Engaging with Schools Programme – Applications Open

Is your museum looking at ways to engage and develop an audience with local schools? Do you need advice on how schools work, what they want and how your collections and expertise can enhance the National Curriculum and pupils learning?

MDEM are happy to invite new applicants to their popular and successful Engaging and Working with Schools Development Programme as part of its support to museums across the East Midlands. This programme provides advice and support for a selected number of museums to consider how they can engage local schools with their collections. By the end of the programme you will have acquired a long term, embedded understanding of how to work with schools and the confidence and ability to develop your own ideas, further your contacts going forward and disseminate your learning throughout your organisation.

Programme Outline:
This programme will be a mixture of facilitated training, consultancy support and practical advice with the opportunity to visit peer organisations and see learning activities in action. It will be facilitated by Creative Learning Services (CLS), a learning consultancy team with over 70 years in-house experience. CLS in partnership with MDEM will be providing bespoke training for the programme, and one on one support to all museums involved, creating targeted action plans. Alongside this, as a practising learning organisation CLS are offering the opportunity for  museums to shadow their learning offer and provide further peer support.

What is involved?
By signing up to the programme you will receive the following:

– Training on highlighted areas of need, including: understanding the curriculum, making contact with schools, websites and customer service, designing & delivering and education sessions, safeguarding, etc.

– Access to a peer learning network

– One on one consultancy support

– Access to a grant to enable outcomes

– The opportunity to shadow learning sessions with CLS

– The chance to visit other organisations

As this is an intensive support programme we require all museums who apply to be able to  commit staff and volunteer time throughout. This will involve attendance to 3 programme meetings, as well as the time back at the museum to develop your learning offer. The first two meetings will be the 11th September and 12th November. We anticipate a commitment of approximately 10 days overall, until March 2020. This programme will be ongoing, and there is the opportunity to remain involved for up to 3 years.

Who will be leading the programme?
Creative Learning Services (CLS) is a one-stop shop facility for all Leicestershire schools offering a unique combination of book loans, literacy and curriculum support and an extensive range of museum resources and classroom workshops. CLS also provides loans of high quality gallery-grade original works of art drawn from a collection of over 800 items. Between them, CLS team members have over seventy years’ experience of working in the field of museum learning winning national and regional recognition, including the 2012 Clore Award for Museum Education. Learn more about CLS, by visiting their website: www.creativelearningservices.org.uk.

How to apply?
To apply, simply complete the Expression of Interest form and return to laura.hughes@leics.gov.uk by the 15th July.

For an Expression of Interest Form, please click here.

Eligibility:
Spaces on this programme are limited, and we expect the application process to be competitive. This programme is specifically designed for museums who want to develop or enhance their relationships and support for local school audiences. It is only open to Accredited Museums and those working towards Accreditation.

To be considered for this programme, your organisation must also have completed the MDEM Business Diagnostic and submitted your forward plan in advance of your application. Once enrolled on the programme museums will also be required to submit a business plan specific to their aims of engaging with schools.

If you have any questions relating to the programme content, please contact Mary Sibson Mary.Sibson@leics.gov.uk at Creative Learning Services.