Creative thinking is the engine of deep learning, adaptability, and future readiness. This panel brings together leading academics, school leaders, and classroom practitioners to explore why creative skills are not an optional enrichment but a core entitlement for every child.
Across sectors, employers consistently highlight the need for creative problem‑solving, collaboration, and adaptability,the very capacities nurtured through playful inquiry, open‑ended tasks, and rich curriculum design. Yet in many schools, creativity is still perceived by some parents and policymakers as a “nice to have”, squeezed by accountability pressures and misconceptions about rigour.
This discussion will tackle the real tensions:
- How do we remove the fear of inspection so teachers feel free to innovate
- How we shift parental perceptions so creativity is seen as essential, not decorative
- How we extend the powerful pedagogies of Early Years — curiosity, exploration, agency — into Key Stages 1 and 2
- How leaders create cultures where creative thinking is planned, valued, and evidenced with confidence
Panellists will share research insights, lived experience, and practical strategies that show creativity is not the opposite of rigour; it is the route to it. This is a conversation for anyone committed to helping young learners flourish in a world that demands imagination, resilience, and the ability to think beyond the obvious.
This webinar comes to you as part of the Rethinking Curriculum webinar series. The project aims to support and equip teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, creative and place-based approach. This will mean that all pupils will have access to an expansive, inspiring curriculum that connects them with local communities and enables them to lead healthy, fulfilled lives.
The session will be hosted by Dr Laura Kerslake, Teaching, Assessment and Research Manager, Chartered College of Teaching.