Our Creative Agents

Creative Agents are the extended team of Creative Partnerships. The role has been established in acknowledgement of the unique and complex nature of partnerships, the value of an ‘independent' perspective and the importance of sustained, supported relationships in ensuring effectiveness and reach.

Creative Agents need to be creative thinkers and ideas generators, able to successfully negotiate partnerships between schools and the wider creative sector and beyond through their proven understanding and sensitivity to the needs of these different sectors.

Creative Agents challenge schools and creative practitioners by acting as a critical friend. They support schools and creative practitioners to work with young people as equal partners.

For more information about the role of the Creative Agent please contact anna.jones@creativejunction.org.uk

 

Creative Partnerships - Creative Agents

Background to the role

 

There are four key phases that a Creative Agent supports a school through on a Creative Partnerships process. Although presented sequentially, they are often happening simultaneously:

 

  • Diagnostic: Analysing where a school is at and how a Creative Partnerships process might be most effectively introduced and owned by a school.  For Creative Partnerships to be most effective, it has to be done with and not to a school.
  • Planning and Brokering: Establishing a focus question, enquiry framework and action plan, with appropriate creative practitioners, to deliver a creative learning programme of work.
  • Change Management: Supporting the school and creative practitioners to introduce and implement changes, planned and incidental, that emerges through a Creative Partnerships programme;
  • Evaluation and Sustainability: Ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are involved in reflecting on the learning that has emerged from the Creative Partnerships process;

 

A brief summary of the key responsibilities of Creative Agents

 

  • Developing an effective working relationship with the school
  • Inspiring and enthusing the school about the power of Creative Learning
  • Working with leaders and leadership
  • Understanding the localised context
  • Agreeing a shared vision and values framework
  • Establishing, extending and sustaining a professional learning community in the school
  • Assisting schools in the self-assessment and action planning process using the Creative School Development Framework
  • Working with the school to develop a long term programme of high quality projects and initiatives
  • Brokering the engagement of appropriate creative practitioners
  • Establishing clarity in processes, systems and organisational arrangements
  • Ensuring that all monitoring and evaluation requirements are complied with
  • Ensuring long term sustainable change is a key characteristic of all activities
  • Celebrating achievement
  • Liaising effectively between the Area Office and the school
  • Contributing to knowledge development and sharing within Creative Partnerships

 

A brief summary of the distinctive behaviours of Creative Agents

 

  • The predisposition to seek out collaboration and engage dynamically in partnerships
  • An approach to working with children and young people as co-participants in an exploratory process
  • Creates an environment that fosters effective partnership working
  • Readiness to embrace risk and change
  • The habit of looking at things in unconventional ways from unusual perspectives
  • The status of being an outsider - someone fresh to the school
  • The skill of making connections with the creative and cultural sector - building creative networks
  • The predisposition to challenge convention
  • The habit of thinking divergently
  • A heightened imagination and sense of possibilities
  • The confidence and desire to express oneself and communicate creatively and imaginatively
  • High level creative expertise which is impressive and inspirational
  • Acts with authority and responsibility and helps others do the same
  • Actively facilitates change using creative approaches that benefits the organisation and its goals
  • Inspires colleagues and partners to welcome and embrace change as part of an approach to continuous improvement
  • Sets objectives through negotiation with a broad range of partners ensuring expectations are appropriately managed
  • Commitment to reflective practice and own professional learning