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With our partners and steering group, Inspiring Futures identifies challenges and opportunities locally, and then develops inclusive opportunities in response that aim to produce systemic change through research, strategy, and delivery. 

Our Journey

Inspiring Futures began life as one of the original Cultural Education Partnership pilots and is now the longest running CEP in London – operating for over 10 years. 

We began by advocating for the need for more creative education in our local schools, developing the local creative leadership on all levels – from governors, teachers, local artists, and within the council. As our success grew, we began delivering large scale projects so that every student in Barking and Dagenham had the opportunity to participate in creativity during their education. 

Due to the hard work of the local creative and education industry, and our many partners, Barking and Dagenham has a flourishing creative education landscape. For Inspiring Futures, our attention now turns to those who may be missed, moving to an equity model, to ensure every child has an opportunity to be creative – regardless of the barriers in place. 

Upcoming Projects  

Our House

Our House is a 3-year research and delivery project exploring how alternative education provision can be transformed through creativity and heritage.  

The programme takes place in schools across Barking and Dagenham, as well as two historic heritage spaces - Eastbury Manor House and Valence House. The project will culminate with a robust creative offer for alternative education, as well as a youth archive, and three public exhibitions, created by the young people involved in the three year R+D process.   Funded by Arts Council England as part of the Place Partnership Grant programme.

 Would you like to be involved? Please email vikki.lowther@lbbd.gov.uk for more information. 

Culture and Creativity for Inclusion: The Inspiring Future’s 2024 Conference 

Every young person has the ability to be creative, tell their story and access their learning from the perspective of their own experiences. This year join Inspiring Futures: Barking and Dagenham's cultural education partnership to explore new ways to inlock creative potential, and the hopeful disruption that creativity can bring to the curriculum. 

All events are FREE. 

Young Peoples Maker Space 

A day of creative workshops and activities developed for an inclusive cohort of children in both primary and secondary education to explore their responses to creative practice creating a provocation for the professionals’ conference. 

Wednesday 23rd October at Eastbury Manor, Barking. 

Professionals Conference: Creative and Cultural Inclusion  

Join Inspiring Futures for a full day of workshops and bitesize presentations for teachers, creatives and senior leaders exploring creative practice to support our vulnerable cohorts of young people to tell their story and access their individual learning needs in creative ways.  Discover ways to develop creative practice that can be accessed by all needs in your class in an exciting venue in the heart of Barking. 

Tuesday 12th November at Factory 15, Make it Space, Barking. 

Look out for more details and booking information in September. 

Resources

Early Years Dance Toolkit (PDF, 12.69 MB)

Far From the Norm Dance Toolkit (PDF, 10.56 MB)

Inspiring Futures 10 Years Toolkit (PDF, 15.26 MB)

Arts Award Booklet: Year 7 Transition programme (PDF, 1.4 MB)

2022-2024 Headlines:

• a toolkit was produced and distributed to all schools in celebration of 10 years of strategically supporting creativity and the arts in schools in Barking and Dagenham
• the Arts Award Transition Programme was delivered in partnership by Green Shoes Arts to secondary schools in the borough for 4 years 2020-2024. Over 6000 Year 7 students achieved an Arts Award Discover certification from Trinity College London
• the Paul Hamlyn funded Story of Me programme, a 2-year CPDL for teachers, concluded in July 2023 supporting curricula and pedagogical developments in creative approaches to making the curriculum more reflective and representative of pupils
• Arts Council England have funded an extension of the Story of Me to work with 3 SEND settings in the borough. The place-based inquiry project will feed into the national research and development of Artsmark in 2025
• Inspiring Futures have delivered a 2-year programme of film skills and vocational learning in partnership with Film Barking and Dagenham
• Inspiring Futures brough international dance company Far From the Norm led by Olivier Award winning choreographer Botis Seva, who was born in Dagenham to the Broadway as part of their international tour to do 2 free performances to schools
• as part of Inspiring Futures’ drive to open up the career opportunities in film and Television to the young people of LBBD, we teamed up with Film Barking and Dagenham and with support from Eastbrook Studios was able to deliver a number of exciting events. 

Crew Room Academy Film and Broadcasting project

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Film Enterprise Project

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Want to get involved in Inspiring Futures?

Email inspiringfutures@lbbd.gov.uk with details about your organisation or school to be added to our contact list and be invited to future events. 

List of Key Cultural Partners

• Green Shoes Arts
• Ideate Education
• New Town Culture
• LBBD Culture and Heritage
• Upstart Projects
• Yeah Youth
• Far From the Norm
• The Barbican
• The Royal Opera House
• The Tate
• Pen to Print
• Community Music Service
• Bow Arts
• The Boat House Studios
• Make It Space/Factory 15 
• Mercury Theatre
• Barking and Dagenham College
• Film Barking and Dagenham Make it Here
• Into Film
• BDSIP
• Arts Council England