Welcome to the new National Arts in Education portal.

The ethos for the portal is about building a community of practice within arts and education, and providing a space where both artists and teachers can be supported and inspired. It will provide a platform through which good collaboration practice in arts-in-education and arts education will be supported, developed and enhanced. Submissions for the portal will be invited on an ongoing basis and templates and guidelines have been drawn up to assist those who wish to make a submission. The Portal’s development is rooted in the desire to empower people, and build confidence, passion and support. Underpinning the development of the portal is a strong and implicit shared belief in the intrinsic value of the arts in the lives of children. The Portal – through the content that it shares – will have a role in advocating this value. The portal seeks to reflect current practice that is taking place in Ireland. Its vision is to establish a structure through which the arts and education community can be developed. From here, the content will develop through continued support and building of the community both online and offline. New features for the Portal will be phased in over the coming months.

The aim is to make the portal the key national digital resource of arts and education practice in Ireland. A communications strategy is planned which will outline ways for the Portal Editor to maintain ongoing dialogue and communication with the arts/education community. Quality of content will be a key guiding criterion. When in operation, the Portal will provide an unprecedented opportunity for young people throughout the country to engage productively with arts-in-education in Ireland.

The following definitions from the Arts and Education Charter help to give an understanding of the nature of Arts-in-Education practice:

“While much arts-in-education interaction occurs within school time, not all of it takes place on the school premises. There are two strands to arts-in-education practice: one involving interventions by the arts world into the domain of formal education, and the other involving students engaging with the arts in the public domain, usually in publicly-funded arts venues, whether local or national.

“Arts-in-education practice involves skilled, professional artists of all disciplines working for and with schools in the making, receiving and interpreting of a wide range of arts experiences. Arts-in-education practice can happen within or outside the school. It ranges from once-off visits, through more extended programmes, to intensive, collaborative projects.

“Artists, arts organisations, pupils, teachers, and sometimes, primary carers, work together to create arts experiences that enrich the curriculum and support the core educational mission of the school. Arts-in-education practice enriches the lives of all involved, particularly in nurturing the developing the minds and imaginations of the pupils.”

Governance

The governance of the Arts-in-Education Portal is overseen by an Editorial Committee, comprising representatives of the stakeholder groups that the Portal serves. The current committee members are:

Dr. Katie Sweeney (Chair)
National Director for the Integration of the Arts in Education (DES)
……….
Helen O’Donoghue
Senior Curator: Engagement and Learning, IMMA
(Representing Encountering the Arts, Ireland)
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Phil Kingston
Community & Education Manager, The Abbey Theatre
(Representing the Council of National Cultural Institutions)
……….
Dermot Carney
Arts Officer, National Association of Principals & Deputy Principals
……….
Lucina Russell
Arts Officer, Kildare County Council
(Representing the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers)
……….
Patrick Coffey
National Coordinator, PDST Technology in Education/Scoilnet
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Kate Delaney
Assistant Principal in the Creative Ireland Programme
(Representing the Department of Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht)
……….
Catherine Boothman
Creative Schools Manager in the Arts Council of Ireland
(Representing the Arts Council of Ireland)
……….
Jennifer Buggie
Advisor for the Integration of Creativity and the Arts in Education
(Representing the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Unit)
……….
Edel Doherty
Project Manger, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Ltd
(Portal Editors)
……….

To view the Arts in Education Portal privacy policy go to artsineducation.ie/en/privacy-policy/