Research School Network: Coming soon – a focus on the power of the Creative Arts Our new ELE, Helen Jones, is joining the Staffordshire Research School, with a sharp focus on the power of the creative arts.
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Coming soon – a focus on the power of the Creative Arts
Our new ELE, Helen Jones, is joining the Staffordshire Research School, with a sharp focus on the power of the creative arts.
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by Staffordshire Research School
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Helen Jones
Helen is a music teacher by trade and is passionate about the arts and the power these, often under-represented, subjects have to transform lives. She has worked as Deputy head and senior leader across a number of schools. She also offers a range of consultancy work focused on the arts.
Here, Helen Jones, our new ELE, gives a short introduction to her passion for the arts.
I am excited to be joining the Staffordshire Research School as an ELE with a particular focus on the arts. I am keen to explore the impact of arts and music education on pupils’ progress, as well as working with colleagues to identify and signpost best practice. This area of work aligns deeply with my professional experience, having worked in performing arts teams for my entire career. I believe in the transformative role that creative learning and skills play in shaping the development of young people.
Throughout my career, I have seen how engagement with the arts can strengthen cognitive skills, unlock confidence and instil study habits and techniques. This focus is particularly pertinent in the current climate, as it aligns with the curriculum review 2025 changes which recognise the essential role of arts and music education in developing confidence, creativity and transferable skills valued across all industries.
We know that Arts Participation is identified in the EEF’s Teaching and Learning toolkit as adding up to 3 months additional progress, but it is not only this ‘participation’ which I want to explore. I also want to consider the metacognitive approaches (for example) which are developed via approaches in the Arts subjects.
The Metacognition and Self-regulation Guidance report tells us that we should be explicitly teaching children how to ‘plan, monitor and evaluate their learning’. This is such an important parts of all arts learning – being self-directed and critically evaluating not just outcomes, but approaches too.
I am eager to collaborate with a range of colleagues, practitioners, as well as pupils (past and present) to explore evidence that is grounded in real experiences and initiatives that demonstrate the diverse ways creativity supports academic and personal growth.
If anyone is interested in getting involved in any of this work, do contact the research school.
