Illuminating Futures: How through Astronomy Kielder fostered inclusion and inspired marginalised students

Who did you work with?

Jackie Edwards, Creative Practitioner

Students at risk of exclusion from mainstream school education.

Four partner schools:

1. Durham Gilesgate Primary School
2. Thorp Academy o Beacon of Light School
3. Alternative Provision school o Silverdale School
4. Social, Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) school

Had you worked together before?

Durham Gilesgate Primary School and Thorp Academy we had worked with previously as part of our From STEM to Stars project. However, with the students that we worked with there was only one from Durham Gilesgate Primary School that had been involved with that previous project, and none had been involved from Thorp Academy.

What priorities did you identify with your partner and how did this project meet the longer-term priorities of everyone involved?

Most of the schools provided specific expectations for successful outcomes from the project, aligning with a broader intention to engage with excluded children or those at risk of exclusion. Thorp Academy sought sustained engagement, encouraging students to explore the importance of astronomy. Beacon of Light emphasised real world applications of astronomy and regional opportunities, aiming to connect students to potential careers and local events. Gilesgate Primary looked to the project as a transitional aid from primary to secondary school, offering students a chance to assert their opinions and build confidence. The Observatory visits, in particular, offered practical insights into astronomy, resonating with the regional focus. Each of these aims was tailored to the specific needs of different groups, aligning with the long-term goal of supporting children who may otherwise feel marginalised or disconnected, fostering inclusion and inspiration through the theme of astronomy. The satisfaction levels of the schools with the project’s outcomes are furthered detailed in Question 11.

Can you summarise the aims of your project delivery?

The project aimed to engage and inspire students at risk of exclusion or not fitting into mainstream school through a unique blend of astronomy and creative expression. By collaborating with schools and a Creative Practitioner, the initiative sought to foster a deeper connection to science, encourage self-expression, and promote long-term interest in STEM subjects.

How co-produced was your programme?

- Deciding together (encourages new and additional options, and joint decision making)

- Acting together (not only deciding what is best together, but forming a partnership to carry it out)

What steps did you take with your community partner in order to reach this level of co-production?

We collaborated closely with the Creative Practitioner Jackie Edwards to intertwine artistic and scientific aspects of the project. By engaging diverse schools, we initiated trust-building through ‘inspirational moments’, using immersive experiences like an inflatable planetarium. Schools played a pivotal role in identifying beneficiary students, emphasising our trust in their judgement. Regular, interactive sessions with Jackie built rapport and engagement, while visits to Kielder Observatory deepened immersion and displayed real-world applications. Feedback mechanisms, involving both students and teachers, coupled with Jackie’s evaluation insights, ensured a holistic, co-produced approach rooted in open communication and mutual respect.

The first creative session with each school was focused on building a positive relationship between the young people, Jackie as the Facilitator, creativity and the subject of astronomy. Jackie encouraged the students’ honest responses to Kielder’s visit through open discussion, asking what stuck with them, and what they were keen to think more about. A wide variety of arts and crafts material was provided for them to explore their responses in a creative manner. So that there was minimal pressure on the creative responses, the opportunity to engage with the topic interactively was provided, by introducing them to Stellarium, and by intertwining discussion, debate and verbal exploration of the ideas that interested them. This informal environment was to allow each participant to engage with what means of expression and investigation they felt most inclined towards. Each week Jackie built on what their instincts had been the previous week, providing more space for them to practice their communication in a format that suited them, as well as the opportunity to keep trying new forms of expression as the project progressed and as they became more comfortable with the topic itself. The project culminated in them producing artwork to be added to their ‘Corner of the Universe’, which are to be displayed together at the Observatory (see pictures in folder.)

Can you note down some of the benefits and challenges to working this way?

Benefits:

• Deepened Engagement: The co-production fostered active involvement from all participants, ensuring ownership and tailored content suited to students’ needs.
• Different Perspectives: Collaborating with the Creative Practitioner enriched the project, merging artistic and scientific themes.
• Enhanced Confidence and Investment: The opportunity for students to voice their opinions and decide the direction of their exploration led to genuine investment in sessions. This bolstered their confidence and reinforced the belief that their opinions mattered. As evidence, feedback showed that students overwhelmingly felt part of a team and believed their contributions were significant.

Challenges:

• Time Limitations: The project’s duration limited the evaluation of longterm impacts
• Logistical Challenges: As we disappointingly had no response from our original intended partner, we switched to working directly with schools themselves. The schools emphasised the importance of delivering in their setting, where the students would feel comfortable. Coordinating among various partners and organising visits presented complexities.
• Adjustment to School Environment: While the sessions encouraged open expression and feedback, students in mainstream schools found it challenging to switch from this open environment to the more regulated classroom setting. In schools like Thorp and Gilesgate, this adjustment posed issues. One proposed solution is scheduling such sessions at the end of the school day to minimize this disruption.

What was the STEM link?

The STEM link was deeply rooted in astronomy, providing participants with knowldge about the universe, celestial bodies, and space exploration. Through ‘inspirational moments’ inside an inflatable planetarium, students gained insights from astronomers, coupled with hands-on observations at Kielder Observatory. Moreover, the integration of creative arts allowed students to approach scientific topics from a unique, expressive angle, blending knowledge acquisition with artistic interpretation.

“This was a great project. Although we were a small group we chose the children because of vulnerabilities at this transition time into KS3. Two of the children are at risk of exclusion if transition does not go well, the other were vulnerable because of SEN of self-efficacy and confidence. The project allowed them to be successful through a creative process which was less challenging/stressful than a 'normal' lesson. - Teacher

What happened?

The project was originally planned with a slightly different structure, but was later reconfigured to work directly with schools. This new approach led to significant successes. We had continued engagements with 22 students from 4 schools, co-creating and testing a model that fostered a greater sense of agency, access to life opportunities and potentially lessened the chance of future exclusions. Through our partnership with the creative practitioner Jackie Edwards, we co-created and tested a model that incorporated best practices into creative learning. We also developed a tangible model for STEM provision for excluded children that’s been co-created, tested, iterated, and is now ready for scale-up. In the last few sessions at each school Jackie introduced to the participants the idea of the ‘4 Corners of the Universe’, in which their Corner would display what they’d found most interesting or memorable from the project. Thus, the result would be a whole artwork that each of them had contributed to making.

The final session was entirely devoted to them responding to and creating what they wanted to put on their “corner”. How comfortable the participants were in creative decision making varied, but the informal and relaxed setting that was established over the weeks resulted in a supportive dynamic between participants and a confidence from individuals to ask for help when needed. Thus, each participant was able to create something that reflected their own personal connection to the topic of astronomy. One participant from Silverdale began this final session believing they wouldn’t be able to contribute anything because they “didn’t get art”, but by steadily exploring through discussion and reflection on how many ways there are to create a response to a topic, a form which suited them was found. They ended up writing a very thoughtful and philosophical short essay about humanity’s place in the Universe, which offers anyone engaging with the ‘Corners of the Universe’ to think from a different perspective. Although the aim of this project was not necessarily to create a lasting piece of work with the participants, it was a successful bonus, as the ‘4 Corners of the Universe’ displays the positive association with the topic each student developed, as well as what stuck with them from the project, and most importantly an ownership over their ideas. Pictures and details of these ‘Corners’ are in the folder.

“One of our vulnerable students was able to manage his behaviour very well and was very engaged with the topic, asking very pertinent questions during the sessions. This was an opportunity for him to engage in learning in a very different way. It also gave him a voice, which he doesn't always have at home.” - Teacher

Do you have any quotes you could share

Within the sessions the students also gave a valuable insight. Some students said that before the project they believed astronomy was “just stars” or that they “didn't know what astronomy was” or that they didn’t think about it because it “never came up”. When asked if the project has made them think differently about astronomy some students responded, “I now think aliens might be real” and that they now realise astronomy is “not just stars but planets, and our planets are inside something and that’s inside something and it keeps going until it’s one big planet (the universe)”. In the student survey responses, we’ve learnt that only 3/9 of them would say they’d thought a lot about space before this project, but after having completed the project 7/9 of them feel more confident about doing new things and would like to learn more about space.

What challenges might lie in wait for someone wanting to replicate this project

Engaging participants creatively allowed them to explore astronomy in a more openended and expressive way. The challenge in replicating this project lies in balancing creativity with scientific accuracy. While the creative approach encouraged participants to develop their own thoughts and opinions, it sometimes lacked the factual context that an expert astronomy could provide. A collaboration between a Creative Facilitator and an Astronomer might offer a more holistic view of the subject, enhancing both the artistic and scientific engagement with astronomy.

The reason this collaborative approach was not initially pursued was partially budget-driven, but also stemmed from a desire to allow the creative practitioner the independence to form a personal and uninhibited relationship with the students. This environment was intended to foster creativity, yet in hindsight, incorporating access to an expert astronomy could have enriched the sessions by integrating accurate scientific information with the artistic explorations, therefore providing a more comprehensive perspective on the theme of astronomy and space. 13.

Were there any surprises?

The initial plan for this project was to partner with IntegratED and families, however due to a lack of interest on their part, we decided to work directly with four different schools for the project. This has allowed us to work with a greater number of students and work more closely with the schools, who were able to identify the students that would benefit most from the project. It was very positive to engage young people who had been or were at risk of being excluded from the education system, but this came with challenges in relation to inconsistent attendance week on week.

In one school a few of the participating students were being excluded on a frequent basis throughout the project, as disciplinary measures for their ongoing behaviour outside of the sessions. But this meant that the progress and development of the project wasn’t experienced evenly or equally across the group. Thus, the students who were being excluded as a form of discipline didn’t get to fully partake in an opportunity that was trying to counter their lack of enthusiasm and engagement while in school. In the alternative provision schools, attendance could be inconsistent because of the students' attendance to school in general, rather than them being removed from school for discipline.

These schools anticipated this issue ahead of beginning the project, so tried to select students that they felt already showed consistency in attendance, but it was still hard to predict which students would be present in each session. Considering the sessions lasted between 3-6 weeks across different schools, this issue may be felt less if the project spanned a longer period or the full academic term.

How did you capture/measure the impact for this project?

For this project, we used Microsoft Forms to capture feedback directly from participants. Teachers from each of the four schools provided feedback, and nine out of the twenty-two students completed the student survey. Their feedback offered both qualitative insights into their experiences and quantitative measures of interest and engagement levels.

• Bold Futures Staff Feedback Form

• Bold Futures Student Survey

In the Creative Work Images folder shared with this form, the images are grouped by school, but also labelled in a way that showcases the creative progress made throughout the project. The ‘4 corners of the Universe’ are grouped, along with the images of the souvenirs each participant received. In Thorp’s folder there are pictures of their success letters, and most of these include examples of their work from week 1, which can be compared against their more developed work in weeks 35.

Where is the long-lasting change?

The project has hopefully provided the young people with positive associations toward both astronomy and creativity, and proved to them that they can explore a scientific topic from a more imaginative angle. At Thorp Academy the students were quite guarded to begin but learnt to be more open with their ideas and contributions; to mark this progress they got to take home their work in a booklet with a personalised letter congratulating them on individual successes so they had a physical reminder of their achievements. All participating students across each school got a keyring with their ‘Corner of the Universe’, along with a link to Kielder Observatory’s website, to remind them of the project and so they can investigate the Observatory further if they wish.

This project’s legacy lies in its transformative impact on vulnerable students, offering them novel ways to engage with STEM topics and boosting their confidence. While the immediate duration was limited, teachers expressed interest in its potential longterm effects, especially on students transitioning into KS3. The partnership between the schools, the creative practitioner and Kielder Observatory fostered a unique blend of artistic and scientific exploration in an education setting, which could serve as a foundation for future collaborations. The emphasis on co-production and the tangible success seen in the students’ engagement could act as a catalyst for more embedded educational and interventional approaches in the future.

Did this project impact the future sustainability of your organisation?

Yes, this project significantly bolstered the sustainability of our organisation. By successfully merging creative arts with STEM education, we showcased our versatility and adaptability in curating innovative educational experiences. The positive feedback from teachers and students strengthens our reputation and opens avenues for future collaborations and funding opportunities.