Primary and Secondary Schooling
Creative Partnerships National External Evaluation Audit Project
Creative Partnerships is the Government’s flagship creativity programme for schools and young people, managed by Arts Council England and funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (1) . It aims to develop:
- the creativity of young people, raising their aspirations and achievements;
- the skills of teachers and their ability to work with creative practitioners;
- schools’ approaches to culture, creativity and partnership working; and
- the skills, capacity and sustainability of the creative industries.
Creative Partnerships was initially designed and funded as a pilot programme (Phase 1) from April 2002 to 31st March 2004. This phase had a budget of £40 million. Sixteen pilot areas were selected by Ministers from a list of the most economically and socially challenged neighbourhoods in England. In the July 2002 Comprehensive Spending Round, Arts Council England was awarded funding for Creative Partnerships to continue beyond the original pilot programme. DCMS committed £70 million to continue to support the existing 16 Creative Partnerships and to develop 20 new Partnerships in 2004-2006. At the time of writing there are 36 Creative Partnerships working with over 1000 schools.
Creative Partnerships (CP) (2) National
Office at Arts Council England commissioned
Oxford Brookes University to conduct
three annual audits of the project evaluation
processes and practices in the 36 Creative
Partnerships across England. A team of
five Oxford Brookes staff conducted the
audit in 2006/07.
The purpose of this external audit is
to:
- analyse the evaluation process across the country, i.e. are reports rigorous, fit for purpose, consistent, comparable?
- validate and disseminate regional strengths and good practice in evaluation;
- synthesise and interrogate issues common to Creative Partnerships.
In the first audit the Oxford Brookes audit team has trialled its audit process. The audit team reviewed 10 sample evaluation reports from each CP; visited 6 representative CPs to see evaluation work, and interviewed key staff; and scrutinised sample evaluation material at a different 6 CPs. Through a process of dialogue and a consultation conference for key staff in all of the CPs in October 2007, the audit team aim to enhance its audit procedures in 2007/8 and to assist CPs to refine their evaluations and embed their good practice.
