Schools across Ealing are being invited to sign up to a new arts charter which will help them develop arts and culture programmes.
Ealing’s Cultural Education Partnership (CEP), which was set up in 2020, aims to help and support schools. The charter was developed and co-created by the CEP with experts in education, youth services, arts organisations and Ealing teachers and headteachers.
The charter contains 11 commitments that provide a foundation for schools to develop their own creative learning programme which they can add to and customise to their own school plan.
Leader of the council, Councillor Peter Mason said: “Our vision for Ealing is to ensure that culture informs everything we do. Based on our values of inclusivity and community empowerment, the arts charter is a fantastic opportunity to expand the cultural horizons of all young people in Ealing.”
He added: “We want to encourage an educational environment that allows children to participate and nurture their talent, whether through composing a piece of music, a poetry slam, a dance workshop or increasing their ability to appreciate art through trips to a museum or gallery. The arts encourage new and conceptual ways of thinking, that provide valuable life skills.”
When signing up, a school is allocated a member of the CEP team, who will work with them in creating their own charter, which will then inform the essence of the Pupil Experience Guarantee (PEG). The PEG will assist schools in gaining clarity on their commitment to fulfil the ambitions of their individual charter for each academic year.
Cabinet member for a fairer start, Councillor Kamaljit Kaur Nagpal said: “We all know how important cultural enrichment is to and for young people. Not only does it open them up to the world around them, encouraging them to ask questions, consider opinions and form their own, but the impact that art and culture have on young people has been proven time and again. It leads to higher levels of optimism; a greater sense of peer belonging; reduces loneliness; increases resilience to stress and strengthens their mental health.”
