Month: August 2019

August News

Mimi Doulton 30th August 2019 ACA News, Front Page No Comments
August News

August News

What have we been up to...

We have held meetings with the Spark Arts in Leicester, Fife Council and Sunderland Empire. We are looking forward to meeting the Open College of the Arts, 11 by 11 and Sunderland Empire in September.

We are also looking forward to attending the Creative Industries Federation event with Tom Watson MP and the Cultural Campaigning Group.

ACA Critical Friend Dr Chris Abbott has written a response to the government report An Unequal Playing Field. Read his full response here.

Since Janet's appointment we have been exploring the co-working spaces in London's theatres, galleries and concert halls. Development Officer Mimi Doulton decided to make the most of the opportunity and has created a short guide to some of London's co-working spaces here.

ACA Chair Vicky Ireland MBE and ACA Trustee Chris Jarvis were delighted to meet Emmerson at the Delfont Room, ahead of this year's JM Barrie Awards (pictured at the top of this newsletter). Emmerson is our young presenter for 2019 and will be working alongside Pui Fan Lee.

We are delighted to have welcomed three new members! Writer and illustrator Rod Campbell, creator of the acclaimed Dear Zoo said:

'I am pleased to support ACA in your work in making the arts available to all children as a fundamental part of their development.'

To become a member of ACA, click here.

This is only part of the ACA August newsletter. Click here to get the full thing in your inbox every month!

An Unequal Playing Field – ACA welcomes report commissioned by UK government

Mimi Doulton 28th August 2019 Children's Arts News, Front Page No Comments
An Unequal Playing Field – ACA welcomes report commissioned by UK government

An Unequal Playing Field – ACA welcomes report commissioned by UK government

ACA notes that the Government’s own Social Mobility Commission has joined the chorus of voices raising concerns about children’s access to the arts – in this case especially outside school. The report (www.gov.uk/government/news/extra-curricular-activities-soft-skills-and-social-mobility) notes the huge disparities in children’s participation rates in many different areas.

 

ACA is particularly concerned by the findings of this government report that involvement in the arts, music and dance varies greatly depending upon where children live and their social background, with wealthier families much more likely to be involved in these activities. Most worryingly of all, children from the poorest families are 3 times less likely to be involved in extra-curricular arts activities, found the report’s authors, who were researchers from the University of Bath.

ACA supports the report’s recommendations to the government which include a bursary scheme for disadvantaged families, funding for voluntary sector initiatives, increasing the extra-curricular capacity of schools and the need for further research in this important area. ACA is in a position to assist with the second of these recommendations, and to show the way forward for the involvement of the voluntary sector through the development of its Arts Backpack UK.

In ACA, we believe in each child as an holistic being, with emotional, physical, psychological, aesthetic and intellectual needs and dimensions.

We believe that education should facilitate the realisation of the full potential of each child.

It should not be decided by the financial circumstances of their carers.

Vicky Ireland MBE - Chair, Action for Children's Arts

 

This report contains shocking data about the extent to which access to the arts is related to wealth in the UK. Wealthy children are 3 times as likely to have music lessons, with the difference being even more marked in the south-east of England compared to the north-east. The researchers found that proportionately more girls than boys were involved in music, art and dance – perhaps because of the gendered way in which these activities were offered. It is important to know more about these growing divides and the effect they are having, so we also support the recommendation that more research is needed, especially into ways of meeting this pressing need.

Dr Chris Abbott

Dr Chris Abbott, FRSA
Reader Emeritus in Assistive Technologies, King's College London
Critical Friend, ACA

Co-working spaces in London

Mimi Doulton 22nd August 2019 Blog, Front Page No Comments
Co-working spaces in London

Co-working spaces in London

Since the appointment of interim CEO Janet Robertson, we have been making the most of co-working spaces across London. As we prepare to move into a slightly more permanent base, here are some of our findings.

The Barbican Centre

The ground floor space (pictured above) is a bit touch-and-go, depending on what exhibitions and events are taking place. However, on a good day there are nice long tables and reliable Cloud-based WiFi. Plug sockets are  slightly harder to come by. There are further working areas on the first floor, and if you are looking for a quiet space - there is an excellent room at the back of the Barbican Library on the second floor (in the Music Library).

Convenient food and drink is available from Barbican Kitchen, the Benugo café, or - if you're feeling fancy - one of the restaurants near Lakeside. On the subject of Lakeside, this is a lovely spot to enjoy some natural light and time away from your computer screen!

The Roundhouse, Camden

This is a lovely, quiet spot to get some work done less than half an hour from Waterloo, King's Cross and Paddington. The WiFi is excellent, and the café is light and airy. There are lots of small tables at the front of the café, and longer ones around the back, which you can apparently reserve!

The food options are rather limited (toastie, anyone?) but tasty nonetheless, and there are plenty of naughty snacks to enjoy on the go. We spotted a number of plug sockets around the place and it never seemed so busy that you couldn't get to one. Well worth the journey to the edge of zone 1.

The Royal Society of Arts

If you happen to be a member (or know someone who can let you in), the home of the RSA just round the corner from Embankment tube is an oasis of calm in central London. With plenty of nooks and crannies for small meetings, excellent WiFi and a lovely café, you are sure to find everything you need here.

Crypt at St Martin in the Fields

A nice cool underground space for a hot summer's day... And we imagine a cosy space on a winter one! If you don't mind the company of a few brass-rubbers, this is one of the quieter co-working spots in London.

That said, it lacks phone signal and the WiFi is also rather unreliable. We can vouch for the excellent food however. A good place to work offline, or maybe catch up on some emails. Not so good for uploading or working in the Cloud.

The Young Vic

An ACA favourite for many years, this café boasts tonnes of natural light, a roof terrace, and a brilliant range of food and drink on offer at a number of price points. With this excellence comes popularity, and unfortunately the WiFi suffers somewhat for this. There are also no plug sockets on the ground floor, and only two or three upstairs (they're on the ceiling!) so if you need a charge you have to be stealthy.

A very convenient central London location and a great place to bump into other arts and culture professionals.

Pret a Manger

We couldn't really write this article without a short tribute to Pret a Manger - host to many ACA meetings over the years. The WiFi is invariably excellent, the chairs are comfortable, and the food is reliable. Getting a password for the bathroom is mildly inconvenient but we'll forgive them this.

What's more, they seem to be popping up everywhere - meaning you can be sure to find a reliable co-working space, wherever you may be.

(As an aside, if you have a lovely local café with good WiFi, we strongly encourage you to support them!)