Culture vultures OK

Dec 26 2007 by Urmee Khan, The Journal

A GROUP of North youngsters who were immersed in culture for a year to see whether their exam scores would improve have seen SATs results soar.

The randomly-selected group of young people – all Year Nine intake students at their high schools – took part in a variety of arts-based projects.

As part of the Young Creatives scheme, around 30 children from three schools in Northumberland were taken on a trip to the BBC newsrooms in London, a backstage visit to Northern Stage in Newcastle and special workshops in the Brazilian martial art capoeira.

They went to The Sage Gateshead for training in singing from voice coaches Carrie and David Grant, best known for their work on the BBC’s Fame Academy and they’ve had talks from architects in the Baltic in Gateshead and artists in the Mushroom works.

The aim was to show that creative activities could help boost the aspirations and achievements of youngsters and give them broader experiences which would help them to future success.

The project involving youngsters from schools across Northumberland has seen significantly-improved SATS results and a new level of self-confidence among pupils.

Teachers from participating schools – Bedlington’s St Benet Biscop High School, Prudhoe High School and Astley High School in Seaton Delaval – reported that their students have increased levels of confidence and self-assurance.

One pupil said: “I was predicted to get level five in science and I got a level seven,” and another said: “I was predicted to get a level four in maths, English and science and got a level five in all of them.”

Many of the pupils involved in the project have achieved better SATs results than were originally predicted for them and testing carried out on those involved by Durham University showed that those who had participated “showed significant improvements over their peers in terms of risk-taking and their relationship with their school”.

In one school, all of the students taking part in the Young Creatives scheme said that if they felt under pressure at school, someone would be there to help them – against 79% of their peer group who didn’t take part in the scheme.

In another school, 90% of the Young Creatives students said that the school had provided them with the skills needed in interviewing for a job, against 37% of their peers.

The children were involved with six workshops and had several weekend residential courses, along with regular group meetings in school.

Tom Kelly, 15, from Prudhoe High School, said: “It was a good chance to do things we wouldn’t normally do and meet people and I suppose it has opened my mind and I’d quite like to go to university.”

And Liz Atkinson, 14, said: “It was nice to be picked and I learnt lots of new things.”

The report on the Young Creatives programme will be published in the New Year.