Arts and culture introduction

Telford and Wrekin Virtual School in partnership with Artslink is a programme by the West Midlands Virtual Schools Children in Care Foundation. This is supported by Arts Connect through their Partnership Investment Programme.

Our ambition is to ensure that all care experienced children and young people linked to a Virtual School in the West Midlands are able to access high-quality arts and cultural experiences. This includes both live activities and an extensive online offer to get arts and creativity happening at home.Telford & Virtual School is the first Virtual School to become a registered Arts Centre in which to process young peoples Arts Awards. 

Our looked after children are encouraged to take part in out of school activities to help build personal and social skills, raise educational achievement and improve life chances. The Virtual School team have a dedicated Arts Lead who leads on Arts and Culture activities and events for our children in care. Kerriann Hughes can be contacted on virtualschool@telford.gov.uk if you wish to find out more or to make an enquiry on future opportunities. Kerriann has also completed all of the Arts Assessor training and is able to process and reward young people with Arts Awards from Trinity College. 

From September 2021, the Virtual School termly Personal Education Plan will include and Arts and Culture entitlement dedicated section which will be completed by the education provision jointly with the young person. This will help the Virtual School to plan and create acitivities and events based on the young persons interests and experiences.

Telford and Wrekin Virtual School team - Arts and culture activities 2023 - 2024

  • DJ Workshop joint event with Shropshire Virtual School - 1 November 2023.
  • Women and Theatre Regional Arts Showcase Event - 3 November 2023 - invite only.
  • Joint Music event with Shropshire Virtual School - 12 February 2024.
  • Joint workshop - Drumming - 16 February 2024
  • Sixth The Musical Theatre Trip joint with Shropshire Virtual School - 3 March 2024.
  • RAF Photography Workshop - 5 March 2023.
  • Regional Arts and Culture Event - Explorers Club - 16 March 2024 being held in Birmingham 
  • RAF Activity Trail - Postponed until 2024/2025
  • Joint Arts and Culture Event with Shropshire Virtual School - 29 May 2024 - arranged by Performing Perfectly - details to be confirmed.

All the above events are shared via schools and social workers to distribute flyers and booking information. All of our events are based on a booking system, if you wish to find out more or would like to book a place on any of the above - please contact the Arts Lead on kerriann.hughes@telford.gov.uk.

Our Student Engagement Programme are also running an exciting programme of events. The dates that these will take place are:

  • 30 October 2023 - Sensory Experience for KS2
  • 13 February 2024 - Graffiti Art for KS2
  • 14 February 2024 - Graffiti Art for KS3 and KS4
  • 25 March 2024 - Wellbeing session for KS4
  • 28 March 2024 - Textiles Workshop for KS3 and KS4
  • 2 April 2024 - Wellbeing session for KS3
  • 31 May 2024 - Learning Through Nature 
  • 23 July 2024 - Festival Day 
  • 24 July 2024 - to be confirmed
  • 27 August 2024 - Learning Through Nature KS3.

All of the events will have the opportunity to undertake the Discover Arts Award. Details of the events will be shared closer to the time to the young peoples schools, education providers, their social workers to share with parents/carers. 

Arts Discover Award - Celebration 

We are pleased to announce that 28 young people have successfully achieved their Discover Arts Award in the academic year 2022-2023 by accessing Arts and Culture Events that have been organised by Telford and Wrekin Virtual School in partnership with other external agencies and Performing Perfectly. we also had engagement and particpation from over 100 young people in 2022-2023 academic year in out of school / school holiday arts and culture events/programmes and activities. 

Arts Award Discover is an introductory award where our young people participated by collecting evidence for their individual portfolios and took part in arts activities which can include a variety of arts and culture areas, including, singing, Guitar, individual graffiti design and African drums, photography, dance and darma to name a few. The young people also successfully researched an artist to look at their work and their history and shared their arts discoveries.

Download the attached flyer to view some of the art pieces that were created and to find out more on how to get involved below :

The Hive - Offer

The Hive provides a safe path to personal and community growth. Their projects transform lives through inspiring, inclusive, creative experiences in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

Their work has a wellbeing focus and aims to support the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged people through arts and culture. Specifically, the focus is on working with children, young people and young adults, however this is not exclusive and their charity responds to the needs of our local communities and implements targeted work with older people, as well as inter-generational projects.

For more information about any of the projects please contact: admin@hiveonline.org.uk.

Artslink

The Arts Link Programme

The Arts Link Programme has been established to create a high-quality arts and cultural offer which all children in care across the West Midlands can access, so that they can develop as learners, as people and as artists.

The programme is offered within local authorities, clusters and across the West Midlands region both virtually and in a wide range of experiences, activities and opportunities across the Arts.

This programme looks to encourage all young people into the Arts through focus opportunities, whether they are ‘one-off’, Give It A Go events, or more involved make It Mine experiences.

In addition to experiencing the Arts, children and young people are able to gain a knowledge of employment pathways and roles across the Creative Industries, secure further qualifications eg Arts Award and meet and work alongside professionals from the world of Arts.

Visit the Artslink website to find out more.

The Smash Room

The Smash Room is a professional recording studio and rehearsal room available for you to book.

The Smash Room offers access to four rehearsal rooms each fully equipped with:

  • 1 x Drum Kit
  • 3 x guitar amplifiers (more if required)
  • 1 x bass amplifier
  • 1 x PA system for vocals.

 In addition to the practice rooms they also offer a repair shop where you can get all your amplifiers/PA's and other electrical equipment fixed up by their specialist team and a top quality recording studio for artists who want to record / mix / master their album /ep or songs.

Visit The Smash Room website for more information on professional recording studios and rehearsal rooms

 

Arts, Culture and craft activites to do at home

Arts and crafts

  • Primary Playground - Scavenger Hunts and Reading Bingo games for younger years
  • Bringing Hogwarts to You - magical treats from the World of Harry Potter
  • Physical Education / Music KS1: Dance with the Elements - Dances for each of the four element have been choreographed to different pieces of classical music including JS Bach, Karl Jenkins, Aaron Copland, Johann Strauss, Claude Debussy and John Adams
  • Virtual Cyber School - Gain access to over 200 free cyber security challenges and learn from industry experts at the Virtual Cyber School

Cultural activities

  • Natural History Museum - activities and crafts to do around the home – also teaching resources and a virtual tour.
  • The children’s University of Manchester - The Children's University of Manchester has been designed to support KS2 (7-11) teaching and learning both in the classroom and at home with subjects including Science, History, Languages and many more.
  • Virtual tour of British Museum, London - Travel through time and discover artefacts from all over the world.
  • Mercedes Benz - Virtual Tour of Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
  • The Great Fire of London - Stories and games about the great fire of London.
  • Science Museum - Games, Apps and activities to do at home.
  • Tate Kids - Games, quizzes and crafts to do at home including Jacqueline Wilson’s Magical Tour of Tate Britain.

Arts and Culture Gallery

We have a dedicated gallery page to showcase our children and young peoples arts and culture creations and designs. Please send us your amazing work if you would like it to be added to our webpage to Kerriann Hughes - Arts Lead kerriann.hughes@telford.gov.uk.

View our gallery

Last updated : 29 May 2025

Sports introduction

Our looked after children are encouraged to take part in out of school activities to help build personal and social skills, raise educational achievement and improve life chances. The Virtual School team have a dedicated Sports lead who will support with activities and events for our children in care. Suzanne Ellams can be contacted on virtualschool@telford.gov.uk if you wish to find out more or to make an enquiry on future opportunities. 

Create a fulfilling childhood with 10 by 1010 By 10 icon icon

There are ten activities children should try before they are ten years old. Each 10 by 10 activity is a chance for your child to discover new talents and experience the world.

By working with schools and local organisations we've put together several activities and offers - many for free.

On this website you can search for 10 by 10 activities and offers, as well as track and tick off each one your child does.

We want your child to have the opportunity to have a go at each activity. Who knows, one of these activities might spark something in your child that you might not expect.

Visit the 10 by 10 website

Sports Leadership Programme

The Virtual School Team has collaborated with Sports Energize to be able to offer young people the opportunity to gain qualifications in Sports and Fitness Level 2 and a Boxing Bronze award as part of a Sports Leadership course. The dates for this years Sports Leadership programmes are:

Autumn Term:

  • Thursday 9, 16 and 23 November 2023

Spring Term:

  • Thursday 7, 14 and 21 March 2024

If you are interested in taking part and completing the Sports Leadership programme, please contact our Engagement Officers, Jo Whitmore or Suzanne Ellams on virtualschool@telford.gov.uk.

Energizeenergize logo

Our mission is to improve lives and empower communities through the power of physical activity and sport.

We are a local charity and one of 42 organisations within the Active Partnerships network who work collaboratively with local and national partners to create the conditions for an active nation using the power of sport and physical activity to transform lives.

At Energize, we're on a mission to influence change at all levels so that living an active lifestyle is normal behaviour for individuals, organisations and the whole of society. We strive to tackle inactivity and address inequalities in participation. Our aim is to make sure that equality, diversity and inclusion run through everything we do as an organisation. 

Visit the Energize website to find out more information for Secondary schools

Visit the Energize website to find out more information for Primary schools

Sport England

Free digital marketing training

Free digital marketing training is being made available to the sport and physical activity sector as we look to encourage more people to play sport and be active.

The idea for the hub came as a response to findings highlighting a significant digital skills gap within the sector and it'll include online courses, webinars and resources with the aim of helping people and organisations delivering sport and physical activity to improve their skills.

Visit the Sport England website

Celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport

Our strategy will make sport and physical activity more accessible.

This Pride Month, our executive director Ali Donnelly blogs about her personal experience of sport and physical activity and says we all have a role to play to build on the progress of the past 20 years.

Visit the Sport England website to access the blog

Try it, dream it achieve it

A new sports initiative is underway to create a universal entitlement to sports provision for all children in care in the West Midlands.

Activities will be offered in a range of ways by a variety of sports and active lifestyle organisations.

It will work on the three principles of Try it, dream it achieve it, offering a wide range of experiences and opportunities to enable our children to develop their interests and talents, enabling sports specialism, developing independence and entrepreneurship and potentially even leading to qualifications and careers.

Here are some sporting organisations which are encouraging young people to 'try it, dream it, achieve it' which can be done at home.

  • Chance to shine - Cricket - You will have to register to view videos. Free for all.
  • TTKIDZ Table Tennis - Various coaching videos.
  • FA Learning - Football from YouTube - page dedicated to drills.
  • Tennis LTA - from YouTube.

Bright Star Boxing

Engaging alternative education provision for young people. There are many young people who find a mainstream school environment difficult, and schools need access to quality, affordable alternative education provision.

Visit the Bright Star Boxing website

Last updated : 18 December 2024