We work with children from early childhood to adulthood, offering educational opportunities that not only enrich the national curriculum but also promote positive mental well-being and foster the development of life-long skills.
Engagement with the arts is recognised to promote creative thinking, problem-solving, confidence, critical thinking, communication skills and wellbeing, as per research carried out by the Cultural Learning Alliance. However, with schools facing a challenging landscape with narrowing curriculums, reduced funding and declining arts provision, we are working to engage with more students than ever before.
School Workshops
While our local Primary and Secondary schools are experiencing increasing funding cuts, we are currently seeing a large demand to collaborate with them to provide one-off workshops to ensure that pupils still have access to creative experiences and all the benefits these come with.
These workshops cover a variety of options from drama/acting, Shakespeare, dance, singing/music and musical theatre. We also cover all type of visual arts from printmaking to ceramics to painting and drawing.
Thanks to support from our partners and sponsors, we have been able to facilitate an average of 130 schools workshops each year. To see our work with schools in action, watch our video with Nine Mile Ride Primary school.
Our primary school engagement peaks during our Wilde Week in July, when over 600 local primary school children join us onsite in a range of workshops and creative fun. The week is facilitated by our Wilde Young Producers who spend the weeks leading up to the event on a free programme, learning all the behind-the-scenes skills required to put on arts based events and performances.
Watch our latest Wilde Week video.
Exhibition/Project Collaboration
It’s exciting when we are able to collaborate with nearby educational facilities on specific projects and exhibitions. Previous exhibitions have included the display of work by students from Foundry College studying for their NCFE Creative Crafts Certificate Level 1 and our neighbouring Primary school, Birch Hill, on an environmental impact study.
As a result of our award-winning partnership with Fire & Rescue Berkshire, textile artist Hermione Thompson and King’s Academy Binfield, eight GCSE students created cyanotype prints in response to water safety. Fire & Rescue Berkshire welcomed the students to Bracknell Fire Station to learn about water safety ahead of the students then taking part in four workshops at South Hill Park’s bespoke print studio, co-creating art in response to the theme. Their resulting artwork was then displayed in one of our Galleries to help raise awareness of their message.
Behind the Scenes
We offer tours of South Hill Park and work experience placements over the course of the year to give students a glimpse of our history and what it takes to run an Arts Centre across all of our different departments. We also aim to help students with achievements such as Arts Awards.
And it doesn’t end there…
Of course, education doesn’t end once you’re past school age. South Hill Park helps the people in our community to continue learning throughout their adult life. Our courses and workshops, led by highly specialised tutors who provide teaching and advice, provide opportunities for everyone to learn a new skill or to perfect their favourite craft. In fact, our collaborations with organisations such as Age Concern prove that it’s never too late to pick up a paintbrush or to learn the tricks of silversmithing. Watch our video to see this in action.
You are South Hill Park
South Hill Park is a registered charity and it is only through the donations, grants and legacies of our members and supporters that we can maintain and build on the work we do here.
Please help us continue to inspire, connect and enrich through the creative arts.
Need Help?
If you’d like to book onto any of the activities mentioned above, or have any questions, please use the links below.