Education Consultancy: Supporting Schools to Think and Teach Creatively
What happens when schools make space for creativity, not just as a subject, but as a way of learning together?
Pupils engage more deeply. Teachers rediscover their own curiosity. Culture shifts. And the curriculum becomes something alive, rather than a set of boxes to tick.
I work with schools, teachers and school leaders to develop the conditions for creative, connected learning, through curriculum development, staff culture, creative pedagogy and professional development.
What I offer
Drawing on fifteen years of practice as an arts educator, researcher and school-based practitioner, including my current work with the Artsmark programme and Arts Education Exchange, I offer tailored consultancy and professional development for schools and education settings.
This is not about bringing in an artist for a one-off project. It is about developing lasting capacity and culture within your school.
1. Creative Pedagogy & Curriculum Development
Supporting schools and teachers to develop arts-rich, co-creative approaches to learning, not just in art lessons, but across the curriculum.
This might include:
- Exploring inquiry-based, project-led and co-creative approaches to curriculum planning
- Developing school-wide frameworks for creative thinking and participation
- Supporting teachers to integrate arts-based methods into their everyday practice, regardless of subject
- Working with senior leaders to articulate and embed a creative vision for the school
Grounded in research and practice established through my work with Goldsmiths University and through the Artsmark programme, this work supports schools to build genuine creative cultures rather than one-off experiences.
2. Staff Wellbeing & Professional Development
Teachers are holding enormous complexity. When staff feel supported, connected and purposeful, the whole school community benefits.
I offer:
- Facilitated professional development days using arts-based and participatory methods
- Coaching for individual teachers or middle leaders navigating workload, identity and purpose
- Whole-staff workshops exploring wellbeing, values and collective culture
- Support for senior leaders developing staff culture and sustainable ways of working
This draws on my Level 7 coaching qualification and my facilitation work across arts, education and community organisations.
3. School Culture & Organisational Development
For senior leaders and leadership teams thinking about the deeper culture of their school, how it operates, what it values, and how those values show up in practice.
This might include:
- Facilitated strategy and values work with leadership teams
- Support developing a creative, arts-rich vision for the school
- Processes for developing shared culture and collective purpose across a staff team
- Partnership development between schools and arts organisations
4. Arts Organisation–School Partnerships
For arts organisations seeking support to develop meaningful, sustained partnerships with schools, moving beyond transactional, project-based relationships towards genuine collaboration.
I can support:
- Partnership development and relationship-building
- Joint programme design and pedagogy development
- Evaluating the impact and quality of school–arts partnerships
Who this is for
- Teachers and curriculum leads who want to develop more creative, co-creative approaches to their practice
- Headteachers and senior leaders seeking to build a genuine creative culture across the school
- Arts organisations and practitioners working in schools who want to develop more sustained, pedagogically grounded partnerships
- Schools working towards or holding Artsmark, looking for deeper support beyond the accreditation process
Why this, why now?
There is a growing recognition, backed by research, and increasingly by policy, that creativity matters in education. But what is less well supported is how schools actually develop the cultures, relationships and pedagogies that make creative learning possible.
Much of what's available offers creative content, a visiting artist, a project, a scheme of work. What is rarer is support with the underpinning: the pedagogical thinking, the staff culture, the shared vision that allows creative approaches to take root and grow.
This is the gap I work in.
A bit about my experience in schools and education
I qualified as a teacher in 2012 and have worked in and around schools ever since, as a practitioner, researcher, lecturer and consultant. I am a Visiting Lecturer at the Institute of Education (UCL) and Research Fellow at Goldsmiths University, where my research focuses on arts education, critical consciousness and creative learning. I am part of the Artsmark teaching team, and as founder and Co Director of Arts Education Exchange I have developed programmes and partnerships connecting schools with arts organisations.
My approach is always responsive to the specific context of your school, its community, its challenges, and what is already working. I bring curiosity, warmth and rigour in equal measure, and a genuine belief that the conditions for good learning and the conditions for good working life are the same.
Let's talk
I offer a free 30-minute conversation to explore what might be most useful for your school or setting.
Book a discovery call → Or email: info@mycocreative.co
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this consultancy for? This work is for schools, teachers, school leaders and arts organisations working in education settings who want to develop more creative, connected and culture-led approaches. It is particularly suited to those who feel that their creative ambitions outstrip the support currently available to them.
Is this only for arts teachers? No - and this is important. Creative pedagogy is not the exclusive territory of the art room. This work supports teachers and leaders across subjects and phases to think about how creativity, inquiry and co-production can deepen learning across the whole school.
Do you work in primary and secondary schools? Yes. My experience spans early years, primary and secondary settings, as well as further and higher education. All work is tailored to the specific phase and context.
Do you offer INSET / CPD days? Yes. I can design and facilitate half-day or full-day INSET sessions using arts-based and participatory approaches, focused on themes such as creative pedagogy, staff wellbeing, values and culture.
What is your connection to Artsmark? I am part of the Artsmark teaching team, which means I have deep familiarity with the Artsmark framework, criteria and process. I can support schools working towards or reviewing their Artsmark award, though this consultancy is not limited to Artsmark schools.