Northern Ireland programme brings artists into classrooms

Professional artists will work in classrooms at 11 schools in Northern Ireland as part of two-year programme serving urban areas in Belfast and Londonderry.

Under the scheme, backed with £15,000 of funding from Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Executive Office’s Urban Villages Initiative, each school will devise its own individual project, working with professional artists to help students develop skills such as script writing, musical composition and performance. 

Roisín McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: “Since the Creative Schools Partnership Programme was first piloted in 2017, we have seen the enormous impact it has had on participating schools and the individual students who have had the opportunity to take part in projects.

"For many, this creative approach in the classroom has had a long-term educational and social impact, opening up their minds to new creative ways of thinking and learning, as well as building confidence and self-belief."