Creative Schools

Creative Schools

Creative Residencies

Artist-in-school residencies are a core element of Festival Connect & Create. They provide unique creative and cultural experiences for children and young people and help to develop the skills of teachers and artists across East Anglia.

Our residencies place socially-engaged artists in a wide range of educational settings, often in areas most in need of support and with low levels of cultural engagement and opportunity.

By holding the voice of participants at the heart of our work, we aim to unlock the creative potential of children and young people; to develop their creativity skills and support social and emotional wellbeing.

Interested in getting involved? Get in touch here: fcc@nnfestival.org.uk

Read on to learn more about some of our current and past projects:

‘I just wanted to say thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity, our students have enjoyed the experience so much and gained so much from it. What an inspiring team of artists we have worked with!’

Teacher, Thorpe St. Andrew School
(River of Hope)

Current Projects

From the Dunes

A poetic film work, telling the story of Norfolk coastal erosion through the eyes of two local teenage boys, aiming to give voice to a community that feel forgotten and abandoned.

Spaces and Places

Artist-in-schools residencies that aim to develop a sense of community and pride in the children, and to support teachers to deliver creative engagement and develop the delivery skills of artists in educational settings.

Monsters

This film-based project used familiar tropes of Hollywood monster movies as a way for young people to reckon with ecological change and its impact on the fragile landscapes of the Eastern region.

Past Projects

The Norwich Nine

Nine nine-year-olds collaborated with Bootworks Theatre Co. and created a thought-provoking performance piece for Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2025.

River of Hope

An arts-based learning project that used environmental themes and creative arts practice to help young people express their concerns about the climate crisis.

Rebel Resistors Radio Club

11 year old girls self-built analogue radios and broadcasted their manifestos for the emerging world.

The Book of Thetford

Part fictional imagining, part actual guidebook, The Book of Thetford allowed young people to write stories about life on their streets as they see it.

HotSpot

A pilot for a three-year programme of artist-in-schools residencies, that will form a core element of the Festival’s schools provision across East Anglia.

Make Me

Writer Molly Naylor ran creative writing workshops to GCSE pupils and used these workshops to inform the writing of her new play, Make Me.

Creative Educators Network

Join our network of teachers and educators committed to creativity in schools.

Creativity transforms people’s lives, developing vital skills and building cohesive communities. We want more children and young people to have access to creative opportunities and, working with Creative Educators, we will develop a network of like-minded teachers to share opportunities, experiences and professional development opportunities. Interested? Get in touch at fcc@nnfestival.org.uk

Masthead credit: ETT Photography

Creative Schools supported by the Ellerdale Trust