Thurrock Trailblazer Evaluation 2015/16

Thurrock Trailblazer 2015/16 

Evaluation Report


Programme Evaluation - Contents 

Executive summary………………………………………………………………..……. Page 5-13 

I. The programme 

II. How is Thurrock Trailblazer making a difference? 

III. Positive impact 

IV. Points for action 

Evaluating the programme ………………………………………………………. Page 14-16 

V. Intention 

VI. Approach and methodology 

VII. Instruments for collection 

VIII. Data set 

IX. The Thurrock landscape 

At a glance …………………………………………………………………………………. Page 17-21 

I. Activity during the year 

II. Trailblazer developing schools 

III. What partners said 

What has been achieved? ……………………………………………………….. Page 22-39 

I. Data set and approach 

II. What were schools hoping to gain from Trailblazer? 

III. How satisfied are schools with the programme? 

IV. How are schools engaging with Trailblazer? 

V. How are Cultural Champions engaging with their schools? 

VI. How is the programme building capacity in schools? 

VII. How is the programme building cultural entitlement for Thurrock 

pupils? 

VIII. What impact is the programme having on outcomes for pupils? 

IX. What are the wider benefits of Thurrock Trailblazer?


Programme Evaluation - Contents 

Action Research…………………………………………………………………………. Page 40-54 

I. Beacon Hill Academy 

II. Chadwell St Mary Primary School 

III. Grays Convent High School 

IV. Kenningtons Primary Academy 

V. Little Thurrock Primary School 

VI. Purfleet Primary Academy 

VII. What does the ‘Thurrock Trailblazer’ effect look like? 

VIII. More ways that schools have measured progress and impact 

Artsmark…………………………………………………………………………..…………. Page 55-60 

I. What is Artsmark? 

II. Why Artsmark? 

III. Artsmark and Ofsted 

IV. What value has Artsmark added to the programme? 

V. In what way has Artsmark presented a challenge? 

VI. What could be improved about Artsmark for Trailblazer? 

Reflections, forward thinking and learning ………………………… Page 61-73 

I. A learning programme 

II. Working with schools 

III. Building capacity through Cultural Champions 

IV. Progression for the Cultural Champions 

V. Leading the way 

VI. Illuminating the ‘blind spots’ 

VII. Growing the creative economy 

VIII. Towards cultural entitlement 

IX. Recommendations 

X. Conclusion 

Written by Michele Gregson


Executive Summary 

“…everything DCMS covers has a value that goes beyond the economic. 

They matter in and of themselves. Watercolour painting, playing a sport, 

visiting ancient and beautiful places, drawing, writing poetry, mastering a 

musical instrument – all of these lead to a life well lived. They raise the 

human condition and cheer our spirits. Simply put, they make us happy.” 

“...it is precisely the aggregate effect of these individual experiences that 

will bring about a healthier, smarter, more peaceable, more cohesive, and 

happier society. And so they must be available to everyone, not the 

preserve of a privileged few.” 

Karen Bradley, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, 

maiden speech 9 August 2016 

Chadwell St Mary Primary School students at English 

Touring Opera’s performance of ‘Laika the Space Dog’ 

Photography. Brian Slater 

5

The programme 

Thurrock Trailblazer is an innovative programme of high quality arts and 

cultural activities, visits to heritage sites and specialist teacher training, 

that boosts creative learning in schools and accelerates pupils’ 

development. 28 schools have participated this year - 19 primary schools, 

seven secondary and two special educational needs schools. This is an 

increase on 21 schools during the first pathfinder year. Pupils have taken 

part in 110 activities, working with artists, practitioners and educational 

specialists from 21 arts and cultural organisations. Cultural Champions 

from each school have benefitted from leadership training as well as 

professional and administrative support from the Thurrock Learning & 

Participation team. 

This year 8799 Thurrock pupils have taken part in Trailblazer. Examples of 

the kind of activity include the National Nutcracker and Design Challenge 

(part of Royal Opera House’s flagship school programmes). They have 

worked in their schools with professional dancers, singers, actors, 

designers, photographers and film-makers. Visits to theatres and historic 

buildings have inspired learning across the curriculum. Pupils took part in 

community arts events and Inspiration Days at High House Production 

Park, learning behind the scenes stage crafts. 190 teachers have 

developed new skills and been inspired by a varied, high quality CPD 

programme. 

Throughout the year, schools have given feedback on the quality of the 

programme and the influence that it was having within their setting. They 

have been encouraged to think about impact and reflective pedagogy. An 

‘action research’ approach was developed with the schools, resulting in a 

range of case studies, providing a dynamic illustration of the impact of the 

programme in Thurrock schools. 

Schools place high value on Thurrock Trailblazer and the relationship that 

they have with the Royal Opera House. They feel that the programme 

offers them direct access to world class arts and cultural organisations, 

curated and quality assured by the Thurrock team. The arts CPD 

programme is the only specialist training that these schools are accessing 

(reflecting a national decline in CPD for the arts) 1 . The focus on the 

Cultural Champions has provided a unique professional development 

opportunity for Thurrock teachers, which has led a number of them to 

promotion within their schools. 

1 NSEAD. (Date Accessed: 11/10/2016). The National Society for Education in Art and Design Survey Report 

2015/16, p32 http://www.nsead.org/downloads/survey.pdf 

6

“Thurrock children need Trailblazer. We are not cultural deserts and we 

are not cultural deserters either. This is the message from Thurrock Head 

Teachers.” 

Penny Johnson, Principal, Grays Convent High School 

Thurrock Trailblazer has been established at a time when the art, culture 

and education sectors have been challenged to work together in offering a 

consistent and high quality arts and cultural education for all children and 

young people. The ambition of the Royal Opera House and Thurrock 

Council is to capitalise on the world class resources and opportunities 

offered by High House Production Park to improve outcomes for the whole 

community. Through Trailblazer, Thurrock is gathering a powerful 

momentum towards cultural entitlement for its children and young people. 

Students performing and participating in cultural activity 

at the Trailblazer culmination event, Village Beach 


7

Research tells us that learning through arts and culture improves 

attainment in all subjects 2 , and increases confidence and motivation 3 . We 

know that participation in structured arts activities increases cognitive 

abilities 4 and that structured arts activity helps develop valuable 

transferable skills. 5 The employability of students who study arts subjects 

is higher and they are more likely to stay in employment 6 . 

Thurrock Trailblazer is making a positive difference to the quality of 

cultural learning in schools and also bringing wider benefits. Children 

attending school in Thurrock are gaining from this unique partnership 

between local authority and major cultural organisations. These culturerich, 

creative, innovating schools are more attractive places to study and 

work. Developing cultural leadership is building capacity in schools and 

creating new career pathways for teachers and students. 

At the heart of Trailblazer is a shared vision for children. The quality of the 

partnership between the Royal Opera House, Thurrock Council and 

Thurrock schools is the key to providing learning opportunities that are 

absolutely distinct to Thurrock. Thurrock Trailblazer works on a mixed 

funding model and includes financial contributions from Thurrock LA 

(41%), the Royal Opera House Learning and Participation (39%), Royal 

Opera House Bridge (7%) and the participating schools (13%). In addition, 

the Royal Opera House adds significant further value by contributing a 

number of its own already funded programmes. The Trailblazer team 

coordinates the offer from regional and national cultural partners, some of 

whom are also already funded and thus adding yet more value to the 

offer. 

2 Ruppert, S (2006). Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement. National 

Assembly of State Arts Agencies, p9. http://www.keepartsinschools.org/Research/Materials/ 

CriticalEvidence.pdf 

3 Catterall, J (2010). Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing Art. Los Angeles: I-Group Books, 2009. 

4 Culture and Sport Evidence Programme (CASE) (2016). Understanding the impact of engagement 

in culture and sport. London: DCMS, p29. 

http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/CASEsystematic-review-July10.pdf 

5 CASE, (2016). Understanding the impact of engagement in culture and sport, London: DCMS, p29. 

6 DTZ Consulting & Research (2006). Arts and Employability, Executive Summary. Edinburgh: 

Scottish Executive Education Department. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/ 

Doc/160095/0043607.pdf 

8

How is Thurrock Trailblazer making a difference? 

The best outcomes are being achieved when the Cultural Champion has 

felt inspired and equipped to engage with the different elements of the 

programme. Best practice is being seen where: 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

The Cultural Champion has embraced the professional development 

that Thurrock Trailblazer offers. 

The Cultural Champion is able to engage with their senior management 

team. 

A Cultural Governor has been appointed. 

Arts and culture have been embedded within the School Development 

Plan. 

Arts and cultural activities are integrated into the wider curriculum and 

are part of a strategic approach to learning. 

There are clear learning and development goals. 

There are systems of measuring progress and impact. 

Teachers are sharing their learning with colleagues. 

The most effective Cultural Champions have become standard bearers for 

cultural learning. They have a clear understanding of the powerful 

contribution that these experiences make to their school communities. 

They have a personal commitment to securing cultural entitlement for all 

of their pupils. 

Students engaging in cultural activity at the 

Trailblazer culmination event, Village Beach 


9

Thurrock Trailblazer is having a positive impact on: 

Pupils 

“You know, we can use these skills elsewhere, they can help you in life…I 

mean, you might be an artist, painting maybe, because you did this in 

school and then these skills that we learned about making films with 

Hope – well we might put it on social media…get spotted.” 

Kaylane, Yr 4 student, Little Thurrock Primary School 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

Confidence levels of children - more positive behaviours for learning. 

Enjoyment of learning - improvements in knowledge, skills and 

understanding across the curriculum. 

Enjoyment of activities - improved well-being and pro-social behaviour. 

Insight into the creative economy - raised awareness of vocational 

opportunities within the sector. 

Exposure to rich, world class cultural experiences - influence on 

aspirations and ambitions. 

Grays Convent High School students performing at 

the Trailblazer culmination event, Village Beach 


10

Teachers 

“Both our Cultural Champion and Deputy have found Trailblazer has 

provided an opening for a strong career in arts and cultural teaching and 

training. Confidence in training other teachers how to deliver high quality 

arts provision has been achieved.” 

Jaki Cole, Head Teacher, Little Thurrock Primary School 

• More creative approaches to teaching and learning – improving 

engagement of pupils. 

● Leadership capacity is being built – new career pathways for Cultural 

Champions. 

● Increased morale and job satisfaction – supports performance and 

retention of teachers. 

Communities 

“We invited the parents to visit the ‘museum’ on the final day and did 

not expect a big turnout. On the day, we stopped counting at 70! It was 

wonderful to see so many families celebrating the pupils’ work. Also, we 

had a record of 50 parents filling in the feedback forms, which included 

many positive comments.” 

Bianca Brand, Cultural Champion, Kenningtons Primary Academy 

● 

● 

● 

Engaging families with schools – better communication with families 

supports pupils. 

Celebrating success – families seeing the achievements of their 

children. 

Building cohesive communities – unifying different groups through 

shared arts activities. 

Thurrock Council 

“You are part of a movement that is taking high quality cultural 

education to children who definitely don’t have it on their doorstep.” 

Roger Edwardson, Thurrock Council 

● 

● 

High number of Artsmark schools - a national indicator of quality 

provision in Thurrock. 

A community of reflective pedagogy - with potential for long term 

impact on standards across Thurrock. 

11

Artists 

“Together our education offer and experiences can become stronger 

and deeper and have a legacy.” 

Jan Sharkey-Dodds, Cultural Partner, Theatre Royal Stratford East 

● 

● 

● 

● 

Building relationships with schools – better understanding of school 

needs. 

Part of a network of practitioners and educators – increased profile 

and professional connections. 

Quality professional development – improving education offer. 

Support of a dedicated programme team – more successful, well 

managed projects. 

Musician, Stuart Overington, working 

with The Ockendon Academy students 


12

Points for action 

There is a drive to develop Trailblazer as a model of cultural learning that 

will establish Thurrock as a beacon of excellent practice. 

The programme has been described by many as a ‘movement’. It is seen 

by schools, families and political leaders as being of real value, addressing 

real needs. Schools are reporting positively about the change that they 

have seen during the first two years of the programme, but caution that 

the full impact will only be seen over time. The momentum that has 

gathered will require continued investment from all partners in terms of 

resource, expertise and ambitious thinking. 

Developing and moving to deeper change 

● 

● 

Extend the menu of opportunities to embrace collaborative projects 

and more intensive engagement with practitioners and organisations. 

Review the Cultural Champion CPD and introduce a tiered programme, 

so that teachers can continue to progress and develop. 

Making strategic choices 

● 

● 

● 

Introduce CPD regarding value for money and how to maximise 

resources. 

Continue and extend CPD for evaluation and measurement of impact. 

Develop an enhanced ‘change knowledge’ element to the leadership 

sessions. 

Creating a community of learning 

● 

● 

● 

Build on the action research that has begun. 

Continue to provide a forum for reflection and debate. 

Support peer to peer professional development. 

Towards Cultural Entitlement 

● 

● 

Working with the Thurrock Local Cultural Education Partnerships 

(LCEP), conduct comprehensive mapping and tracking of the 

experiences of Thurrock Trailblazer pupils. 

Explore potential of multi academy trusts and informal consortia to 

establish Thurrock ‘cultural pathways’ for those aged 4-19. 

13

Thurrock Trailblazer 2015/2016 

Evaluating the Programme 

Intention 

Between September 2015 and July 2016 the evaluator worked with the 28 

schools and the Thurrock Trailblazer team to explore the following key 

question: 

“What is the impact of the Trailblazer programme on attainment and 

aspiration and how far does it reach across participating schools?” 

The aim of the evaluation was to record and comment upon the 

transformative journey that is the intended outcome for Trailblazer. This 

was set in the context of the targets identified by the schools and the 

programme values identified by the Royal Opera House. Collaborating with 

the Cultural Champions, the intention has been to build an evidence base of 

the impact of arts & cultural interventions, creating a useful resource for the 

Trailblazer community. 

This report presents the findings of the schools through their action 

research and provides an analysis of the information they provided. It 

considers the evolving role of the Cultural Champion and the importance of 

Trailblazer as part of school improvement strategy in Thurrock schools. 

The role and status of the Cultural Champion varies from school to 

school. The application form for the programme asked Head Teachers to 

carefully consider who was best placed to create a strategic whole school 

approach to cultural learning, and to outline the reasons for their choice. In 

the majority of schools, the Cultural Champion has embraced the role and 

has an active interest in cultural learning, although in some, the role was 

given to them without consultation. The majority had an existing arts 

leadership role within their school, though some are non-arts specialists, 

including members of senior leadership teams. 

Approach and methodology 

The evaluation adopted a combination of qualitative narrative analysis 

methods, alongside scrutiny of ‘bigger picture’ data and quantitative 

evidence collected by schools. 

The evaluator worked with the Trailblazer team and Cultural Champions to 

identify and gather data, review progress and highlight unexpected 

outcomes in the following ways: 

14

• Supporting the programme to develop an action research approach for all 

28 schools using Arts Council Artsmark, Educational Endowment Fund and 

Creative Partnerships resources. 

• Integrating evaluation with the Artsmark process, using the Quality 

Principles to shape research questions, bespoke to each school. 

• Reviewing impacts and progress towards school-identified outcomes 

during twilight and leadership day surgeries. 

• Developing best practice case studies. 

The following data sources were used: 

• Trailblazer management information systems. 

• Trailblazer reports and documents. 

• Trailblazer participant interviews: pupils, Head Teachers and Cultural 

Champions. 

• Cultural Partner feedback. 

• Records from the schools and local authority. 

• National databases: Ofsted School Dashboard, DFE School Census for 

Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics and national tables. 

Instruments for collection 

• Questionnaires for Cultural Champions, senior leaders and Trailblazer team. 

• Practitioner and participant interviews question matrix. 

• Action research reflective practice report template. 

Data set 

• Schools were asked to complete surveys at two key points – at the 

beginning of the programme, to identify their expectations and aims, and 

then again at the end of the programme, to reflect on the impact that 

Trailblazer had. They were also asked to rate different aspects of the 

programme design, delivery, quality of outputs and administration. 

• 18 schools wrote a reflective practice report, focussing on one key area of 

change through Trailblazer. This will form the basis of the Artsmark Case 

Study for many. Nine schools shared their learning through a ‘Reflective 

Practice’ group. 

• Interviews were held with the Head Teacher, Cultural Champion and a 

group of pupils in ten schools. 

15

The Thurrock Landscape 

Thurrock is a unitary authority area with borough status. It is part of the 

London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames 

Gateway redevelopment zone - a corridor of opportunity that has been 

identified by central government as the area with greatest development 

and commercial potential in the country. The metropolitan 

greenbelt covers 70% of the borough. There are seven conservation areas, 

19 scheduled ancient monuments and 239 listed buildings. The borough 

contains ten sites of special scientific interest. 

Thurrock offers great opportunity, but also challenges for the children and 

young people growing up in the area. 

In terms of the index of multiple deprivation decile rank of deprivation of 

Lower Super Output Area (LSOA), Thurrock is ranked 111 out of 326 Local 

Authorities with an Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) decile of four (one 

being the highest, ten the lowest). Within the Trailblazer schools, the IMD 

decile average is 5.4. However, within this is a wide variation – Gateway 

Primary, Tilbury Pioneer and Lansdowne Primary are amongst the top 10% 

most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. 

The number of children receiving Free School Meals in the Trailblazer 

schools is higher than the national average, the number speaking English 

as a second language is lower. 

Thurrock has a growing ‘churn’ of children, with increasing numbers of 

looked after children and asylum seeking children passing through the 

borough. 123 unaccompanied asylum seekers entered Thurrock between 

April 2015-2016. 

Thurrock has more schools judged to require improvement than the 

national average, and fewer judged to be outstanding. All statistical 

neighbours apart from Dudley have a greater percentage of outstanding 

and good schools. At the date of last inspection, of the Thurrock schools, 

three schools were judged to ‘Require Improvement’, one ‘Inadequate’ and 

five ‘Outstanding’. Schools are improving, the three-year trend is positive. 

Source: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015; English 

indices of deprivation 2015 DFE publications. 

16


At a glance 

Activity during the year 

28 Schools 

2 SEN 

19 Primary 

7 Secondary 

190 Teachers were involved in: 

7 Cultural Champion meetings 

30 CPD sessions 

21 Cultural Partners 

87% of schools have had no other 

arts CPD this year 

71% of schools have integrated 

Trailblazer into their curriculum 

92% rated the CPD as 

very good or better 

100% of schools said it had raised 

aspirations in their school 

66% of Cultural Champions have 

been promoted this year 

85% of schools felt that Trailblazer 

offered good or better value for money 

2069 Pupils came to the 

Trailblazer Culmination Event 

8799 Pupils participated in: 

27 CPD-initiated projects 

27 Cultural visits 

56 Practitioner-led projects 

893 took part in ROH projects: 

281 - National Nutcracker 

60 - Design Challenge 

120 - Big Sing 

432 - Inspiration Days 

17

Trailblazer developing schools 

In their application to join the programme, Head Teachers were asked: 

‘How would you see Thurrock Trailblazer fitting in with any identified 

targets in your school improvement plan?’ 

These were the most commonly occurring words in their answers: 

18

What partners said: Pupils 

“He was a professional dancer – and international, it was all coming from his 

experience. I mean maybe any teacher could have done what he did, but he added 

to it his experience, all those stories from his experience.” 

“It is a good memory to have.” 

“Please let everyone know about Trailblazer – we want more. We should get to see 

what is going on and get the chance to choose what we do.” 

“It’s a completely different way of learning – live…not just looking at a diagram.” 

“It really helped us to apply our theoretical knowledge, we can bring that insight into 

our reports.” 

“Actually seeing things gives you a better idea of how to do it yourself. I could see 

that Victorian games had the same basic ideas as modern ones. It got me thinking 

you know...” 

“When you make things you remember better.” 

“The whole school worked together and it was brilliant. And we got to see our 

teachers’ hidden talents.” 

“You don’t get into things really by just reading – you need to do it, feel it.” 

“Our teachers have learned too – we are starting to see things that they learned in 

our lessons.” 

“Artists are more imaginative because that is what they do – all of the time.” 

“We might get a SATS question about the Victorians and all we will have to do is 

close our eyes and go right back (to the palace) in our minds.” 

“We learnt that ideas are valuable and you have to protect them.“ 

“I used to hate school, now I love it.” 

19

What partners said: Cultural Champions 

“These opportunities give us balance, bring joy and wider learning – for me as 

much as anyone.” 

“Artists take everything that bit further…to such a passionate point. It’s a much 

bigger thing, and I think it is good for our pupils to see that – to encounter those 

kind of values.” 

“Trailblazer has given me the time and space to think about my leadership, which is 

something that I haven’t had before.” 

“The CPD is really valuable for our teachers – we have an ambitious team – staff 

compete to get onto the most popular workshops!” 

“We will always have to prove the value of the arts. I feel that Trailblazer has given 

me the tools to start to demonstrate impact.” 

“My teaching has improved. This has reminded me that trial and error works better 

with children than rigid expectations. Without Trailblazer at this early stage in my 

career I might not have had the confidence to build creative practice in to my 

teaching. I might have gone down a very dry academic route...” 

“I have gone from Arts Specialist to being viewed as whole school art expert and 

have been very active in whole school arts and culture leadership. I’ve learnt that 

you can lead from wherever you are. The future is bright for me” 

“I have taken on a lot more responsibility in the management and engagement of 

other staff including learning outside of the classroom.” 

“I am the Maths lead in the school and this has always been my area of interest. 

However, since becoming the Cultural Champion, I have developed a greater 

interest in and love for the arts. It has been very rewarding to see the positive 

impact the arts can have on our children as well as our staff.” 

20

What partners said: Head Teachers 

“The arts have now been given a ‘new status symbol’ and priority in our school and 

are valued more. Through Trailblazer we have started to see families talking about 

learning and pupils are more inspired to take part in different art forms. Feedback 

from teachers show that teachers are aware of the difference arts activities can 

make to pupils’ learning and that they need to include these art forms/ skills in 

other lessons too.” 

“Initiatives will only work if the leadership team value them as being holistically 

valuable for the whole school.” 

“I have staff who want opportunities, I’ve always got leaders in waiting. The Cultural 

Champion role is a chance to give a responsibility that is valuable to the whole 

school.” 

“Our key role is to develop children – and artists offer us something unique. It’s all 

about doing dangerous things in safe places. Because ideas can be dangerous 

things.” 

“Trailblazer absolutely ties in with our school approach. It is a seamless mix that 

works – the challenge is to get all Thurrock schools integrating arts and culture into 

their curriculum.” 

“For us it is all part of the curriculum entitlement agenda. Our children are better, 

more balanced, compared to others that we see – and this is the feedback that we 

get from FE providers.” 

“In a crowded curriculum, I see the stimulus of the arts as fundamental to crosscurricular 

work. Trailblazer has been the vehicle for us to broaden our curriculum – 

it takes us off the conveyor belt.” 

21


What has been achieved? 

Students from Woodside Primary Academy 

performing at the Trailblazer culmination event, Village Beach 


22

Data set and approach 

Schools were asked to complete surveys at two key points – at the 

beginning of the programme, to identify their expectations and aims, and 

then again at the end of the programme, to reflect on the impact that 

Trailblazer had. They were also asked to rate different aspects of the 

programme design, delivery, quality of outputs and administration. 

18 schools wrote a case study, focussing on one key area of change 

through Trailblazer. This will form the basis of their Artsmark Case Study 

for many. Nine schools shared their learning through a ‘Reflective 

Practice’ group. 

Interviews were held with the Head Teacher, Cultural Champion and a 

group of pupils in ten schools. 

Students performing and participating in cultural activity 



23

What were schools hoping to gain from Trailblazer? 

Schools within the programme are reporting that children and young 

people living and learning in Thurrock have been: 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

Introduced to the diverse professional roles that make up the cultural 

industries. 

Experiencing high quality, live, professional arts. 

Accessing cultural experiences from diverse cultures. 

Learning outside the classroom in a range of cultural settings. 

Leading and shaping cultural experiences with peers and the wider 

school community. 

Accessing learning pathways that progress interest and skills in a 

chosen art form. 

Able to express themselves through the arts. 

Introduced to foundation skills and techniques found in arts 

curriculum areas. 

Encouraged to present and share their own arts work with others. 

These are the key elements that Thurrock schools said should be the 

basis of a cultural entitlement programme during consultation for 

Thurrock Trailblazer in 2014. 7 

For the 2015/16 programme, each school identified a particular area of 

priority in a pre-audit. They went on to refine this into a ‘key question’ or 

set of objectives that they planned to evaluate as part of their Artsmark 

development. 

Within many of the schools there is a strong belief that arts & culture 

experiences are an effective way to capture the imagination and interest 

of pupils, which will enhance their learning (and consequently 

attainment) across the curriculum. Few schools expect to see a direct or 

immediate impact on attainment in the core subjects, but they do expect 

to observe changed ‘behaviours for learning’ that contribute to wider 

improvement strategies. 

“The development of creative skills, resilience and emotional maturity are 

identified ‘soft skills’ that we believe will empower our students to really 

start to take control of and responsibility for their own learning, wellbeing 

and successes through life.” 

Deborah Hulme-Sheffield, Cultural Champion, William Edwards School 

The quality and range of the Cultural Catalogue is widely appreciated, 

and for many schools, this is the most important benefit. These schools 

are generally addressing identified gaps in their provision. Increasing 

7 Crook, E & Manser, S (2014). Ambition, Achievement & Aspiration: Cultural Entitlement for 

children & young people. 

24

their cultural provision is primarily about securing a broad and balanced 

curriculum, to meet the needs of all children. 

“Our aim is to provide a curriculum which enriches the lives of our pupils. 

Our 2015/16 aim is to review again our curriculum plans and ensure that 

cultural entitlement is seen throughout all areas and in every year group.” 

Dan George, Head Teacher, Tilbury Pioneer Academy 

Whilst cultural entitlement is implicit in the aims of many schools, at the 

beginning of the year it was only referenced as a core aim by a handful. 

In their initial audits, schools were generally exclusively focused on the 

benefits that Trailblazer could bring to pupils, less so with the potential 

to build capacity and professional development for staff. None of the 

schools spoke about improving job satisfaction, or staff well-being. This 

did emerge as an increasingly important area during the year. 

Table 1 

Priorities related to whole school 

development plan targets 

Number of schools 

identifying this as a priority 

Enhance the curriculum with stimulating 10 

experiences 

Increase amount and quality of arts and 9 

cultural provision 

Wellbeing and personal development 8 

Improve behaviours for learning 8 

Cultural entitlement 8 

Attainment in the core subjects 7 

Community engagement 6 

Develop creative approaches to 

6 

teaching and learning 

Raise aspirations/broaden horizons 6 

Improve quality of teaching and learning 5 

in the arts 

Raise the profile of the school 5 

SMSC/British values 3 

Support for Artsmark journey 2 

25

How satisfied are schools with the programme? 

Of those surveyed, 85% of schools felt that Thurrock Trailblazer offers 

good or better value for money. 15% felt that it was satisfactory. 

In total 190 teachers accessed 184 hours of CPD and consultancy time. 

Pupils took part in 110 unique arts and cultural activities. In terms of value 

for money, the more staff and pupils involved, the better the return for 

the school. 

“Trailblazer offers excellent value for money. It is really important that 

schools make a financial commitment - you value the resource more if 

you have costed it thoughtfully.” 

Steve Munday, Head Teacher, William Edwards School 

Overall levels of satisfaction with the quality of Thurrock Trailblazer are 

high, with schools recognising the programme as a unique and valuable 

resource. 

“We need Trailblazer. We don’t have the time to find providers, and we 

need to know that they are top quality. With Trailblazer the outline 

planning is done, the admin support is there to help us create a really 

bespoke experience. The CPD offer is really important too – where else 

would we find it?“ 

Sue Hewitt, Principal, Beacon Hill Academy 

Teachers taking part in the Royal Opera House: National Nutcracker CPD 


26

Table 2 

How satisfied are the schools? Average ratings - responses to survey 

questions: 1-5 scale, 1 = excellent, 5 = very poor 

Quality of artists and Cultural Partner’s 

offer 

1.3 

Quality of programme administration 1.2 

Value of Thurrock Trailblazer as a resource 

for the school. 

Quality of CPD 

Progress towards identified aims 

1.6 

92% good or better 

100% made progress 

82% in line with or 

beyond expectations 

The quality of the offer and professionalism of the programme team were 

repeatedly referenced. There were a small number of instances where 

schools differed quite dramatically in their feedback about the same 

practitioner. That variety of responses might suggest that schools 

weren’t always making selections in the most informed way and/or were 

not aware that they could work in a more bespoke way. 

Students working with photographer, Hope Fitzgerald 

Photographer. Brian Slater 

27

How are schools engaging with Trailblazer? 

Table 3 

Art Form choices from Cultural 

Catalogue 

Number of schools selecting from 

this category 

Theatre/Drama 20 

Historic Venue 19 

Visual Arts 21 

Singing 21 

Dance 10 

TOTAL 91 

Of these choices, 39 of them involved an off-site visit, 52 an in-school 

artist led project or interactive workshop. Many of the projects were CPD 

led or included elements of CPD. 

Schools reported that their Cultural Catalogue choices reflected areas 

where their provision and expertise was weakest. The choices for historic 

venue visits generally reflected linked areas of curriculum, with the visit 

and project being used to enhance learning in non-arts areas of learning - 

literacy being a key one. Schools reported that staff gained valuable skills 

and knowledge from all of the choices. Not all had planned this in a 

strategic way, but could see the benefits of doing so. Where new 

learning was shared with other staff, the schools felt that they were 

getting better value for money, and that the potential impact on teaching 

and learning went much wider and deeper. 

The interest across art forms was evenly spread, with the exception of 

dance. This is in some ways surprising, as national trends around dance 

provision would suggest that this is an area of need. This requires further 

investigation. 

Funding sources 

Schools are funding their Trailblazer activity in a variety of ways - 

through Staff CPD budgets, pupil premium, arts curriculum budget and 

parental contribution. Some reported that the funding had come from 

miscellaneous ‘pots’. There was some caution about the use of Pupil 

Premium as the auditing for this funding needs to be scrupulous and 

some schools felt unsure about how to best represent Thurrock 

Trailblazer as an intervention for these groups. 

28

Working across Multi Academy Trusts 

There are a number of issues emerging around engaging with Trusts that 

should be considered going forward. Thurrock is moving closer to 100% 

academisation of its 53 schools, 38 of which currently have Academy or 

free school status. Trailblazer has included a number of schools from the 

same Academy Trusts as well as some who are the only member of their 

Trust to be involved. There are plans for some of Thurrocks’ ‘empty 

MATs’ to expand, which is likely to include groups of schools who have 

been part of Trailblazer. 

There is potential for Trailblazer to add value to these developing Trust 

relationships as well as challenges of engagement. Where cultural 

entitlement has been adopted by a Trust as one of its values (eg St 

Clere’s Co-operative Trust) there is a strong driver for all of their schools 

to work together on Trailblazer. This is beginning to happen with one of 

the groups of schools who plan their curriculum jointly, and attempted to 

align their Trailblazer activity. A single Cultural Champion has led across 

the MAT, but this has not always resulted in the best choices or 

outcomes for all of the schools. To date, there has been little evidence of 

sharing good practice, exploiting economies of scale or joint strategic 

planning. 

Community of learning - reflective practice 

Cultural Champions have valued the opportunity to meet with colleagues 

from other schools to share experiences and expertise. Schools have 

developed their interest in action research, producing case studies and 

presenting their findings to the group. Other than through Trailblazer, 

87% of Cultural Champions surveyed said that they have had no arts (or 

arts related) CPD in their schools this year, something that is very much 

in line with national trends 8 . The germination of an independent arts CPD 

network is apparent, with a number of schools planning to organise 

regular peer led arts CPD. This is positive action arising out of Trailblazer. 

The questions in the application form, the requirements of Artsmark and 

the ongoing action research have encouraged schools to reflect on the 

impact that arts and cultural interventions are having. Increasingly their 

value for money judgements are based on evidence rather than 

supposition. Schools have been much clearer this year about the change 

that they expect to see, and have planned activities carefully to address 

identified aims. 

8 NSEAD. (Date Accessed: 11/10/2016). The National Society for Education in Art and Design Survey Report 

2015/16. http://www.nsead.org/downloads/survey.pdf 

29

“We used different elements of our ‘Living Library’ project to pull in 

learning aims from across the curriculum. We used the School 

Development Plan as the framework to help us.” 

Kirstie Hatton, Cultural Champion, Thameside Primary School 

Teachers taking part in the Royal Opera House: National Nutcracker CPD, 

students working with photographer Hope Fitzgerald 

and acapella group, Sons of Pitches. 


30

Table 5 

Examples of ‘key questions’ for action research 

How will improvement in the creative provision impact upon boys’ 

progression in skills and attainment? 

If we strategically extend the cultural offer for the children, will it 

inspire pupils writing across the curriculum through broadening their 

experiences and enthusiasm? 

Has the Trailblazer project raised the aspirations of the children? 

Is following a child-led process in arts teaching conducive to 

developing transferable skills (eg resilience, risk-taking, teamwork) 

that would be useful in core subjects (ie English, Maths and Science)? 

How can we use the arts to increase pupil aspiration so that they have 

an understanding of the world of work? 

Is there a higher parental engagement as a result of our increased 

involvement in teaching and delivering the arts? 

Can the development of film and related technology improve the 

pupils' ability to be better investigative learners? 

Can all teachers embrace arts and culture within their teaching and 

planning? 

When asked about the impact different aspects of the programme had 

had on their professional practice, Cultural Champions identified 

reflective practice and evaluation as transformative. The importance of 

the opportunity to share good practice and engage in professional 

dialogue was mentioned many times. A learning community centred 

around reflective pedagogy is being established. 

“I have been so inspired listening to what other schools have done. 

Without these sessions, I wouldn’t get the chance to talk to teachers from 

such different types of school.” 

Neil Moore, Cultural Champion, William Edwards School 

Participating pupils 

Some schools are using Trailblazer in an inclusive way, ensuring that all 

children in the school take part in some way - Kenningtons Primary 

Academy and Beacon Hill Academy are examples of this. William 

Edwards School has embedded Trailblazer resources into their personal 

development curriculum, which is followed by all of Year 7. 

31

Other schools are enriching examination courses and specific parts of the 

arts curriculum. For example, Grays Convent High School are developing 

drama in the school through Trailblazer. Thameside Primary School have 

taken a strategic approach, tailoring Trailblazer opportunities to key 

groups and targets within their development plan. 

For many schools the principle of inclusivity is problematic. Inclusion is 

interpreted in this case as meaning that all pupils will get equal access to 

the same opportunities. This can be difficult to achieve practically and 

financially. A smaller number are targeting disadvantaged pupils in order 

to ‘level the playing field’ and give them access to experiences that other 

pupils have elsewhere. 

Discussion around how pupils are selected and how that might link to 

different funding streams would be useful. 

Student participating in a Thurrock Local Plan activity 



32

Integrating activities into the curriculum 

“It is important that Thurrock Trailblazer becomes an essential part of the 

curriculum and weaved through every area. If Trailblazer was to be used 

as a bolt on to the curriculum, with no overall relevance, it would have 

very little impact on raising standards… We have learnt that the 

Trailblazer projects are more effective when they are linked with the 

children’s work in class and topics and run very much as partnerships 

with the practitioner. They can be used to enhance and build… 

transferrable skills that the children can use across the curriculum.” 

Michael Nunn, Deputy Head Teacher, Chadwell St Mary Primary School 

Of those surveyed, 71% reported that Trailblazer activities had been 

integrated into the curriculum. For many schools, projects with artists 

provided a significant proportion of the arts curriculum for selected 

groups of pupils. Visits such as those to Historic Royal Palaces formed 

the basis of investigative work and themed curriculum plans, often used 

to stimulate writing. Visits to theatre performances were most likely to 

be treated as a ‘one off’ enriching experience. Examples of integrated 

activity include: 

• Designer Natalie Ryde working with pupils to improve numeracy 

skills. 

• Theatre Royal Stratford East working with the whole school to 

engage children and parents with reading. 

• A visit to Historic Royal Palaces as the starting point for creative work 

within a Key Stage 3 personal development curriculum. 

• Film-maker and photographer, Hope Fitzgerald, working with primary 

school pupils making films about the life cycle of plants. 

How are Cultural Champions engaging with their schools? 

There are a number of schools who place a premium on arts and cultural 

provision, recognising the wide ranging impact on school ethos, 

attainment and well-being. Here, Cultural Champions are encouraged by 

senior managers to lead reflection and debate about teaching and 

learning. Trailblazer is firmly embedded in school development plans. In 

other schools the potential for the arts is yet to be fully explored. In these 

schools the Cultural Champion is often an isolated voice, with the arts 

marginalised. 

33

Amongst the 28 schools, three broad categories of engagement 

emerged: 

1. Those who believe that arts and cultural experiences are desirable 

but expendable when time and resources are needed elsewhere. 

In these schools, Cultural Champions often struggle to overcome 

practical obstacles. 

2. Those who place priority on the benefits that arts and cultural 

activities can bring to learning in the core subjects, including the 

development of ‘soft skills’ that support positive behaviours for 

learning. These schools are integrating Trailblazer into the wider 

curriculum and targeting particular student groups and learning 

needs. Cultural Champions are engaging staff by presenting an 

instrumental case for higher attainment. 

3. Those who view arts & culture as an entitlement and prioritise the 

unique contribution to personal and community development. In 

these schools the Cultural Champions present a persuasive case 

fueled by their strong personal conviction. 

How is the programme building capacity in schools? 

The Cultural Champions are essential to the success of the programme. 

They act as the gatekeepers for their schools. Over two years Trailblazer 

has established a cultural leadership programme that has had a profound 

effect on many of the Cultural Champions. 

At the beginning of the year, despite a clear description being provided, 

many of the Cultural Champions were unsure of what their role would 

entail, and lacked confidence in their ability to influence policy and 

practice within their schools. Over the course of the year, confidence has 

grown, along with the ambition and commitment of many of the Cultural 

Champions. 

“The highlight? Really gaining an in depth understanding of why arts and 

cultural learning is the best mechanism for learning anything and 

everything and making that happen within our school.” 

Amelia Wood, Deputy Cultural Champion, Little Thurrock Primary School 

This has been observed in the nature and quality of discussion during 

Cultural Champion sessions and one to one interviews, where language 

shifted from focus on barriers to reflecting on how to influence. All of the 

Cultural Champions attended Artsmark training and submitted a case 

study examining the impact of Trailblazer in their schools. 

34

Feedback from the leadership sessions led by Hillary Carty was 

excellent. 9 Of the 28 Cultural Champions, one has moved to a headship 

outside of the borough and 27 will still be working in Thurrock schools in 

September 2016. Two thirds of those surveyed reported that they had 

achieved promotion and attributed it directly to the skills they developed 

through Trailblazer. 

In terms of teacher retention (a key target for the schools and Thurrock 

Council), these are very encouraging responses. 

“I used what I learnt in Hillary’s leadership session in my interview for a 

senior leadership post. I got it!” 

Janet Dada, Cultural Champion, Woodside Primary Academy 

Teachers are making good use of the arts CPD programme, with 190 

teachers taking part. Cultural Champions report an increase in confidence 

and quality of arts teaching and learning in their schools. 

The requirement that schools appoint a Cultural Governor has given 

Cultural Champions an important link to connect with school 

development. The Cultural Governor training led by Christina Birt 10 was 

very well received. Thurrock now has a large number of Governing 

Bodies who have a well-informed, pro-active representative for cultural 

learning. 

How is the programme building cultural entitlement for Thurrock pupils? 

Schools are reporting their aspirations towards cultural entitlement. This 

has emerged in interviews and the case studies as an issue that has 

become a greater priority for many. The Gateway Academy Trust schools 

share a commitment in their mission statement to ensure that all pupils 

access a minimum of one cultural experience per term. Pupils themselves 

are aware of the benefits of cultural learning, and are asking why it isn’t 

available to all. 

“Trailblazer should go to more schools. I think they would really benefit 

and enjoy the opportunities that we have.” 

Ryan, Year 5 student, East Tilbury Primary School 

Many of the Cultural Champions now have a more informed picture of 

their arts provision and are using this to push for greater development. 

9 Carty, H (2016). TT Leadership Workshop Evaluation Report 2016. 

10 Birt, C (2016). Trailblazer Governor Workshop Evaluation 2016. 

35

“During my survey and analysis I was completely shocked by how little is 

done around school and so therefore, my main priority was to start 

pushing for cross curricular projects and to get all staff on board. With 

my evidence I met the SLT and Head Teacher and had a discussion about 

how we can start to improve this. This is when the talks with middle 

leaders happened and the cross curricular projects started to develop. I 

am very aware that this is something that now needs to become a culture 

once more at Gable Hall.” 

Karina Latham, Cultural Champion, Gable Hall School 

Students engaging with a wide range of Cultural 

practitioners in cross-curricular activity 


36

What impact is the programme having on outcomes for pupils? 

“When looking at the project as a whole, we feel that the greatest lesson 

to come from the experience is the knowledge that many of the deep 

rooted fundamental barriers to improving writing cannot be changed in a 

year. We have realised that this is an ongoing process to build on the 

childrens’ skills and experiences year upon year.” 

Michael Nunn, Deputy Head Teacher, Chadwell St Mary Primary School 

Establishing a direct causal link between the cultural learning 

interventions of Trailblazer and attainment in the core curriculum is 

beyond the scope of this evaluation. However, by adopting an evaluative 

approach, schools are beginning to gather a rich mosaic of evidence of 

improved standards that is based on their own action research. The 

effect of cultural learning on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural 

(SMSC) values of these schools is to foster a climate that is beneficial to 

learning. This reaches across all curriculum areas as pupils develop the so 

called ‘soft skills’ that help them access higher levels of learning. 

“The language we learned we used in our books...makes our writing more 

professional and we might want to be authors and finding out about the 

author who persevered has improved our perseverance.” 

George, Year 5 student, Little Thurrock Primary School 

Students performing at the Trailblazer culmination event FUSED 


37

Thurrock schools tell us this about their children: 

• Those that are happy, learn best and are less likely to be persistently 

absent. 

• Through performing, exhibiting and broadcasting they develop more 

self-confidence to communicate more clearly and with purpose. 

• Making and designing artefacts helps them to solve problems and 

plan their learning. 

• Drawing and painting helps them to form letters more legibly and 

fluently. 

• When they have memorable, compelling experiences, they are 

stimulated in their related learning. 

• Experience ideas through ‘hands on’ creation, leads to deeper 

learning. 

• By making creative connections with different areas of learning they 

are then able to surmise and predict in other situations. 

• Are inspired by new and exciting experiences, and aspire to more 

ambitious life goals as a result. 

There is a wealth of global evidence that cultural learning supports better 

outcomes for children, in the ways that Thurrock teachers are 

11 12 

describing. 

What are the wider benefits of Thurrock Trailblazer? 

In the case studies, there are numerous examples of the way that 

Trailblazer helps schools to achieve the quality principles defined by the 

Arts Council. 

• Striving for excellence and innovation. 

• Being authentic. 

• Being exciting, inspiring and engaging. 

• Ensuring a positive and inclusive experience. 

• Actively involving children and young people. 

• Enabling personal progression. 

• Developing belonging and ownership. 

Many schools have commented on increased parental engagement as a 

result of Trailblazer. In addition, schools were likely to identify one or 

more of the following as being improved as a result of Trailblazer: school 

ethos, (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development), SMSC, British 

11 Catterall, J (2010). Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing Art. Los Angeles: I-Group Books, 2009. 

12 Culture and Sport Evidence Programme (CASE) (2016). Understanding the impact of engagement 

in culture and sport. London: DCMS, p29. 

38

values, teacher retention, culturally enriched communities, enhanced 

awareness of employment in the creative sector and improved staff-pupil 

relationships. 

In general, however, there has been quite limited consideration about 

whether Trailblazer can contribute to the full range of these wider school 

needs. Not all issues will be of equal priority in each school. However, 

there is a great deal of scope for cultural champions to lead wider 

reflection about the potential reach of Trailblazer within their school 

communities. The application of the quality principles to all areas of 

teaching and learning practice would be an excellent point of reference. 

Chadwell St Mary Primary School students performing 

at the Trailblazer culmination event FUSED 


39

Thurrock Trailblazer 2015/2016 

Action Research 

All Thurrock Trailblazer schools have registered as Artsmark schools this 

year. They have been encouraged to use the resources provided by 

Trailblazer to support their Artsmark journey. The programme team 

worked with Cultural Champions to think about the impact that arts and 

culture can have in their schools. 

The Ockendon Academy students working with 

musician, Stuart Overington 


A number of schools engaged in action research, gathering evidence of 

the impact of a particular aspect of their Trailblazer experience. 

Working with the ROH Learning and Participation team, each school 

created a year-long calendar of cross-curricular creative activities that 

was tailored to their school’s needs. Each school picked one aspect of 

their Trailblazer programme to explore the impact. 

To see the full reports and a presentation of this research, please contact 

the Trailblazer programme team. 

40

Beacon Hill Academy 

“I learnt how to listen, I did a dance in assembly just like the dancers do, the 

class enjoyed it, I liked having people watch me” 

Aaron, Year 11 student 

School details 

Beacon Hill Academy is a school for pupils with severe and profound learning 

difficulties aged 3-19 and a Specialist College for sensory and physical needs. 

The school has just had an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted judgement and recognised as a 

Platinum Artsmark School. The Cultural Champion is Amanda Bradley. 

Why did Beacon Hill Academy join Trailblazer? 

To develop more links to the arts in their education provision and with other 

schools or agencies to share expertise and learning. 

A Beacon Hill Academy student at the Tower of London, participating 

in a Historic Royal Palaces: Time Explorers Challenge workshop 


What whole school priority was linked to Trailblazer? 

Beacon Hill Academy students require support and education when they are 

beyond statutory school age and the school had identified this transition as a 

key concern. 

41

What was their action research question? 

Can we incorporate dance into our provision as a learning medium? 

What did they do? 

Jo Frater of Confidance worked with teachers to explore ways that children 

with extremely limited movement could respond to music and choreograph 

movement. The aim was to create compelling experiences that build memories 

and a physical memory triggered by the music. Remembering, retelling, and 

recreating movements deepen learning. Using their learning from all of their 

Trailblazer experiences, they have started training others in how to use the arts 

to engage activity, to ensure there is provision when the students leave school. 

Who took part? 

Teachers worked directly with Jo then worked together with pupils throughout 

the school. 

The difference that has been made 

● Through dance, pupils have made exceptional progress towards a range of 

individual learning goals. 

● The artists provided positive role models of success, and pupils are 

recognising their abilities through seeing recordings of their own dance. 

● All teachers are now enthusiastic and confident to lead dance. 

● Teachers have new skills that they can share with other educators. 

How do they know this? 

● By collecting stories rather than data. There is a narrative case study on 

every child. 

● Recording learning sessions and outcomes to illustrate progress. 

● Dance has been incorporated into learning plans. 

● Evidence of impact was shared with an external evaluator. 

How did Trailblazer support that whole school priority? 

Transition agencies and partners are able to use dance to connect with young 

people from Beacon Hill Academy. 

Taking it forward 

“Trailblazer helped us to realise how much the arts is important in our school. 

Without the Arts, we wouldn’t have a curriculum! It's across every lesson.” 

Amanda Bradley, Cultural Champion, Beacon Hill Academy 

Beacon Hill would like to become a flagship Artsmark school, recognised for 

their cross curricular work and quality of partnerships. 

42

Chadwell St Mary Primary School 

“It makes our minds less heavier…with art you just do it – it helped me get away 

from the stress of the SATs” 

Fabiana, Year 6 student 


Chadwell St Mary Primary School is a single-form entry primary school with 

approximately 210 children on roll. The school was rated as ‘Good’ in its most 

recent Ofsted in 2011. The Cultural Champion is Michael Nunn. 

Why did Chadwell St Mary Primary School join Trailblazer? 

To use Trailblazer expertise and advice to improve outcomes for the pupils and 

the professional development of the staff. The school wanted to extend the 

range and quality of their well-established cultural offer. 


Two key areas from the School’s strategic plan - improving the cultural offer 

and cultural awareness of the children and to improve writing across the school. 


If we strategically extend the cultural offer for the children, will it inspire pupils’ 

writing across the curriculum through broadening their experiences and 

enthusiasm? 


The Trailblazer experiences were used as inspiration for writing. Staff and pupils 

took part in a range of projects in school led by practitioners, in school teacher 

led projects and out of school workshops. An audit of staff identified areas of 

development around arts and cultural practice. The CPD programme was 

tailored to enhance the cultural offer within the school. 


For their research, the focus was a core control group of 24 children across 

Years 1–6, these children covered a range of different ability groups, different 

genders and included some children from disadvantaged families or those with 

English as an additional language. 


● Children’s writing is consistently better when writing about a real life 

experience. This may come in the form of a description of a place they have 

visited and/or drawing upon ideas and feelings of the experience. This 

improvement can be seen in all age and ability ranges across the school. 

43

● 

The enjoyment of the children has resulted in the work leading up to and 

after the experience being of better quality because the children are more 

engaged and inspired by what they are asked to do. 

Chadwell St Mary Primary School students singing with English 

Touring Opera during their performance of ‘Laika the Space Dog’ 



● Teacher assessments established a benchmark for literacy progress and 

attainment. This was monitored throughout the year. 

● Pupil engagement, enjoyment and motivation were captured in pupil voice 

and teacher surveys. 

How did Trailblazer support their whole school priority? 

The school has produced a Cultural Calendar which maps provision and ensures 

integration with curriculum aims. 


Their action research has shown that although their first year in the Trailblazer 

scheme has been successful, there is more to be done. For Chadwell St Mary 

Primary School, Trailblazer is a long term process about changing the 

fundamental habits and experiences of the children in the school. 

44

Grays Convent High School 

“What I learnt with Hope…I’m transferring skills to other places. It feels like the 

learning is just…deeper” 

Kalina, Year 10 student 


Grays Convent High School is an 11-16 all girls Catholic School, with a student 

roll of 544. The Cultural Champion is Lucie Burrow. 

Why did Grays Convent High School join Trailblazer? 

Because of the range of cultural opportunities that pupils would be able to 

access and the quality assurance offered by the Royal Opera House. 


To improve the quality of the curriculum and to improve the perception of the 

school both internally and externally. 


How can Trailblazer develop our arts and cultural provision, and creative 

curriculum? 

A photography workshop with Hope Fitzgerald 


45


They worked with a range of Trailblazer projects both in school led by 

practitioners, in school teacher led projects and out of school workshops 

including theatre, photography, dance and design. The Cultural Champion 

worked with teachers to look at how to embed these opportunities into 

schemes of work and curriculum offer. 


25.74% of pupils were involved in fresh and innovative arts and cultural based 

events and activities. To make Trailblazer an inclusive experience, target groups 

were selected. In some cases, this was by academic ability; the design project 

was undertaken by a top set Art group, whereas the Kinetika: Thurrock 100 

workshops were undertaken by lower set Year 8 students. Pupils from 

disadvantaged backgrounds accessed arts and cultural experiences which many 

of them have not had before and are unlikely to have through home. 

The difference that has been made? 

● Drama has been introduced to the curriculum for Years 8 and 9. 

● Assessment practice for arts subjects – ‘Life without levels’ has been put 

into place. 

● The KS4 arts offer has expanded, with the introduction of GCSE 

Photography. 

● Feeder primary relationships have been strengthened with Creative Days 

for Year 4 and 5. 

● Uptake has increased for arts subjects at KS4. 

● KS3 schemes of work have been enhanced with more creative approaches 

to teaching and learning. 


Impact has been captured through comparing percentage uptake, student 

surveys, staff feedback and numbers attending events. 


The arts are proving to be a highly effective way of engaging with primary 

schools and showcasing what the school can offer. Curriculum development has 

been informed by the work that has been done with highly skilled professional 

practitioners and quality cultural experiences. 


The school would like to develop pupil voice and their involvement in decision 

making about the arts provision, as part of a student leadership pathway. They 

plan to engage in more action research as a key part of our monitoring and 

strategic planning. 

46

Kenningtons Primary Academy 

“We are teaching others through the things that we see and do” 

Liam, Year 5 student 


Kenningtons Primary Academy is a larger than average 3-11 primary school. The 

school was judged ‘Good’ by Ofsted in 2014. The Cultural Champion is Bianca 

Brand. 

Why did Kenningtons Primary Academy join Trailblazer? 

The school is committed to the principle of cultural entitlement for all of its 

pupils. Trailblazer offers them the resources and support to achieve this. 


● Continue to develop the curriculum so that the pupils are inspired to learn. 

● Improve learning so that all pupils have a love of learning and are resilient to 

failure. 

● Increase pupil aspiration so they have an understanding of the working 

world 


How can Trailblazer raise students’ aspirations through increasing their 

understanding of arts and culture, broadening their understanding and building 

resilience? 


The Historical Royal Palaces: Time Explorers Challenge project exploring ‘The 

Young Victoria’ was a whole school focus for a week with core learning aims set 

for each class (eg specific requirements for writing). Each class chose an arts 

based focus to drive their learning and produced an outcome to be shared with 

the school community, including parents. 


All staff and pupils took part in this project. 


● As a result of their research the school has a much clearer insight into where 

and how arts and culture needs to be developed and are basing forward 

planning on this data. 

● The pupils now recognise a greater variety of art forms - eg singing (before 

20% after up to 73%), 

● Children are inspired to participate more in different art forms (92%). 

47

● 

● 

The quality of the work produced by all the children is much higher this year 

than the year before. 

Parents have engaged with the school in greater numbers and more 

positively than ever before. 

Kenningtons Primary Academy performing in their response 

to the Historical Royal Palaces: Time Explorers Challenge 



● ‘Before’ and ‘After’ online surveys were conducted with Year 3, 4 and 5 

pupils and staff. 

● Written feedback from the children and parents who visited the ‘museum’. 

● 

● 

A comparison of the quality of the work (outcome) to last year. 

Kenningtons Primary Academy won the Kensington Palace Arts Choice 

Award. 


Pupils’ enjoyment and engagement with the arts has greatly increased. They are 

more knowledgeable, inspired and curious. Learning across the curriculum has 

been deeper and outcomes are higher quality. 


The research has shown that Kenningtons’ pupils do have an interest in the arts 

and are looking for opportunities to participate. As part of the project, staff 

performed and shared various art forms with the pupils, revealing unexpected 

talents. Some pupils have asked if they can also share their love for the arts 

with the rest of the school. Kenningtons Primary Academy is planning to 

celebrate arts more often in assemblies and at events for parents. 

48

Little Thurrock Primary School 

“Hope is a photographer but she also taught us some drama. Artists aren’t all 

the same, they all do differently” 

Samuel, Year 4 student 


Little Thurrock Primary School is a 5-11 primary school. The Cultural Champions 

are Amelia Wood and Emily Pretlove. 

Why did Little Thurrock join Trailblazer? 

The programme offers a range of resources that have supported the school to 

develop a creative curriculum. The CPD offer was particularly important to 

them. 


To achieve an improved and better-rounded arts and cultural provision ensuring 

the integration of this in the current curriculum, explicitly use arts and culture as 

a springboard for raising achievement in other curriculum areas. 


If arts and culture are integrated into the curriculum, will children recognise 

them as distinct areas of learning? 


The children who took part in the different projects were immersed in a range 

of enriching activities, including trips, specialist teaching and visits to the opera. 

The control group were taught using current curriculum topics, with no 

additional arts and cultural experiences over and above those they would 

normally have. 


A number of KS2 children who were all part of at least one of the Trailblazer 

projects. They were not picked on the basis of attainment, instead children were 

selected who would be more willing to share their experiences as part of the 

research. 

The difference that has been made: 

● Pupils have grown in confidence and are more-able to perform. 

● Pupils are also more likely to rise to and enjoy challenge. 

● Pupils have become more articulate and developed their thinking skills; 

thinking creatively, developing ideas at a much higher level. 

● Staff have added to their bank of engaging activities, closely linked to the 

arts. 

49


● Interviews and questionnaires with staff and pupils. 

● Observation of lessons, pupil performance and behaviour. 

● Comparison was made with a control group who hadn’t taken part in 

Trailblazer activities. 

● The school won first prize Thurrock Thameside Nature Park’s sculpture on a 

pallet – the sophistication of ideas were cited by the judges. 

Students taking part in a range of cultural activities at the 

Trailblazer culmination events, Village Beach and FUSED 



Being part of the Trailblazer Projects has raised the profile of arts and cultural 

education amongst the children that have taken part. The children are more 

confident to take on challenges, a skill appropriate for all areas of the 

curriculum. 


Next year the school plans to develop links with other schools. They will look at 

sharing CPD expertise and the possibility of co-writing and exchanging planning 

of projects. 

50

Purfleet Primary Academy 

“We had the chance to offer our children cultural experiences and in many cases 

this was their first taste. This included taking 140 children to the Tower of 

London for an historical experience based upon the story of Anne Boleyn. This 

project alone led to improved SATs results in Year 6 and the project was 

acknowledged by Ofsted Inspectors during a recent visit.” 

Stated in their Artsmark Statement of Commitment to the Arts Council 


Purfleet Primary School is a community primary school with 353 pupils ranging 

from 3-11 years on roll. The Cultural Champion is Alex Rutherford. 

Why did Purfleet join Trailblazer? 

Groups that have been more heavily involved in the first year of Trailblazer have 

made significantly enhanced progress. The school also values the unique 

partnerships that they have made through Trailblazer. 

Students taking part in Trailblazer singing and creativity writing activities 



● To improve the quality of writing across the school. 

● Developing and embedding creative, arts led approaches within each area 

of the curriculum. 


What impact do the arts have on improving the quality of writing in the 

curriculum? 

51


Their study centred on the Historic Royal Palaces: Time Explorers Project. The 

project took the children on the historical story of Princess Victoria and her 

journey to becoming Queen. A scheme of work was built around the experience 

at Kensington Palace. The children produced ‘cold’ writing - without any input, 

intervention or inspiration before the visit and ‘hot’ writing - an informed piece 

of writing based upon teacher input, intervention and inspiration - after the 

project. 


A group of Year 2 and Year 6 children identified as underachievers. The majority 

were typically boys and, under the new national curriculum, all below agerelated 

expectation. 


● Of the focus group, 80% made good progress in their writing within the 

time studied. 

● The children were inspired and immersed themselves deeply into this 

particular period of history. 

● The school’s new procedures for assessment were incorporated and were 

an effective way of showing impact and progress. 

● Staff developed new and creative approaches to teaching and learning. 


● The ‘cold’ writing was compared with the ‘hot’ writing to measure progress. 

A control group was used to judge impact of the project. 


More creative approaches to teaching and learning have been built into 

schemes of work, attainment and progress in writing has been higher for the 

children taking part. 


This study has provided the school with an effective model for teaching and 

learning. They were able to devise a programme of study around a historical 

experience. They plan to continue to revise their curriculum, testing approaches 

with action research. 

52

What does the ‘Trailblazer effect’ look like? 

Little Thurrock Primary School 

“Speaking specifically to the children that took part in the Royal Opera House: National Nutcracker 

project, the majority said that they were more likely to perform in other areas of the curriculum without 

fear. An unexpected outcome of this project was the change in gender stereotyping. At the beginning of 

the project all of the boys were very reluctant to take part in the dance, they thought ballet was for girls. 

However, through the engaging activities they found themselves immersed in it and have all said they 

would enjoy learning dance in the future. Another surprising element of this project was that the children 

pushed the gender boundaries; one male child played the part of a female for the dance. This was 

welcomed and supported by all children. We feel this has paved the way for changing perceptions of 

young people.” Amelia Wood 

Chadwell St Mary Primary School 

“Over 7 months later a selection of three of the 7- 

8 year olds involved in the Natalie Ryde print 

project could describe every detail of what they 

completed and how it helped them in their maths 

work. The learning had gone so deep for them 

and was so personal to their needs that they 

could describe every detail to an external 

provider.” Michael Nunn 

Grays Convent High School 

“It was my first time at live theatre. And even if 

you have been with your parents before, it is 

different when you go with your friends. You feel 

grown up…it felt a bit scary, but really good when 

we went in. Like we belonged there. It was eye 

opening to see drama on the stage. I felt that I 

could understand it because I was... I don’t know 

– immersed in it. It helped us to apply our 

theoretical knowledge, and then put that insight 

into our reports” Caitlin, year ten GCSE Drama 

student 

Beacon Hill Academy 

“it gives our most creative staff a real buzz – 

sparks their thinking, acts as a creative boost. 

There are conversations in the staffroom about all 

of their new ideas that are going in so many 

different ways across the curriculum.” Sue Hewitt 

Kenningtons Primary Academy 

“We didn’t realise what a talented group of staff 

we have at school. As part of the afternoon 

activities, our staff performed and shared various 

art forms with the pupils. Leading up to this, it 

was wonderful to see members of the staff 

rehearsing songs and practising with each other. 

Some staff members had to get musical 

instruments out of their attics at home to 

prepare. This has led to them now taking up their 

love for playing instruments. We are also starting 

a staff singing group at school as a result of 

Trailblazer week. I feel that we have really 

bonded as a staff during this week and could see 

a growing confidence with specific staff 

members. The support staff were more involved 

this year and felt more valued for their 

contributions.” Bianca Brand 

Purfleet Primary School 

“I think the biggest surprise came from the Year 

six boys who found it within themselves to write 

like Princess Victoria! Not only did they embrace 

the story, they empathised with the would-be 

queen. It is moments like that on the Trailblazer 

project that you realise cultural entitlement is 

vital for children in Thurrock. Without this study 

or this project, the children would never have 

immersed themselves so deeply into this 

particular period of history, nor would their 

writing have progressed.” Alex Rutherford 

53

More ways that schools have 

measured progress and impact 

• Pupil evaluation and feedback. 

• Changes/improvements in core subjects (confidence in writing/use 

of imagination/scope of creative ideas). 

• Review of assessment data from previous year. 

• Observational drop-ins, work scrutiny, monitoring for half termly 

data. 

• Teacher questionnaires and evaluation sheets, parent surveys. 

• Qualitative data - in the form of pupil voice from the children’s 

experiences and feelings towards the new curriculum and 

experiences. 

• Year group progress data throughout the year. 

• Class cohort data in relation to their progress in the previous years. 

• Writing data across the school against previous years. 

• The percentage of children reaching expectations during the course 

of the year and end of the year compared with previous years’ data. 

• Observations of clubs, pupil, staff and parent voice. 

• Take up of clubs and outcomes. 

• Photographs, video, children's work, comments and assessment 

progress. 

• Collection of plans and curriculum maps. 

• Discovery Awards and Explore Award. 

• Success in competitions and school awards. 

• Attendance information. 

• An improvement of final project marks in GCSE. 

• Timetabling evidence, lesson plans and curriculum. 

• Relationships with other agencies. 

54


Artsmark 

What is Artsmark? 

Awarded by Arts Council England, designed by schools, the new Artsmark 

award will help schools to deliver a high quality arts and cultural education 

and provides an excellent way to demonstrate this. 

Why Artsmark? 

As part of the Trailblazer programme this year, schools were required to 

register as an Artsmark school and work towards their target level - Silver, 

Gold or Platinum. 

At the most basic level, this was one of the criteria for investment by 

Royal Opera House Bridge, who invested in the programme and have 

been closely involved in its development. Artsmark is a key indicator for 

the Royal Opera House Bridge of sustainable arts and cultural provision in 

schools. 

Students at Harris Academy Chafford Hundred participating 

in a workshop with acapella group, The Sons of Pitches 


55

More significantly however the Trailblazer team felt that the new iteration 

of the Artsmark scheme aligned very well with the aims of Trailblazer. The 

new emphasis on whole school engagement and embedding arts and 

culture provision into school development planning fits with the school 

improvement agenda that underpins Trailblazer. 

‘We believe every child should have the opportunity to create, compose, 

and perform, as well as to visit, experience, participate in and review 

extraordinary work. Artsmark can help unlock the potential of children and 

young people, help to develop character and talent, and increase their 

knowledge and understanding. That’s why Artsmark was created: to bring 

this ambition to life in every classroom.’ 

Artsmark mission statement, Arts Council England 

All 28 schools registered with Artsmark attended a development day at 

the beginning of the year. 25 submitted a Statement of Commitment and 

are working towards submitting a case study to the Artsmark levelling 

panel in the 2016 Autumn term. 

32 of Thurrock’s 53 schools have registered with Artsmark - 61% 

compared to a total of 15% of schools nationally. Trailblazer schools 

account for 87% of the Thurrock total. Of the 28 schools, eight have 

engaged with Artsmark previously, but the rest have no recent experience 

of the award (since round 12). Trailblazer schools have been more likely to 

engage with Artsmark than other Thurrock schools (a total of 14 awards 

have been made since Round 12), and they account for the three Gold 

awards that were made during that time. 

Not surprisingly, schools that have been recognised for their high quality 

provision have joined Trailblazer. However, for the majority of Trailblazer 

schools, reaching the recognised standard, and being motivated to pursue 

it via Artsmark, is a direct result of engaging with Trailblazer. 

A key factor driving the ‘refresh’ of Artsmark was a concern that the 

Award was to some extent a ‘snapshot’ of provision at the point of 

assessment, and didn’t ensure progression and forward thinking. This is 

reflected in the comments of one of the Trailblazer schools this year, who 

were awarded Artsmark Gold in 2014. 

“Since we got Gold...whole school arts participation has filtered off. During 

my survey and analysis, I was completely shocked by how little is done 

around school.” 

Cultural Champion, Thurrock Secondary School 

56

By embedding the new Artsmark into Trailblazer, it is hoped that the 

development of arts and culture in participating schools will effect change 

at whole school, organisational level and be sustained beyond the point of 

assessment. 

Artsmark and Ofsted 

Arts Council data tells us that Artsmark schools are more likely to have 

‘Outstanding’ and ‘Good’ Ofsted ratings, and less likely to be in category 

for improvement. 

Latest Ofsted ratings for: 

• Inner Ring - Artsmark 

registered schools. 

• Outer Ring - All schools. 

• Outstanding 

• Good 

• Requires improvement 

• Inadequate 

At date of last inspection, three Thurrock Trailblazer schools were judged 

to ‘Require Improvement’, one ‘Inadequate’, whilst five were ‘Outstanding’ 

(there are only six ‘Outstanding’ schools in the borough, below the 

national average) 13 . Although Trailblazer schools have been more likely to 

engage with Artsmark than other schools in the borough, this is not true of 

the ‘Outstanding’ schools. Only one of the five ‘Outstanding’ Trailblazer 

schools has engaged with Artsmark previously, which is counter to the 

national picture. 14 

In the ROH Bridge region, schools are more likely to be ‘Outstanding’ if 

they have Artsmark - 22.8% compared with 20.8% of schools overall. 

However, this is less of an increase than many of the other Bridge regions, 

where the effect is much higher. Trailblazer is introducing schools that 

have not been attracted to Artsmark in the past (both the ‘Outstanding’ 

and others). It will be interesting to see whether more Trailblazer schools 

achieve ‘Outstanding’ in the coming years. 

13 Arts Council England Review, September 2016. 

14 Ofsted Annual Review 2014/15. 

57

Students engaging with performances from 

Mercury Theatre and English Touring Opera 


What value has Artsmark added to the programme? 

For some of the Cultural Champions the Artsmark application has given 

them a route to communicate with staff about the benefits of Trailblazer 

and to gain support for the programme. Where they have had difficulty 

working with their senior teams, Artsmark has supported conversations 

about where Trailblazer fits into whole school development. 

The programme has provided additional resources to support schools 

above and beyond the Development Day offered by the Bridge. In 

particular, Artsmark consultant, Pete McGuigan led sessions about 

gathering evidence of change and progress, as well as offering advice 

about writing a Statement of Commitment. Every school was offered oneto-one 

support to write their statement. 

At every stage, Trailblazer has encouraged schools to embed arts and 

cultural activity into their development plan, and to extend opportunities 

to include all staff and pupils at some level. The Artsmark self-assessment 

tool has required Cultural Champions and their senior leadership teams to 

scrutinise the quality, diversity and impact of provision; inclusion for all 

pupils across all phases; opportunities for Arts CPD; extracurricular 

opportunities and partnership working. Crucially the very first descriptor 

for Silver – ‘All teachers take responsibility for developing arts and culture 

in the school’ - has helped Cultural Champions make the case for cultural 

learning with the whole staff. 

Reflecting on Artsmark Action Plans and preparing material for the case 

study has provided valuable insight for the programme evaluation without 

creating an additional reporting burden for the schools. The quality of the 

Statements of Commitment has varied considerably, and this has provided 

a useful flag, early in the programme of where schools lack expertise or 

support for whole school change. 

58

In what way has Artsmark presented a challenge? 

The majority embraced the opportunity to work towards Artsmark and 

valued the additional support and resources. Some schools complained 

that Artsmark was not their priority, and that it was an additional burden. 

Certainly where there are issues around capacity, schools have struggled 

with the requirements of the award. 

For some of the Cultural Champions (and indeed senior leadership teams) 

reflecting on their arts provision and producing a concise, coherent, high 

level plan for the Statement of Commitment was very difficult. They 

lacked the expertise in terms of the writing and experience of thinking 

about their arts in this way. 

Lack of exemplar material made it difficult for the Trailblazer team (and 

consultants) to respond with confidence to some of the questions that 

schools raised. Lack of information about the Artsmark levelling process, 

issues with the Critical Friend allocation and uncertainty about the status 

of pilot schools presented a challenge for the Trailblazer team. They felt a 

strong responsibility for the schools, not wishing to make unnecessary 

demands on their time or give false information. They had a degree of 

frustration at not having a fuller picture themselves. 

The timing of the programme and need to report impact using Artsmark 

as a measure created an artificial pressure on the timeline from 

registration to submission of Case Studies for levelling. Although the Arts 

Council allow up to two years for the process, Trailblazer initially asked 

schools to complete it within the academic year. This proved to be 

unhelpful, and the team wisely offered flexibility and additional support to 

enable schools to submit their case studies in the Autumn term of the 

current academic year. 

What could be improved about Artsmark for Trailblazer? 

The Arts Council have decided to phase out the Critical Friend offer that 

was part of Artsmark. Bridge organisations will develop new and ongoing 

support sessions that align with school needs and enable networking and 

sharing of best practice. This approach could be a very effective way of 

working with the Trailblazer schools - those new to the programme and 

Artsmark, and in the future as the current set look to progress to the next 

level. Trailblazer is nurturing an ethos of sharing good practice and peer 

support; an Artsmark structure and Bridge resources would add further 

impetus. As schools move through the assessment process, the 

Statements of Commitment and Case Studies will be a valuable resource 

for the Trailblazer community. 

59

Three schools in Thurrock have registered for Artsmark this year, 15 and will 

join the Trailblazer programme in September 2016. It would be interesting 

to look at how Trailblazer is referenced in their Artsmark Statement of 

Commitment, and whether Artsmark has been the driver for them to 

engage with Trailblazer. 

Student at The Ockendon Academy 


Likewise, there are two Thurrock schools with a history of Artsmark 

engagement who have not been involved with Trailblazer - would 

Artsmark be an appealing aspect of the programme for them? 16 As 

Artsmark settles into its current format and schools are clear about the 

process, it could become a much more appealing and valuable element in 

the Trailblazer offer. Compared to national data, and statistical 

neighbours, Thurrock has a much lower percentage of outstanding 

schools. Engaging with Artsmark may well be the tool they need to make 

the move from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’. 

15 Shaw Primary Academy, Belmont Castle, Quarry Hill Primary Academy. 

16 Holy Cross Catholic Primary, Horndon-on-the-Hill. 

60


Reflections, Forward Thinking and Learning 

Woodside Primary Academy watching a performance of ‘Not Now 

Bernard…and Other Monster Stories’ by the Mercury Theatre 


61

A learning programme 

The ongoing success of Trailblazer is in large part a result of the 

willingness of the programme team to listen and respond in a timely way 

to the concerns and suggestions made by the schools. Changes have 

been made throughout the year following ongoing feedback. 

The majority of the schools are returning for a second or third year. 

Despite the challenge of directing resources and the significant demands 

on their time, there is a loyalty and attachment to ROH Thurrock. The 

programme team have worked hard to establish these excellent 

relationships. 

Working with schools 

Of the 28 schools that engaged with Trailblazer 2015/16: 

● 16 took part in the 2014/15. 

● 20 have registered for 2016/17. 

● 9 were taking part for the first time and have registered for the 2016/17. 

● 10 will not take part in 2016/17, all of which are primary schools. 

● All of the secondary schools will take part in 2016/17, with an additional 

secondary school recruited. 

Three main reasons were cited by those schools not continuing: 

One school felt able to develop an arts and cultural programme without 

the support of Trailblazer. The others all cited financial constraints and 

staff capacity as the reason for not joining next year. The programme 

team are negotiating with schools to explore different models and levels 

of financial commitment. 

A very small number of schools say that they don’t feel that they have had 

full value for money. Their sense of the value of the programme does not 

appear to be based on evidence of impact – these schools were the least 

active in research and evaluation. In these schools there has also been a 

level of disconnect in feedback from the Cultural Champion and Head 

Teacher, but none of these schools have reported dissatisfaction about 

any aspect of the programme. 

Where value for money has been stated as an issue, it is noted that those 

schools focused their choices on off-site visits, which brought additional 

transport costs. They also took up fewer CPD options than other schools 

and were less likely to have built activities into their curriculum. 

62

Building capacity through the Cultural Champions 

The second year of Trailblazer has seen a step-change in ambition and 

engagement from the participating schools. Whilst the refinements made 

to procedures and the content of the Cultural Catalogue have 

undoubtedly contributed, the crucial factor has been the increased 

effectiveness of the Cultural Champions. 

The programme team recognised the cultural leadership ‘skills gap’ early 

during the first year. Significant time and resources have been invested to 

develop the Cultural Champions role, to develop the skills, knowledge and 

confidence that they need to extend the reach and impact of cultural 

learning in their schools. A number of the Cultural Champions said that 

they felt overwhelmed and confused at the beginning of the programme. 

However, without exception, all of those interviewed spoke of the growth 

in their professional practice and their personal development as leaders. 

As one teacher put it “you have to go through the pain if you want to gain. 

I couldn’t see the point at first, but it all makes sense now.” 

The leadership training, and focus on the Cultural Champions actively 

evaluating and reflecting on the impact of Trailblazer have been key to 

the success of the programme this year. As the Cultural Champions have 

reflected on school priorities they have become more informed, more 

strategic and more assertive. As a result, more children are involved, 

Trailblazer is being embedded into the curriculum in more schools, and 

the awareness of the value of cultural learning is being recognised. 

As well as a dialogue within schools about the contribution that 

Trailblazer is making to school improvement, the Cultural Champions are 

beginning to engage with each other as a learning community. They are 

sharing their approach to Trailblazer, ideas for developing curriculum, the 

benefits that they have seen, and the range of methodologies that they 

are using to capture this. 

A model for reflective pedagogy and innovative leadership is being 

established here. This is one of the areas that the Ofsted framework has 

identified as being a characteristic of ‘Outstanding’ schools. 

‘Staff reflect on and debate the way they teach. They feel deeply involved 

in their own professional development. Leaders have created a climate in 

which teachers are motivated and trusted to take risks and innovate in 

ways that are right for their pupils.’ 17 

17 Ofsted (Date Accessed: 23/08/2016). School inspection handbook: handbook for inspecting 

schools in England under Section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 

63

‘Leaders, managers and governors...demonstrate an ambitious vision, 

have high expectations for what all children and learners can achieve and 

ensure high standards of provision…’ 18 

For those schools aspiring to ‘Outstanding’, cultural learning and the 

Cultural Champion can be an important part of their school development 

strategy. Supporting the current cohort may well be the key to moving a 

number of Thurrock schools to ‘Outstanding’. 

Teachers participating in the Royal Opera House: 

National Nutcracker CPD 


18 Ofsted (2015). (Date Accessed: 12/10/2016) Common Inspection Framework: education, skills and 

early years from September 2015. www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-framework. 

64

Progression for the Cultural Champions 

“The training has been fantastic, I’ve learnt transferable skills and it is great 

for my CV - but we don’t need more of the same next year. I’d like to take 

it to the next level.” 

Jade Caton, Cultural Champion, East Tilbury Primary School 

The programme team are in discussions with ROH Bridge about potential 

Specialist Leaders in Cultural Education (SLICE) models. There is real 

interest amongst this year’s Cultural Champions in a tailored learning 

programme that recognises their learning. There is certainly a great deal 

of ‘read across’ in the areas that have been explored this year with the 

standards for school leadership seen in the National College for Teaching 

and Leadership NPQ modules, both at middle (NPQML) and senior 

management level (NPQSL). 19 In particular areas around leading teaching, 

managing systems and processes, leading change for improvement, and 

‘closing the gap’ are a very good fit with the materials that have already 

been developed as part of the Cultural Champions CPD. 

Cultural Partners exchanging ideas for best 

practice at a Trailblazer development day 

Photography. Molly Boughtwood 

Leading the way - school improvement through cultural learning 

As already highlighted, developing leadership and reflection around 

cultural learning can make a valuable contribution to the quality of overall 

teaching and learning, leadership and management, personal development 

and behaviour as defined by Ofsted. 

Many of the Cultural Champions were sceptical about the purpose of 

evaluation and action research - some were openly hostile to the idea. At 

19 NCTL (2014). (Date Accessed: 11/10/2016). Professional development for school leaders, 

National College for Teaching and Leadership. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications 

65

the end of the process however, there was appreciation across the board 

of the usefulness of an evidence based approach to inform planning and 

strengthen the case for investment. 

“I was sceptical at first, but I have to say I do now feel equipped and 

armed with the evidence - I’m confident that I can make a strong case for 

arts and culture.” 

Amelia Wood, Deputy Cultural Champion, Little Thurrock Primary School 

All of the schools engaged to some extent in evaluation of the impact of 

Trailblazer (all 28 schools identified where Trailblazer mapped against 

whole school priorities; all 28 identified a key question and methodology 

for action research; 25 schools submitted an Artsmark Statement of 

Commitment, highlighting Trailblazer and their development aims; 18 

schools wrote a reflective practice report at the end of the year). 

The scope of the evaluations and depth of analysis varied considerably. A 

differentiated approach to addressing the progression needs of the 

Cultural Champions will be essential. ‘One size doesn’t fit all’ was a 

common sentiment. 

Schools should be encouraged and supported to evaluate, and to share 

their findings with the Trailblazer community. This alongside an emerging 

interest in a reflective pedagogy is an opportunity to promote a cultural 

learning model for school improvement. 

The evidence that has been gathered this year is specific to each school, 

small scale and bespoke in methodology. This is characteristic of much 

research into the value of culture and cultural learning. There has been an 

accepted view that this kind of an ‘eclectic methodology’ approach lacks 

rigour or validity. However, there is a growing recognition that arts and 

culture do need to be approached in a distinct and innovative way. 

“When it comes to cultural value, instead of ‘measuring’ it is more 

appropriate to speak of ‘evaluation’, of which measurement is but one 

component.” 20 

“Qualitative methods of data gathering including observations, interviews 

and focus group discussions, together with analytical techniques such as 

narrative, thematic and content analysis, are important tools for a deeper 

analysis of arts-based interventions” 21 

20 Crossick, G & Kaszynska, P (2016). Understanding the value of arts & culture The AHRC Cultural 

Value Project. Arts and Humanities Research Council, p111. 

21 Clift, S, et al. (2012). A controlled evaluation of the health benefits of a participative community 

singing programme for older people (Silver Song Clubs). Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts 

and Health: Christ Church University. p123. 

66

“Unless the nature of what counts as acceptable evidence changes, our 

understanding of the contribution of arts and culture to health and 

wellbeing is likely to remain partial at best.” 22 

The mosaic of evidence through observation, assessment and surveys that 

is being collected by the schools is building a powerful collective picture. 

Combined with a longitudinal analysis of contextual data about Thurrock 

schools performance, this could be a resource of national interest. 

On a very practical level, there is interest in peer to peer professional 

development for arts subjects: 

“Another area of focus that is apparent to me is the lack of subject specific 

CPD that is available in school to arts staff. A lot of the CPD sessions are 

for core, classroom based subjects, there doesn’t seem to be much 

adaptability for practical subjects and the specific needs we have. While 

talking to other schools at Trailblazer meetings, they agreed they were in 

the same boat. So one of the ideas I will be working on is becoming a 

centre for local schools to have training here...I am hoping that the impact 

from these training sessions will be that arts staff have a refreshed 

enthusiasm, either learning new or recapping old skills. I would also like to 

create more of a community within our local area, so that staff are able to 

contact each other for support when needed.” 

Karina Latham, Cultural Champion, Gable Hall School 

lluminating the ‘blind spots’ - personal development, behaviour and 

welfare 

In interviews throughout the year, Cultural Champions have spoken with 

confidence about their belief that arts and cultural activities contribute to 

the emotional, health and well-being, levels of confidence and aspirations 

of pupils. When identifying ways in which they would like Trailblazer to 

address whole school priorities the focus has for many, been on raising 

standards and attainment in the wider curriculum. When asked to 

comment on the impact that Trailblazer has had on areas such as 

attendance, SMSC or British values, generally, it was felt to be low or not 

applicable. 

22 Crossick, G & Kaszynska, P (2016). Understanding the value of arts & culture The AHRC Cultural 

Value Project. Arts and Humanities Research Council, p111. 

67

Children watching in-school performances by 

Box Clever and the Mercury Theatre 


There is a great deal of potential to add value to whole school strategies 

to support personal development, behaviour and welfare, that is 

instinctively recognised by teachers. It would be helpful to explore with 

Cultural Champions how they might target the following areas of 

judgement from Ofsted 23 : 

• Pride in achievement and commitment to learning, supported by a 

positive culture across the whole provider. 

• Self-confidence, self-awareness and understanding of how to be a 

successful learner. 

• Choices about the next stage of their education, employment, selfemployment 

or training, where relevant, from impartial careers 

advice and guidance. 

• Where relevant, employability skills so that they are well prepared 

for the next stage of their education, employment, self-employment 

or training. 

• Prompt and regular attendance. 

• Following of any guidelines for behaviour and conduct, including 

management of their own feelings and behaviour, and how they 

relate to others. 

• Personal development, so that they are well prepared to respect 

others and contribute to wider society and life in Britain. 

23 Ofsted (2015). (Date Accessed: 12/10/2016) Common Inspection Framework: education, skills and 

early years from September 2015. www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-framework. 

68

Growing the creative economy - employability and aspiration 

There is an urgent debate about the need to invest in creative, technical 

and cultural learning in order to feed the potential economic growth area 

of the Heritage, Cultural, Creative and Media sectors. Thurrock sits within 

the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) region, which has 

identified this sector as a critical area for investment and development. 24 

This is of particular reference to Thurrock, sitting in the Thames Gateway 

Regeneration Zone, but is of national concern. The Warwick commission 25 

focused on the need to address the ‘pipeline squeeze’ - the disconnect 

between education, skills, training and the requirements of a developing 

creative economy. Goal 3 in the report articulates the need: 

“Goal 3: A world-class creative and cultural education for all to ensure the 

wellbeing and creativity of the population as well as the future success of 

the Cultural and Creative Industries Ecosystem”. 

Children performing at the Trailblazer culmination event, FUSED 


At a time when the need to develop creative talent is acute, Thurrock 

pupils are recognising the value of working with practising, respected arts 

professionals. The very youngest appreciate the insight this gives them 

into what is distinct about working in the creative and cultural sector. 

“Artists are more imaginative because that is what they do - all of the 

time.” 

Mohammed, Year 3 student, Gateway Primary Free School 

24 CCSkills (Date Accessed: 12/10/2016). Towards a national prospectus for the creative economy in 

the South East. https://ccskills.org.uk/downloads/SE_Prospectus_Low_Res_.pdf 

25 Warwick Commission (2015). Culture, Creativity and Growth: The 2015 Report by the Warwick 

Commission on the Future of Cultural Value. The University of Warwick, Coventry. 

69

Developing opportunities for authentic, industry linked learning in the 

sector has been identified as a key feature of the ‘South East Talent 

Accelerator’ 26 the aim of which is: 

“To open up new progression routes into the creative industries. A 

commitment to developing talent, skills training, apprenticeships and 

careers advice is important for the growth of the creative industries. In 

addition to helping young people acquire the skills they need for the 

sector, providing great experience of working in this environment is also 

important.” 

Careers advice and guidance are increasingly being seen as relevant to 

children at all stages of their education - from the moment they begin. 

Schools are charged to help pupils make: 

“Choices about the next stage of their education, employment, selfemployment 

or training, where relevant, from impartial careers advice and 

guidance...where relevant, employability skills so that they are well 

prepared for the next stage of their education, employment, selfemployment 

or training.” 

Ofsted 2015 

With 21 arts and Cultural Partners engaging with schools (and many more 

individual practitioners within those organisations) there is an ideal 

opportunity to think more deeply about how Trailblazer has the potential 

to further develop this (to date incidental) aspect of the programme. 

Towards cultural entitlement - Thurrock Local Cultural Education 

Partnership (LCEP) 

The programme already plays an important part in the developing 

Thurrock LCEP. The partnership has begun to map arts and cultural 

provision across Thurrock. Pupils have expressed an interest in being 

more involved in shaping the Cultural Catalogue, and the LCEP is 

consulting with Thurrock Youth Council. 

There is scope to look at international models of cultural entitlement in 

Finland and Amsterdam. Kulttuurikasvatus 27 and Mocca 28 respectively, are 

culture pathways that set out a coherent, comprehensive programme of 

cultural experiences that children are entitled to experience. Working 

with the Thurrock LCEP, Trailblazer might conduct comprehensive 

mapping and tracking of the experiences of Thurrock Trailblazer pupils to 

inform a Thurrock cultural pathway. 

26 CCSkills (Date Accessed 12/10/2016). Towards a national prospectus for the creative economy in 

the South East. https://ccskills.org.uk/downloads/SE_Prospectus_Low_Res_.pdf 

27 (Date Accessed: 12/10/2016). www.kulttuurikasvatus.kuopio.fi 

28 (Date Accessed: 12/10/2016). http://www.mocca-amsterdam.nl/ 

70

The expansion of the Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) within the borough 

may well be an opportunity to explore this as a future vision. The current 

MATs - the Gateway Learning Community (GLC), St Clere’s Co-operatives, 

Olive Academies and the Teaching School Alliance are geographically 

concentrated in the borough (though they have national sponsors). The 

GLC have already agreed a ‘cultural pledge’ that applies across the GLC. 

With collaboration, a Thurrock pathway could become a reality, in the 

process supporting relationships within and between the different Trusts. 

Children taking part in a range of cultural activities 

throughout Trailblazer 2015/16 


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Recommendations 

Cultural Champions have been clear about the way they would like to see 

Trailblazer evolve. Key recommendations are: 

Making strategic choices 

● Introduce CPD around value for money and how to maximise 

resources. 

● Support for embedding Trailblazer into the curriculum. 

● Continue and extend CPD for evaluation and measurement of impact. 

Creating a community of learning 

● Build on the action research that has begun. 

● Continue to provide a forum for reflection and debate. 

● Support peer to peer professional development. 

Develop the Cultural Champions 

● Review the Cultural Champions CPD and introduce a tiered 

progressive offer. 

● Audit and profile the cultural leaders to inform design of the CPD 

programme. 

● Develop an enhanced ‘change knowledge’ element to the leadership 

sessions. 

Collaborate with emerging partnerships 

● Explore the potential for detailed mapping of pupils’ cultural 

experiences. 

● Work with the MATs and the LCEP to develop joined up approaches to 

cultural learning. 

● Engage with the SELEP Talent Accelerator to build creative careers 

and employability into the programme. 

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Conclusion 

Thurrock Trailblazer has been described by many as a ‘movement’. It is 

seen by schools, families and political leaders as being of real value, 

addressing real needs. Schools are reporting positively about the change 

that they have seen during the first two years of the programme, but 

caution that the full impact will only be seen over time. The momentum 

that has gathered will require continued investment from all partners – in 

terms of resource, expertise and ambitious thinking. 

To find out more or get in touch, please contact the Trailblazer Team by 

phone (01708 891200) or via email (Thurrock.trailblazer@roh.org.uk). 

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Thurrock Trailblazer is supported by 

Thurrock Borough Council, ROH Bridge, schools’ 

Investment, a grant from the Paul Hamlyn Education 

Fund and The Sackler Trust, through it’s support of 

The National Nutcracker programme.

Thurrock Trailblazer Evaluation 2015/16

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