Puppetry and playfulness: The role of the teacher when using arts organisations and programmes in schools

Many schools choose to engage in professional partnerships with artists and arts organisations, whether they be school residencies, individual artists working in school settings or venue-based school excursions and education programmes. There have also been many studies in the last couple of decades, both nationally and internationally, that overwhelmingly reveal the positive outcomes for students of such partnerships. For example, Bamford (2006) highlights educational and cultural benefits, as well as benefits to health and socio-cultural wellbeing. Imms et al. extend these benefits to include, amongst others, ‘an increase in arts-related knowledge… a strengthened sense of confidence and communication skills; and new perspectives on creativity and the creative process’ (2011, p. 4). However, Bamford (2006) highlights the need for arts education provisions to be of high quality, value and worth, progressing skills, attitudes and performativity in students. It is simply not enough