The battle to boost creativity in schools across the UK and London

The creative industries are fuelling the global economy. Not only did they help make a record-breaking contribution to the UK recently, the World Economic Forum also cites creativity as the third most important skill for professionals to thrive in 2020. As author and international advisor on education Sir Ken Robinson puts it, “creativity is as important now in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” Furthermore, with the World Economic Forum estimating that 50% of companies expect AI to reduce their workforce in the next three years, problem solving, critical thinking and creativity have frequently been called out as the top three skills that children need to be taught for future success.

Despite this, funding for creative arts subjects across schools around the UK is on the decline. We believe in creativity for all, and that means fostering creativity in students from a young age. To that end, partnering with EdTech charity LGfL (London Grid for Learning) to provide access to creative software that will help to equip the next generation of school children with the skills required to thrive in the world of work.

Under the terms of this landmark partnership, over 3000 schools throughout the UK which are part of the London Grid for Learning (LGfL) network – including over 500 secondary and 1600 primary schools across all 33 London boroughs – will receive free access to Adobe Creative Cloud, enabling pupils to use industry-leading creative and digital tools for graphic design, video editing, web development and photography. In addition, schools will receive dedicated support and free access to Adobe Spark for Education, an integrated suite of storytelling applications that enable students to create mobile and web content.

Providing free access to Creative Cloud for LGfL schools allows us to equip teachers with the tools they need to cultivate creativity in the classroom while enabling all students, regardless of their background, to develop their creative problem-solving skills – something that is increasingly important for future employment.

As an industry, it’s our responsibility to ensure teachers have the resources and support they need to make creativity a core part of the curriculum, to ensure the success of the next generation. We believe in creativity for all and are proud to be working with LGfL on this fantastic partnership to ensure that young people across in the UK have access to the digital and creative tools that will enable them to develop skills they will need to thrive, whatever they go on to do in their future careers. This is a battle worth fighting!

To find out more about the partnership and to claim your schools free license please visit https://adobe.lgfl.net.