A national campaign for craft in schools

Craft Club is the new campaign that pioneers craft in schools.

Get your school crafting! All young people deserve access to a full range of fun and rewarding craft projects as part of their cultural learning. We can help by uniting skilled and enthusiastic volunteers with schools through after-hours clubs. The generous support of our volunteers ensures Craft Club is available free-of-charge to state-funded schools and academies in England.

Knit 1 Pass it On is the first project for Craft Club, launched in 2009. Knitting clubs offer good value, accessible and creatively limitless craft projects for schools. Our resources for clubs will continue to grow as we add other yarn- and stitch-based projects and different crafts to build up a library of resources.

Stop Press! TRAINING will start this autumn!

Become a volunteer trainer

If you’re interested in attending one of our FREE volunteer training days and taking on a leading role, up-skilling members of your local volunteer network, please drop us an email. We will send you a job description and further information. We are asking trainers to undertake to pass on this training to their federation or local volunteer group.

We completed our first phase of Craft Club Volunteer Training for Trainers Days in Oxford, York, Cambridge and London by March 2010, and now our second phase of training is about to begin this autumn in the following locations:

• Derbyshire: 9^th September 2010

 Venue:Derbyshire House, Sherwin Street, Derby, DE22 1GP

• Devon:14^th September, 2010

 Venue:Longdown Hall, Longdown Nr, Exeter, EX6 7SN 

• Durham:14^th October 2010

 Venue:WI House, Barnfield Road, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6EB

 *More training dates will be announced soon!*

NB. Training days run from 10am-4pm, are FREE to attend, and include lunch and refreshments. Spaces are strictly limited, so register your interest now by emailing knit1@craftclub.org.uk or download the Application from the File Transfer area

For all our fantastic volunteer trainers who already completed Craft Club Training, don't forget your next step! Simply gather a few crafty friends to pass on your learning in your own local cascade training session. The more training sessions you hold, the more volunteers will be crafting in our schools.  And don't forget to contact the Craft Club Team if you need any assistance.

You can also find out more about Craft Club at one of our talks at the following knitting shows. Don't miss out!:

• ICHF Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts Show:

    Westpoint Centre, Exeter, 23^rd September 2010

• The Knitting & Stitching Show:

    Harrogate International Centre, 25^th September 2010, 2.30-5pm

• The Knitting & Stitching Show:

    Alexandra Palace, London, 7^th & 8^th October 2010, 2.30-5pm

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events soon!

Ofsted success!

Craft Club is hitting the right buttons with Ofsted! Their new school inspection framework was introduced by Ofsted on 1 September 2009, meaning that inspectors now make some additional judgements that emphasise 'community cohesion', partnership working and engagement with parents and carers.

Our pilot project at Lindens Primary in Sutton Coldfield just received an outstanding report from Ofsted, and our knitting club received special commendation for its role in delivering these outcomes:

“The school’s skilfully personalised curriculum is writ large. Displays are virtually all of pupils’ own work… the knitting project with the local Women’s Institute has resulted in a web of design where colour and form meld together to produce an eye-catching display. It also represents the school’s excellent partnership with outside agencies, which extends to its outreach work and sponsorship from the business community.”

Ofsted Inspection report: Lindens Primary School, 3-4 February 2010

Congratulations to Lindens Primary School, its staff, students and knitting community!

As a national campaign to revive craft learning for the young generation, Craft Club is about reinforcing the value of craft in formal and informal education, not just as a vocational subject, but as a beneficial its own right.