Minister Foley announces names of schools selected for new BLAST Arts in Education residencies and Creative Clusters

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today announced details of the 425 schools selected to take part in the innovative 2024 BLAST Arts in Education Residencies programme, as well as of 42 new Creative Clusters involving 138 schools nationwide. Both initiatives are part of the Creative Youth Plan 2023 – 2027.

BLAST residency projects are creative collaborations between the artist/creative practitioner, teacher, children and young people in and with the school under the coordination of the 21 full-time Education Support Centres of Ireland (ESCI). Each residency is worth €1,100 which is fully funded by the Department of Education with the local ESC managing the administration of the Artist/Creative Practitioner’s 20-hour residency. BLAST residencies can be delivered throughout the academic year 2024/25.

The 42 new Creative Clusters announced today will see schools come together over two years to work on a project of their choice. A Cluster may receive up to €15,000 in funding to help them bring their plans and ideas around a project of their choice to fruition, with support from a local facilitator and their local ESC, between 2024 and 2026. The programme is designed to help schools build a project of learning and activities which is tailor-made for their students.

Minister Foley said:

“I am pleased to announce today details of the 425 schools which will take part in the 2024 BLAST Arts in Education Residencies Programme, as well as the schools to take part in 42 new Creative Clusters. The Government’s investment of nearly €1.2 million in these initiatives for 2024 represents the extent of its commitment to providing access to the arts for children and young people. We know the very positive benefits which can be reaped from opportunities to be creative and that is at the heart of BLAST and Creative Clusters. These programmes will support children and young people by equipping them with skills such as the ability to connect and collaborate with others, engage in creative and critical thinking, and practice inclusivity at every level.”

Notes for Editors

The Creative Ireland Programme

Building on the success of the Creative Ireland Programme 2017-2022, the Government last year extended the programme for another five years to 2027. As one of the five Pillars of Creative Ireland, the cross-departmental Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 continues to further embed and integrate creativity in all its different forms to support the hardest to reach children and young people.

Both programmes are aimed at eligible primary, post-primary, special schools and Youth Reach Centres. For 2024 - €542,500 has been allocated to the BLAST and €575,705 euro allocated to the Creative Clusters initiatives by the Department of Education.

Among the projects in schools from BLAST in 2023, was:

Hedgerow Parade: St. Josephs Special School, Waterford students explored the Irish countryside through story and myth, using this impetus to delve deeper into the flora and fauna of the locality. Through detailed conversations between the students, teacher, and creative practitioner, each session was tailored towards the learning and abilities of the students. The residency culminated in a spectacular parade, where the children wore their masks and re-enacted the rhyme, sound, and movement they had learned in their sessions.

Separately, among the projects that have taken place to date through Creative Clusters support was:

Wellbeing: In West Cork a Creative Cluster of three schools commenced working on the theme of Outdoor and indoor sensory learning to promote wellbeing of the children in 2023. Schools involved included the lead school, Trafrask N.S with Adrigole N.S. and Scoil Fhiachna. This project centres around outdoor and indoor sensory learning to promote the wellbeing of students using spoken word, music, dance and visual art while using the natural environment of West Cork for inspiration. The project aims to provide an opportunity for a different learning experience, engaging students and staff in an unpressurised way. The voice of the child is vital to the success of this initiative, giving each child across all three schools ownership of their own creativity and body of work and helps them to make a connection with themselves and other children around them.

You can find out more here .

Details of new schools participating in BLAST 2024 and Creative Clusters from September 2024 are available below.

BLAST Schools 2024

BLAST Schools 2024 - 2025

Creative Clusters Schools 2024

Creative Clusters 2024 - 2026