Impact Report
Sept 2023 - Aug 2024
Introduction
Create Rochdale is Rochdale’s Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP). We are a network of organisations and people who represent the education, youth and arts and culture sectors in the borough of Rochdale.
Our aim is to ensure that all children and young people living in Rochdale have access to high quality cultural education
Why?
Cultural education gives young people opportunities to discover, create, learn and have fun together There’s considerable evidence that participating in creative and heritage activities early in life improves health and wellbeing, educational attainment and employability. Rochdale’s Cultural Strategy Pioneering Creativity presents this evidence alongside a vision for our borough where everyone can enjoy equal access to great art and culture
Who?
The following organisations contributed to Create Rochdale’s steering group in 2023/2024:
Altus Education Partnership Breaking Barriers Culture Co Op
Falinge Park High School
Hopwood Hall College
M6 Theatre Company Positive Steps
Rochdale Borough Council
Rochdale Development Agency
Rochdale Primary Headteacher Network
Rochdale Music Service
Your Trust
Create Rochdale is coordinated by a Creative Partnerships Manager employed by Your Trust Rochdale and funded by Garfield Weston Foundation.
Karen Lea, Assistant Principle - Vocational & Foundation Learning at Hopwood Hall College is the Chair
Raising Rochdale through Cultural Education
Rochdale Borough Council’s Children and Young People’s Partnership Plan 2024 - 2027 sets out a vision for our borough: ‘The partnership’s vision is for Rochdale children and young people to achieve their full potential and to make our borough a great place for all to grow up, get on and live well.’
Specifically, the vision is for the borough’s children and young people:
• to be safe
• to be healthy
• to be successful
• to be heard
The first section of this report provides four specific case studies outlining how cultural education is already contributing to achieving this vision. Create Rochdale partners are working collaboratively and strategically to ensure that every child in Rochdale has access to the benefits of cultural education
Between September 2023 and August 2024 our partners delivered over 16,000 cultural education experiences* for children and young people from across the Rochdale Borough.
92% of Primary Schools, 85% of Secondary Schools and 100% of Special Schools in Rochdale Borough engaged with at least one of our partners
‘At Create Rochdale, we recognise the transformative power of cultural education in enriching the lives of children and young people, building the foundations for self-expression and opening doors to new opportunities The incredible work delivered by our partners is making a lasting impact, bringing vital experiences to life and showcasing the richness of Rochdale's creative community.
With dedicated resources, Create Rochdale allows us to expand our reach, strengthen partnerships, and ensure more young people benefit from the cultural opportunities they deserve We’re incredibly proud to have been shortlisted for the Inspiring Partnership Award at the Northern Cultural Education Awards, a testament to the collaborative spirit that drives cultural education in Rochdale.’
Karen
Lea, Chair of Create Rochdale
*This figure was calculated by asking Create Rochdale partners how many children and young people they engaged in cultural experiences between September 2023 and August 2024 and combining the figures provided. We are unable to isolate individuals within the data and we are aware that an individual may have engaged with more than one partner. Therefore we have presented the figure as the total number of ‘cultural education experiences’ delivered.
Create Good Health
In the 2023/24 academic year Falinge Park High School took part in the BeeWell and Curious Minds pilot programme.
In the summer term of 2023, five Year 9 students were trained as Creative Health Youth Champions (CHYC), using a two day intensive training schedule framed by the Royal Society of Public Health Creative Health Module. They delivered an Arts and Wellbeing Intervention Session to a class of Year 7 students which was evaluated, and used to inform priorities for a mini-commission in autumn term 2023. Students chose to commission Rochdale-based Skylight Circus Arts to develop a cohort of 20 students into ‘Circus Champions’ who cascaded circus skills to wider groups of students through a series of workshops and events The activity was mapped against the Five Ways to Wellbeing and aimed to: develop young people’s wellbeing, confidence and self esteem develop oracy opportunities (specifically Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary) develop student leadership as part of a wider ‘Creative Health’ strategy at FPHS
Confidence in learning at school increased from 67% to 78% following commission delivery
‘I think being a CHYC has developed my own wellbeing because it has taught me about the five stages to wellbeing, which have informed me about ways to practice wellness when I may be stressed or experiencing negative emotions ’
Falinge Park High School Student
‘The extensive use of surveying and other forms of data show arts and culture improve student wellbeing in significant ways, especially in relation to the dimensions of community, identity, belonging All five elements of MIND's 'Five Ways to Wellbeing' were encountered repeatedly by participants in cultural engagement and this also cascaded to wider groups and communities too. These encounters were deep, rich and memorable for all ’
Simon De Courcey, Director of Cultural Capital at Falinge Park High School
Pupils confidence in speaking in front of others increased from 53% to 72% over the course of the project
Create Success
Between 3 and 15 children in every KS1 class in England will have a communication need that is affecting their learning, their enjoyment of school and their socialisation. Speech, language and communication skills are essential for socialising, for learning, for wellbeing and good mental health Speech Bubbles is a drama programme delivered in primary schools by M6 Theatre Company It uses drama, play and stories to help children aged 5-7 develop confidence, communication skills and creativity
Children are referred on to the Speech Bubbles programme by their class teacher or SENDCo They then take part in a weekly small group drama session delivered by a specialist drama practitioner and a member of the school’s support staff The sessions are designed to work with children's natural instincts to play, to tell stories and to have fun, providing them with a welcoming space to develop confidence, social interaction and communication.
Speech and Language UK recently reported that children who struggle to talk and understand words are:
• 6 times more likely to fail English tests at age 11
• 11 times less likely to pass maths
• Twice as likely to have a mental health problem
• Twice as likely to be unemployed as an adult
In 2023/24 M6 Theatre delivered the Speech Bubbles programme in St. Mary’s RC Primary School in Middleton and Belfield Community Primary School, with the following results:
• 80% of participants improved their learning, speaking and listening skills
• Teachers noticed improvements back in class in 98% of Speech Bubbles children, with 25% showing a striking improvement.
• 80% of participants improved their emotional behaviour and conduct behaviour.
Speech Bubbles is an accredited programme developed by Speech Bubbles UK. M6 have been running the Rochdale arm of the programme for 10 years.
Create Safety
In 2023 Rochdale-based production company Breaking Barriers produced a powerful film Level Playing Field and monologue Blind Side exploring Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), and how young boys and girls can be good allies to each other, to help reduce the levels of harmful behaviours and violence against women and girls in society. It aims to help level the playing field for boys and girls by showing each other equal respect, and boys calling out harmful behaviour and attitudes Around 15 stakeholders from primary schools, local authorities and the police supported the project. The Blind Side performance and supporting workshops toured schools in Rochdale and was well received by pupils and teachers
‘We needed this performance It's a huge issue in our school and the piece was timely and age appropriate.’
Rochdale Teacher
594
9-16 yr olds saw the performance within 3 weeks.
Scan the QR code or click here to watch the trailer for the monologue
‘It was a good performance I know who to talk to.’
Rochdale Pupil
What next?
Breaking Barriers is fundraising to build on the success of this work and Create Rochdale partners including Your Trust, Cartwheel Arts and Culture Co-op are part of an alliance that has secured funding from the Violence Reduction Unit to deliver 12 months of prosocial activity in Darnhill, Heywood. Partners will provide a range of creative and leisure activities as well as mentoring and training opportunities for young people to encourage pro-social activity and reduce violence.
Create Opportunities to be Heard
Rochdale Borough Council, Your Trust and other Create Rochdale partners have been ensuring that young people’s voices are heard in conversations about climate change through our Wild Outside programme; a programme of environmental themed creative activities, projects and events promoted via the Engage website.
28
schools delivered lessons about Climate Change (lesson plans provided by Rochdale Borough Council).
115
children took part in long table discussions about the environment, at the Feel Good Family Picnics in 2023.
Over 500
people engaged with activities at the Earth Day event for families at Number One Riverside in April 2024.
Ten Rochdale Primary Schools are taking part in Wild Wanders, a project delivered by Create Rochdale partners and Walk the Plank In July 2024 artists visited the schools to have discussions with pupils about climate change, biodiversity, and what is happening in Rochdale to combat these issues. In September 2024, pupils’ hopes and ideas for the future will be recorded and their voices embedded in an art trail at Hollingworth Lake Country Park
Scan the QR code or click here to watch a short film about the climate debate and hear children sharing their opinions.
In July 2024 children from 6 local schools attended a debate at Number One Riverside where they discussed what actions should be prioritised in Rochdale to protect the environment Using deep democracy techniques the group agreed that transport and littering should be the priorities A motion was then developed to present to Council in autumn 2024.
Our Theory of Change
Through a series of visioning workshops, facilitated by Curious Minds, Create Rochdale partners identified the barriers preventing children and young people accessing cultural education and actions that could be taken to remove them. This process defined our priorities and our theory of change:
Priorities
The following pages document some of the activity our partners have been delivering against our priorities and the impact it has had.
Creative Skills and Careers
Creativity and Careers Event
On Thursday 9th May 2024 Create Rochdale partners delivered Rochdale’s first Creativity in Careers event led by Positive Steps
Before the event, 35% of pupils agreed that ‘there are a wide range of creative jobs available in Rochdale’. This increased to 59% after the event.
85% of pupils who attended said they enjoyed speaking to professionals
100% of teachers who attended said that the event broadened the students’ and their own knowledge of creative industries to some extent
‘We feel incredibly proud of the event and feel that it has achieved its objectives of informing young people of the wide variety of creative careers, inspiring them to consider them and showing that creative careers are open to young people like them from Rochdale.’
Lucy Smith, Operational Manager, Education and Guidance Services at Positive Steps
21 staff from local and regional education providers attended
30 students from Hopwood Hall College attended
700
Year 9 students attended the event at Rochdale Town Hall
39 creative professionals attended
2 young adults were employed to support the planning and delivery of the event and one of them secured a permanent contract after the event
Scan the QR code or click here to watch a short film about the event and a series of digital careers resources that were made after the event featuring interviews with creative professionals in Rochdale
Saturday Arts Club
This year, Hopwood Hall College, National Saturday Club, Touchstones and other partners have collaborated to deliver a Saturday Art & Design Club and a Saturday Film & Screen Club in Rochdale The clubs provide weekly sessions where young people can develop new creative skills, friendships and industry connections The programme connects 13 to 16-year-old Club members with an extensive network of industry experts and showcases the way in which the skills developed at a Saturday Club can be applied in the real world.
For many young people, their experience is the moment they realise that their passions and interests have the potential to develop into fulfilling and rewarding careers
Rochdale Saturday Film & Screen Club members had the opportunity to work with KDAT Productions, Maddison AV and met with director and journalist Karen Chambers, who gave them a masterclass in recording interviews.
Rochdale Saturday Art & Design Club members worked with May Wild Studio to learn new skills in a variety of disciplines including print, ceramics, sculpture, painting, illustration and photography. Members also worked with artist Nadina Ali to complete their industry masterclass in poster design.
70% gained a better understanding of how the skills they developed at the Saturday Club will be useful in the world of work.
50% gained a better understanding of job roles and career possibilities
Members stated their favourite part of the masterclass was:
‘Helpful staff assistance with ideas.’
‘Being able to take as much time as I need ’
‘Being able to explore different things ’
‘I loved seeing Nadina’s artwork and thought it was really bold and smiling.’
‘I enjoyed the opportunity to create a poster to spread an important message about the world ’
‘The Masterclass giver was very down to earth and made me feel comfortable to create posters when I am new to doing so.’
The members travelled to London for their graduation and to view the Summer Show at Somerset House where their work was presented alongside work from other clubs across the country
At the Graduation Ceremony the club members were invited to the stage and each member received a graduation certificate
Saturday Arts Club Case Study
‘My daughter is aged fourteen and struggles severely with sleep issues We have looked at different options to resolve this, but have not yet found anything This means that she struggles to attend school as she is constantly exhausted and often has dizzy spells. She also suffers from dyslexia and so struggles academically with some of her lessons. Her real talent is arts and creativity.
When we were told about the Saturday Art Club, I immediately wanted her to give it a try As she has not been to school for at least a month, due to her issues around sleep, she felt that she didn't have the confidence to try something, even though she liked the idea of doing something creative. I managed to talk her into giving it a go, just for one week. At the end of the first session, she said she had enjoyed herself and had really liked the relaxed approach of all of the staff there, and the level of creative work that they were planning to do She began to attend the sessions every week, even though she was still struggling to do full days at school. I know that the pressures of school were too much for her and gave her a lot of anxiety, whereas at the Saturday Club, the atmosphere was very different.
Initially, she did not know any of the other students, but the staff put them into groups, so that they were able to get to know each other. Over the weeks, my daughter has made some great friends who have similar interests and has enjoyed the creative challenges that she has been set as well as the new skills from the different techniques and materials she has been able to use
The Saturday Club has helped my daughter to build up a lot of confidence that she had lost while being off from school. The sessions are the highlight of her week and give her a new energy to try new things and to feel that the things that she can do are actually valued
Although she is still struggling to attend school full time, she does not feel totally isolated, as she has some new friends who she sometimes meets up with outside of school and after the club. I do not know where we could have gone to if she had not had this club, where she was accepted and valued by the both the students and the tutors We are very grateful to the club and to the tutors who have really made a difference and have given us something to build on for the future.’
Parent of Saturday Arts Club Participant.
Youth Voice
Changemakers
is a youth-led project led by Royal Exchange Theatre exploring how creativity can be used to make positive change It sought to give young people a voice, ownership to choose topics they want to tackle, and freedom to drive creative activism.
Classes in three Rochdale secondary schools took part in the project for four months in Spring 2024.
Each class chose what themes they wanted to explore and the artform they wanted to work in. The outputs included a short film about breaking stereotypes, an artwork about tackling discrimination and spoken word about body positivity
Schools Linking
Rochdale’s Schools Linking project is part of the national Schools Linking Programme, developed by the Linking Network It is organised and administered in Rochdale by Rochdale Borough Council and delivered with Create Rochdale partners.
Twenty-four primary schools and 1200 children took part in a year-long programme based on social action principles Children from different schools met each other through cultural activities and reflected on questions such as: Who am I? Who are we? Where do we live? How do we all live well together?
The project culminated in a series of ‘Wishes for the World’ and public events in Rochdale libraries to promote the themes of respect and diversity
Speak Up
is a National Theatre co-created project, run by The Lowry in 15 schools in Greater Manchester Five secondary schools in Rochdale took part this year with weekly, free workshops focused on youth voice, confidence and using creativity to make change
Future Movement
Working in partnership with Rambert dance company, Touchstones hosted and codelivered a free creative youth development programme for young people aged 16-25 from October 2023 – June 2024 in Rochdale Ten young people engaged in the programme of weekly workshops through which they met industry professionals and developed their skills. In the programme the group focused on three key projects: Fashion, Climate, Dance; Performance Academy; and Cross Collections The wider project is led by Rambert nationally in London, Mansfield, Rochdale and Liverpool.
‘I’ve had access to so many opportunities, like the screening of the project we did that was an opportunity to develop my public speaking skills. In one project the person who’s facilitating us designs mental health wards. I was so shocked because I am so motivated by what I want to do, because I believe that houses aren’t built with the people who live in them in mind, and I meet someone with people’s mental health in mind I feel like you would not find these opportunities anywhere else ’
Janet, Participant of Future Movement
Scan the QR code or click here, to watch a short film of the Future Movement group meeting youth activist Anita Okunde to hear her take on female empowerment; and Rambert dancers Aishwarya Raut and Seren Williams who share personal reflections on being women in their industry
Youth Led Placemaking
During the Rochdale Borough Festival of Ideas young people took part in a public discussion about their vision for the future A ‘Young People’s Utopia’ was created.
Over 20 young people attended a public Placemaking Workshop at the Town Hall about how to improve Rochdale’s Town Centre Their ideas and experiences shaped Rochdale’s Placemaking Programme Action Plan.
Cultural Experiences
Create Rochdale partners have been working together to record and map cultural education activity Through this process we have been able to identify areas of low engagement and gaps in provision and target them with opportunities.
Children’s University
is a national programme that encourages learning beyond the classroom Children who take part in extra curriculur activities collect stamps in their ‘passport’ and receive rewards. In 2023 Altus Education Partnership launched the Children’s University in Rochdale and Create Rochdale partners became activity providers Children’s University enables us to map what activities children are participating in.
Of 224 activities available in Rochdale, 63 are categorised as arts, culture, music Children completed a total of 3463 5 arts, culture, music activity hours this academic year 1 1k children are registered with the site (across 10 primaries and 1 secondary) Of these approx 700 are active and 250 achieved the 30+ activity hours needed to attend graduation
Largest participant group are year 6 (283 children) and year 5 (275 children) Participants range from reception to year 9
In the 2022/23 academic year we identified 5 primary schools in the borough that hadn’t engaged with any of the arts organisations on our steering group.
80% of those schools engaged with at least one local arts organisation this year, thanks to our targeted work
Wild Wanders
In the 2023/23 academic year, we identified which schools in Rochdale were engaging the least with the largest cultural education providers in Rochdale. This year we invited those schools to take part in the Wild Wanders project which offers access to free artist led workshops in school and cultural events. This enabled them to started talking to us about the barriers they faced Some of the schools are now taking part in Wild Wanders and some of the teachers at those schools have started attending our CPD events.
Nest
Thanks to support from the CDF2 funding, M6 Theatre were able to offer schools in Rochdale, who had never engaged with the company before, free performances of their 2023 production, Nest.
Festival of Ideas
Create Rochdale invited 12 schools to take part in the Rochdale Borough Festival of Ideas. Over 1800 children took part in free artist led workshops in their school and their ideas were then displayed in Rochdale Town Hall for the duration of the festival.
Professional Development
CPD Event Programme
This year we have delivered 6 professional development events for professionals within the Create Rochdale network Every event focused on a different theme and explored how cultural education could support school priorities, for example improving communication skills, mental health and wellbeing and increasing cultural capital. The events consisted of presentations, practical workshops and facilitated discussions.
We asked attendees what they gained from the events and they said:
‘Opportunity to share and listen to some inspirational people and collaborators ’
‘Ideas to take back to school and share with staff/headteacher ’
‘Networking, new ideas and awareness of agencies.’
‘Learnt lots about different areas of arts ’
‘Inspiration to develop the art curriculum.’
Professionals attended our CPD events
100% of attendees said they would recommend Create Rochdale CPD events to others
Over 25% of Rochdale Primary Schools have benefitted from our CPD offer
‘For many teachers, our CPD events have opened the door to our network and all the opportunities it offers.
Providing a strong CPD offer has been a crucial part of our strategy and each workshop has created ripples of further benefits for teachers, pupils and local arts organisations.’
Helen Thackray, Creative Partnerships Manager
Skills Share Programme
Create Rochdale partners identified a need for training and support, that would enable youth workers and artists in Rochdale to work in partnership more effectively. Thanks to funding from the Cultural Development Fund we have been able to devise and deliver a year long development programme led by Rochdale Youth Services.
Five artists and five youth workers have joined the programme and are attending monthly sessions where they participate in peer learning activities and discussion. The group also took a trip to The Horsfall in Manchester to engage in conversations about creative youth work In summer 2024 the artists and youth workers began working side by side to deliver creative activities with young people as part of the summer holiday programme.
In June there was a mid programme review facilitated by external evaluator Liz Mytton who said: ‘The whole group felt that there was an atmosphere of safety and a strong sense of togetherness Words used included ‘connection’,‘confidence’, ‘fun’, ‘focus’, and ‘growth’.
‘Rochdale Youth Services regularly work in collaboration with local cultural organisations but this programme has given us the time and space to explore what cultural education in a youth centre could and should look like. It’s been a brilliant development opportunity for everyone involved and we’ve already seen youth workers and artists collaborating to deliver new experiences for young people, as a result of the programme.’
Diane Higgins, Senior Youth Officer
Communication
In November 2023 we launched the Create Rochdale newsletter which provides our network with a monthly update on local cultural education activities, news and opportunities We also set up a Create Rochdale Linked In account to promote Rochdale’s cultural education activity beyond our borough
Scan the QR code or click here to sign up to our newsletter
subscribers to the mailing list
This year Altus Education Partnership launched Rochdale Enrichment Activity Hub (REACH) a new online directory of enrichment activities for young people in Rochdale. Create Rochdale partners have begun adding their activities to the website so that it is easier for young people to find out about local opportunities Ten secondary schools in Rochdale have identified staff members to be Enrichment Leads who are responsible for signposting students to the website.
enrichment activities listed on Reach
We asked Create Rochdale partners what they’ve gained from being part of this network and they said:
50% secured new funding to deliver cultural education activity
40% engaged new children and young people
90% developed new partnerships
80% gained access to relevant training, information and advice
‘It's been really useful to have a cohesive voice for connecting the education and cultural sectors’.
Hebe
Phillips, CEO, Cartwheel Arts
‘I really enjoy and value the Create Rochdale community and am happy to be a part of it’
Lucy
Smith, Operational Manager, Positive Steps
‘The LCEP has been a great way to meet teachers and cultural providers The CPD programme in particular has been brilliant We really struggle to engage more than a handful of teachers at our events, but reached so many more by joining forces.’
Jennie Vickers, Learning Manager, Touchstones
Acknowledgements
Thank you to all of the organisations and individuals who have contributed to our partnership and the activity detailed in this report:
