southampton cep – Southampton Cultural Education Partnership

Culture Connects: SEF/SCEP Expo 2026

On 23rd April 2026, the Southampton Cultural Education Partnership (SCEP) and Southampton Education Forum (SEF) co-presented the 2026 Expo ‘Culture Connects’, generously hosted by Redbridge Community School.

It was a successful event, boasting representatives from eight creative organisations and 50 delegates from across teaching, research, policy and culture, as well as a dynamic dance performance from Redbridge’s students.

It was a pleasure to hear from Emma Godsall (Head of Dance at Redbridge) who emphasised how the arts don’t just improve technical skills, but also, “Build the foundation of a confident human being.” This could not have been demonstrated more perfectly than by the Redbridge students themselves, who captivated their audience with an extract from their recent Dance Live piece.

Dance Live performance from Redbridge students.
The wonderful Redbridge teachers who helped make the Expo happen!
Emma Godsall (head of dance at Redbridge)
Dance Live performance from Redbridge students.

Partnership in Action

Left: Kath Page (SCEP Chair, and Head of Southampton and Isle of Wight Music) and Right: Debbie Mackenzie (SEF Chair, and Principal of Compass School)

The Expo was a wonderful opportunity for SEF and the SCEP to collaborate, and Kath Page (SCEP Chair, and Head of Southampton and Isle of Wight Music) and Debbie Mackenzie (SEF Chair, and Principal of Compass School) welcomed us. By coming together in this way, both networks can bridge the gap between creative provision and the education system; supporting our aim that access to creativity is available to every young person in Southampton.

Debbie emphasised the importance of combining SEF’s deep understanding of school priorities and classroom realities, with SCEP’s commitment to creativity and the transformative power of the arts. Kath summarised this collaboration well when she said, “We open up new possibilities for learning that neither group could achieve alone.”

Both Chairs were excited about the beginning of their collaboration and Kath emphasised how fantastic it was to see a broad range of backgrounds represented; from volunteers, to consultants, and practitioners.

A City-Wide Commitment to Young People’s Creativity

In the opening speeches, attendees also heard from Donna Tandy (Director of Education, Southampton City Council), who recognised Southampton’s exceptional commitment to providing opportunities for young people.

One attendee wrote that their main takeaway from the event was having the opportunity to connect with Donna, “[it was] great to meet her, and some other local authority workers – sharing partnership possibilities and connecting up.”

Donna, who has only been working for the Council since January, said, “I’ve been really blown away by the connections that are happening across the city. The ways that groups of people are coming together; all the shared ambition for brilliant outcomes for the children and young people of Southampton.” Donna commented on the Southampton’s commitment and drive to do the best for children and young people; leaving us with a reminder that they are who will be inheriting the city, when the time is right.

After spending time with the attendees, it’s easy to agree with Donna; Southampton’s educators and cultural organisations have a clear commitment to providing the best for the city’s children and young people.

Donna Tandy – Director of Education, Southampton City Council

Inspiring Belonging, Creativity and Attendance

The theme of the Expo was how culture and creativity can be used to support students emotional, social, mental and physical wellbeing.

Excitingly, Sally Howells (Assistant Headteacher, Compass School) shared her experience with cultural opportunities improving pupil wellbeing – ‘participation over perfection’ – particularly for SEND and neurodivergent students. Sally talked about the collaboration between Compass School and In Focus Education & Development, who delivered photography and arts-based education sessions, and how it helped the young people they engaged with to flourish. Arts and culture are a crucial part of educators moving away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ style of learning and to shift from ‘a curriculum to a culture’.

In Southampton, the SCEP’s diverse membership of cultural organisations is ready to support education settings with this. It was a great reminder to those of us working with young people, that the process is more valuable than the product.

Sally Howells, Assistant Head Teacher at Compass School
Sally Howells, Assistant Head Teacher at Compass School

Precious Time to Talk

John Hansard Gallery
In Focus Education and Development
Artswork
ArtfulScribe
Solent University
Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hub
Museum & Art Galleries Southampton
Turner Sims
Southampton Cultural Education Partnership

Whilst the Expo was a wonderful opportunity to hear talks from the professionals about how they’ve used culture and the arts to connect with young people, it was also an invaluable opportunity for teachers and educators to network with creative organisations, sparking opportunities for new collaborations. As Kath Page said, “Today is about connection, between ideas, between disciplines, and most importantly, between people who care deeply about the future of learning.”

We’re excited to be connecting cultural experts with educators and influencing the education of Southampton’s young. One attendee noticed the educators’ passion for supervising young learners in the creative arts; it’s encouraging to know the future of the city is being guided by the right people!

Upcoming Events

On Wednesday 6 May 2026, the SCEP will be attending Your Future: Careers Fair at the O2 Guildhall, and we look forward to meeting students and parents to inspire them to explore creative careers.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: CREATIVE MENTOR TRAINING OPPORTUNITY

NEWSFLASH!! After a busy summer and a competitive tendering process we have successful recruited SCEP member SoCo to run the Creative Mentoring Scheme. We recognise a lot of the SCEP organisations have also had a busy summer with full programmes and annual leave over the holiday season. With this in mind we are extending the deadline for applications to the Creative Mentoring programme. The nominating organisation simply needs to complete a few questions on the form. This is a paid CPD opportunity for an early Career Creatives not to be missed.

Timescale: October 2022 – March 2023
Fee: £4,500.00 per mentor
Application Deadline: 4 October 5PM
Interview Dates: 12/13 October in Southampton

This opportunity is part of Southampton Cultural Education Partnership’s (SCEP) Better Lives Through Culture Programme, in partnership with Artswork.

This is a paid training opportunity open to early career creatives in Southampton to develop mentoring skills and provide 1-2-1 support to young people aged 11 – 18 years. Successful candidates will be trained as Creative Mentors, developing their mentoring skills, knowledge and experience. Throughout the programme they will be supported to mentor a Southampton-based young person to achieve their goals.

The SCEP’s objective is to develop a cohort of Creative Mentors as local role models in Southampton, who will work directly with and inspire Children and Young People, including those from at risk, marginalised backgrounds or NEET (not in employment education or training).

What being a Creative Mentor involves

Six early career creatives will be trained as Creative Mentors, and mentor a young person over a six-month scheme, guiding them to gain confidence, connections and the advice they need to succeed in their chosen goal/subject/industry. With the support of a Creative Mentor Trainer, mentoring pairs will decide on each young person’s individual goals and work towards achieving them.

Each Mentoring pair will meet over an agreed number of sessions.

What is a Nominating Organisation and how will they support the Creative Mentor

The nominating organisation (person) is a cultural organisation that has a relationship with the early career creative. They simply need to fill in a few sections on a form to complete the application. This will take the nominating organisation 10 -15 minutes.

It is expected that mentoring meetings will be face to face at the nominating organisation, however some remote meetings may be necessary during the course of the programme, as well as email communication between sessions.

Early Career Creatives

This opportunity is open to early career creatives* who would benefit from this training opportunity to develop and grow their skills, knowledge and experience to support a diverse range of young people with their own creative aspirations.

*By early career creative, this means anyone who is at an early stage in their professional creative career. This includes recent school leavers or people who have recently made a career change into the cultural sector/creative industries.

Training

A fee of £4,500.00 based on completing 42 days is available for each Creative Mentor.

As part of the Creative Mentoring Training scheme, participants will develop the skills and tools to be an effective mentor and will:

work with a trainer to develop their mentoring practice through small group training sessions.
Work with and support a young person to develop their own goals over an agreed number of sessions.
gain direct experience and transferable skills including coaching, safeguarding and structuring mentoring sessions.

Person Specification

Essential:

An early career creative from any art form; including but not limited to visual arts, music, performing arts, written and spoken word, dance, film making and design.
Southampton based;
Experience of working with young people;
Good at problem solving and/or talking through issues;
Reliable and committed;
A good communicator;
Able to provide insight from your personal experience;
Willing to undertake a DBS Enhanced check.

Desirable:

Experience of supporting another person to develop personal goals. (You will be given training to do this);
Experience of working with vulnerable young people.

Timeline for Creative Mentor Scheme

Shortlisting for mentors from 5 October 2022

Interviewing of mentors 12/13 October 2022

Confirmation of outcomes of interviews for Mentors w/c 3 October 2022

Creative Mentor training and programme begins October 2022 – March 2023

Celebration event for Mentors and Mentees April 2023

Nomination Criteria:

Nominating cultural organisations must be SCEP members or willing to join the SCEP*
Candidates should self-define as early career creatives and have a connection to their nominating organisation e.g. artist, freelancer, staff member, participant.
Nominating cultural organisations must provide a reference for their candidate, please see the section on the form marked ‘Questions for Nominating Organisation’.

* To join the SCEP you must be a Southampton-based cultural and/or educational organisation. For more information email scep@soton.ac.uk

How to apply:

CANDIDATE: Please complete the online form
NOMINATING ORGANISATIONS: Please complete the section on this form marked nominating organisation. Or email a word document answering the ‘Questions for Nominating Organisation’ as detailed in the online form to scep@soton.ac.uk stating the name of the candidate at the beginning of the document.
DEADLINE: Submit the online application form (And Word document if applicable) by Tuesday 4 October 2022, 5pm
INTERVIEWS: To take place in 12/13 October in Southampton

Access Support & General Enquiries

We want to ensure the application process is accessible, and to give everyone the information they need to decide whether they might be suitable. If you require this description or any further information in a different format, or have questions before you apply, please get in touch with Jodie Sadler, Programme Manager, Better Lives Through Culture: J.Sadler@soton.ac.uk please provide a contact telephone number. Please note that queries may not be answered immediately due to the working hours of the team.

We’re especially keen to hear from people who may have shared experience with our mentees, such as people who are Black, Asian or from a minoritised ethnic group, LGTBQIA+ people, disabled people and those who have identified as working class.

Cultural Curriculum: Schools & Education Settings Expression of Interest

Part of Better Lives Through Culture Programme, in partnership with Artswork

Artwork made by a young person in a workshop with artist Nazneen Ahmed

From September 2022, Southampton Cultural Education Partnership is piloting a Cultural Curriculum for Southampton.

Teachers and student will work together with creative practitioners to co-design and create a Cultural Curriculum for Southampton, that supports delivery of Cultural Capital and aligns with Southampton City Council’s Future Work framework which prioritises levelling up, skills development and social capital.

New appointments to deliver SCEP Better Lives Through Culture programme

New SCEP team members: Jodie Sadler on the left is a white woman with red hair and Frankie McCormick on the right has brown hair and glasses. They are both smiling and standing in front on photograph of children playing musical instruments. — Jodie Sadler, Programme Manager (left) and Frankie McCormick, Creative Programmer (right) join the SCEP team

We are excited to announce two new appointments to Southampton Cultural Education Partnership (SCEP) team. Jodie Sadler as Programme Manager and Frankie McCormick as Creative Programmer will deliver our ambitious Better Lives Through Culture programme.

Our Better Lives Through Culture (BLTC) programme, in partnership with Artswork, will be a step-change for the Southampton Cultural Education Partnership (SCEP). With Southampton accepted onto the UNICEF Child Friendly programme, and the Southampton UK City of Culture 2025 Bid uniting communities, this really is our time.

Together, Jodie and Frankie will drive the BLTC programme forward, enabling the SCEP to galvanise cross-sector expertise to ensure children and young people that are at risk, disadvantaged, marginalised, not in education, employment or training (NEET) benefit from cultural education.

Children and young people will co-design and create a Creative Curriculum for Southampton, in collaboration with practitioners and teachers, and in alignment with Southampton City Council’s Future Work framework which prioritises levelling up, skills development and social capital. The work will harness Youth Voice and the ingenuity of the city’s communities, insights and practice, to root and feed creative connections to place.

Creative Mentoring activity will build strategic capabilities in Southampton for emerging creatives and artists, organisations, children and young people along with Arts Award delivery, Digital Badging and Artsmark Partnerships.

Louise Coysh, Interim Lead, Southampton Cultural Education Partnership and Associate Director, Arts & Culture at University of Southampton, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Jodie and Frankie to the team and our growing SCEP community. They each bring a wealth of experience and expertise, that will ensure Better Lives Through Culture positively impacts the lives of children in Southampton. This is an exciting moment for our City, with Southampton’s shared ambitions for children and young people clearly stated in the UNICEF Child Friendly City commitment and UK City of Culture 2025 Bid.”

Frankie, McCormick, Creative Programmer, said: “I am incredibly excited to be joining the SCEP as Creative Programmer. Having recently moved to Southampton, I have been hit by its vibrancy and feel so fortunate play a part in supporting the next generation of creative leaders to continue the legacy of this wonderful city.”

Jodie Sadler, Programme Manager, said: “Southampton has a broad and rich cultural offering, I am energised to work on with the Southampton Cultural Education Partnership to further the access to this wealth of creativity and support the next generation of creatives to see what is possible when it comes to creative futures.”

Jodie and Frankie will begin their roles in June and look forward to meeting and working our SCEP members, stakeholders, partners and most importantly children and young people over the coming months.

Frankie McCormick has recently moved to Southampton from Liverpool, where she has managed multiple large scale arts programmes with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, ranging from higher education partnerships to Music and Mental Health programmes in partnership with NHS trusts. Frankie has spent the past three years managing Liverpool’s biggest musical talent development programme, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company, and has worked with communities from across Liverpool to give young musicians world-class opportunities for music making. Frankie is a clarinetist and composer specialising in Klezmer and Balkan music, and has worked with highly acclaimed ensembles from symphony orchestras and choirs to community focused chamber groups.

Jodie Sadler joins us from working at a local authority in Wokingham where she developed a Cultural Strategy as Arts and Culture Development Officer. Previously she has worked as a Senior Project Manager for a multi-disciplinary national arts charity supporting vulnerable groups access the arts to improve confidence, teamwork, artistic skills, reduce isolation and enhance well-being. Jodie has worked within the community outreach and education departments of Dulwich Picture Gallery and The National Portrait Gallery. Before this Jodie set up a creative programme whilst working as an administrator in a mental ill health hostel in Westminster, where she worked with residents to co-design an arts showcase called Challenging Stigmas. Jodie studied Fine Art Sculpture at Loughborough University.

SCEP SPOLIGHT: News from the University of Southampton’s Connecting Culture project

A student at Mount Pleasant Junior School in Bevois, Southampton, with their Arts Award Discover certificate

Today we are spotlighting the Connecting Culture research project, led by the Arts and Culture team at University of Southampton and supported by Arts Council England. The project has recently reached the end of its ambitious ‘Creative Consultation’ programme of artist-led creative workshops held with children and young people in Southampton. With children at the heart, the research explores the question of how Southampton’s thriving Cultural Quarter can enrich their lives as a future creative hub.

A total of 25 workshops took place at 15 schools and youth settings across the city, with around 600 of Southampton’s young people taking part. All participants earned themselves an Arts Award Discover certificate for their efforts and, at a special presentation at Mount Pleasant Junior School, certificates were awarded to around 70 of their year 6 students.