds is filled with delights to see, smell, hear and touch, and is an intimate, multi-sensory production adaptable for the individual needs of each audience member. Live music, based on traditional Persian forms, will incorporate the young people's names into improvised lyrics while they relax in swing-and-sway leaf chairs. Click here for the tour schedule: www.oilycart.org.uk/special_needs_shows/tour_schedule.htm .
§ The next meeting for the Yorkshire Early Years and Creativity Hub is in February 2005 in Dewsbury - contact Sharon Shephard, Arts Council Yorkshire for details (01924 486259).
Early arts e-bulletin is prepared by Ruth Churchill Dower, earlyarts network director. For further information or enquiries, please contact Ruth on 01484 688407
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