A group of laughing preschool children listen to a man reading them a story

Current Aims & Objectives

CCS Vision:
All children and young people, aged 0-25, in Shropshire have access to high quality, engaging, diverse, accessible, inspiring and fun arts and culture*.

CCS Mission:
Facilitate cross sector** approaches to strengthen partnership working, collaboration and joined up networks in order to connect and share good practice.

CCS Aims:
• Facilitate a connected arts and cultural infrastructure
• Raise the profile and increase the understanding of the value of arts and culture
• Maximise resources and opportunities to improve joined up provision

CCS Practice:
• Support the sector(s) to connect, develop networks and work actively in partnership
• Advocate and build on current opportunities and offers
• Work in collaboration to develop activity where there is a need
• Increase information flow and raise awareness of opportunities across sectors
• Offer training and professional development opportunities
• Share good practice
• Engage and influence stakeholders and decision makers
• Respond to local and national policies, including Shropshire Cultural Strategy, Arts Council England Get Creative and educational frameworks

*Definition of ‘arts and culture’ includes a broad range of the arts including (but not limited to) visual art, craft, design, digital, film, technology, music, theatre, dance, creative writing, architecture; and culture in the broadest sense including heritage, archives, libraries, nature and outdoor spaces.

**Definition of ‘sector’ includes organisations and individuals working within arts, culture, heritage, education and learning (including early years, primary, secondary, HE, FE, virtual schools, home educated, PRUs and alternative provision), youth, health, social care and tourism.

Primary aged boy dancer in 1st WW army uniform performs a dance move at the end of a bench

Current Activities

  • Creativity Labs – CCS’s CPD programme for schools. First event Sept 2019. Next annual session to be planned for March 2021.
  • Broad & Balanced curriculum CPD session for schools, November 2020. Ofsted HMI delivering presentation and schools.
  • Series of Arts Café events for the sector delivered by CCS members, sharing best practice, projects involved in, networking opportunity etc. Dates throughout the year.
  • CCS Teachers CPD Network for Primary and Secondary – Primary Visual Arts, Secondary Dance, Secondary Drama and Secondary Visual Art and Design
  • Young person’s & cultural venue “speed-dating” event at Shrewsbury Library Spring 2021
  • PI – 3 year investment for ‘Impact Partnership – SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities). Being delivered by CCS, in partnership with the Actio Consortium. This programme has been developed from research, commissioned by Shropshire Council, showing that children and young people currently accessing activity through the ‘All In’ programme would like opportunities to participate in a broader range of activity particularly in arts and culture. CCS and Actio secured funding from Arts Connect, which is being matched by a range of other partners. The aim of the programme is to enable children and young people aged 0 to 19 with SEND and their families to take part in more and better-quality Arts and Cultural activities. The programme will look at barriers to engagement and address these, ensuring the activities on offer are accessible, relevant and delivered by people with the right skills and training. Research and development is fundamental to the programme, looking at ‘what works well and why’ in providing arts and cultural opportunities for this group and their families.
  • Key strands of work include –
    Development days for Professionals (across all disciplines) using arts and culture techniques as a focus for training and upskilling
  • Research based ‘toolkit’ for practitioners and organisations to use. Looking at best practice for working with children and young people with disabilities.
  • Seminars and findings from the programme
  • A series of cultural journeys /case studies tracking the child or young person’s experience of taking part
  • Direct investment into the cultural sector

Organisations that are currently part of the CEP

CEP Members

For a full list of CCS members please go here.

Plus 73 School leads, 14 Artsmark Schools and 8 Arts Award centres.