We are delighted to announce that, alongside five other infant and primary schools in East Kent, Littlebourne will be taking part in a research project funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s prestigious Teacher Development Fund (TDF). Our project, led by Animate Arts, is one of only eight projects nationwide to receive the funding in the current cohort, which brings school teachers and artists together to develop creative methods of teaching and learning that engage pupils and help them to overcome barriers to learning.

Our project is called Maths + Creativity = ? Over the course of two academic years (2025-2027), Maths Lead teachers and Art Lead Teachers from Littlebourne and five other Kent primary schools will work in partnership with creative practitioners from Animate Arts to develop ideas, skills and understanding in how to teach areas of the maths National Curriculum in non-traditional, anti-rote ways using two complementary art forms, Visual Arts and Dance. 

The creative practitioners will work with the teachers in and out of the classroom to explore, devise and deliver creative teaching, and develop skills in dance or visual art. There are also opportunities to develop arts-in-education pedagogy (for teachers and artists alike) through peer support, CPD, coaching and project learning days within the programme. 

We are so delighted to have been selected for the TDF programme and we hope to make a real difference to the teachers and pupils here at Littlebourne.