The report said that all young people can benefit from developing their creative abilities and this should be seen as a major function of education. Creativity finds it way in all areas of the school curriculum: not just the expressive arts. It is, after all, as important to be a ‘creative scientist’ as much as anything else.
Now that the government is giving schools more freedom to approach the curriculum, it is the chance for all teachers to show that all children can be creative if given the opportunity.
Successful schools have shown that creativity addresses the way teachers reshape the curriculum at all stages in order to better enable young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. Creativity improves the self-esteem, motivation and achievement of learners as well.
Pupils who are encouraged to think creatively have greater ownership over their learning and become more interested in discovering things for themselves. This enables them to become more open to new ideas and challenges and more able to solve problems. In this way they are more able to work well with others.
Find out more about how BESA members can help schools become more creative places at The Education Show by logging on to www.besa.org.uk
