Role of the School coordinator

Creative Partnerships School Coordinators play a key role in making schools programmes successful. They are responsible for driving the programme, and ensuring it is integrated into the wider practice of the school. School Coordinators will be members of the school’s senior leadership team, and will be accountable to the headteacher. They will influence the thinking and practice of colleagues and other stakeholders across the school community.

Key functions

Developing a creative learning community across the school
• to have knowledge, understanding and enthusiasm for creative teaching and learning as a key to raising achievement, aspiration and motivation

• to build a community of creative learning practice across the school, involving all departments as appropriate

• to involve parents, Governors and other members of the community extensively throughout the programme

• to develop, through dialogue with the wider school community, an enquiry based approach which addresses a range of issues relevant to the broader developmental needs of the school and its learners and is linked to the school improvement plan

• to facilitate the long-term development of creative teaching and learning at a structural and systemic level, using the Creative School Development Framework and other resources

• to establish a Creative Partnerships programme plan on an annual basis, linked to the Creative School Development Framework self-assessment process Programme and project management

• to act as a facilitator in school, able to translate the school’s vision for creative learning into practical implementation

• to ensure that children and young people play a meaningful and active role in shaping the Creative Partnerships programme, so that it truly reflects their interests, needs and enthusiasms

• to take overall responsibility for programme and project management, delegating extensively across the school community and ensuring roles and responsibilities are understood clearly by all

• to coordinate, in partnership with the Creative Agent, meetings and activities with creative practitioners, school staff and other partners

• to ensure that external partners engaged in the programme are able to develop appropriate
communications across the school community

• to ensure all programme activity is carried out with due regard to health and safety and the safeguarding of children and young people Working closely with the school’s Creative Agent and
Creative Partnerships staff

• to maintain a regular schedule of contact with the Creative Agent, working towards the establishment of a long-term dialogue based on trust, challenge and collaboration

• to act as the main point of contact with CreativePartnerships Area Delivery Organisation staff

• to ensure that all systems for project planning and evaluation are used in line with Creative Partnerships established procedures

Evaluation and sustainability

• to ensure that all monitoring and evaluation requirements are fulfilled and that partners commit to developing reflective practice throughout the programme
• to ensure that the financial management of the programme is managed by the school and integrated into its overall budget management systems, with due attention paid to the financial monitoring and reporting requirements requested by Creative Partnerships

• to work closely with the Creative Agent and the whole school team to ensure that effective approaches to creative teaching and learning become embedded across the school

Advocacy and dissemination

• to ensure that the school participates fully in broader advocacy and dissemination opportunities developed by Creative Partnerships and plays a proactive role locally and more widely to promote the benefits arising from the programme
• to actively network with other school partners and external partners linked with the programme, attending Creative Partnerships networking meetings as appropriate Time requirements
• A minimum of the equivalent of 20 days a year for Change Schools and Schools of Creativity and six days for Enquiry Schools
• School Coordinators will be expected to be released from other duties in order to ensure this role is allocated sufficient time to attend planning, evaluation and networking meetings