Factory International

An Inheritance: A Project for Primary Schools across Greater Manchester

A wooden cube inside a glass and metal cube

About the project

An Inheritance brings together more than 600 primary school children from across Greater Manchester to create an inheritance for children who will be born 100 years from now. This inheritance grapples with the idea of what it means to be a good ancestor: what kind of world the children hope to leave behind and what they worry the world will be like if we don’t take action now.

This project begins in the Summer Term of 2024 and will engage young people at various points across the 2024/25 academic year, culminating in the creation of an inheritance for children of Greater Manchester 100 years in the future. As part of the project, young people will also participate in a public event in July 2025 where we deliver our inheritance to the city. An Inheritance asks us all to imagine and plan for another world that we will not be alive to see.

This project is open to mainstream and SEND primary schools across Greater Manchester. It has been designed for Year 4 students who will be moving into Year 5 in the 24/25 academic year. This project is free for participating schools.

The artists

Andy Field & Beckie Darlington collaborate with children and young people on creative projects that initiate new and different kinds of conversations between children and adults. These conversations explore how we live together and the roles we are all able to play within the life of our communities.

Rosabel Tan (Aotearoa New Zealand) is a tangata Tiriti artist working collaboratively to create participatory public works that explore alternative forms of civic and cultural engagement. This has included working with young people to turn an abandoned building into a crystal ball, transforming an empty shop into a giant claw machine, and inviting members of the public to harvest a ceramic vegetable to gift to a stranger.

How does the programme work?

- The project begins when young people are in Year 4. An Inheritance artists will meet with all Year 4 and Year 5 teachers from each school to share our educator activity pack and talk through the project timeline. Year 4 teachers will then deliver this pack with their students during the summer 2024 term.

-An Inheritance artists will then deliver a two-hour workshop at each school with a select number of students from the Year 4 classes

-In January 2025, two students from each school will form a collective to take part in a three-day creative process in central Manchester. Young people will need to be accompanied by a teacher who will be included within the creative process. These young people will also be involved in the creation of a short film in late January 2025.

-In July 2025, young people in the collective will take part in an additional creative day in central Manchester. Then, An Inheritance artists will re-visit each school to rehearse for the public event.

-Finally, in July 2025, young people from all schools, including those on the collective and the rest of the Year 5 classes will take part in a public event where we deliver our inheritance to the city.

Key dates

Monday 22 April: Applications open

Monday 20 May, 12pm: Applications close

Thursday 23 May, after school: Online meeting with Year 4 & Year 5 teachers

Monday 3 June– Friday 21 June: Completion of activity pack with Year 4 classes. The approx length of time to complete all activities is 10 hours.

Thursday 4 July – Thursday 11 July: 2-hour workshop at each school

January 21 – January 23 2025: 3 full day workshops with collective of young people, 2 young people from each school

Late January 2025: filming with collective of young people

July 2025: 1-2 day creative process with the collective

July 2025: Workshop with each school to rehearse for public event

July 2025 (date tbc): Public event in central Manchester

WHAT WILL YOUR SCHOOL NEED TO DO?

  • Provide dedicated member/s of staff for the Creative Learning Team to contact prior to, during and following the programme
  • Organise and cover the cost of travel for students and staff to the public event in central Manchester in July 2025. Factory International will cover the cost of travel for young people and staff taking part in the collective.
  • Contribute to and complete Factory International’s monitoring and evaluation processes, including providing parents/guardians with Factory International’s photo and video consent form and returning forms prior to the programme

WHAT WILL FACTORY INTERNATIONAL OFFER?

  • A high-quality creative learning project for students at your school
  • A dedicated member of staff to oversee the programme and be a point of contact
  • A team of skilled artist-facilitators with vast experience working with young people of varying needs
  • The opportunity for young people to participate in a public event in central Manchester
  • Factory International will cover the cost of travel for staff and young people in the collective to central Manchester for the creative process in January 2025 and July 2025

Apply now

Please note we have already recruited schools from the borough of Manchester for this project, we are looking to engage with schools from the other Greater Manchester boroughs. To find out about other Primary School school opportunities please get in touch with learning@factoryinternational.org.

Complete the application form →

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