Local Cultural Education Partnership

Awarded Contract.

The Local Cultural Education Partnerships (LCEP) is Arts Council England's (ACE) key priority to meet the Cultural Education Challenge. The 97 active LCEPs are currently operating in a fluid space. There is a great deal of difference between and within local contexts, and a range of challenges and opportunities linked to national, regional and local policy and funding. Partnerships between cultural providers, schools, and a broad range of other service providers for young people will be central to achieving a co-ordinated cultural offer to all children and young people across English communities.

ACE is looking for a supplier to provide a catalyst for the development of LCEPs, helping fast track success through sharing learning, leadership development and profile raising. The programme will be based on well evidenced interventions with the potential to create change.

• Help a cohort of cultural education leaders to develop the confidence, knowledge and skills to accelerate the work of their partnership.
• Support the cohort to identify and address common challenges, for example governance, sustainability, national brand and identity of the movement.
• Embed a culture of reciprocal learning and a strong, sustainable network of leaders that will share their learning with colleagues.
• Identify and scope future development work that will support local cultural education partnerships to expand their reach and impact.
• Complement the LCEP peer learning support programme provided by Bridge organisations as well as cross-regional Bridge support.

The proposal should include/demonstrate how it will deliver the following:

• An open, collaborative approach, problem-solving based on mutual trust, responsibility and generosity. Enquiry mindset - aim to reinvent practice and share professional growth through reflection.
• Situated learning based in real life experience and critical discussion.
• An understanding that this proposal is complementary to other quality development and has a focus on the Leaders of LCEPs and the strategic challenges associated with that leadership (for example strategy, partnership, funding diversity, governance).
• A programme structure that supports rural, coastal and urban LCEPs, and is able to respond to their specific needs.
• Enabling a peer learning Leadership network in such a way that it becomes self-organising around the key challenges of LCEP leadership.
• Consideration of barriers to participation and plans to remove those barriers - which may include, for example, time, geography, cost, ensuring access for disabled people, the need for tailored access support, supporting caring responsibilities, and addressing lack of support from managers.
• How the work will be evaluated.