Agenda item

READING'S CULTURE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN UPDATE

A report updating the Committee on the achievements of Reading’s Cultural Education Partnership (CEP) 2016-2019, sharing the CEP’s 2020-2024 Draft Strategy and Action Plan, and setting out the key areas of priority.

Minutes:

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report that provided the Committee with an update on the achievements of Reading’s Cultural Education Partnership (CEP) 2016-2019, shared the CEP’s 2020-2024 Draft Strategy and Action Plan, and set out the key areas of priority.  The Draft Cultural Education Strategy and Action Plan 2020-2024 was attached to the report at Appendix 1.

The report explained that the CEP aimed to develop a collaborative, sustainable infrastructure that enabled opportunities for every child and young person in Reading to aspire, achieve, influence and participate in quality arts and culture.  The CEP was a partnership made up of local cultural organisations, including NPOs, key strategic partners and supported by Artswork, an Arts Council appointed organisation, and the Culture Development Officer.  The work of the CEP had focused on children and young people aged 0-19 and on vulnerable young people up to the age of 25.

The report set out the achievements against targets set in the 2016-2019 action plan as summarised below:

·       Reading Cultural Education Partnership had supported 1444 children and young people to gain Arts Awards, almost doubling the target of 750.  Arts Award was a range of unique qualifications up to A Level equivalent that supported anyone aged up to 25 to grow as artists and arts leaders, inspiring them to connect with and take part in the wider arts world through taking challenges in an art form - from fashion to digital art, pottery to poetry.

·       The CEP had focused delivery on areas of deprivation as identified in the 2011 Census.  The Partnership reached 265,532 children and young people and engaged with 94% of the schools within Reading.  Seventeen of those schools (26% of schools in Reading) had registered for Artsmark and 10 now regularly engaged with a Schools’ Connect programme run by Jelly.

·       The CEP strategy and action plan had allowed local arts and culture organisations to leverage £97,700 of funding to help deliver against targets and continue to fund their work with children and young people.

·       The CEP had facilitated partnership working and collaboration in a competitive landscape.  Through dialogues and visibility of each other’s work they were able to avoid flooding the market with similar offerings or trying to engage the same school.  This structure had also allowed for best practice sharing opportunities.

The report stated that the structure of the Partnership had been a success for those who engaged with it and further definition around this structure had been included in the updated strategy and action plan to allow for further development of the partnership.  The updated strategy and action plan had been delayed by a change in facilitators, Covid 19 and the launch of the new Arts Council England Let’s Create strategy.

Resolved:

(1)      That the achievements of the Cultural Education Partnership to date be noted;

(2)      That the draft Action Plan and Strategy for 2020-2024 be noted;

(3)      That the Assistant Director for Culture in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Culture, Heritage & Recreation be granted authority to finalise the Action Plan.

 

Supporting documents: