BRINGING LIVE ARTS TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS (BLAST) ARTS IN EDUCATION RESIDENCIES

 

The aim of this programme is to give students in schools all over the country the opportunity to work with a professional artist on unique projects to be planned and developed between the artist, the teacher and the school under the co-ordination of the Education Support Centres Ireland ESCI network of 21 full-time education centres. This initiative supports children and young people for the future, where skills like the ability to connect and collaborate with others, engage in creative and critical thinking and practice inclusivity at every level will be paramount to peace, stability, sustainable economic growth and equality.

The Education Centre

Schools will apply for a BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency to Wexford Education Support Centre based on the Online Register of Approved Artists. The Register of Approved Artists in each Education Centre will be arranged by artist and discipline. It will also include approved training experience, examples of previous work and examples of relevant or related experience in an educational and community context.

In excess of 300 artists are currently trained and registered on the Online Register of Approved Artists, managed by the education centre network nationally. All artists will have submitted their Child Safeguarding Best Practice Policy (to include Child Safeguarding Statement) and their Certificate of completion of the Children First Training module to the education centre.

Garda vetting

Garda vetting for artists for successful school applications will be organised with the individual artist by Wexford Education Support Centre prior to being employed.  Subject to receiving a satifactory evetting return the artist will be invited to collect a copy of their evetting document from the Centre to present to the school they are paired with. Schools may separately request the artist to apply for Garda vetting specifically to work in their school.

The artists

Artists from any artistic discipline who have been trained in partnership working with schools will be registered with each of the 21 full-time ESCI centres. Artistic disciplines include visual arts, crafts, music, dance, drama, literature and film. Creative disciplines will be expanded as the residency programme develops over the next number of years.

The artists on the Register of Approved Artists will have been previously trained and have engaged in school residencies under the Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD and Residency initiative or the Arts in Junior Cycle Programme which are both approved and led by the Department of Education.

The school

The schools must be in the catchment of Wexford Education Support Centre. Schools may submit only one application. Schools should make their own selection of artists from the Approved Register and select 3 possible artists based on examples of recent work, training and recommendations. Inclusion of artists on the Approved Register is based on training in the education centre (TAP) in addition to suitability/artistic qualification and satisfactory evetting return etc. which has taken place in advance to ensure the selected artist satisfies school policies in relation to engagement of external personnel.

Once a school is approved for the scheme, the Wexford Education Support Centre will decide to which artist is assigned to a school.  This decision will be based on availability of the artist and their available timeframe. The school has a commitment to the artist, who will have earmarked that time for the project and could potentially turn down other work at the times scheduled to work with the school.

This initiative encourages

Schools, primary and post-primary, that have not recently had an opportunity to participate in such creative initiatives to apply.

Schools supporting inclusion and enhanced arts-in-education engagement with students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students with special educational needs to apply. Schools that have a track record in teacher-artist partnership working in the classroom and school to apply. A whole-school commitment to the project, but it is not a requirement that all classes work with the artist. Projects should have regard to the relevant school curricula where appropriate and have a focus on process.

Successful applications:

Successful schools will be required to sign a short contract with Wexford Education Support Centre accepting the terms of the BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme prior to the commencement of the residency. Successful residencies should not be started until official written notification to proceed has been received from the Education Centre and once clear Garda vetting has been completed and this has been communicated to the school.

It is a specific condition of this residency programme that a teacher works closely and collaborates with the artist to plan the learning experience and is present at all times with the artist while working with students in the school and to enhance further teacher-artist partnership. Schools will be responsible for ensuring the residency complies with Public Health advice relevant at the time of the project.

Evaluation

Wexford Education Support Centre will put in place the necessary evaluation for Arts-in-Education residencies. It will include a school visit, completion and return of the Teacher/School Feedback Form and the Artist Feedback Form. The second instalment of the artist fee will be paid following the submission of the final reports.

Any images submitted by the school either in reports or on completing the project may be used to promote the programme through print and other media including social media. It is therefore important that the schools have permission for the use of such images, noting in the consent forms that they will be used for this purpose, and only send images to the Wexford Education Support Centre once parental consent has been obtained.

Please note the Closing Date for Applications for the academic year 2022/2023 was September 30th 2022.        We received 41 applications.  All 41 applications were successful.