Arts Council led ‘Creative Schools’ initiative to reach more schools across Tipperary
From this month, pupils at eight more schools in Tipperary will join existing schools from across the county to begin their ‘Creative Schools’ journey. The additional schools chosen to participate in this initiative, from September 2019, are Christian Brothers Primary School, Christians Brother High School, Monard National School, Scoil Mochaomhog Naofa, St. Kevin’s National School and Cappawhite National School.
Today, the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, TD, and the Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh, TD, announced that 150 additional schools all across Ireland, and reflecting all types of education settings, have been selected to participate in the ‘Creative Schools’ initiative. These schools were chosen from over 300 applicants – each one required to explain how their participation would support learning and development in the arts and creativity.
Each school selected for 2019-20 will be provided with a package of support which includes funding and the expertise of a Creative Associate to work with them directly to enable them to explore the potential impact of the arts and creativity on school life.
Initially launched in 2018, ‘Creative Schools’ is led by The Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The initiative was developed to help children and young people explore and develop their creative sides, and to link them with the arts and creative infrastructure in their local community and nationally.
Orlaith McBride, Director of the Arts Council said:
“The Arts Council is committed to providing children and young people with more opportunities to participate in, and enjoy, the arts. The Creative Schools initiative has been a really successful way of inviting thousands of young people all across Ireland to explore their creativity, guided by the expertise of artists and other creatives in their own communities. We are delighted that this year the initiative will be supporting a further 150 schools and that many more children and young people will have this opportunity to participate in the arts in a very tangible and meaningful way.”
Minister Madigan said:
“Culture and creativity are powerful means through which children and young people can explore communication and collaboration, stimulate their imaginations to be inventive and harness their curiosity. These are vital skills for all young people to learn and I am delighted that, as a result of today’s announcement, an additional 40,000 students will have the opportunity to enhance their learning experience and personal development through creativity.”
Minister McHugh said:
“Today’s announcement is an important milestone for my Department and the all-of-Government Creative Ireland Programme. The significant increase in our investment in Creative Schools, Creative Clusters and the Local Youth Arts Partnerships will enable us to deliver more fully on our ambition to support and nurture the creative potential of our young people within their schools.
“A young person’s time in education should help to build their confidence and resilience, helping them to deal with life’s ups and downs. Nurturing the creative potential of our young people is about helping them develop an appetite for discovery and encouraging them to acquire the skills they need to achieve their ambitions. I look forward to seeing some of those ambitions come to life in our first Creative Schools National Celebration in November.”
More about ‘Creative Schools’
Creative Schools is a central initiative of Pillar 1 of the Government’s Creative Ireland Programme, which puts arts and creativity at the heart of children and young people’s lives.
- Creative Schools was launched in 2018, with 150 schools selected to participate in the first round (commencing at the start of the 2018/19 academic year)
- The initiative was opened to a second tranche of 150 schools in 2019
- Schools selected to participate in 2019-20 are provided with access to the expertise of a Creative Associate to assist in developing a unique creative plan for each school
- Creative Associates may be either teachers or from a range of creative professions who draw on‘Creative Schools’ their practical experience of ‘creativity’ to respond to each school’s individual needs
- Each school is allocated a grant of €2,000 to implement their individual plans
- Total funding of €2.36m is being provided in 2019 to support this initiative.
Information on future opportunities for Creative Schools – http://www.artscouncil.ie/
2018 ‘Creative Schools’ participants
The following schools in Tipperary were selected to participate in ‘Creative Schools’ in 2018:
- Mount Bruis NS, Mount Bruis
- Powerstown NS, Powerstown, Clonmel
- Presentation Secondary School, Dungarvan Road, Clonmel
- St Joseph’s Primary, Murgasty Road, Tipperary Town
- St Mary’s Central NS, Killenaule, Thurles
- St Michael’s Girls’ National School, St. Michael Street, Tipperary Town
- The Abbey School, Station Road