Education
Education through moving image and digital technology is at the heart of everything we do.
Click below to skip to what’s relevant for you.
Into Film Festival
Each year we take part in the national Into Film Festival, with free film screenings at The Engine Room, Bridgwater. Again, the film titles will be announced close to the time with booking usually opening at the start of September. Places will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with attendance this year limited to one school group per event to help us to ensure the safety of all attendees.
Email us for more information: info@somersetfilm.com
CPD, Residencies and Workshops
There’s nothing more exciting than young people co-creating new work with professional filmmakers or artists. This could be to develop their creativity or soft skills, to develop team working or leadership skills, to connect them with their local community or to explore their passions and understanding of a particular theme or topic.
We offer bespoke residences or workshops for a range of settings, ages and disciplines, including Animation, Audio / Sound, Digital Photography, Filmmaking, Game Design and Minecraft.
Alternatively, if you’d like your staff, youth workers or volunteers to have the skills to teach to or support young people we offer bespoke training and CPD alongside our public programme of workshops, which you can view here.
Recent workshops include:
Animating using iPads/tablets
Podcasting for teachers
Exploring light, colour and creativity through kaleidoscopes and light-painting
Macro-photography
One World Workshops
The One World Workshops provide primary school children in Bridgwater and Taunton with opportunities to experience and creatively respond to music and dance from diverse cultural backgrounds. The One World Workshops have now been completed with two schools enjoying taking part.
Listen to the fantastic micro-drama podcasts that Trull Primary School and Westover Green Primary School have created with us during these workshops, which is supported by the WOMAD Foundation.
Below are the micro-drama podcasts created by Westover Green Primary School.
School Arts and Wellbeing Project
We were delighted to be work with Somerset County Council’s Public Health Team, to provide arts-based projects to support recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for schools in Sedgemoor. The approach was linked to the Somerset Wellbeing Framework
Working with our InspirED partners Somerset Art Works, artists Richard Tomlinson and Jan Ollis were appointed to work with schools to create artworks inspired by the theme of belonging. Processes included photography and textiles including embroidery and printing onto fabrics. The work was showcased during Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2022.
Download the free ‘Digital Stitch’ resource created during the project and follow the step by step guide to deliver the activity in your classroom. For more educational resources visit the dedicated InspirED website.
InspirED Somerset Primary Schools Network
InspirED provides schools with the essential building blocks to support and build their arts provision. This can be for:
Specific art, drama, dance or creative IT subject support
Creatively boosting other areas of the core curriculum such as maths and literacy
Connecting and forging links with parents (family learning) and the wider communities
InspirED is led by a consortium of three award-winning arts producers and promoters - Somerset Art Works, Somerset Film and Take Art - each brings a wealth of expertise and links to local, regional and national partners.
Over the past seven years we have delivered over 23,000 creative experiences for children and young people in 125 educational settings and provided CPD sessions to over 1,000 teachers, teaching assistants and early years practitioners.
Visit the dedicated website here.
Action for Cultural Education Partnership
This group brings together people working in the education, arts, heritage and cultural sectors to ensure that every child has the chance to visit, experience and participate in extraordinary work. It was formed in response to Arts Council England and Department for Education’s Cultural Education Challenge.
If you’re a teacher, head or governor interested in ensuring your children and young people have access to the arts, heritage, libraries, museums and more then please join us.
Read the minutes of our previous meeting here and sign up to receive details about the next meeting here.
Arts Award and Artsmark
Arts Award inspires young people to grow their arts and leadership talents: it's creative, valuable and accessible. It is a nationally recognised qualification. The Engine Room is a registered Arts award centre and a number of our team are qualified Arts Advisers to Silver Level. We currently offer Bronze / Silver Arts Award as part of our BFI Film Academy.
If you are trying to achieve your Arts Award and need support then get in touch.
Artsmark is the creative quality standard for schools and education settings, awarded by Arts Council England, recognising their commitment to high quality arts and cultural education. We can support you on your journey to achieving this award through:
Advice and support
CPD and skills develop opportunities for staff
Community projects or residencies
Workshops for children & young people
Online resources to support after-school clubs
To find out more call 01278 433187.
