From September 2018 to July 2022 we have worked in partnership with The Burberry Foundation on a four-year schools programme to measure the impact of an immersive arts and cultural education programme within the curriculum.
Alongside Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Young Film and The Hepworth Wakefield the project worked with schools across Yorkshire to inspire young people to develop their own creativity.
Created in close partnership with the Ideas Foundation, the impact of the programme was studied by researchers from the Policy Institute at King’s College London, who have examined how cultural and creative education can help young people to overcome challenging circumstances, widen their horizons and realise their aspirations.
We offered the schools a dedicated Artist in Residence who provided Key Stage 3 students with a wide-ranging, hands-on experience of different areas of the creative arts and supported teachers to develop their skills and approach to creative teaching. Each organisation worked with two schools per year, with all eight schools working with all four organisations by the end of the programme.
'The benefits are always in the children’s eyes being opened to new experiences. One of our curriculum visions is that our children will receive opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have had, and all of the activities undertaken this term have added to that hugely.'Vice Principal, Leeds East Academy
Research outcomes
Burberry Inspire Celebration Report
The Partners
Leeds Playhouse
Leeds Playhouse help students to explore their sense of what it means to represent the future of Yorkshire today, inspired by plays such as Partition, a story about the impact of heritage. Students also have the opportunity to work with voice coaches, public speakers and performers.
Leeds Young Film
Leeds Young Film run filmmaking related workshops to develop transferable skills including virtual reality, documentary, music video, social media, vlogging and art film, developing the students’ technical abilities, problem solving and creative communication.
Northern Ballet
Northern Ballet introduce students to creative dance, developing their confidence and team working skills and helping them to discover different ways to express themselves through a universal language of movement for diverse communities.
The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield support students to explore the relationship between place, emotion and identity, focusing on the changing industrial cityscape and what excites and inspires them about their city. The programme provides an opportunity for the students to express themselves through a range of creative mediums - from print making to sculpting - taking inspiration from the legacy and achievements of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, who were both born in Wakefield District, to help build a sense of civic pride and place in the community.
Leanne Wood, Chief People, Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer at Burberry
'We are very proud that the Burberry Foundation will deliver this unique programme in the heart of Yorkshire in partnership with these leading organisations.
At Burberry, we believe that creativity should be nurtured, and we are passionate about championing the benefits of making arts and culture available to all.
We want to inspire young people across the country to explore the wide variety of ways they can be involved in the creative industries and help to create a wealth of talent for one of Britain’s most important sectors.'
Photos Tom Martin.