Inspiring Futures: The LBBD Cultural Education Partnership

Every young person can confidently participate, shape, and take pride in creative and cultural opportunities, making their voice heard.

Vision 2018-2022

Inspiring Futures: The Barking and Dagenham Cultural Education Partnership nurtures links between cultural organisations and schools to work towards every young person having the opportunity to be creative, either in school or beyond. We ensure every school has the opportunity to collaborate with other schools in hubs, form partnerships with cultural organisations, and take part in bespoke projects. 

How can we support your school? 

Inspiring Futures has three main threads of activity: 

CPD for stakeholders

Throughout the year we offer career progression and development for teachers, governors, senior leadership, and creative organisations in the borough to ensure they are prepared to deliver a strong creative offer in Barking and Dagenham schools. Alongside this, we hold an annual conference brimming with CPD opportunities for schools. 

We also work with schools to create Inspire Hubs, where local schools work together for peer learning, distribute knowledge, and develop larger sized cultural projects. 

We ask each school provide a cultural lead, and send updates of upcoming CPD through this designated person.  

Developing the Barking and Dagenham Cultural Education Offer

As part of our work, we create projects which develop cultural and creative opportunities for young people within the borough, including accredited achievements, wellbeing offers, and lobbying for opportunities for young people in local organisations and developments. 

A key project is the Arts Award transition project, which happens every September. Please get in touch if your secondary school would like to be involved. 

We also provide bespoke Artsmark support, to accredit your school with the creative standard for education. It ensures creativity is embedded across the curriculum and is recognised nationwide. Artsmark is managed by Arts Council England, Find out more on the Artsmark website.

Pathways into the creative digital industries

We develop pathways for young people into the creative and digital industries, by empowering teachers to be able to guide students into these careers. 

Inspiring Futures works to develop resources and sessions for young people to get advice from industry professionals, and create links for work experience, as well as tasters of creative skills.

Upcoming events

The Inspiring Future’s 2022 conference

Exploring diversity, representation, and identity’s role in a 21st Century creative curriculum.

Join Inspiring Futures: The Barking and Dagenham Cultural Education Partnership to explore how creativity and the arts can aid in creating a curriculum which is reflective of our students and allows them to express their voice and identity. Including two student sessions, and a full day professionals conference, and facilitated by leading artists and education experts, the conference will give you a chance to explore these topics, as well as gain practical tools to embed into your practice.

All events are FREE.

Young Creatives Space
Thursday 10 November
Primary school session: 9.30 to11.30am
Secondary school session: 1pm to 3pm
Barking and Dagenham College
For Students with teachers and support staff

Join Inspiring Futures’ session for teachers and pupils where we will creatively explore young people’s sense of identity and its relationship with mental health and wellbeing. Young people will work with cultural organisation Iniva, therapeutic support service A Space and artist Holly Graham to artistically respond to the provocation of identity and wellbeing. The final piece of work will be shared at the professionals conference and contribute to empowering and amplifying youth voice within LBBD’s Race and Social Justice programme.

Booking for primary schools.

Booking for secondary schools.

Professionals Conference

Thursday 17 November
10am to 3pm
The Barbican Centre
For teachers, senior leadership, governors, artists, and organisations

We are happy to invite you along to a full day conference of presentations, panel discussions, and workshops to explore how creativity can help aid diversity in the curriculum.

Including workshops from our Paul Hamlyn funded programme Story of Me (a two year teacher development programme exploring diversifying the primary curriculum through the arts), and a key note speech from artist Kai Rufai, there will be a chance to explore big topics, as well as gain some tools to practically take home and imbed in your practice.

Lunch included.

Please book here.

Want to get involved in Inspiring Futures?

Email inspiringfutures@lbbd.gov.uk with details about your organisation or school to be added to our contact list and be invited to future events.