School of Excellence in Creativity Award Department of Education Pilot (Phase 2)

The Department of Education invites expressions of interest from post-primary schools interested in partaking in phase 2 of a project to review, evaluate and develop creativity in their school.

Overview:

Since September 2024, seven participating schools have been supported in their exploration of teaching methods and practices for creativity. Support is provided by Oide Creativity and a Department of Education Inspector as part of the Department of Education’s Creative Youth Policy actions. The pilot programme is iterative with a focus on co-professional learning and seeks to be led by the existing and emerging contexts and capacities of the partner schools. To complement and enhance the Department’s support, the programme also facilitates a collaborative sharing of professional learning and practice across the network of schools.

In 2025:

• To facilitate school-based engagement that is manageable and meaningful, participating schools will be supported to engage with the programme over a two year period.
• Support will continue to be provided by Oide Creativity and the Inspectorate as part of the DE Creative Youth plan.

Successful schools will receive the award ‘School of Excellence in Creativity 2027’

Aims:

The overarching aim of the project is to support schools and school leaders to develop and review highly effective practices that nurture the creativity of learners.

From September 2025, up to 16 participating schools will be supported to explore two inter-related strands:

1. Pedagogies to support creativity

2. Adapting learning environments to support creativity

Outputs:

• Participating schools will be required to report on the impact of the initiative. This may take the form of a poster presentation, a video, a written report etc.
• On completion schools will receive the award School of Excellence in Creativity 2027

Outcomes:

The award recognises that creativity and creative thinking are core elements of learning. It is anticipated that the project will:

• Improve the quality of learner creativity and creative thinking skills
• Enhance teachers’ individual and collaborative practice when teaching for creativity
• Support school leaders in leading learning and in using Looking at Our School 2022: A Quality Framework for Post-Primary Schools to develop a shared understanding of what effective and highly effective learning, teaching, leadership and management practices for creativity can look like in their school

Support:

Support will be provided by Oide Creativity and the Inspectorate as part of the DE Creative Youth plan. Schools will be able to avail of SSE or DEIS Planning Advisory Visits from the Inspectorate to support their engagement with the programme.

Project schools will be able to avail of substitution for attendance by teachers at any centrally-organised seminars or conferences associated with the project.

School Commitments:

As part of this pilot the participating schools will be expected to:

• Engage with a selection of creative pedagogies on a whole school basis or across a number of subject departments.
• Use the SSE model to review pedagogies and aspects of classroom layouts in relation to supporting learner creativity
• Share experiences and outcomes within the school and with others in its networks.
• Appoint a school team who will:

o Engage in a professional learning network including 2 separate days’ face-to-face training with Oide Creativity

o Participate in online workshops/seminars

o Work with the school’s own SSE coordinator to review this project’s outcomes and ensure alignment with other school targets and focuses.

Expressions of interest should be completed online at the link below. Applications will close on May 6th.

APPLY HERE: SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE IN CREATIVITY

School of Excellence in Creativity Award - Timeline

Information required for online form submission.

a. School Name

b. School Roll Number: use this link to find participating schools’ Roll Number & Eircode: Item was unpublished or removed

c. School Address & Eircode

d. School Email Address

e. School Type

f. School Context

g. School Principal’s Name

h. School Principal’s Phone Number

i. School Co-Ordinator's / School Representative's Name

j. School Co-Ordinator's / School Representative's Phone Number

k. Supporting statement referencing capacity for whole school initiatives and SSE focuses

Context:

The School of Excellence in Creativity Award is a pilot initiative of the Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 which focuses nurturing the creativity of children and young people. It is part of the Creative Ireland programme and is led in schools by the Department of Education supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science