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

Successful schools will receive the award ‘School of Excellence in Creativity 2025’. The overarching aim of the project is to support schools and school leaders to develop highly effective practices that nurture the creativity of learners. Schools will be supported to explore relevant teaching methods and practices for creativity and to review effectiveness for learning in their school by taking a school self-evaluation approach.

From September 2024, up to eight participating schools will be supported to explore two inter-related strands – pedagogies to support creativity, and adapting learning environments to support creativity, with participating schools in due course reporting on the impact of the initiative in their school. On completion schools will receive the award School of Excellence in Creativity 2025. The award recognises that creativity and creative thinking are core elements of learning. Support will be provided by Oide Creativity and the Inspectorate as part of the DE Creative Youth plan. The pilot programme will be iterative with a focus on co-professional learning.

Minister Foley said, “I would encourage schools to consider this opportunity as it is aimed at supporting our education system, especially our school leaders to deliver enhanced creative learning which ultimately will help our students”

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

This School of Excellence in Creativity initiative will sit alongside a number of ongoing successful initiatives led by the Department of Education in the Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027, including BLAST, Creative Clusters, Teacher Artist Partnerships, OIDE Creativity and Local Creative Youth Partnerships.

Interested schools should direct any queries in relation to this initiative to DOEcreativeyouth@education.gov.ie.

NOTES

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