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Curious Minds: Peer Tutoring at Bedford High

School Improvement

Building a culture of excellence in creativity and arts participation

Curious Minds has worked at the intersection of arts and teaching for creativity for more than 15 years; supporting and empowering teachers and school leaders to embed sustainable, quality focused arts-based classroom and enrichment into their practice.

We know that creativity can transform lives. When young people experience high-quality cultural learning - whether through a theatre visit, a dance workshop, or a classroom project that sparks curiosity - they gain more than knowledge. They develop confidence, character and connection. They learn how to think, express themselves and contribute to the world around them. We also know that educators themselves are the best drivers of improvement, when properly supported through training and coaching.

What is an Arts Improvement Partner?

When Curious Minds works with a school or Multi Academy Trust as its Arts Improvement Partner, we enter into a truly collaborative relationship and the shared ambition of building a culture of creativity and participation throughout the setting.

Teaching staff will receive structured support from Curious Minds, in the form of training, coaching and facilitation, whilst they develop new creative projects and activities that are tailored to the needs of their school community. This includes brokering assistance, to help the schools establish new and meaningful relationships with local creative organisations that could open doors to opportunity for pupils both within and beyond the school gates

A tried and tested model

Recently, Curious Minds has been worked with the Star Academies multi-academy trust to help the Trust to enhance its creative and cultural learning offer for pupils in five of its secondary schools.

This innovative partnership has seen, Curious Minds providing nominated teaching staff from each school with structured, specialist support whilst they develop new performing arts projects tailored to the needs of their settings. Our support offer has included training, coaching and facilitation - including brokering introductions to local arts providers to help them plan off-site class visits and/or establish a new programme of after-school provision. Each school was allocated funding to underpin their new initiatives.

In June 2025, the Trust celebrated its first ‘Star Arts Festival’ - giving pupils opportunity to perform and showcase their incredible achievements, as well as demonstrating each school’s commitment to delivering a balanced curriculum that champions cultural capital.

Throughout this project, across the 5 schools:

  • 8 new creative after-school clubs have been initiated.
  • 12 teachers have engaged with CPD via direct training or through our ‘enrichment network’
  • 11 local arts organisations have been engaged in creative provision

Curious to know more?

If you’re keen to know more about the support and leadership development we offer for schools and educators who wish to improve their setting’s arts education and creative learning offer, we’d love to hear from you!

Get in touch using the contact details below.

Learn more about our work in this field

Leading the Arts In Your School

A professional development programme for teachers who want to embed creativity, culture and the arts across their school. Applications now open for 26/27 cohorts.
Education School Improvement Leadership Training & CPD

Rebalancing the Curriculum

A Curious Minds response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report – March 2025
School Improvement

Responding to the Curriculum and Assessment Review

We are pleased to see recognition of the urgent need to reverse the decline in creative and arts learning in schools, particularly the state school sector. We think it important to acknowledge there are no easy fixes for complex challenges.
Education Advocacy & Sector Policy School Improvement Opinion

Curious Citizens

Curious Citizens focuses on opening doors for children who would not normally have access to such experiences nor opportunity to grow their cultural capital outside school.
Education Creative & Cultural School Improvement Creative Wellbeing Programmes

Artsmark BeeWell

Curious Minds worked with seven secondary schools to pilot a groundbreaking creative wellbeing programme that was informed by and responded directly to the needs of local young people.
Education School Improvement Creative Wellbeing Programmes

Curiosity Outside the Classroom

Spark curiosity in your students through great trips and visits that extend and enrich creative learning
School Improvement Training & CPD
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