“We really rely on our partnership with Delight to help us deliver the cultural experiences our children need. It gives our teachers the skills and confidence they require and gives the children ambition and inspiration to embrace the arts, both in school and in their future lives.” Headteacher
Delight is a leading arts education charity. Our vision is for children who experience disadvantage to have an equitable opportunity to thrive during their school years and beyond. We work in long-term partnership with state primary schools and arts partners to immerse children in visual art, dance, drama, and creative writing. Delight’s high-quality and inclusive arts-based learning programmes help children from disadvantaged backgrounds build strong foundations for a brighter future, achieving consistently strong outcomes through:
• increasing wellbeing, pride and self-esteem
• raising aspirations and broadening horizons
• building social skills, teamwork and confidence
• improving enjoyment and engagement with learning
• developing creative skills and literacy
“I would describe my Delight experience as super fun and it made me feel safe and I kept saying, Dad I’m so excited.” Child
From beginning to end, a Delight encounter is full of joy and creativity. Each programme starts with a ‘wow’ experience: an in-school performance by Guildford Shakespeare Company; an immersive digital dance experience with Made By Katie Green; a video message from a mysterious woman about a magical, miniature storyteller; a virtual dive into the amazing world of visual arts. Children are then immersed in weekly creative workshops led by arts partners and/or class teachers. Each 6/8-week programme culminates in a showcase performance or exhibition to celebrate children’s achievements with parents, carers and the wider school community. Teachers are proactively involved to develop their skills, confidence and enthusiasm in using arts-based learning in their wider teaching practice whatever their starting point. For teachers, we provide a range of support including CPD days, 1:1 planning meetings, full suite of digital and physical resources, support in planning celebration events, and through-programme support from Delight and our arts partners. For children, we provide everything they need from costumes and art materials to journals, weekly “How to…” videos and instruction guides ensuring that all parts of our work are accessible and inclusive to all children.
“In my 10 years of teaching, this was one of the highlights of my career! I loved how all the SEN children achieved the same as everyone else.” Teacher
We robustly evidence the impact of our programmes, but the true value is far beyond the immediate. It’s about making a deep fundamental change to how a child values themself and how this in turn affects their long-term wellbeing and happiness.
To find out more about our work, watch our trailer: Delight Trailer
Visit our website www.delightcharity.org.uk or email info@delightcharity.org.uk
“You made me happier than ever before and it has been amazingly wonderful.” Child
