Evaluation of the Nature and Impact of Creative Partnerships on the Teaching Workforce

Authors: Emily Lamont, Jennifer Jeffes and Pippa Lord

Institution: National Foundation for Educational Research

Full reference: Lamont, E., Jeffes, J., and Lord, P. (2010). Evaluation of the nature and impact of the Creative Partnerships programme on the teaching workforce. Slough: NFER

Summary of Findings

This study provides substantial evidence of the potential of Creative Partnerships to lead to a wealth of benefits for teachers who participate in its programmes. The aims of the study were to evaluate the nature, range and extent/reach of the Creative Partnerships programme on the full spectrum of the teaching workforce and the evidence to support perceptions and claims of impact. The findings demonstrate that the impacts of involvement with Creative Partnerships are far reaching and span a wide range.

A typology of impacts was developed leading to the identification of four domains:

• personal impacts (e.g. enhanced enthusiasm for job, own creative development, increased confidence, changed personal values, and developed personal learning);
• interpersonal and leadership impacts (e.g. improved skills for working with teaching colleagues, improved skills for working with creative professionals, and enhanced leadership skills);
• teaching and learning impacts (e.g. changed pedagogical values, use of increased/new creative language, new perceptions of pupils’ learning, development of classroom practice, development of skills to help children’s creativity, and curriculum development);
• career impacts (e.g. impacts on career pathway, new roles and responsibilities).

Teachers reported impacts mostly relating to their personal development, their interpersonal and leadership skills, and their own teaching and learning skills. Career-related impacts were less common, and emerged mostly for those with greater or more sustained involvement.

The majority of responding teachers felt that Creative Partnerships had a greater impact on their professional development than other CPD initiatives and programmes. Reasons cited include opportunities to develop and to use new skills, opportunities to work with external partners and improvements in the learning environment. Creative Partnerships was felt to provide a sustained, whole-school form of professional development and teachers found it enjoyable as a form of CPD.

Research Questions & Methodology

The research followed an iterative approach to building a framework of impacts, with analysis and findings at each stage of the work informing the subsequent stages.

• 15 Case studies, using an impact trail approach to identify and evidence impact;
• An impact questionnaire survey of 2,295 teachers from 849 primary schools, 235 secondary schools, 70 special schools and 9 pupil referral units (PRUs);
• An impact typology was developed, which was refined and revised as the study progressed and used to inform analysis from the survey.

Read the report.