Spaeda: Placing the arts at the heart of education

At Spaeda we’re passionate about making a difference to the lives of children and young people through creativity and the arts. The arts inspire and engage, raise confidence and aspiration.

We believe that all children are entitled to a creative education and access to arts and culture.

The current squeeze on the arts in schools is unprecedented. Teacher recruitment and retention is under enormous pressure and we are seeing a mental health crisis in children and young people.
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At Spaeda we believe that putting the arts and creativity at the heart of education supports the well-being of staff and pupils and provides space for rich learning experiences.

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At Spaeda we’re passionate about making a difference to the lives of children and young people through creativity and the arts.
The arts inspire and engage, raise confidence and aspiration.

We believe that all children are entitled to a creative education and access to arts and culture.

The current squeeze on the arts in schools is unprecedented. Teacher recruitment and retention is under enormous pressure and we are seeing a mental health crisis in children and young people.

At Spaeda we believe that putting the arts and creativity at the heart of education supports the well-being of staff and pupils and provides space for rich learning experiences.

Established as a charity in 2001, we act to maximise children and young people’s engagement with arts and culture, reducing barriers to participation and building confidence and skills in arts leaders.

Sharing information 
We respond to regular requests from schools looking for partners and resources.
We signpost to national schemes such as Artsmark and the Arts Award.
We work with Sound Foundation Somerset to help music education reach as many children and young people as possible.

Carrying out research and consultation
With the University of Exeter, Graduate School of Education, we are developing a research project to enhance the understanding and application of drawing as a tool for learning.
With the Quantocks Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty we are engaging children and young people in heritage, ecology, art and landscape. We want to hear from schools in West Somerset, Taunton and Bridgwater to ensure we include what young people need.

Training and supporting school staff
We train and support teachers to be confident about their own creativity and to experience the impact of making on their own well-being.

At our events teachers share ideas on creative partnerships and gain practical skills for delivering art in school.
Teachers attending Spaeda’s Primary Art Conference enjoyed presentations and workshops from local and national arts education specialists. All those attending ‘felt more confident about delivering art in school as a result of the conference’.

The impact of our work
Between 2014 and 2018 Spaeda visited 87 schools to develop their arts provision, helping InspirED, a consortium of Somerset arts organisations, attract and maintain education partnerships across the county.

Spaeda has supported over 200 schools to develop their arts offer for children and young people, finding the right people and resources for family engagement projects, one-day workshops, curriculum focus days and school arts weeks.
Our collaborative sketchbook project, SWITCHBOOK, supported by Arts Council England, brought arts leaders together to share skills and find creative space. The project was showcased as a model of excellence at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Art and Design in Westminster because of the way it encouraged partnerships between educational, cultural and artist communities.

We are always on the look-out for people who can help us meet our charitable aims. If you’d like to volunteer, donate or find out more please get in touch:

Telephone: 01823 410160/07976118650
Email: info@spaeda.org.uk
Website: www.spaeda.org.uk