In our new resource, you will find five activities, each with a different creative focus that centres on a theme from the suggested Recovery Curriculum: relationships, community, transparent curriculum, metacognition and space. The resource aims to support you in using the creative arts to address the impact of the pandemic on your students’ lives and learning. The activities have been designed to be suitable for KS2 and KS3, however we have included some tips for adapting the activities for younger and older students, along with ideas for how to make activities more student-led, and how to include more guidance for those who need it. Some activities can be done in one lesson, but others are a sequence of activities that will require more time. Each activity has been co-created with an artist and includes an introduction outlining the principles behind it, which should also support you in adapting the tasks to remain in keeping with the core focuses of the lever.

Our Teachers' Toolkit has been created by A New Direction to help you and your school more effectively use and promote the arts and cultural education as a critical component of a balanced, exciting curriculum. Here you can see the map of the full resource, outlining what each section is comprised of. To download the full resource or individual sections please click here: http://www.anewdirection.org.uk/resources/teachers-toolkit

Consent & Healthy Relationships is a KS3 Secondary classroom resource for the RSE or RHE curriculum, developed in partnership with the School of Sexuality Education and poet Thembe Mvula. Through class discussion, poetry and their own creative writing, students will explore the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships. They will work together to examine and communicate what a caring and respectful relationship looks like, and will further their exploration on what consent means for them and the issues surrounding consent. These learning sequences focus on the skills of wondering and questioning – creative habits at the very heart of what it means to be a creative learner. Pupils will focus on tricky questions where there aren’t simple answers. They will challenge assumptions, and work together on a creative task to culminate in critical reflection. Pupils will also have the opportunity to develop techniques through poetry writing. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

Nature Inspired Design is a new FREE KS2/3 classroom resource for the DT and Science curriculum. Bring nature into the classroom & change your students’ perception of the natural world. Nature is one of the best models we have for a sustainable, regenerative way of life. In this resource, students will learn about nature-inspired design – biomimicry – and will be encouraged to look at nature with fresh eyes. Throughout history, people have taken inspiration from nature to solve human problems, and in these three learning sequences, students will explore and identify some of the time-tested strategies that organisms and ecosystems have used to solve problems over millions of years of adaptation and evolution. Inspired by nature, they will work collaboratively to generate their own design solution. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

FREE quick & playful activities designed to help develop creative habits with your SEND students. Part of our ongoing Teaching for Creativity work, these sets of Taster Cards provide examples of how to practice the Creative Habits of Mind through a range of quick, playful activities. They aim to provide a scaffold for teachers who want to develop the creativity of their students across the curriculum. The Taster Cards work across all age groups and settings and can be easily adapted to suit any class. They can be used as ice breakers, starter activities, plenaries, class assembly prompts, ways to start and end the day, or as stand-alone 10–15-minute activities. Some have suggested topics but could still be used in other subjects, and all require minimal preparation time and few resources. We have also signposted where activities are suitable for remote learning, or for working in large and outdoor spaces such as the hall or playground. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

FREE quick & playful activities designed to help develop creative habits with your secondary students (KS3). Part of our ongoing Teaching for Creativity work, these sets of Taster Cards provide examples of how to practice the Creative Habits of Mind through a range of quick, playful activities. They aim to provide a scaffold for teachers who want to develop the creativity of their students across the curriculum. The Taster Cards work across all age groups and settings and can be easily adapted to suit any class. They can be used as ice breakers, starter activities, plenaries, class assembly prompts, ways to start and end the day, or as stand-alone 10–15-minute activities. Some have suggested topics but could still be used in other subjects, and all require minimal preparation time and few resources. We have also signposted where activities are suitable for remote learning, or for working in large and outdoor spaces such as the hall or playground. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

Being With Me is a new FREE KS2 Primary classroom resource for the RSE, RHE or PSHE curriculum, developed in partnership with the School of Sexuality Education and poet Dan Simpson. Through class discussion and creative writing, pupils will explore the notion of permission and consent and what it means for them. They will grow an understanding of their personal space, boundaries, and what makes them feel safe, and in turn, their appropriate and respectful actions towards others. They will create a poem centred on ‘rules’ for how they like to be treated, and in the second lesson, collaborate with others in writing that deepens their articulation and reflection about consent, along with practising the importance of creating an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

How can we empower young people to value themselves and support their own mental wellbeing? ‘Which me do you see?’ is a new FREE KS3 classroom resource for the Relationships and Sex Education. In these three learning sequences, pupils explore their own emotions and expand their vocabulary around discussing their’s and other people’s feelings around friendships and developing positive relationships. The creative tasks help take the emphasis away from an embarrassing or delicate subject area, allowing space for pupils to feel safe and supported in exploring personal issues and enabling them to challenge and explore their feelings and the feelings of others. Whilst hands are active, a mental space is created for reflections to be made without pupils feeling under pressure. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

FREE quick & playful activities designed to help develop creative habits with your early years students (EYFS). Part of our ongoing Teaching for Creativity work, these sets of Taster Cards provide examples of how to practice the Creative Habits of Mind through a range of quick, playful activities. They aim to provide a scaffold for teachers who want to develop the creativity of their students across the curriculum. The Taster Cards work across all age groups and settings and can be easily adapted to suit any class. They can be used as ice breakers, starter activities, plenaries, class assembly prompts, ways to start and end the day, or as stand-alone 10–15-minute activities. Some have suggested topics but could still be used in other subjects, and all require minimal preparation time and few resources. We have also signposted where activities are suitable for remote learning, or for working in large and outdoor spaces such as the hall or playground. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

Tap into the power of music & help students explore their emotions. The Wellbeing Playlist is a new FREE KS3 classroom resource for the Music curriculum. Music is an artform that unifies us all. It is easy to connect to and is accessible to all of us. Music is used at weddings, funerals, parties; when we want to cry, when we need to dance, when we want to fall in love, and when we want to let our anger out. Tapping into the power of music and how we can use it to assist our wellbeing is an important skill to explore, especially as we enter our teenage years. This resource, created in collaboration with The Roundhouse, will help students explore their emotions, deepen their understanding of what wellbeing means to them, and use playful experimentation to grow in confidence when expressing emotional statements. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

Use poetry to help students explore permission, consent & personal boundaries. Crafting Conversations is a new FREE KS2/ KS3 classroom resource for the RSE, RHE or PSHE curriculum. In these three learning sequences, pupils explore their own emotions and expand their vocabulary around discussing their’s and other people’s feelings. Drawing and sculptural exercises encourage conversations and opportunities to talk about real experiences and these activities provide a helpful way to tackle subjects that are often difficult to talk about. Creative tasks help take the emphasis away from an embarrassing or delicate subject area, allowing space for pupils to feel safe and supported in exploring personal issues and enabling them to challenge and explore their feelings and the feelings of others. Whilst hands are busy, a mental space is created for reflections to be made without participants feeling under pressure. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

Culture, Community and Activism is a new FREE KS3 classroom resource for the History curriculum. These four learning sequences – created by the London Metropolitan Archives – present the archives of the prominent Black political activists, Eric and Jessica Huntley, who, from their first arrival in England in 1956, participated in many campaigns for racial and social justice. Linking to curriculum themes around local histories, the sessions all centre on newly digitised archival sound clips from events at the bookshop and publishing company Bogle-L’Ouverture, which they founded in west London. Pupils will create ‘zines’ to document their learning, using the zine form to consider motivations behind self-publishing and to learn skills in organising and communicating information gathered. Listening to archival material, including performances by prominent Black British poets, Lemn Sissay and John Agard, the resource will explore themes relating to voice, identity, language, education, activism, resilience, and community. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

Explore key historic figures through their speeches & help students step into their shoes. Speeches that Changed the World is a new FREE KS2/3 classroom resource for the History curriculum. History is shaped by individuals in particular times and places, tolerating uncertainty, daring to be different, sticking with difficulty and speaking up for making change. In these three learning sequences, pupils will explore key historic figures through their speeches that shaped and are shaping history: Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Mary Prince, and Malala Yousafzai. Increasingly, we’ve come to know these historical figures through portrayals on stage and screen. These learning sequences – created by Butterfly Theatre Company – use the approaches of an actor to inhabit the life of a character. In exploring these figures and the powerful speeches they made, pupils will be fuelled to explore their own sense of justice, what they feel strongly about, and what speech they will create for themselves. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

Uncover the impacts of colonialism on biodiversity & encourage students to imagine new ways of living. ‘What are the links between colonialism and the environment?’ is a new FREE KS3 classroom resource for the Geography curriculum. This resource – created in collaboration with Climate Museum UK – focuses on the locations of Jamaica and Nigeria to explore questions about British colonialism and links to the climate crisis we face today. The overarching question: ‘What are the links between colonialism and the environment?’ focuses on the exploration of companies and nations that have mechanisms to allow them to operate in other countries – military power, legal challenges, land-grabs and ‘social licence’. The impacts of colonialism have been devastating to biodiversity, and therefore to people who live with close dependence on thriving ecosystems. In turn, the damage to the planet is escalating and impacting on all humans and species. In these three learning sequences, pupils explore the many ways we can imagine alternative ways to live and communicate these ideas. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

FREE quick & playful activities designed to help develop creative habits with your primary students (KS1 & KS2). Part of our ongoing Teaching for Creativity work, these sets of Taster Cards provide examples of how to practice the Creative Habits of Mind through a range of quick, playful activities. They aim to provide a scaffold for teachers who want to develop the creativity of their students across the curriculum. The Taster Cards work across all age groups and settings and can be easily adapted to suit any class. They can be used as ice breakers, starter activities, plenaries, class assembly prompts, ways to start and end the day, or as stand-alone 10–15-minute activities. Some have suggested topics but could still be used in other subjects, and all require minimal preparation time and few resources. We have also signposted where activities are suitable for remote learning, or for working in large and outdoor spaces such as the hall or playground. Join our Schools Newsletter Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook