Pioneering C Change conference returns for the second year

The highly anticipated C Change Conference 2023 is set to take place on Thursday, 21 September. This transformative event aims to inspire educators, students, business and community leaders by showcasing cutting-edge practices in creativity across schools and communities.

The C Change Conference 2023 offers a unique platform to share ideas, insights, perceptions, and experiences while fostering connections with like-minded individuals passionate about driving creative change. Attendees will have the opportunity to shape the future of education and contribute to a collective vision.

Creativity Collaboratives is part of a pilot research programme, aiming to build networks of schools to test a range of innovative practices in teaching creativity, with all learning shared to facilitate system-wide change.

The partnership is one of only eight across England with C Change, the only one in the North West. St Bernard’s RC Primary and Nursery School leads the group that consists of nursery, primary, secondary and specialist educational settings.

Renowned keynote speakers will be in attendance, including Sir Nick Serota, Chair of Arts Council England, who brings extensive experience from his tenure as director of Tate and involvement in the Durham Commission on Creativity and Let’s Create strategy.

Professor Bill Lucas, director of the Centre for Real-World Learning (CRL), will also share his expertise as co-chair of the strategic advisory group for the 2021 PISA test of Creative Thinking, among other notable roles developing creative thinking globally.

Dr Debra Kidd and Hywel Roberts will share examples of how to breathe life into the curriculum and classrooms. Debra and Hywel will lead a live teaching workshop, where they will be demonstrating their practice with a group of secondary children.

Renowned TV producer and screenwriter Sir Phil Redmond, a great ambassador for the creative industries, will also be delivering a talk around creativity and culture as part of the event. Sir Phil’s role in leading culture across the City Region will be key as Wirral moves towards Borough of Culture, 2024. 

As part of the preparation for this, the borough’s programme for young people will launch at the C Change Conference.

Another exciting addition will be the involvement of Ashleigh Nugent, a much-loved poet and author of the recently released book Locks. Ashleigh will be talking about his experience of education and creating some live poetry throughout the day.

The aim of the day is to bring people together to discuss a fresh approach to creativity, culture and community. Rich Salt, co-founder of GelTwolt.com attended last year’s conference.

He said: “It was an amazing event. As someone working on technology to support young people with non-traditional education, I found the conference fascinating. The information provided was incredibly valuable, and the community was welcoming and engaging.”

Emily Reid, project lead for the C Change, said: “We can’t wait to welcome people to the conference in September. The work that has been happening across our schools is inspiring and we look forward to sharing it with delegates.”

The C Change Conference 2023 promises to be a day of creative exploration and partnership, empowering attendees to make a difference in education and beyond.

There is a choice of workshops available to attendees and cover topics such as Creative Thinking in maths, Immersive Spaces, and Rethinking Assessment – Digital Portfolios. Examples of creative partnerships will also be explored including the exciting work that is currently being developed with C Change schools in New Brighton and Ellesmere Port.

The event is certainly one for the movers and shakers within the education landscape and beyond.

More information and ticket registry for the full-day event is available here.