Arts Education Team

The Arts Education Team supports learning and excellence in the arts, culture and heritage and provides Aberdeen City schools with opportunities to learn in, through and about the arts. This is achieved through best arts education practice, facilitating the connections between:

• pupils, teachers, schools and the curriculum
• arts, heritage and culture (venues, artists, companies)

The team is responsible for the delivery of a comprehensive arts education service on behalf of all city pupils (aged 3 - 18).  This is achieved through the delivery and management of a range of multi art form projects specifically designed to directly benefit the learning of children and young people. Project delivery includes securing the significant funds required to make these opportunities available to schools and working in partnership with them and other organisations both locally and nationally.

Principles

The approach is to develop opportunities which might not otherwise be accessible for our children and young people.  These projects not only enrich the curriculum and enhance study of the expressive arts subjects, but also develop and promote the use of the arts as a mechanism to deliver other curriculum areas.

The arts have a significant role to play in realising the four capacities of A Curriculum for Excellence.  The team actively seek opportunities to work with teachers and artists to explore different models of practice to develop children as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. For more information please visit Arts Education and a Curriculum for Excellence.

This is also explored in our Arts Across Learning Festival Brochure, which is available to download from the link above right, or visit our  Arts Across Learning Festival page.

Method

• Make accessible the best of arts education to Aberdeen City schools by developing strong relationships with artists and companies at local and national level
• Identify the needs and aspirations of schools and design projects accordingly
• Bring our specialist knowledge and expertise to project design and delivery in striving for high quality activity which impacts on pupils and teachers
• Secure significant external funding and manage the finances
• Work with artists to develop their practice and support them in the delivery of projects in striving for high quality process and end product
• Support teachers through CPD opportunities and by developing meaningful partnerships between them, artists and ourselves
• Maintain knowledge of curricular developments (locally, nationally & internationally)
• Maintain knowledge of arts, heritage & cultural developments (locally, nationally & internationally)
• Capitalise on opportunities by linking with regional and national agendas and networks, keeping Aberdeen in the loop
• Seek to inform policy at local and national levels by contributing to appropriate consultations and networks

Partnerships

Partnership working is crucial to our way of working both in terms of who benefits from the work and where it takes place. Activities can take place in schools or we may team up with a local venue to co-ordinate activities which schools visit.

Our partners include:

• Artists, arts/cultural professionals and contractors (locally and nationally)
• Education services both within and out with the city council
• Arts organisations and companies, (locally and nationally)
• Cultural venues (performance venues, museums, galleries etc.)

Projects

For a flavour of the team's current activity, please visit our Arts Across Learning Festival page and our Leafing the Green: Writer in Residence page.

 

Contacts

• Annette Murray
  Arts Education Co-ordinator
  Education, Culture and Sport
  AECC - Balgownie 1
  Conference Way
  Aberdeen
  AB23 8AQ
  Phone: 01224 814685
  Email: anmurray@aberdeencity.gov.uk
  
  
• Linda Lees Hislop
  Cultural Co-ordinator (Music, Dance & Performance)
  Education, Culture and Sport
  AECC - Balgownie 1
  Conference Way
  Aberdeen
  AB23 8AQ
  Phone: 01224 814687
  Email: lleeshislop@aberdeencity.gov.uk
  
  
• Jacky Hardacre
  Cultural Co-ordinator (Museums, Galleries & Heritage)
  Education, Culture and Sport
  AECC - Balgownie 1
  Conference Way
  Aberdeen
  AB23 8AQ
  Phone: 01224 814651
  Email: jhardacre@aberdeencity.gov.uk
  
  
• Alison Parfitt
  Cultural Co-ordinator (Visual Arts, Film & Literature)
  Education, Culture and Sport
  AECC - Balgownie 1
  Conference Way
  Aberdeen
  AB23 8AQ
  Phone: 01224 814780
  
  
• Hester Beattie
  Curricular Support & Development
  Education, Culture and Sport
  AECC - Balgownie 1
  Conference Way
  Aberdeen
  AB23 8AQ
  Phone: 01224 814530
  Email: hbeattie@aberdeencity.gov.uk
  
  
• Heather Evans
  Arts Education Projects Assistant
  Education, Culture and Sport
  AECC - Balgownie 1
  Conference Way
  Aberdeen
  AB23 8AQ
  Phone: 01224 814533
  Fax: 01224 814972
  Email: hevans@aberdeencity.gov.uk