Creative Schools
Learning through craft is vital to nurture the next generation of scientists and engineers as well as designers. Creative Schools sees arts and creativity take centre-stage in Irish classrooms, which puts the arts and creativity at the heart of children and young people’s lives. The arts are a powerful means through which children and young people can explore communication and collaboration, stimulate their imaginations into inventive action and harness their innate curiosity. These are vital skills for all young people to learn and we are delighted to be part of the innovative initiative.
Through engaging in opportunities to work with professional artists over an extended period, our pupils are helped to work together productively as a team, and to think critically and creatively. Ballinkillen N.S. has a long established tradition of teacher-artist partnerships working collaboratively in the classroom. Over the years we have been successful in securing BLAST opportunities for different classes to work with a number of professional artists. This arts-in-education learning programme is a great opportunity for our pupils and they both really enjoy and benefit hugely from it. It brings their innate artistic talents to the fore and develops their artistic skills and creativity in a collaborative and professionally supported learning environment. Each piece is individual to each student. Pupils develop skills and interests that will stay with them forever and what starts as an interest now may grow into a professional choice as well as a hobby.
We have been fortunate to be involved in the Department of Education funded Arts-in-Education BLAST Residency Programme, with the support of Kilkenny Education Centre and we hope to take part again in the future.Through this programme, our pupils are given the opportunity to work with professional artists on unique projects that are planned cooperatively and developed between the artist, the class teacher and the class of pupils involved.