OUR CORE VALUES

SUSTAINABILITY

We approach every aspect of art and design with sustainability, waste reduction and recycling in mind. We ensure our own pollution footprint is as low as possible, and we aim to educate and impassion our young learners about living and exploring sustainably. Our motto is doing more with less. Each RPS team member has a cardboard bank at home, where we collect materials for reuse in our workshops. When we are purchasing new materials, our focus is on recycled, low carbon emission and biodegradable products.

CREATIVITY

Our aim is to incite learning through creativity. We aim to boost engagement with all areas of the school curriculum - history, science, literacy, maths, and more - through creative tasks. We believe that creative exploration is key to engagement in all subjects and with all members of our local community. Our young artists develop a growth mindset and are empowered through engagement with our tuition and resources. We also use creativity to promote wellbeing and help our young artists develop strategies for self-care and mindfulness.

DISCOVERY

Curiosity is key to motivating learning. We want our young artists to be excited to engage with new materials and try new projects. However, if our young artists aren’t inspired by a particular task, or have their own ideas for how to execute a project, we give them the space to discover their own ideas and outcomes. We find that children often switch off if the parameters of a project are too tightly defined, or their day too rigidly scheduled. Space for individual creativity is always built into our workshops.

ACCESSIBILITY

The cost of attending extra-curricular activities can be prohibitive for some members of our community. Our focus is therefore on providing free and affordable workshops and events. We apply to external funding sources so that we can reduce the cost of our programme without compromising on quality.  In January 2021, we received funding from Suffolk Community Foundation to run 30 free online workshops. We provide partner organisations, such as Suffolk Refugee Project, with free spaces on workshops. We believe that all our young artists benefit from an inclusive community.

COMMUNITY

We use art as a vehicle to promote cohesion in our local community. We believe that friendship and community bonds are crucial to the long-term well-being of our young people. When possible, we provide social opportunities for parents, guardians and carers. We are committed to giving back to our community and supporting it through difficult times - so we can all enjoy good times together. The pandemic has provided a vital opportunity to review and re-engage. To learn more about how we give back to our community, please visit our community projects page.

EQUALITY

We value contributions from our young artists equally, no matter their age, confidence levels or skill sets. We never promote a particular medium or technique over others - all creativity is equal. A big part of our commitment to equality is ensuring that we listen to our young artists - each and every one. In so many aspects of their lives, children don’t have the communication skillls to advocate for themselves. This is a skill we foster in our young artists. Our parallel commitments to accessibility and community are essential to our vision of equality.

QUALITY

Young people feel more confident and successful when their creativity is taken seriously and the education they receive is on par with adults. Our techniques, materials and teaching styles are therefore varied and progressive, regardless of age group. When we apply for funding for projects and when we purchase new materials, we always have quality in mind. Through providing quality materials, we not only reduce our impact on the environment, but we allow children to explore mediums and techniques they otherwise may not be able to access.

DIVERSITY

We want our learning environment to be an inclusive one. We work with local charities and organisations to ensure our audience is as diverse as possible. We seek diverse perspectives in the development of our programme of events through collaboration with partner organisations. We are investing in specialised training, such as mental health first aid training, to ensure we are able to support every child who wants to attend our events. We also seek diversity in our projects and settings. Different children thrive with different inputs and we recognise this.

INTEGRITY

Our ethos and values are key to our integrity. Only by fostering creativity, striving for sustainability, promoting diversity, delivering quality, making space for discovery, ensuring accessibility, giving back to our community and working to advance equality, can we say that we have integrity. We always want to hear from our RPS community. If you have any feedback on our projects or ideas on how we can better promote our values, please get in touch!