Ceramics boost for region's schools

THE CRAFTS Council and Staffordshire University have teamed up to reinvigorate ceramics teaching in the county’s secondary schools.

The partnership sees the launch of a scheme to train teachers, refurbish and re-fire kilns, and supply equipment and materials.

Tristram Hunt, Stoke Central MP, will launch the Firing Up scheme on Wednesday, September 28, at an event at the University’s College Road campus, Stoke-on-Trent.

The evening will include presentations about the project and its local delivery, opportunities to view an exclusive collection from Wedgwood young apprentices and view the Crafts Council Handling Collection ceramics.

John Webber, Staffordshire University’s Firing Up Coordinator, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this year’s Firing Up scheme, trying to reintroduce ceramics production into secondary schools.

“Staffordshire is special for its ceramics history and it’s important that we get school children interested in it again. So we’re teaching the teachers ceramics skills to pass onto their pupils as well as helping them to improve their facilities and get materials.”

The Firing Up scheme involves a Higher Education Institute (HEI) ceramics department working with a group of local secondary schools, artists and makers on creative ceramic projects over a whole school year.

Staffordshire University is one of four Firing Up cluster organisers around the UK this year – the second year the Crafts Council scheme has been run. The other clusters include Bath Spa University, Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Sunderland.

The Staffordshire schools taking advantage of the scheme are Birches Head High School, Cheslyn Hay Sport and Community High School, Sandon Business and Enterprise College, The Cooperative Academy at Brownhills, and Thistley Hough High School.

Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director of Crafts Council, said: “Firing Up is a really important scheme - giving secondary school pupils the opportunity to access skilled ceramic technicians and makers which will hopefully open their eyes to the possibilities of ceramics.

“It is also timely that we launch here at Staffordshire University in such an important region for ceramics - Stoke-on-Trent - and on the eve of the start of the second British Ceramics Biennial.”

The scheme, supported by funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, will also see work by the students involved in the first year of Firing Up put on display at the original Spode Factory, as part of the British Ceramics Biennial, which runs from the 30 September to 13 November.