The Herald has highlighted the successful partnership between Castlehead School of Creativity and The Glasgow School of Art (GSA), a collaboration that continues to demonstrate the impact of creative learning within Scottish education.
The partnership was inspired by Creative Scotland’s 2013 Creative Learning Plan, which set out a vision for embedding creativity and creative skills across the national education system. It was later formally established as part of Paisley’s UK City of Culture and has since become a leading example of collaborative practice between secondary and higher education.
In a recent inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland, the Castlehead–GSA partnership was recognised as a particular strength of the school’s approach.
Last week, Castlehead welcomed Professor Penny Macbeth, Director and Principal of The Glasgow School of Art, along with Shona Paul, Head of Professional and Continuing Education at the GSA, and Professor John McKendrick, Commissioner for Fair Access at the Scottish Government.
Shona Paul commented:
“This is a unique collaboration — not only in Scotland but across the UK. It is an equal and mutually beneficial partnership, with a dedicated member of staff working across both the school and the GSA. This shared role informs and strengthens our work as a higher education institution, particularly in widening participation and community engagement.”
Since the partnership began, Castlehead has recorded more than 750 additional enrolments in creative courses, reflecting growing engagement and opportunity in creative education.
About Castlehead High School
Castlehead High School located in Paisley and serves the areas of central Paisley, Elderslie, Ferguslie Park and Hunterhill.
The Glasgow School of Art’s partnership with Castlehead High School in Paisley supports pupils from S1-S6 to benefit from learning through creativity. The school’s annual Creativity Week in May sees more than 85% of S1-3 pupils participate in a range of creative workshops or lessons with artists, GSA tutors, teachers from across the school curriculum and representatives from industry.
In addition to the annual Creativity Week, GSA tutors pay regular visits to the school to work on design-related projects with the pupils, who also receive regular trips to the art school to learn from GSA tutors in a studio-based environment. The Castlehead and GSA partnership was first formed in 2017, involving Renfrewshire Council. It was inspired by research showing that learning through arts and culture can improve life skills and attainment across all subjects. It is designed to unlock potential in pupils, encourage innovative thinking, increase attainment and develop skills needed to thrive not just at school and work but in broader society.
About The Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning, and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world. Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3,500 students and staff across architecture, design, fine art, innovation, and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1,500 students annually.
