Primary Partnerships Information 2025

- NERVE CENTRE CREATIVE LEARNING -

P R I M A R Y

PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

ABOUT US

The Creative Learning Centres (CLCs) provide regional support across Northern Ireland, with three centres:

● Nerve Belfast situated in Belfast

● Nerve Centre situated in Derry-Londonderry

● AmmA Centre* situated in Armagh

*Please note that this partnership overview is for the Creative Learning Centres based in Belfast and Derry~Londonderry. If your school is situated in the Southern EA area or the pink area of the map, please contact the AmmA Centre for more information.

CREATIVE LEARNINGCENTRES

Building Capacity

Making Connections

Sharing Good Practice

Tackling Social Exclusion & Lack of Opportunity

Government Funded

Impartial

Externally Evaluated

CREATIVE LEARNINGCENTRES

PRIMARY PARTNERSHIPS

O V E R V I E W

OVERALL AIM

The Primary Partnership Programme aims to empower teachers and build capacity within schools to use technology creatively to support teaching and learning.

APPROACH

Joint CLC initiative

Built upon years of experience across the 3 CLCs

Developed in response to needs and requests from teachers and schools

Blended approach to delivery

Trying new methodologies and technologies

PARTNERSHIP OVERVIEW

We will work strategically with senior management based on the school’s development plan to ensure that support offered from the CLCs will sustainably grow their use of creative technologies across the curriculum and whole school.

Participating schools will avail of: all staff training opportunities targeted teacher professional development ICT Coordinator support support for classroom implementation opportunities to share good practice

As part of the evaluation process, schools will complete baselines and evaluations and will be expected to submit examples of updates to their ICT strategies, schemes of work, lesson plans, resources created, pupils’ work and other positive outcomes.

PARTNERSHIP PHASES

EMPOWER

TERM O N E

Empower teachers to develop their knowledge and skills in a chosen creative focus area

CREATE

TERM T W O

Embed creative focus area in the classroom across the key stages

Support the curriculum and build pupils’ digital literacies and skills

TERM THREE

Develop skills, creativity and independence of teachers and pupils through fun and engaging projects*

*Selected schools only

BENEFITS TO SCHOOL

Builds capacity & supports whole school improvement

Encourages reﬂection on how technology is being used effectively to positively impact pupils

Provides tailored training and support

Develops ICT strategy (through ongoing ICT Coordinator support)

Provides progression pathways for schools to build the creative use of technology

BENEFITS TO SCHOOL

Provides opportunities for parental engagement through creative and engaging digital platforms

Encourages sharing good practice within and between schools

Provides opportunities to gather evidence that can be used for ETI inspections and ICT Awards

Supports innovation in schools

BENEFITS TO TEACHERS

Empowers teachers to lead their own learning and develop their competencies in using digital technology to support teaching and learning

Supports teachers through focused training, pedagogical application & reﬂective practice

Supports teachers to use and create unique and dynamic digital resources

BENEFITS TO TEACHERS

Helps teachers integrate the creative use of technology across the curriculum and throughout the key stages

Inspires new/creative pedagogical approaches

Encourages professional learning communities where collaboration and sharing of best practice can occur

BENEFITS TO PUPILS

Develops pupil skills and competencies in creativity, digital literacies and UICT

Encourages pupils to become critical thinkers, creators and makers

Provides opportunities for pupils to express themselves

Grows conﬁdence and communication skills

Enhances creativity, teamwork and problem solving skills (TS&PC)

BENEFITS TO PUPILS

Makes learning fun

Improves motivation

Improves engagement

Promotes the incorporation of pupils’ ideas for a more relevant learning experience

Provides insight into the NI Creative Industries and possible career choices

As staff conﬁdence has grown as a result of the partnership, so too has their desire and ability to plan more challenging and open ended tasks for pupils to participate in. These learning experiences have become increasingly creative.

ICT

Coordinator, previous Partnership School

EMPOWER

SUPPORTOUTLINE

Introductory session for Principals & ICT Coordinators

Introductory face-to-face session for teachers

Creative Focus CPL module videos

Additional teacher support

ICT Coordinator planning support session with CCEA

EMPOWER sharing session for Principals & ICT Coordinators

Classroom assistants are also welcome to take part in the programme

CREATIVEFOCUS

Introduces whole school to a creative focus area

Computational Thinking & Coding

Digital Audio - Music & Sound

Digital Art & Design

Animation

Minecraft Education

CREATE

P H A S E T W O

OVERALL AIMS

Embeds creative focus area in the classroom across the key stages. Supports the curriculum and builds pupils’ digital literacies and skills.

SUPPORT OUTLINE

Key stage speciﬁc training in creative focus area

Implementation support sessions

ICT Coordinator support session

CREATE celebration and sharing event

(for Principals & ICT Coordinators)

Potential to borrow equipment

INNOVATE

OVERALL AIMS

Led by Nerve Centre, the Innovate phase pushes the boundaries of digital integration in education, empowering educators with cutting-edge methodologies, fostering creativity and critical thinking, and preparing students for the future through immersive learning experiences.

Only a select number of schools will be chosen by the Nerve Centre for this stage based on their engagement through the Empower and Create Phases.