John Lyon's charity Annual Report 2024 - Report - Page 20
Impacts and lessons learned
Schools
Lost learning time and social isolation meant that many
pupils had a difficult time adjusting to life back in school.
Schools reported how Arts budgets had been drastically
cut, some as low as £500 for the whole school. For so many
families living in areas of high deprivation, the projects
funded by the Charity were often the only opportunity for
children to experience trips to the theatre or a gallery, or to
try different kinds of art forms during workshops that the
school could not otherwise offer.
Schools have also described how the CCF has driven
an increased uptake in Arts-based school activities and
an interest in Arts after-school projects following the
completion of a CCF funded project.
Arts Organisations
Arts organisations have benefited from the CCF grants by
reconnecting and building new relationships with schools
following the pandemic, which has often resulted in further
opportunities to work together. These organisations have
created opportunities to take learning beyond the classroom
and celebrate the achievements and work created by
children and young people with the wider community
through end-of-project sharings, including performances,
festivals and exhibitions in theatres, cinemas, galleries,
libraries, and other community spaces.
CASE STUDY
Old Oak Primary School
Old Oak Primary School is a small one form primary school
with 235 pupils, located in the Old Oak and College Park
ward of Hammersmith & Fulham, one of the 10% most
deprived parts of the country. In March 2024, the school
was awarded £4,900 to work with local drama provider
SPID (Social Progressive Interconnected Diverse). Each
class was able to benefit from workshops that introduced
the children to the world of theatre and performing arts,
culminating in a final performance for parents and carers.
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JOHN LYON’S CHARITY ANNUAL REPORT 2024
This small primary school does not have any staff with
a drama or dance specialism, so another key aim of the
project was to encourage staff to incorporate drama more
frequently into their teaching.
Old Oak conducted research that found that 89% of school
families do not take their children to cultural experiences
outside of school, with many sharing that they do not feel
these spaces are ‘for them’ or feel comfortable attending
cultural institutions. In addition, parents are constrained
by the costs that can be associated with accessing Arts
activities. The combination of Covid-19 and the Cost-ofLiving crisis on the school’s own budget has meant it can
no longer subsidise extra-curricular activities or trips,
which has further limited the children’s access to arts
and cultural opportunities. Following the project, the
school reported how their expectations were exceeded as
SPID’s small groupwork was able to give attention to each
individual child, particularly the more reserved students,
resulting in increased confidence, speaking out more, and
being more willing to take part in activities.
Through this programme, some of the school pupils have
been able to get involved in other SPID sessions, including
a taster workshop at a community centre and attending
the SPID programme delivered across the year in W10.
CONCLUSION
The Cultural Capital Fund grants continue to have a positive
impact, by enabling schools to bring high quality Arts
opportunities to their students. Despite this, schools are still
reporting that these trips and projects would not be possible
without the support from the Charity. CCF projects have
improved pupil confidence, academic achievements and Arts
subject take-up, and there is a growing appetite to continue
Arts-based projects in schools across the Beneficial Area
Through these grants, schools and the pupils themselves
are beginning to broaden their horizons, enabling children
and young people to experience a variety of high-quality Arts
activities, and to learn new skills. The opportunities that the
Cultural Capital Fund has provided over the last three years
has created experiences and inspirational memories that
will stay with them for many years to come.
