Connections
Connections is an arts membership scheme which provides schools with free support and guidance to help with arts development. The scheme can also provide a range of activity including artist in residency workshops that are tailored for each school.
- Schools just starting their journey in the arts
- Schools more experienced or confident in working within the arts
- Schools aiming to increase achievement of their pupils
- Schools applying for or delivering against Artsmark targets
- Schools who want to embed Arts Award
| Features | Connections Free | Connections+ £329 P/Y |
|---|---|---|
| First step support - a phone consultation at a time convenient to you | Y | Y |
| Access to a network, a family of schools which is endorsed by Durham County Council | Y | Y |
| Access to the Forge website with a range of useful information, advice and guidance | Y | Y |
| Membership certificate | Y | Y |
| Arts in residence (AIR) (One day included in connections+ | Additional cost: £220 per AIR day | Y |
| Arts policy seminar - find out what an arts policy is and the benefits of having one | - | Y |
| Start of the school term - share your success in the arts with the north east | - | Y |
| Early-bird priority booking opportunities for The Forge's programme including Brass education support | - | Y |
| Membership certificate | Y | Y |
| Cultural sector careers calendar of events designed for Primary (year 6) and Secondary (year 11) pupils | - | Additional cost:£100 per half day |
| Arts award: buy an adviser depending on setting's project (based on 15hrs contact time | - | Additional cost:£290 |
| Artsmark one to one surgeries | Y | Additional cost £40 |
| Arts policy one to one surgeries | Y | Additional cost £40 |
| Arts award one to one surgeries | Y | Additional cost £40 |
The Connections scheme is open to all educational establishments including:
- Private Nurseries
- Nursery Schools
- Infant / First Schools
- Junior / Primary and Middle Schools
- Secondary Schools
- Academies
- Private Schools
- Further Education Colleges
- Youth Justice Settings
- Children receiving Home Education
We start with you! The Forge team will discuss with you your priorities for working with us, including:
- How working with The Forge can improve pupil achievement?
- Which year group[s] could be involved in the programme?
- Which art form[s] the programme will focus on? Need inspiration – download your free resource HERE
- What you anticipate may be the outcomes of the programme and how these will be measured?
To become a member of Connections or Connections +
Please email brogan@intheforge.com with your name, school and contact details.Please include in your email a convenient time Nicola can call you for your phone consultation.
At The Forge we understand the importance of cross curricular activity so please mention during your phone consultation if you would like to combine the arts with another subject. You may find our Cross-Curricular arts guide helpful which you can download by clicking HERE.
To continue our support for your arts provision we have created a useful guide which matches up the Connections offer to areas of the Ofsted guidelines. Click HERE to download your free copy.
Still got some questions? If you are wondering what an artist is or just need some advice on funding a project, feel free to download our Membership FAQs sheet to see if we can answer your question easily. If not, feel free to contact one of the team. Connections is designed for you in mind but if you have a new idea, please contact us to discuss!
Get in touch with us at the Forge
Want to have a chat?
enquiries@intheforge.com
Call us