Cracking The Education Market by David Fryer

Contents Introduction: Why Work in Education? The Benefits for You Why Schools Hire Facilitators Features of a good project

3 3 3-4 4-5

The Roles Facilitators Play in Education Making Presenting Instructing/Facilitating

6 6 6 6

Introducing the Education System The National Curriculum Key Stages About Budgets Funding

7 7 7-8 8 8-9

From Preparation to Proposal Self-Assessment Acquiring Experience and Training Child Protection, Safety and Insurance Finding Work Fees and Expenses Presenting Your Portfolio Discussing Terms and Securing the Booking

10 10 10 10-11 11 11-12 12 13

Project Planning Why Set Aims and Objectives? Structuring a Project Discussing Roles Special Educational Needs Practicalities Drawing up a Contract How to Prepare Final Events

14 14 14 14-15 15 15 15-16 16-17 17

Reviews and Evaluation Monitoring Evaluation Common Pitfalls

17 17 17-20 20-21

Resources

22-23

Introduction: Why Work in Education? There are plenty of reasons why a facilitator might look to move in to the education market: they might have a desire to inspire and educate a new generation of artists; they might value the fresh perspective that a child’s eye view can bring to their work; perhaps they particularly enjoy working with young people or are simply tired of their own company. Whenever anybody ventures into an unfamiliar environment, there will be a certain amount of anxiety and schools can be daunting places for the inexperienced. This handbook is a comprehensive guide for facilitators from all fields (performing arts, visual arts, literature, multimedia, crafts, etc.) about all aspects of working within the education system of the UK. From an introduction to the National Curriculum and school funding system to detailed guidance on project sourcing, planning and evaluation, this publication should go a long way towards easing your passage into the education market. The Benefits for You Some facilitators start working with schools for a single project and end up enjoying the experience so much that it becomes a major focus of their career. Others choose to come out of the woodwork occasionally to publicise a local exhibition or raise a bit of spare cash. There are many potential benefits to working with schools, including: • • • • • • • • • •

Access to school facilities and equipment. Helping children to deal with personal and social issues (e.g. low self-esteem or bullying). Receiving feedback from a non-expert perspective. Making a supplementary income. Service exchange (e.g. commissioned work for studio space). Reaching a broader/larger audience. Improving presentation and teaching skills Helping others. Working alongside other people. Self-promotion.

Of course, none of these reasons are mutually exclusive, and a facilitator might decide to work in a school for several of the reasons above. Why Schools Hire Facilitators On the other hand, schools usually decide to work with facilitators for specific reasons. Artists in school projects require an investment of the school’s time and money, and will only be considered where there is a clear school need to be met or when the value to pupils’ ongoing development is significant.

Schools will often decide to work with a facilitator to enrich the National Curriculum, so it is important that facilitators are aware of what the National Curriculum is and how their work can enhance its delivery. For example, history is a statutory subject up until Key Stage 4 (at the time of writing), so facilitators teaching traditional forms of dance can add depth to students’ learning about the influence of the past on the present. Facilitators might also be drafted in to help pupils develop or extend technical skills or to provide insight into the relevance of art to the wider community. In addition to the desired results, teachers often cite additional benefits of working with facilitators, including: • • •

Improving their own skills and understanding. Providing children with new opportunities for self-expression. Learning different approaches to working with children.

Some teachers of arts subjects are amateur artists in their own right, and benefit greatly from the insight of a professional in their class. This, in turn, has a knock-on effect as teachers start applying their new skills and understanding to all their classes. A successful project can also help to raise the profile of the school itself by stimulating connections with the local community, enriching school premises (e.g. with commissioned artwork) and contributing to the culture and history of the school. For the pupils themselves, working with facilitators can encourage new ways of looking at the world and stimulate a lifelong interest in the arts. Some projects, for example those involving the performing arts, can open up new modes of self-expression to children and encourage experimentation. Issues involving equal opportunities and social relationships can sometimes be addressed, with facilitators providing positive role models that can challenge social prejudices. For some pupils, a rewarding art project can even re-invigorate an enthusiasm for school and learning itself, promoting a lasting improvement in attendance and/or behaviour. Children with special educational needs can derive significant benefits from working with facilitators, and sometimes discover hidden talents. Of course, the benefits above will only come about if the project is deemed a success for all parties concerned. Features of a Good Project From the school’s perspective, a successful project meets the most important aims and objectives identified during the planning stage (see the chapter on ‘Project Planning’). For example, if one of the aims is to help students turn initial designs into a completed piece of art, then this process will need to occur within the timescale allowed.

For a project to come together as planned, facilitators, teachers and pupils need to share an understanding of what is expected of them. This involves comprehensive and detailed planning, effective monitoring and reviewing and an honest and open communication about expectations. Good artists in school projects make best use of the combined skills of teacher(s) and facilitator(s), and set ambitious but achievable goals. Generally speaking, projects have the best chance of success if pupils are adequately prepared beforehand, play an interactive role and experience the project as part of a larger context. Projects also tend to work better if small groups of children are involved in producing an event or piece of work that can be shared by the whole school. Sufficient time for evaluation should be budgeted for to ensure that the school and facilitators learn from any mistakes and make best use of feedback for future work. The most successful projects of all can lead to an ongoing commitment for the schools and facilitators involved to continue working with one another in the future.

The Roles Facilitators Play in Education Facilitators can work in schools in a variety of different ways. The three main roles filled by facilitators in education are making, presenting and, of course, instructing or facilitating. While this guide focuses predominately on the facilitating role, much of the information will apply to the other roles as well. Making Sometimes a facilitator comes into a school to demonstrate the creative process involved in producing a piece of artwork, for example a sculpture or a piece of writing. Occasionally, the specific piece of art has been commissioned by the school itself to enhance its environment. Presenting Some artists in school projects focus on providing a presentation to educate and entertain students. This is particularly the case with performing arts groups who might, for example, introduce children to music and dance styles from a different culture. Other examples may involve organising readings from a professional writer or demonstrating particular skills and techniques. Instructing/Facilitating One of the most popular roles for facilitators in schools is that of instructors or facilitators. Rather than simply creating art or presenting to an audience, instructors actively work with students and teachers in interactive workshops, teaching them new skills and assisting them in bringing ideas to fruition. Although individual projects may focus on one or more of the roles mentioned above, it is often more beneficial when these roles are combined. For example, a sculptor could present an exhibition of his/her work to the school and then work with small groups of children to help them create their own pieces. A popular way of combining roles is to arrange class visits to the facilitatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place of work (studio, theatre, gallery, etc.) in addition to the facilitator coming to the school. This helps students to connect their experiences with the art industry as a whole

Introducing the Education System The National Curriculum Education providers in the UK, with the exception of independent schools, are required to teach the National Curriculum, in particular a group of twelve foundation subjects designed to fulfil two main objectives, which are: 1. To provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and to achieve. 2. To promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. Since January 2011, the National Curriculum has been undergoing a fundamental review, but at the time of writing, it consists of three core subjects: • • •

English (including drama) Maths Science

The other nine foundation subjects are: • • • • • • • • •

Design & Technology History Geography Citizenship Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Art & Design Music Physical Education (including dance) ICT

Not all of the above subjects are taught throughout the school system; some are introduced in later years while others are optional after a certain time. Key Stages The state education system is divided into four key stages that take children from Year 1 in primary education to Year 6, the final year of secondary school. The key stage/age/school year correspondences are: • • • •

Key Stage 1 (age 5-7; years 1-2 primary) Key Stage 2 (age 7-11; years 3-6 primary) Key Stage 3 (age 11-14; years 7-9 secondary) Key Stage 4 (age 14-16; years 10-11 secondary)

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