3 Year Project: Workshop Lead / CDA Researcher
Job description
Hand Of arts education charity and Durham University have teamed up to create an opportunity for an artist, musician and/or academic to complete a 3-year project delivering Hand Of’s creative teaching and researching its impacts.
About the 3 Year Project
While the benefits of high-quality arts education are frequently observed in practice, the evidence that support these benefits, across a young person’s educational experience and attainment, is limited. Not only is arts learning insufficiently evaluated, but inequitably distributed: young people facing disadvantage are less likely to receive the advantages it confers. By working with the educational charity Hand Of, the CDA researcher and project team will analyse, evaluate and, in due course, model a set of interventions that can raise attainment, attendance and aspiration in young people marginalised by mainstream education and make a significant intervention into policy and the research field.
The project candidate will be fully integrated into Hand Of, understanding the operations of the charity, and delivering workshops to children and young people alongside our current team of artist workshop leaders. This will entail travelling to various schools, education and care settings across the North East, as well as working at Hand Of’s office in central Newcastle and at Durham University, School of Education.
Whilst the parameters of this project are set, the candidate will take a lead on shaping the way in which it happens. More information about the project can be found here.
Candidate Specifications:
- Ability to plan & deliver arts based workshops together with the current team of artists and musicians.
- Ability to report on any safeguarding or general concerns.
- Ability and willingness to travel to schools and education settings including pupil referral units and children’s residential care homes in the North East of England.
- Undergraduate degree in relevant discipline (2.1 OR 1st)
- MA in a relevant discipline OR other relevant experience
- Good time management and ability to work to deadlines.
- Ability to set goals and priorities independently.
- Effective communication, organisational skills, ability to communicate with a range of people.
You must be enthusiastic about working with children and young people, and excited about applying your skills to educational settings. We will provide you with training and support throughout the duration of the role.
Questions about the project can be directed to either Artistic Director of Hand Of Louise Snape: louise@handof.co.uk, and/or Dr Sophie Ward: s.c.ward@durham.ac.uk.
Hours & Remuneration
- 3.5 years full time
- A minimum stipend per year for living costs (tax free), which is paid in regular instalments. Awards increase every year, typically with inflation. As an indicator, the level for 2024/2025 is £19,237. CDA award-holders will receive an additional £600 per annum to help fund collaboration with Hand Of (for travel, accommodation, etc.). Alternatively, if the student opts to locate near their partner organisation, the additional £600 can be used for travel to and from their host institution for supervisory meetings and library/research visits. Please note, however, they cannot fund any mandatory attendance required by the host institution, such as university-run research training.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should:
- Submit a short (approx. 500 word) personal statement saying why they are interested in the work of Hand Of and why they are the right person to conduct this evaluation.
- Include A CV
- Attach Bachelors and/or Masters transcripts and certificates
- Provide two letters of references (at least one academic)
These should be submitted to ed.pgrstudents@durham.ac.uk.
Deadline: 4pm Monday 3rd March 2025. About Hand Of
Hand Of is a charity that gives disadvantaged children and young people unique creative opportunities to work alongside professional artists, musicians, archivists, academics and more. Our work harnesses the arts and heritage sectors to create a cultural education, which allows children and young people to create artistic responses to their experiences and understanding of the places they call home. Projects include intensive one to two-week interventions, large-scale creative projects lasting c.6 months, and weekly 1 to 1 mentoring programmes. On every Hand Of project, children and young people work collaboratively to co-create outputs together with professionals, including live performances, films, sound walks, art exhibitions and music videos.
Hand Of works with children and young people in the North East and focusses on those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Social Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMH), from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Pupil Premium Grant, PP), or who are Looked After Children (LAC), fostered or living in local authority children’s homes and not attending school.
For a sense of Hand Of’s ethos and interests, we recommend you take a look at our past projects on our website, and watch our About Us video.