A successful new initiative to help young adults become creative professionals is celebrating the end of its initial phase.

QEStudio school opened in Kirkby Lonsdale in September 2017, where it operates in conjunction with Queen Elizabeth School.

The studio school is for pupils in years 10 to 13 – the equivalent to the last two years of secondary school and the two years of sixth-form college.

It provides a vocational pathway in subjects such as art & design, healthcare, sport, and the performing arts. This provision operates alongside traditional GCSE and A-Levels teaching at QES.

Staff from Lancaster University Management School’s Centre for Executive Training and Development (CETAD) have been working with teachers from QEStudio throughout the first two years of the programme.

Through workshops and coaching from CETAD, QEStudio staff have been able to reflect on the delivery of the curriculum and design a framework for professional learning and development.

Representatives of QEStudio and Lancaster University celebrated the success of the initiative at a symposium in Lancaster University Management School.

“Working with such dedicated professional teachers has been very rewarding,” said Diane Vaukins, Scheme Director for Senior Leader Masters Degree Apprenticeships at Lancaster University. “Sharing ideas and challenging practice has helped develop this initiative and mould it into a framework that is fit for purpose.

“The staff are now perfectly placed to disseminate this knowledge of how studio schools can operate successfully to encourage young learners to become creative professionals.”