New Report Celebrates the Lasting Impact of Trinity's Cultural Alliance

Trinity Community Arts is proud to share the final evaluation report for our Cultural Alliance programme – a three-year partnership with four local primary schools that has transformed how children experience creativity in education.

Rather than delivering one-off arts workshops, the Cultural Alliance was built on long-term relationships, working alongside schools, teachers, artists, children and families to co-design creative learning that responded to local need. Through weekly drama and dance sessions linked directly to the curriculum, the programme demonstrated how creativity can unlock confidence, imagination and participation for children facing some of the greatest barriers to accessing arts and culture.

Across the programme:

• 483 children participated in curriculum-linked creative learning.
• Four local primary schools became long-term partners.
• 720 hours of drama and dance were delivered by professional artists.
• 29 teachers and teaching assistants worked alongside practitioners, embedding creativity within everyday school life.

The report highlights how sustained creative engagement helped children build confidence, strengthen communication skills and engage more deeply with learning. Teachers consistently described improvements in participation, writing, understanding of curriculum subjects and self-belief, particularly for children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language.

One of the report's strongest messages is that meaningful change takes time. Rather than delivering a fixed programme, Trinity listened, adapted and developed the work alongside schools over three years. This relationship-based approach created lasting trust and a model that schools now want to build upon.

The evaluation, led by Dr Harriet Hand, Bristol University, concludes that the programme's legacy extends far beyond individual sessions. It has strengthened relationships between Trinity, schools and families, developed a tested model for connecting culture, education and community, and laid the foundations for Trinity to become a trusted long-term arts partner for local schools.

The programme was made possible through the generous support of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Linbury Trust and Nisbet Trust, alongside the commitment and collaboration of our creative partners Movema and acta Theatre, our participating schools, artists, practitioners, children, families and the wider communities who shaped the programme throughout its three-year journey.

As we look ahead, the Cultural Alliance has given us more than an evaluation of a successful project. It has provided a blueprint for how creativity, when rooted in trust, collaboration and long-term partnership, can help children flourish and strengthen communities.

Read the full Cultural Alliance evaluation report to discover the stories, learning and evidence behind this remarkable three-year journey.