Time after time in meetings here at Fresh Start, I hear testimonies and success stories of young people that we work with. Students that couldn’t leave the house, wouldn’t engage in schools, or simply struggle with mainstreams “traditional education”, having a significant turnaround or sharp increase in engagement with our Education Specialists.
There is a moment in so many of our placements where something just shifts. In that moment something changes, they feel seen or heard for the first time, or they create something and are praised for their ingenuity rather than ticking a box on the curriculum.
Here at Fresh Start in Education we work with young people who have often felt on the edge of the school system, society or even themselves. They have faced exclusion, been misunderstood, or emotionally overwhelmed. The conventional approaches often don’t work in these circumstances, but give the student a camera, or paintbrush, the engagement changes.
Of course, creative arts is just one of many approaches we take with students, and it’s not always about growing skills, but rather giving an opportunity to express yourself in a way that’s not verbal. According to a 2023 report from The Education Policy Institute students who engage in regular creative arts show a “significant increase in emotional wellbeing and school engagement”.
Despite this, over the last decade or so, cuts and shortages have led to decreases in what is being offered and engagement. A poll by the Cultural Learning Alliance saw that 48% of schools in the most disadvantaged areas were unable to offer any art subjects. (https://www.culturallearningalliance.org.uk/latest-news-feb-25). Since 2010, entries to arts GCSE’s have dropped by 42%, music is down 35% and drama 40%. (https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/our-world-leading-creativity-needs-nurturing-at-source-phj7bvtb8?utm).
Despite those statistics, schools taking part in the Artsmark programme report 89% in pupil well-being and resilience. (https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2024-02-22/debates/B967F227-159D-47F3-9201-012747D9D515/details?utm)
When creative arts are woven into our sessions, they provide safe, non-judgmental spaces for emotional externalisation. They may create paintings, drama exercises or spoken word poems. Creativity is endless. The Arts do more than just allow students to express how they feel, it helps them understand how they feel.
As well as emotional expressions, creativity creates spaces for social connection. Such as art classes, which provide space for shared experiences, often without much need for communication for those who struggle with social interaction. Arts participation is proven to increase prosocial behaviour and reduce feelings of isolation, particularly for students with additional needs or mental health challenges. Learning, or relearning after negative experiences how to relate to others is a big part of the journey back into education, or down the line, employment.
Another reason creative arts and more creative approaches work with so many of our students is that there is no “right answer”. These young people will have spent years being told what they can’t do, and now they get to create on their own terms. When young people feel seen, they start to believe that their voice matters. That they matter.
Incorporating arts into alternative provision doesn’t require huge budgets or flashy studios. It requires intentionality.
Fresh Start sessions provide:
- Flexibility – sessions that adapt to the mood, energy and needs of the student.
- A focus on the process rather than the product.
- Space – physical and emotional space for our students to explore safely.
We embed these principles into everything we do; it’s part of our ethos and our culture. We do it because it works.
In a world that demands performance, sometimes our young people just need permission to create.
