Case Study: Ark Schools
Last year, we partnered with Ark, a Multi Academy Trust with 39 schools in Birmingham, Hastings, London, and Portsmouth. Our collaboration was part of a pioneering arts initiative designed to enhance cultural education across their schools.
A key aim of this pilot programme was to empower Ark's educators with the skills and confidence to integrate creative arts enrichment into their teaching. Through our training, we demonstrated how film can be a powerful tool to support learning, strengthen communication skills, and enrich students' educational experiences. Educators also explored the impact of extracurricular film clubs in fostering a love for storytelling, creativity, and cultural engagement.
One Ark teacher said: "The CPDs effectively balanced theoretical learning, particularly in the domain of primary literacy, with an engaging practical filmmaking session […] I particularly appreciated the emphasis on specific and precise language, which is expected for children to learn through active recall."
Our Programme Coordinator for London and the South East delivered an interactive professional development day for 18 primary teachers across 13 Ark Academy schools. The training featured three of our most popular training sessions,, designed to support cross-curricular teaching:
Each session provided hands-on activities that could be immediately applied in the classroom, helping schools build a structured approach to learning with film. We also hosted a focused discussion on setting up Film Clubs - demonstrating how they foster key transferable skills such as communication and leadership while making school more engaging and enjoyable for pupils.