Delight Charity
Empowering disadvantaged children to participate in arts and drama
Delight is an arts-based learning charity with a vision for every child to have equal opportunity to thrive during their school years and beyond. Its joyful and inclusive visual arts, dance, drama and storytelling programmes are a catalyst for long-term change for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, across the curriculum.
The number of children who qualify for Pupil Premium funding – aimed at providing additional support to raise attainment levels of disadvantaged children – has nearly doubled since 2011-12. Across Delight’s partner schools there are growing numbers of children with anxiety and confidence issues, additional learning needs, and families falling into poverty. These factors create a cycle in which disadvantaged children are likely to start school behind peers and the attainment gap widens as they progress.
Delight’s seven/eight-week arts initiatives start with a ‘wow’ experience such as an in-school performance by a theatre or dance company. Children are then immersed in weekly creative workshops led by its arts partners and the pupil’s class teachers. This culminates in a showcase performance or exhibition to celebrate the children’s achievements.
Teachers are proactively involved to build their skills and confidence in running arts programmes and each school is provided with everything they need from costumes and art materials to journals and manuals.
Delight’s ultimate goal is to leave a legacy of creativity and increase the use of arts-based learning in schools, not just through its own programmes. Independently verified evaluation demonstrates that its approach increases children’s confidence and learning engagement, particularly among children with special educational needs and those that access Pupil Premium. It also has a positive impact on teachers’ confidence and skills development, and parent/carer engagement.
One parent said: “The amazing dance teacher had the children eating out of her hands. The response from the kids on an emotional and creative level was palpable. It was extraordinary.”
Judge Martin Edwards, CEO of Julia’s House, praised it as a “shining example of arts and STEM creativity to increase school attainment, especially for those with learning difficulties”.
CC Reg. no. 1159567
