User Guides
Make the most of your profile on The Culture Hub
The Culture Hub is brought to you by Curious Minds with the aim of making it easier for staff in schools, Early Years and youth settings to connect with the resources and expertise available in arts, culture and heritage organisations across the North West.
It is also a tool for these care and education settings to record and demonstrate their commitment to improving the lives of children and young people by increasing their access to creativity, arts and cultural experience throughout their young lives.
The Culture Hub is free to use for all creative and education practitioners working in North West England. Once you have registered your profile, make sure it reflects your work in the most effective way using our user guide downloads.
For Educators & Early Years Professionals
For Local Partnership Administrators
Glossary and FAQs
Who are Curious Minds?
Curious Minds is a leading charity, working to make high quality creative and cultural learning opportunities available to all children and young people, wherever they live and whatever their circumstance. We do this by connecting teachers, youth workers and community leaders with artists and creative professionals; giving them access to information, expertise, space and resources to facilitate collaboration and innovation in the field of creative and cultural education.
As Arts Council England's Bridge Organisation for North West England, Curious Minds is leading the development of Local Cultural Education Partnerships across the region and their response to the Cultural Education Challenge.
Learn more at: curiousminds.org.uk
What is a Bridge Organisation?
Arts Council England co-funds a regional network of 10 Bridge organisations, with the Department for Education, to connect the cultural sector and the education sector so that children and young people can have access to great arts and cultural opportunities.
Bridge Organisations work with local schools and other youth settings, art organisations, museums, libraries, Music Education Hubs (MEHs), local authorities, places of further and higher education and many other partners to develop a network of high quality cultural provision and Local Cultural Education Partnerships (LCEPs). They also support schools to achieve Artsmark and all sorts of organisations to deliver Arts Award.
What is Artsmark?
Artsmark is the creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England. Artsmark provides teachers and school leaders with a clear framework to plan, develop and evaluate arts, culture and creativity across the curriculum and beyond.
It has been designed by schools, for schools, to align with School Improvement Plans and support core EBACC and STEM priorities, giving the curriculum breadth and balance. As well as recognising schools that are making the arts come alive, the Artsmark award is a practical and valuable tool for enriching a school’s arts provision whatever the starting point.
For further information visit: curiousminds.org.uk/artsmark/
What is the SLiCE® Fellowship?
The Specialist Leaders in Cultural Education (SLICE®) fellowship is a one-year fellowship programme for middle and senior leaders within Teaching School Alliances and Multi-Academy Trusts (with the possibility of extending into a second year).
It is authored and managed by Curious Minds and is focused on developing the fellow’s capacity to strategically support cultural education in their own school and across the alliance.
Curious to know more? Go to: curiousminds.org.uk/slice
What is Arts Award?
Arts Award supports anyone aged up to 25 to grow as artists and arts leaders, inspiring them to connect with and take part in the wider arts world through participating in arts activities, experiencing arts events, being inspired by artists and their work, leading their own projects and researching career pathways.
The flexible framework can work with any arts, cultural or media activity. It embraces all interests and abilities and is a nationally recognised qualification.
To find out more visit: www.artsaward.org.uk
What is the CASE Fellowship?
The Culture and Arts Schools Experts (CASE) fellowship is an annual, year-long leadership development programme for cultural practitioners.
It has been developed by Curious Minds, to create a talent pool of credible schools specialists working in the North West’s arts organisations, museums/heritage settings and libraries.
Curious to know more? Go to: curiousminds.org.uk/case