Schools Recruited to Creative Partnerships Enquiry School Programme 2010/2011.
By Creative Partnerships

Creative Partnerships is England's Flagship Creative Learning Programme, designed to develop the skills of children and young people across England, raising their aspirations, achievements, skills and life chances. It is one of a number of programmes generated by the new national organisation Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE).

Over the past seven years Creative Partnerships North & South Tyneside has engaged 84 schools formerly in the programme and many others through the extended offer. Twenty two schools across North & South Tyneside have successfully applied to take part in the Creative Partnerships Enquiry School Programme for 2010/2011. This includes 16 schools in North Tyneside and 6 schools in South Tyneside and involves Nursery, Primary, Secondary and SEN schools.

The Enquiry Schools programme works with schools over a period of one year, to explore how creative teaching and learning can enhance their practice. Enquiry Schools decide on a specific focus for their programme in relation to the broader needs of the school.

19 Schools remain in the Change School programme and there are three Schools of Creativity across both boroughs. For a full list of schools in your area please contact Pauline Moger, Director of Arts (details at the bottom of this newsletter). 
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Creative Careers Open Day
By Find Your Talent

On Tuesday 30 March and Wednesday 31 March the second annual Creative Careers event took place at St. Thomas More RC High School, North Tyneside and The Customs House, South Shields. The event was a great way of bringing creative practitioners and schools together and for young people to explore careers in the creative industries.

This year's event was a huge success with over 120 students from four North Tyneside High Schools and 160 students from seven South Tyneside Secondary Schools with teachers also in attendance. The event included a wide range of creative industries - filmmakers, circus skills, dancers, print makers, playwrights, visual artists, songwriters and producers, professional graffiti artists, publishers. Connexions and Arts Award were also on hand to discuss opportunities with young people.

This event was supported by Find Your Talent and The Customs House. 
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North Tyneside School Launches Radio Station
By Creative Partnerships

For their Creative Partnerships Enquiry School programme - Year 6 pupils at Holy Cross RC Primary School have worked alongside Creative Agent Mike McGrother and Creative Practitioners Phil Caffrey and Steve Thompson to create Word FM, a radio station that helps children to explore and express their emotions.

Using music and spoken word children explored their emotions and feelings to create their own programmes, creating songs, linking playlists, producing jingles and announcing news, interviewing relevent guests and producing thoughts for the day.

This was delivered in various forms including poetry and prose.

The station which was launched on Monday March 15 has formed a key part of the school's Statements to Live By agenda and has formed a major part of the school's strategy for all key stages.

After some eight weeks of planning the project culminated in a live broadcast which enabled parents and family members to experience the work.

These broadcasts will continue on a regular basis via Word FM. Check out Word FM on www.wordfm.co.uk 
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South Tyneside School explores: WHAT price fame?
By Creative Partnerships

Through their involvement as a Creative Partnerships Change School, Boldon School's year 7 and 8 pupils have been exploring 'What price Fame?.

Boldon School is particularly interested in working with students to expand thinking skills, teamwork, communication, flexibility and emotional resilience. The school aims to fully equip students for the work environment of 21st Century and empower them as confident and capable individuals.

On 25th March, an event was held to celebrate the achievements of the Personalised Learning and Thinking Skills cross-curricular theme. Parents and Governors were welcomed into the school to meet staff, students and practitioners and see presentations of ICT, dance, drama and special-effects make-up work. 
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A Fantastic Voyage
By Find Your Talent

'A Fantastic Voyage' is about to take place as Find Your Talent hosts a Steampunk exhibition in The Great Hall of the Discovery Museum, Blanford Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tuesday 13th to Thursday 15th July 2010.

Steampunk is a fusion of Victorian Elegance and Modern Technology. It's about taking our modern day gadgets and reinventing them as though they were from a bygone age.

The project is based around the science fiction genre of Steampunk, the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace (1851), and the Victorian past of the North East.

The project will work with 500 young people aged 4 - 19 via schools, youth and community groups across North and South Tyneside.

Find Your Talent North and South Tyneside is working in partnership with Tyne and Wear Museums, and a team of specialist artists to bring together this fantastic and creative project. If you would to attend the VIP opening please email findyourtalent@customshouse.co.uk. 
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More Than A Word, Newline Graffiti & Young People. 17 April - 23 May 2010
By Visual Arts

More Than A Word explores the identity, individualism, thoughts and feelings of young people from across North and South Tyneside, using street art and a fusion of traditional sign writing techniques.

The project is the collective work of 160 young people aged 5 - 19years old, who over the course of two months worked with professional graffiti company Newline to produce this thoughtful, expressive, dynamic and relevant exhibition.

This exhibition, which will be staged at The Custom House, aims to challenge stereo typical perceptions of graffiti; why it is produced and for what purpose. The exhibition includes a documentary style film depicting the processes involved in reaching the final exhibition. 
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U Dance Customs House - Sunday 2 May 2010
By Cultural Development

Customs House in partnership with Youth Dance England and Dance City is showcasing a very special afternoon of dance performances featuring some of the dance projects and work that has been happening over the past year in North & South Tyneside.

The following groups will be performing at the event - Custom Breaks, Marine Park Primary School, Vitesse Lumineuse, Amanda Nicole School of Dance, Marden High School, Imperiya Stage School, St. Columba's R.C.Primary School, Audacity, Whitley Bay Youth Dance Group, 5th street and Sarah Mcvey School Of Dance.

Tickets are available through our Box Office - www.customshouse.co.uk or tel: 0191 454 1234. For more information on the North & South Tyneside dance hub please contact Emma Horsman Cultural Development Officer, 0191 427 8197 or email: emma@customshouse.co.uk. Further information on Youth Dance England, North East can be found at: www.youthdancenortheast.co.uk 
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TALENTED TYNESIDE, Tuesday 27th April 2010, 7:00pm at The Customs House.
By Find Your Talent

Find Your Talent presents Talented Tyneside, a showcase of the activities created by children and young people in North and South Tyneside over the past year.

Here's just a taste of some of the groups who will be performing

* Marden High School choir and dance group
* Burradon school will be showing a film based on the work they did to commemorate the Burradon pit disaster of 1860.
* Customs House Youth Theatre
* East Boldon juniors and St.Aloysius - ukelele group with Custom Ukes
* Norham Boys - drama and dance group
* Ridgeway Primay school's djembe drumming group
* Custom Breaks (the Customs House B-Boy dance group)
* North Tyneside steel pans group

The performers will be supported by friends and family of the young performers in this community celebration. 
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Wilfred Street Day Centre and Boldon School Intergenerational Project
By Cultural Development

Artist, Paula Turner, lead movement and music based sessions with members of Wilfred Street Day Centre year 9 pupils from Boldon School. The inter-generational project brought much fun and enjoyment to both elders and young people alike.

A Boldon School pupil said: "I have gained confidence, this means I can speak to new people and have eye contact.

Some of the stuff the elders told me really made me laugh and the jokes that they told me. Some of their stories made me sad and I got sad about the condition some were in.

I would definitely go back and do it all again. It was the best experience of my school life." 
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